Re-Stocking Fees

It's hard to make a good living at the soapmaking business when you spend your profits on new supplies and ingredients to keep up with making all the ideas in your head! I do think it would be almost impossible to make every soap that I've dreamed up...there's just not enough time or money. I just spent the better part of two days placing orders for all kinds of materials to put together some great new products. I took a couple of days off to get some distance, perspective, and motivation and came up with some great ideas for new products. I'm so excited to make them, package them, try them, and sell them!

I've also been spending some time in the Etsy forums this week. I've never been a "chatter" so it took me a few days of just reading posts to feel like I could actually say something. I have to say that chatting with fellow Etsians has made the big, big world of Etsy feel a little less huge. I have also seen what wonderful, talented people Etsy sellers are. I've gotten to see some shops that I most likely would never have found and I am blown away by the talented people out there. Way to go, Estians! You Rock!

Picking up!

The crafting business, well probably any business, is so inconsistant. It seems you're either completely dead or super busy. Maybe as business builds it becomes more consistant. But mine, in it's newbie stage, is still pretty up and down. But right now it feels like things are picking up for another round of busy! Great! (and much needed for funding...)

This weekend I spent gobs of time giving my website a facelift with the new banner that Summer from Chocolate Box Designs made for me. It turned out perfect. It totally meshes with my product vision so I wanted to use it on my website and my Etsy store which meant I had to totally re-do the website. It needed done anyway...I'm hoping to get some traffic when the article about my making soap appears in the local press. I wanted it to be perfect!

Also, I had my first/practice home spa party. It went very well and I'm very excited for the ones we have booked. It was a great opportunity to get some great ladies together to nuture themselves...not to mention a great opportunity for exposure and sales. I'm glad that I had a practice. I was able to work out some kinks and see what was missing. But overall, I think they're going to work out great.

In The Press!

A photographer from our local press was just here to take pictures of me making soap. It was a little scary because I usually kick everyone out of the kitchen when I make soap but she was very cool and it was totally relaxed and kind-of fun. I'm super excited because it's nearly impossible to get free press anywhere...especially when you didn't beg for it or promise something totally fascinating. Someone from the newspaper saw me and my homemade soap at a craft show that I was doing and thought it would make a cool story. Just an awesome case of being at the right place at the right time! Can't wait to see the story (even though I hate to see pics of myself!)

Tonight I'm off to our town's first ArtWalk. Different retailers and restaurants downtown are housing artwork from locals. I'm going to one of my retailers to hang out and get some exposure. It sounds like a very cool thing and I'm pretty proud of my small town for hosting such a thing. I hope this is the beginning of a cultural growth for our community. I live in one of those great small towns full of potential but lacking in motivation...you know the type! Hopefully, that will be changing.

Why Blog?

Why blog? This is a question I've been asking myself for months. Faced with the temptation to start a blog but resisting due to my easily intimidated nature. So why now? Honestly, I don't know. Winter always brings me to the same life point...kind of sad and looking for new purpose and meaning in my life. Of course my husband, my kids, my craft will always bring me a certain amount of purpose. However, I always find myself looking for the next area of life to discover. Recently, I've felt out of touch with others. I'm typically an independant type and I could literally go weeks without connecting with anyone other than my family. The problem with this work/family centered life is that ultimately you'll get tired of yourself (cause that's the person you see everyday) and, in turn, tired of the same old, same old in your life.



So, why am I blogging? To connect. To find people that are like me. To push myself beyond the walls of my home and hopefully reach out to others who live a similar exsistance. I'll wish myself luck on this new venture of mine.



Here are some goals for new said venture:

1. Be more expressive about my craft and my life
2. Connect with other indie crafters and moms
3. Promote the indie crafter lifestlye by showing others that it can work
4. Make said indie crafter lifestyle work for myself!