Capricorn Soap Company

An Automobile Accident...

2011-02-13T03:10:00.000-05:00

My friends, this afternoon I was in a rather sever automobile accident. I'm recovering, but in quite a bit of pain, and my blog posts are going to be a bit delayed. I will return in a few days, but in the meantime, read up on some of the previous posts and be prepared for more upcoming wholesale tutorials.

WHOLESALE for HANDMADE - Marketing Your Product

2011-02-09T08:00:00.000-05:00

You're going to need that LIST you made from our last past in this one, because I'm going to give you some selling tips and a few ways to market your product to make retailers and/or shop owners WANT your product in their establishment.

You already know from having done the leg work that there are certain retailers you want to approach to ask about carrying your pearl button cufflinks. You have your LINESHEET ready, some business cards printed up, and maybe a brochure or two. (By the way, you can get some great business cards printed here with photos from your Etsy shop.) Here is a list of one or two things you need to do to prepare BEFORE making your first in-person visit:

1. PREPARE A SAMPLE OF YOUR WORK.

You're going to be taking photos, of course, as these are a part of your linesheet. But there's no photo on earth that can do justice to the real thing. You have to carry a sample of your work with you. Package it just like you would a regular retail order from your Etsy or Artfire shop, ready for giving. This DOESN'T necessarily mean that you're going to be giving it as a "free" sample to the proprietor, but I'll talk about samples in a later post. For now, just carry a sample with you as a demonstration.

2. WRITE DOWN SOME THINGS YOU LIKE ABOUT THE ESTABLISHMENT.

This is going to server as an icebreaker for you when you greet the owner or buyer. It'll help you launch an easy, smooth conversation that won't feel like selling. This is a very simple approach to help you overcome any cold-calling shyness you may have. We'll talk about some additional techniques again in a later post.

3. MAKE A PHONE CALL TO THE SHOP AND ASK FOR THE BUYER'S NAME.

You may already have this information from where you made your in-person preliminary visit before. If not, a simple call will do the trick - at some smaller retail locations the owner and buyer may be the same person. But you should always check. Maybe the buyer is somewhere else besides at the store! If you didn't know that ahead of time, you may be wasting your time visiting the store again, since the decisionmaker/buyer wouldn't even be there!

4. TRY TO SET UP AN APPOINTMENT TO SPEAK WITH THEM IN PERSON.

This is really a courtesy to them, since you want to make sure they can arrange a time to see you that works best for their schedule. Some people you talk with may just tell you to come on by any time you're in the area - and that's fine. But this serves your own interests in a covert way, as well. It gives the impression of busy-ness. Meaning, the potential buyer/shop owner will think that YOU are extremely busy and need to budget your time by making an appointment, which may lead them to believe that your product is a hot ticket item which they definitely need to look at.

Your next step is to basically outline a script to act as a guideline for your upcoming conversation with the buyer/owner. I will talk more about this tomorrow, but for now, you're one step closer to making your first sale!

WHOLESALE For HANDMADE - Finding Retailers Who Might Want To Carry Your Product

2011-02-08T12:16:00.000-05:00

So, if you've been tuning in, you know that we've talked about wholesale pricing already, and of course we discussed setting up your wholesale linesheet, a copy of which you should already have tucked nicely away into your very inexpensive-but-neat notebook/binder to be ready for presentation.

Okay, so you now have your steller product, a solid wholesale price, and a beautiful linesheet. What next?

You need to start thinking now about what retailers you'd like to try to market your product to.

Here are some tips for finding retailers/boutiques that may want your merchandise.

1. Your Local Chamber of Commerce is a great starting point.

From what I've seen, a lot of indepent artisans and crafters overlook this completely, and that is a definite mistake. First of all, your local Chamber is going to have a listing of member organizations that will fall under certain categories, like retail, for example. Depending on where you live, you may be able to find their site on line and actually search the member directory there. You can get some names and possibly some addresses, and this is a great starting point.

2. Drive!

Or walk, depending on where you live. If you live in the suburbs, or in a rural area (like I do) then this might cost you a tank of gasoline. Take a drive or a stroll through the shopping districts and see what shops are there. But you need to do more than just drive by. You need to actually go inside and take a look to see what merchandise they have available for sale. Is it neatly arranged? Are the displays current? Is there a lot of traffic to and from the shop? And more importantly, are the people INSIDE the shop actually buying things? It wouldn't do to have your work present in a fabulous upscale boutique if there weren't any paying customers, would it?

3. Ask Questions.

Strike up a conversation with the boutique owner and/or employee. How long has the shop been open? What's their busiest season? Are they interested in carrying products made my local/independent designers? A WORD OF CAUTION HERE: if the employee/owner says the retail location has only been open for a few weeks or a few months, take this under advisement. It may not necessarily be bad news, but you may want to proceed with caution if you plan on marketing your product to them. On the other hand, new shops are sometimes more open to working with new artisans than more establishes venues.

4. Pay Attention to Products.

This is probably the most important part of your research, and is really so common-sense that it is often neglected. Pay attention to what types of products are being offered and retail locations. If you find a boutique and/or establishment that you want to introduce your products to, what other types of products are they carrying? If you want to try to sell your pearl button cufflinks to a card & stationery shop, for example, you're probably going to have a rough go of it. Make sure their inventory is similar enough to what you're selling - otherwise you're going to be doing more work for nothing.

4. DON'T OVERLOOK UNCONVENTIONAL VENUES!

One of the very first venues I marketed my handmade soap to was a plumbing suppy shop. They caught my eye because they actually sold handcrafted plumbing fixtures that used to be made by a semi-local artisan. I was very impressed, and immediately struck up a conversation with them. They were one of my very first wholesale customers! You can't overlook unconventional venues. They may turn out to be some of your most loyal clients!

5. Attend Local Trade Shows, Too.

Because of the huge movement back to "handmade" some trade fairs may have exhibitors who might be a fit for your work. I wouldn't recommend attending trade shows that are out of your area (at least not yet) because you want to keep your expenses as low as possible until you have your feet on solid ground when it comes to income. But it WILL BE worth your while to visit local ones and take notes. You may even get some good design ideas!

When you've done the leg work, make some lists. Who are your top choices? Why are they your top choices? How can you find a way to approach them with your products so that they'll want to buy?

We're going to address some of these questions in my next post, too. For now, you've got a list of potential retailers you might be able to turn into paying customers. That's a good place to start. It's always a good idea to start where you are, too - we'll talk later about branching out into other areas.

Do you have any other ideas about how to search for suitable retailers? Any suggestions that might help indie artisans identify potential wholesale clients?

[MANIC MONDAY] Monday Commercials

2011-02-07T08:00:00.001-05:00

I'll be back tomorrow with more wholesale tips. Stay tuned!

WHOLESALE for HANDMADE - Setting Up Your Wholesale Linesheet

2011-02-05T15:10:00.000-05:00

So you've now established your wholesale price for your pearl button cufflinks. And you're proud of your product, and anxiously chomping at the bit to get some established wholesale accounts. What's next?

In the retail/wholesale sales game, you need to now prepare what is known as a wholesale linesheet. There are several ways to go about doing this, and there are even some ONLINE RESOURCES that you could consult to get some more ideas other than what we're doing here. Etsy Seller LittlePut also has some fantastic tips for selling your work wholesale HERE AT HER BLOG, and you can find some information about creating a wholesale linesheet there, too.

I'm going to give you my version of what you need to do to create a stellar linesheet here in a few simple steps, so you can have a place to start.

CREATING YOUR LINESHEET

1. THE ALL-IMPORTANT PHOTO.
You've heard this before, but it must be repeated: TAKE GOOD PHOTOS. There are tons of places where you can purchase a light box to take some really nice photos. If you don't have the dough to buy one right now, don't worry: you aren't doomed. (If you have some really good photos from your Etsy or Artfire shops, then you can use them here.) If you don't, and need a way to take some good photos on a budget, Digital Photography School has some great ideas HERE.

2. CREATE YOUR FORMAT.
When I started several years ago taking my soaps around to different small hotels and bed-and-breakfast locations, I made an uber-simple version of what eventually become a real wholesale linesheet using Microsoft Word. It wasn't what I would consider the grandest publication by any means, but I got quite a few orders off of it. You can use MS Word, Publisher, Works, or just about any software you want here. Make sure you make your images fit nicely into the publication and arrange it so it looks nice.

3. INCLUDE GOOD PRODUCT DESCRIPTIONS.
What is the best feature about your pearl button cufflinks that would make them marketable? Make these characteristics a part of your item description. Be concise, though - don't get wordy or start writing any poetry. Make it simple, descriptive, but to-the-point. Oh, and: MAKE SURE TO INCLUDE YOUR WHOLESALE PRICE PER UNIT IN YOUR DESCRIPTION!

4. FOR YOUR PRINTED LINESHEET, SELECT A QUALITY PAPER.
You did know that you're going to need a hard copy of your linesheet, right? I'd suggest some type of cardstock, but make it smooth. You're not trying to Publication of the Year here, you're just trying to come up with a way to demonstrate your product to potential buyers. They won't be interested in seeing how expensive your paper is. They want to be able to SEE your product.

5. BIND YOUR LINESHEET IN A SIMPLE BUT CLASSY NOTEBOOK OR BINDER.
Again, don't worry about getting a moleskin notebook with monogrammed engraving. You want something clean, but servicable. Anything more will distract from your purpose. Go down to your local office supply retailers and purchase one for a dollar.

Trunkt, a website that allows indie artisans to create their own wholesale website, has a really nice feature: it will allow you to list and describe your products and create a downloadable PDF that can serve as your linesheet. Trunkt does have a membership fee, but you only need to pay that if you plan to "publish" your linesheet into a website to be included in their directory. It's free to sign up and upload your photos and make product descriptions. Great if you're pinching pennies!

In my next post, we'll talk about locating and evaluating potential retail clients for your handmade designs.

WHOLESALE for HANDMADE - Figuring Your Wholesale Price - Part II

2011-02-03T08:00:00.003-05:00

So, we were talking about wholesale prices and how to come up with a good price for your lovely handcrafted merchandise.

You've still got that number we came up with, right? Yep: $5.32 - which we discovered is the total amount of cost (for everything) involved for you to produce your pearl button cufflinks.

So now that we've completed step 1 and found out our total costs for the pearl button cufflinks, now we need to completed step 2 and step 3, which are, respectively: figuring out how much you want to put back into your business, and figuring out how much profit you want to plan for down the road.

From here, I'm going to tell you what I do, meaning : I'm going to give you my OPINION. I'm sure there are lots of other successful business owners who have a different one. You really need to find out what works best for you. But the formula I'm giving you here has worked well for me, and so I stuck with it.

Here is my own recipe (ie: feel free to tweak this as you need to for your own goods and/or services) -

- multiply my total production cost by 3 -

so : $5.32 x 3 = $15.96

$15.96 becomes my total wholesale price per unit for my pearl button cufflinks.

WHY THREE?

The first third, the $5.32, recovers my initial cost for producing one unit. The second $5.32 I put back for myself. Yes, for MYSELF. And the third and final portion of this price goes back into my business to help me keep momentum and so that I can have a little saved back for any unforseen costs down the road.

I already know what you're going to ask:

But didn't I already figure my own wage into the intial $5.32?

Yes, you did. But this matrix allows you to double your own salary. And who DOESN'T want to earn a little more money?

A caveat: I realize that this pricing guide may not be as clear for those of you who already have established retail prices and are looking now to find a way to set up wholesale pricing because you're starting to try to attract more business (as by now you've probably realized that you need to have multiple streams of income like I mentioned in an earlier post). Please stick with me here. I'm going to address your concerns a few posts from now.

Does anyone else have any good suggestions for how they might configure their wholesale prices?

The Top 3 Reasons Why You Can't Make a Living on Etsy Full Time

2011-02-02T18:28:00.000-05:00

Yes, we are in the middle of the WHOLESALE for HANDMADE blog tutorials. I haven't forgotten. And another one - the one where we left off about pricing - is coming again tomorrow.
But I wanted to touch on something here that I think some folks need to hear - and it's going to sound like I'm being a negative killjoy, when in fact its just the opposite.

There have been a lot of articles written about how many Etsy sellers quit their day jobs. I think it's inspiring, and I'm so very happy for these lovely artisans. Did you hear that part? Let me say it again: Its inspiring and I'm very happy for them. I do, however, sometimes feel like some Etsy artisans may take this to mean that they, too, can sell on Etsy full time and make enough to quit their day job.

Let me be frank: it ain't gonna happen. Well, it MIGHT happen, but here are a few reasons why it probably won't, and then I'm going to give you some hope about quitting your day job for real.

1. Etsy is saturated with so many fabulous designers and artisans that it is difficult to make your work stand out.

I've even heard buyers talk about this. Etsy is loaded with tons of features that make shopping simple, but you know that if you're not renewing items every three minutes (especially if your product falls in a crowded category) it will be difficult to be seen by shoppers at certain - if not most - times of the days.

2. Relisting items to stay visible can potentially become expensive and therefore counterproductive.

I have never personally felt that Etsy's fees were that high. I can see, however, how it may be rather costly for those on a very tight budget to pay the relisting fees over and over again to try to stay in the rankings. ESPECIALLY if this is your only venue and you're trying to replace the income from the "day job."

3. The biggest reason why you can't sell on Etsy full time (and make enough to quit your day job) is because in order to be successful in your business you MUST DIVERSIFY!

In the few small business groups I've had the priviledge of speaking with locally, almost NO ONE ever considers this. Funds diversity is apparently considered something only to be discussed on Wall Street or in conjunction with retirement planning. But this simply isn't the case. After all, aren't you working on your craft and/or art in addition to working a day job? Aren't you already trying to create multiple streams of income? I can guarantee you this: each and every one of those sellers on Etsy with high sales numbers AREN'T just selling on Etsy alone. I bet if you asked any one of them right now, they'd tell you this: they do craft fairs, they do farmer's markets, they sell at local artisan collectives, they're members of a guild, etc.

Moral of the story: You MUST have many different venues through which you sell your work. You're doing yourself (and your potential buyers) and injustice otherwise.

WHOLESALE for HANDMADE - Figuring Your Wholesale Price - PART I

2011-02-02T07:00:00.004-05:00

Many indie artisans want to expand their business by establishing wholesale client relationships, but perhaps the greatest stumbling block for us is knowing how to set the right price for wholesale exchange. Ideally, a wholesale price should be established BEFORE a retail price, but if you have already established retail prices for your items, this DOESN'T necessarily prevent you from establishing wholesale prices. I'll touch on that a few posts down the road. But for right now, here are a few things to consider BEFORE you set your wholesale prices.

1. What are your costs for making your product?

Your cost will include the actual raw materials, the labeling, the packaging, as well as the evaluated cost of YOUR time for making the item in question. Look again at our example of the miniature ceramic chihuahuas. Part of determining your wholesale price for these sweet little doggies would be figuring out the costs of the clay, the glaze, the storage, any kiln and/or firing costs, etc. You'll also want to calculate approximately how long it takes you to make ONE of your little chichuahuas. Establish a rate of pay for yourself, and the multiply that hourly rate by how long it takes you to make ONE. If you want to pay yourself $10.00 per hour, and it takes you one hour to make one chihuahua, then you know what your rate will be. While I think that $10.00 per hour is a terribly low wage to pay yourself, (we'll talk about your personal pay more later) ultimately it is for you to decide your own rate. All of these costs combined are going to factor in to determining your wholesale price.

2. After figuring out your costs, figure out how much money you want to put back into your business.

This is up to you (and will probably vary depending on your particular craft or trade, just like your expenses will), but make sure you've considered all necessary expenses and perhaps even made room for those "unexpected" expenses that may arise.

3. Decide how much profit you would eventually like to see.

Everyone always wants the highest number possible, of course. But this is one of the most important parts of the equations. Did you know that 90% of start-ups and small businesses fail within the first 3 to 5 years simply bceause they did not consider this part of the math?

Let's begin with totaling costs. Here's an example:

You make pearl button cufflinks. The pieces for the cufflinks cost you a total of $1.03 (including button and cufflink itself). You've figured out that your average packaging cost per piece is $.99, and you've decided to set your rate of pay at $20.00 per hour. You've discovered that it takes you 10 minutes to make one cufflink. So to get your rate of pay per unit, you'll need to do the following:

20 divided by 60 (as in 60 minutes in an hour) = 0.33

0.33 = your rate of pay to yourself per minute.

Multiply .33 by 10 (since it takes you 10 minutes to make one) = $3.30

So now, you've figured out your total cost of raw materials, your total packagings costs, AND your own pay per unit made. You now have a total figure of:

1.03 (raw materials cost) + .99 (packaging/advertising cost per piece) + $3.30 (your salary) = $5.32 which is the TOTAL cost for your pearl button cufflinks.

But we haven't finished establishing your overall wholesale price yet. If your head is hurting from all this information, go take a coffee break. Or grab a cookie. Or walk outside. In my next post, I'll address the other two points we made above, putting money back into your business and figuring a price for profitability.

Write down at our calculation of $5.32 - we'll need it for our next post. In the meantime, do you have any additional ideas for any costs associated with making your handmade product that I didn't list here? I'd be very interested to hear what you thoughts are.

WHOLESALE for Handmade: What Is It and Why You Should Care?

2011-02-01T07:00:00.031-05:00

WHOLESALE = very daunting word for indie artisans and some Etsy sellers. Do you really need to worry about it? Can't you just create the work that you love and have done with it? Can't you just set up an Etsy shop and let the sales roll in?

The answer to that question is Yes and No. Yes, you can and must create. Your life depends on it. But no, you can't shy away from wholesale. Unless, of course, you DON'T care to make a living with your art or craft. Etsy is a fine venue for setting up shop online. There are so many talented sellers on Etsy, however, that you may find yourself somewhat lost in the shuffle of things. While there are a precious few Etsyians making a living from their shops, the reality of it is this: if you DO want to make a living doing what you love, you're probably going to have to find other venues besides Etsy. Even the Etsy sellers with the highest numbers will admit that their activity is not restricted to online sales. To take your craft and your business to the next level, you're going to need to make a few allies who will buy your items wholesale. And that's where my posts here are designed to help.

If you're a pure hobbyist, you probably won't find these posts all that beneficial. But if you're a hobbyist who wants to put some money in your pocket, or a serious indie designer/artisan, then you need to take notes here.

I've built a successful wholesale business with my soap (in fact, I sold wholesale BEFORE I sold retail) and I want to share some tips for success with some of my fellow artisans. IT IS POSSIBLE to make a living doing what you love. But it DOES require a lot of work and a fair amount of careful planning. The last part - the part about careful planning - is where these posts will help out a lot. Some of this may seem very elementary to some of you - and that's ok. But I'm starting from the beginning - which is where I started from in the first place - so if you're beyond some of these tips, just check back again. There WILL be something here you can use.

So what is exactly is wholesale?

WHOLESALE (n) - the sale of goods in quantity, as to retailers or jobbers, for resale (opposed to retail).

Basically, wholesale is an agreement between you an a certain vendor in which you agree to sell said vendor a certain quantity of your goods at a certain price. Pretend you make miniature ceramic chihuahua sculptures. You can sell John Q. (a consumer) one of your little chihuahua sculptures for $20.00. This would be a basic retail sales exchange. But a store named Dogz R Us calls. They want to know if they can buy 50 of your little sculptures and they want to know what your wholesale price per sculpture is. You agree to sell Dogz R Us your miniature chihuahuas at 10.00 each, since they are buying in quantity. THIS, while a very short and elementary example, is wholesale at its most basic.

And why should you care?

In a word: MONEY

If you haven't already, pull out your trusty calculator. As you can see, when you sold your miniature chihuahua sculpture to John Q, your gross was $20.00 (don't worry, we'll talk about net vs. gross in another post, but for right now just work with this). If you decide to sell 50 little chihuahua sculptures to Dogz R Us at $10.00 each, very obviously your gross is much higher at $500.00. Which number sounds better to you?

Wholesale is not as tricky as it may seem. If you want to build a BUSINESS doing what you love, then wholesale has to be become a part of your equation, and this is especially true for those you who make smaller items such as soaps, jewelry, greeting cards, etc. But wholesale exists in every industry, not just the handmade nation. When you purchase gasoline at a service station, you are buying it at a set retail price. But, depending on the arrangement the proprietor has, the station itself purchased the gasoline WHOLESALE before selling it to you at a retail price. Almost every company in any industry, even insurance and telecommunications corporations, has a "wholesale" relationship somewhere in its business model. It's all about quantity.

And so...whew...now that we've gotten this out of the way, we can move on the meat of the matter. To be able to cultivate and establish wholesale relationships with vendors, you must first figure out and establish a WHOLESALE price.

Over the coures of these posts/tutorials/how-to guides, I'm going to touch on the following basic things that will help you get work to establish the wholesale end of your business:

1. Defining wholesale (which is what we've just done here)

2. Pricing for Wholesale

3. Setting up a Wholesale pricing list (better known as a linesheet)

4. Evaluating retailers

5. Approaching retailers (I'll even give you some scripts to follow)

6. Establishing a wholesale agreement

7. Customer Service and follow up

And there's more. But enough! My wee little fingers are tired from typing now! And I have to get back to my day job, which is making soap.

Tomorrow: Wholesale For Handmade - Pricing Your Work Right for Maximum Return So You Can Make Some Money!

Stay tuned! Feel free to leave comments or questions you might have on these posts, as well. I'll be interacting regularly, and will try to address any questions as they arise. You can also email me, too.

[MANIC MONDAY] - Where the heck did I put my coffee?

2011-01-31T08:00:00.001-05:00

(photo courtesy of google images)

This photo looks like its a photo of a wet cat. But actually, it's a photo of me on Monday mornings BEFORE I've had my coffee! :-)

Enjoy your Monday, my dear readers, and come back tomorrow: WHOLESALE FOR HANDMADE begins!

How To Get Along with Difficult People

2011-01-30T12:04:00.000-05:00

This year, I'm working on forgiveness, as you already know from my post HERE. But let's face it: no matter how much we forgive, sometimes peole we have interaction with can still be difficult. As a path to forgiveness, I'm trying to keep the following list close at hand, so that when these "difficult" people come into my life, or perhaps they're already in my life and I have to interact with them, I can be ready to release any negative energies that I might hold inside that could potentially foster unforgiveness. I know, I know. It sounds like a lot of work. But bascially, if you're dealing with difficult people, here's a list of ways you can cope with it without sacrificing your dignity OR your happness.

1. Don't Take Anything This Person Says or Does Personally.

You don't know what may be going on inside them, or what their life is like. It's quite easy to sit back and say "they should behave like this" or "I wish they were like such" but the reality of it is, you simply can't know what goes on with them. And frankly, it's none of your business, unless they decide to confide in you. So if this difficult person is creating an environment of tension or anger, don't take it personally. They aren't mad at you. In fact, they may actually be mad at themselves.

2. Establish Some Firm Boundaries with this Person.

Yes, you want to live in peace with everyone. No, you don't want arguments. And you can do both, even if there is a difficult personality involved. Be cordial and polite. Do not interrupt or aruge. That may be what this difficult person wants. If they try to start an argument, DO NOT engage in it. Address their expressions in a polite but firm manner, and if you have to, WALK AWAY. Let me repeat that one: if you have to, WALK AWAY. You can. It is allowed. Don't allow this other person's negativity to knock you off your road to peace and harmony. You can't control their reactions or their attitude. But you CAN control yours. After you're done this a few times, this person will start to realize that you've drawn a line in the sand: a boundary that they shouldn't cross. They'll start to get it, and maybe it will change the way they interact with you.

3. Forgive and Let Live.

In other words, let it go. Don't allow this difficult individual to rent space in your head. It will eat your energy. Say what you need to say, listen to what they have to say, and then let it go. You don't have to be right all the time. In the interest of peace and self-preservation, don't think you have to have the last word. In the grandeur of the universe, it just doesn't matter. Keep your joy. Let it go. You'll be very glad you did.

Oh...and...DON'T FORGET: Tuesday, Feb 1, my posts on Wholesale for Handmade begins. Tell your friends, and make sure you're following the feed. There will be a lot of good business advice for indie artisans, so you don't want to miss it.

[Fantastic Finds] - My Favorite Colors, and Some Pretty Designs

2011-01-29T09:57:00.000-05:00

Alice Headband - by Jamiesonbarkett - $10.00 USD

Chocolate and Aqua Card Holders - by jcarterhandmade - $28.00 USD

A Bright Owl Pillow - by gigglesandtoos - $30.00 USD

Here are a few lovely items I found while browsing through Etsy this morning. I'm in a chocolate and aqua/robin's egg blue mood for some reason today. I see signs of spring - hints that perhaps the long dark gray of winter might be ending.

Etsy sellers, don't forget: Tuesday, Feb. 1 - our first post in the Wholesale How-To series. Make sure you stop by and check it out. There are going to be in-depth tutorials on what to do to make your product marketable, steps to take to get noticied by boutiques and other retailers, and tips and trips for getting the most bang for your buck - who isn't watching their pennies these days, anyway?

For Your Mind, Body, And Spirit

2011-01-27T19:37:00.000-05:00

Butterfly in Barely Blue - fine art photo by Nellie Levine - $24.00 USD

I wanted to write a post about a group of people that I'm so very fortunate to be connected with. They're the very good folks of the Mind Body Spirit Odyssey, which is basically a collective of like-minded individuals - who also happen to be artisans and visual artists - who come together to discuss/edit/write/seek ideas for harmonious living. By harmonious living I mean the harmony between the Mind, the Body, and the Spirit. Coming up this year on the our collective BLOG (which you should definitely read and follow) there are going to be some great posts from some great writers - including folks like Nellie Levine, Abby Horowitz, and Diane Fergurson, just to name a few. Topics will be everything ranging from the sacred in art, to book reviews, to even showcases of various artists/artisans whose work is aligned with our central theme of promoting the harmony of the mind, the body, and the spirit. You'll definitely want to bookmark our site and check back often for frequent updates and interviews.

WHOLESALE: A How-To Guide...Coming Soon

2011-01-22T01:32:00.000-05:00

Okay my friends. It's coming: my series of posts on wholesaling your work! My first posts here will be Tuesday, Feb 1st. If you have questions, or suggestions, I'm all ears. I've been approached by several fellow artisans asking questions about establishing wholesale rates and setting up wholesale linesheets. These posts are going to be geared toward that, and some showcasing and tips for making your work look top-notch so vendors just can't say no.

Tell you friends, and stay tuned.

Winter Weather

2011-01-17T21:35:00.000-05:00

Back. Home. Safe.

I've had enough of airports and lost luggage and cranky flight attendants to last me a lifetime!

Now I can get back to making soap, writing blog posts, and playing around on twitter! I'm going to write a letter to my subscribers about this, but I wanted to give all my great readers a heads-up first: we're going to be traveling again (yes, I know - this from the girl who only a few sentences ago talked about how fed up she was with travel) in February, but our business will stay open. I've got three people who will be manning the helm for me while I'm away, and I WILL be making posts here more frequently. A few of you may remember a while back I mentioned some TIPS and TRICKS for handmade sellers - those are going to be debuting soon, too, but I'll have more about that a little later.

I hope each and everyone of you have had a delightful holiday season and are enjoying a wonderful new year.

And I certainly hope you're having better weather where you are than what we're having here!

On Being Human

2011-01-04T16:55:00.000-05:00

It occurred to me just yesterday that perhaps we're too hard on ourselves. My father used to tell me this. We nurse our own wounds, deny ourselves happiness, and sometimes second guess ourselves.

I think that this is all a part of what it means to be human. Isn't this life grand, though? Isn't this humanity a tragically, fatally beautiful thing? In one moment, we can be carried by the waves of life to highest peaks of happiness, and then, in the next, the darkest pits of despair. What a rush! What a ride! How glorious is this thing we call life?!

How beautiful is this humanity?!

PS - If you're wondering why I'm getting so metaphysical these days, it is because I am stuck in an airport once again. :-)

Forgiveness

2011-01-03T01:03:00.000-05:00

It's a very powerful thing, isn't it? I don't know about you, but I'm very good at holding grudges. And I used to be proud of the fact that I could hold them for a very long time. There has been at least one particular grudge in my life that I've held on to for at least five years. But grudges are very heavy things to carry, I've discovered. And they simply don't serve anybody any good. In fact, over the course of the last five years, I've even noticed that my health has started to decline. Not by any major degree, mind you. But small, irritating annoyances like stiffness in my lower back when I wake up in the mornings, or headaches that come to visit more frequently than they used to. And it only occurred to me the other day that perhaps it wasn't my body that was the problem, but maybe it was unforgiveness that was the problem.

Someone asked me the other day what my resolution was for the new year. I have to be honsest: I hardly ever make resolutions for the new year, because I seem to end up breaking them. I decided a long time ago to stop doing that to myself. But this year, I think I'm going to make one: I'm going to let go of past hurts, to let old wounds heal, and offer forgiveness, even where it is not deserved or warranted.

After all, aren't we all human? Don't we all make mistakes? And even if we're at our very worst, and even if it seems like relationships or situations couldn't possibly be any worse than they are right now, aren't we all offered forgiveness every day of our lives? When we wake up in the morning, and our minds shake off the unconsciousness of sleep, aren't we faced with a day full of new and exciting possibilities? Isn't that the unviverse's way of offering to each and every one of us complete and total forgiveness?

Are you carrying around the weight of past hurts? Let it go. Are you still nursing old wounds from the past? Let them heal this year. Let this year be the year of awakening, when you finally shake off all the old dead things, and let in the new light.

Happy New Year

2010-12-30T18:15:00.000-05:00

As I write this, I am stuck in an airport waiting for a flight that will no doubt be delayed at least two more times before I get to my final destination. I'm surrounded by a really nice group of people who are - I'm sure - as ready to get home as I am, but we're passing the time with laughter and jokes instead. What good does it do to whine and complain? Planes will be delayed, bills will be overdue, lines will be long, and on and on...but at some point, don't we have to decide that we're going to be happy no matter what? There's always going to be SOMETHING that will irritate, or annoy, or cause discomfort. There's never going to be an ideal time - NOW is the ideal time.

Smile my friends - it's almost a new year!

Blessings from 2010

2010-12-27T20:30:00.001-05:00

I was thinking today of all that has happened this year. There's been a lot: my mother was sick, my husband's mother has been very ill and doesn't have much time left, and several other family members, distant though they may be, have also taken ill quite suddenly. My business has expanded. It expanded more this year than it has in all the past years, and of course, I started blogging. Well, I started REALLY blogging (not to negate those of you who have been with me here since the meager little beginnings.)

I lost a very good friend this year to a terrible illness. I gained many more from all parts of the world. I started writing (and finished writing) a book - something I've been wanting to do for more than a decade. I'm now working to get it published.

So many memories from this year. I am so very thankful for all of them - even the ones that aren't so beautiful.

Reflect on the events of this year. What are you grateful for? What things would you change? What can you do to make next year different?

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-24T09:02:00.000-05:00

I hope all of my blog friends have a safe and peaceful holiday! Eat more than you should, laugh more than you ever have, and enjoy the company of friends and family. I'll see you in 2011!

Happy Holidays!

2010-12-04T16:07:00.001-05:00

Oh my goodness! I've been away from my blog so long that I hardly remember how it feels to write anymore! A lot has been happening on my end. First, Tim has a broken foot. No, no, I didn't drop anything on it. It was an accident all his own doing! My mother has also been sick, but it is slowly recovering, and finally I think we're on even footing. Thanksgiving was a bit arduous, but of course we all ate more than we should have, and now we're gearing up for Christmas and the New Year celebration.

There are going to be some changes taking place in our little soap business after the first of the year. I wanted to make you aware of them - and give you a reason for my very long absence here. After the first of the year, you'll start a LOT more lavender products in our lines - and a lot less of everything else. I don't know if I ever told you or not, but one of my big dreams in my life is to own a lavender farm. And then someone once told me - well, shouldn't you think about planting? And so I did. :-) We aren't at the farm level yet, but for the last two years I've been planting my own lavender (using mature transplants) and this year I purchased an alembic distiller. So guess what that means? I'm making my own essential oils! I've been doing this for a while, but I didn't want to tell anyone about it, because there really is a very precise science behind it, and I wanted to make sure I got it right.

Okay, so remember the post I did way back when about all the neat changes that I'm going to be doing here on the blog but that I never got around to? Yep - those are going to be happening after the first of the year, too. I haven't forgotten. :-) I promise you'll see them after the holidays.

So here's me wishing you and your family a wonderful season of peace and plenty, and I hope you'll be patient while we transition into this new exciting adventure!

Be well, my friends...

An Absence and an Update

2010-11-19T09:33:00.002-05:00

My dear friends -

Please forgive my long absence! There have been some changes underway here, not the least of them are the changes you see here at our little ol' blog. I do have some upcoming posts about how-to guides for indie artisans - I promise those are on the way. I will also be posting some details in a day or two about our Black Friday sale. My mother (for those of you who are aware) has been battling one illness after another this year - and now there are some rather severe complications that have kept us busy. My posts here may be a little less frequent for a while - NOT because I want them to be, but because they must. I appreciate your prayers and support as we move through this difficult time, and I will definitely keep you update on what's going on. I expect another post on Monday, November 19th.

Unil then, I hope you all have a fabulous weekend!

~WARNING~ Some Really Neat Changes Are Ahead!

2010-11-14T18:36:00.001-05:00

I haven't posted in a few days, but my blog is about to get a pretty neat facelift, and I wanted to give everyone a heads-up. Make sure you tune in this week for some really great posts about handmade business and how-to tips. Also: keep an eye open for giveaways! There are going to be some giveaways with FREE STUFF soon...

[FREE STUFF] - The Jewelry Sheller

2010-11-11T08:00:00.001-05:00

I was scoping out Facebook friends and found that my good friend Emily over at the Jewelry Sheller is having a giveaway! She's got some fabulous stuff (yes, I do own a piece!) and I couldn't help but sneak over to her ArtFire shop to browse some of her recent listings. Here are just a couple of finds that I'm absolutely in love with:

Hemp Anklet from the Jewelry Sheller - $10.00 USD

Gorgeous Beaded Necklace by the Jewelry Sheller - $15.00 USD

She's having a giveaway over at her blog to celebrate her 100th post, and there isn't much time left. Visit her blog and follow the instructions to enter!

Who doesn't love free stuff? Especially when it makes you think of summertime...

Times They Are A-Changin'

2010-11-10T06:00:00.002-05:00

Remember I told you about some future posts that are going to be geared toward helping my fellow artisans with expanding their businesses? The first in a series of teaching posts goes up on Monday, Nov. 15th. If you're a struggling artisan or know someone who is, (especially if you sell on Etsy or Artfire) or maybe you aren't struggling but just want some ideas on wholesaling and how to get more attention for your handmade products, make sure you check these out. Some may be elementary, others may be somewhat more advanced, but I think they're all going to be helpful. I've made so many mistakes in my business that it took me quite a while to get to a level I could live with, and I'd like to help those of you who need it so you won't make the same mistakes as me!

In conjunction with these new posts, the blog is going to get a whole new look. It's going to be PRETTIER! So....bookmark this...save it...tweet it...post it on Facebook...and check back frequently. There's some good FREE information coming soon.

In addition, I will be featuring some guest bloggers in the future who have also had great success with their handmade businesses - stuff you won't want to miss.

Stay tuned!