We don't want to spoil the surprise, but something fun and fashionable is coming soon to our Etsy, Storenvy, and TheCraftStar stores. We've made several of these things so far, but need to get them photographed before we can reveal what they are.
Stay tuned for further details.
Monday, February 25, 2013
Thursday, November 15, 2012
We've A Lot Going On
It's been a while since we've posted, and we apologize for that. Things have been...interesting to say the least.
First, our internet connection became so unreliable that we had to start going to McDonald's or local restaurants that offered free wi-fi in order to do anything business related or work on our school work. As if that wasn't enough of a pain, we finally got a new internet connection set up and something else happened.
We came home one evening to find all the lights out at our house. Knowing we'd left the front room light on, we realized that the circuit breaker was off. We turned it back on, only to lose power again. The main breaker switch had gone out - but we didn't know that then. We thought it was a power outage (our neighbors' lights were off too), so we called the power company - who then disconnected our power completely!
It took us several days to find an electrician who could come out and check the fuse box - apparently they were all busy - and one of them called the city inspector because we had been out of the house for almost a week with no power - and this guy thought we were living in the house without power. *roll eyes* Then after it was fixed, we were told we couldn't move back in because the house was too messy. Not dirty - but too cluttered. Apparently they figured we were hoarders or at least someone in the house was, and told us we couldn't live there until it was cleared out, and the entire house re-inspected - water lines, power lines, everything.
We got most of the clutter cleaned up, but then decided maybe it wasn't worth it. The house was old - over 50 years old, and in a lot of dis-repair. So we found someone who buys old houses and sold it - and moved to our new place - a single-wide mobile home. It's a newer model (2006) and it's very nice. We like it.
Throw into this mix two (yes TWO) craft shows (Art in the Park & one here at the mobile home park), our school work, and one of us getting a "9-5 job." We've had a lot going on around here.
But - we've also got new items - new washcloths, bath poufs, 3 oz bars of soap, new bath salts. Plus, we'll be introducing some "gift tin" options shortly. Just check out our Etsy shop for more details.
First, our internet connection became so unreliable that we had to start going to McDonald's or local restaurants that offered free wi-fi in order to do anything business related or work on our school work. As if that wasn't enough of a pain, we finally got a new internet connection set up and something else happened.
We came home one evening to find all the lights out at our house. Knowing we'd left the front room light on, we realized that the circuit breaker was off. We turned it back on, only to lose power again. The main breaker switch had gone out - but we didn't know that then. We thought it was a power outage (our neighbors' lights were off too), so we called the power company - who then disconnected our power completely!
It took us several days to find an electrician who could come out and check the fuse box - apparently they were all busy - and one of them called the city inspector because we had been out of the house for almost a week with no power - and this guy thought we were living in the house without power. *roll eyes* Then after it was fixed, we were told we couldn't move back in because the house was too messy. Not dirty - but too cluttered. Apparently they figured we were hoarders or at least someone in the house was, and told us we couldn't live there until it was cleared out, and the entire house re-inspected - water lines, power lines, everything.
We got most of the clutter cleaned up, but then decided maybe it wasn't worth it. The house was old - over 50 years old, and in a lot of dis-repair. So we found someone who buys old houses and sold it - and moved to our new place - a single-wide mobile home. It's a newer model (2006) and it's very nice. We like it.
Throw into this mix two (yes TWO) craft shows (Art in the Park & one here at the mobile home park), our school work, and one of us getting a "9-5 job." We've had a lot going on around here.
But - we've also got new items - new washcloths, bath poufs, 3 oz bars of soap, new bath salts. Plus, we'll be introducing some "gift tin" options shortly. Just check out our Etsy shop for more details.
Friday, June 29, 2012
Business is Picking Up
It would seem that business is finally starting to pick up a bit for us. In the past month (5/29 - 6/29) we've had four orders on Etsy and one on eBay. Other than right before Christmas, this is the busiest we have been! It is nice to think that we are finally beginning to take off.
Right now it would seem that our Wild Berry Vanilla scented bath salts are the major player in our shop. That seems to be the scent that most people order. At least four people have ordered that scent on Etsy and we sold a couple of them via eBay as well. People also seem to like the Pomegranate Vanilla as well - that is another scent that has sold three or four times on Etsy.
We have a couple of new items to introduce, but it has been too hot to go out and take photos of the new items, and I take our photos outdoors. However, I plan to have some new items ready to show off as soon as the weather cools down a little bit!
Also, we may soon have a new website. I am using a website for Candlelight Boutique as my final project for my web design class, so we should have that website up and running soon. Of course, the class is going slower than I would like, so I am trying to keep calm and wait for each step to be taken to be able to finally post the site to the internet.
Just wanted to touch base with everyone to let them know what has been going on in our end of the world.
Right now it would seem that our Wild Berry Vanilla scented bath salts are the major player in our shop. That seems to be the scent that most people order. At least four people have ordered that scent on Etsy and we sold a couple of them via eBay as well. People also seem to like the Pomegranate Vanilla as well - that is another scent that has sold three or four times on Etsy.
We have a couple of new items to introduce, but it has been too hot to go out and take photos of the new items, and I take our photos outdoors. However, I plan to have some new items ready to show off as soon as the weather cools down a little bit!
Also, we may soon have a new website. I am using a website for Candlelight Boutique as my final project for my web design class, so we should have that website up and running soon. Of course, the class is going slower than I would like, so I am trying to keep calm and wait for each step to be taken to be able to finally post the site to the internet.
Just wanted to touch base with everyone to let them know what has been going on in our end of the world.
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
I Must Speak My Mind
Over on Etsy, I was browsing the forums. During this forum browsing I came across a suggestion that Etsy implement a star-rating system for each item listing. Viewers can rate the designs from 0-5 stars based on how original the items are, materials used, etc.
The problem is, the 1 Star rating that was proposed makes anyone who must use materials that come already made - such as jewelry artists who use ready-made beads - be worthy of a 1 Star Rating. Of course, if items are rated 1 Star, you know that no one will ever buy them.
Now I don't know about you, but I can't make Sea Salt. I can't make Dead Sea Salt. I can't make Dendritic Salt. I can't make bath colorants and I sure as heck can't make fragrance oils. So every one of our bath salts, if Etsy were to take this suggestion and make it a reality, would be subject to a 1 Star rating because we use ready-made components and, well, bath salts aren't very original now are they?
I really hope that this is a suggestion that Etsy ignores. This could mean the death of sales for some shops if a rating system like this were to be implemented. Besides, 1 Star ratings could very well discourage people from trying to better themselves at their craft as opposed to encouraging them to improve themselves when it comes to their craft.
Just my two cents.
The problem is, the 1 Star rating that was proposed makes anyone who must use materials that come already made - such as jewelry artists who use ready-made beads - be worthy of a 1 Star Rating. Of course, if items are rated 1 Star, you know that no one will ever buy them.
Now I don't know about you, but I can't make Sea Salt. I can't make Dead Sea Salt. I can't make Dendritic Salt. I can't make bath colorants and I sure as heck can't make fragrance oils. So every one of our bath salts, if Etsy were to take this suggestion and make it a reality, would be subject to a 1 Star rating because we use ready-made components and, well, bath salts aren't very original now are they?
I really hope that this is a suggestion that Etsy ignores. This could mean the death of sales for some shops if a rating system like this were to be implemented. Besides, 1 Star ratings could very well discourage people from trying to better themselves at their craft as opposed to encouraging them to improve themselves when it comes to their craft.
Just my two cents.
Monday, May 21, 2012
4 oz Bath Salt Giveaway Winner
Congratulations to:
Mara S.
She won a 4 oz jar of Candlelight Boutique bath salts in her scent of choice! :)
Check back in June for another giveaway!
Monday, May 14, 2012
Giveaway: 4 oz Jar of Bath Salts
To generate some interest in Candlelight Boutique, we are going to be giving away a 4 oz jar of bath salts! The scent will be of the winner's choosing - you can choose any of the scents available in our Etsy shop or from the list on this page.
You may even mix scents or customize the colors if you prefer - or you can have no color in your salts at all - your choice. :) Just use the Rafflecopter widget below to enter! :)
Giveaway will run from Midnight EST 5/15/12 to 11:59PM EST 5/21/12 and is open to US residents only!
Good luck! :)
a Rafflecopter giveaway
More eBay Items
We have quite a few items for sale on eBay - please be advised that if you order the individual Bright Lime, Bright Blue, Sunshine Yellow, or Tropical Sea wash cloths there may be a small delay while they are made if the entire set was also ordered.
White Sakura 8 oz Bath Salts
Cotton Candy 8 oz Bath Salts
Yuletide Vanilla Cookie 8 oz Bath Salts
Grasshopper 8 oz Bath Salts
Lavender 8 oz Bath Salts
Set of 4 Washcloths - Beachy Keen
Bright Blue Washcloth
Bright Lime Washcloth
Sunshine Yellow Washcloth
Tropical Sea Washcloth
Daisy Washcloth
Westport Washcloth
The Mother's Day sale has ended. We got a couple of orders during the Mother's Day sale yet no one used the coupon code even though it was right there in the shop announcement. We're wondering now if we should list the coupon codes in the item descriptions because the individual items do not show the shop announcement and most of our business has come because of search results on Etsy.
Of course, this does entail actually editing over 40 items, so we are also thinking about getting an Etsy On Sale account to use for sales like this which will automatically discount the items so the customers get the sale price.
Do you have any preference? Would you prefer to use a coupon code or have the prices automatically be lowered for sales?
White Sakura 8 oz Bath Salts
Cotton Candy 8 oz Bath Salts
Yuletide Vanilla Cookie 8 oz Bath Salts
Grasshopper 8 oz Bath Salts
Lavender 8 oz Bath Salts
Set of 4 Washcloths - Beachy Keen
Bright Blue Washcloth
Bright Lime Washcloth
Sunshine Yellow Washcloth
Tropical Sea Washcloth
Daisy Washcloth
Westport Washcloth
The Mother's Day sale has ended. We got a couple of orders during the Mother's Day sale yet no one used the coupon code even though it was right there in the shop announcement. We're wondering now if we should list the coupon codes in the item descriptions because the individual items do not show the shop announcement and most of our business has come because of search results on Etsy.
Of course, this does entail actually editing over 40 items, so we are also thinking about getting an Etsy On Sale account to use for sales like this which will automatically discount the items so the customers get the sale price.
Do you have any preference? Would you prefer to use a coupon code or have the prices automatically be lowered for sales?
Friday, May 11, 2012
New Items in the Etsy Shop
We have some new items in the Etsy shop - three new washcloths and a washcloth set.
These washcloths are super soft, 100% cotton, and measure a generous 9.5" square. They sell for $3/1 washcloth (the bright blue, bright lime, or sunshine) and $12/set of 4.
The Beachy Keen set includes Tropical Sea (ombre), Bright Blue, Bright Lime, and Sunshine. We hope to have more washcloth sets available shortly. We have a few combination ideas, we just need to get the yarn and put them into action.
There are more individual washcloths that have not yet been photographed or posted to the shop, we hope to have those photographed, edited and posted to the shop by the end of the weekend.
Don't forget you can get 15% off your order if you order by Sunday using coupon code: MOTHERSDAY12
Happy Mother's Day everyone!
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| Beachy Keen Set of 4 Crocheted Cotton Washcloths |
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| Bright Blue Crocheted Cotton Washcloth |
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| Bright Lime Crocheted Cotton Washcloth |
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| Sunshine Crocheted Cotton Washcloth |
The Beachy Keen set includes Tropical Sea (ombre), Bright Blue, Bright Lime, and Sunshine. We hope to have more washcloth sets available shortly. We have a few combination ideas, we just need to get the yarn and put them into action.
There are more individual washcloths that have not yet been photographed or posted to the shop, we hope to have those photographed, edited and posted to the shop by the end of the weekend.
Don't forget you can get 15% off your order if you order by Sunday using coupon code: MOTHERSDAY12
Happy Mother's Day everyone!
Friday, May 4, 2012
More eBay Listings
I'm trying to establish our brand and business on eBay, so I'm listing items on eBay! These items have starting bids that are 1/4 of what the products are priced at, so hurry up and snag these deals while they last! :D
White Sakura 8 oz Bath Salts
Cotton Candy 8 oz Bath Salts
Grasshopper 8 oz Bath Salts
Yuletide Vanilla Cookie 8 oz Bath Salts
Lavender 8 oz Bath Salts
We sold the Strawberry Daiquiri 8 oz Bath Salts from our last batch of eBay deals, so make sure you get in on this set!
White Sakura 8 oz Bath Salts
Cotton Candy 8 oz Bath Salts
Grasshopper 8 oz Bath Salts
Yuletide Vanilla Cookie 8 oz Bath Salts
Lavender 8 oz Bath Salts
We sold the Strawberry Daiquiri 8 oz Bath Salts from our last batch of eBay deals, so make sure you get in on this set!
Friday, April 27, 2012
New Items Posted to eBay & News
If you're looking for a few deals on our bath salts, check out our eBay auctions! You can snag some of our 8 oz bath salts for as little as $2 plus shipping & handling if you're lucky enough to win the bid! :)
8 oz Cotton Candy Bath Salts
8 oz Strawberry Daiquiri Bath Salts
8 oz White Sakura Bath Salts
Those are our current auctions on eBay.
Also, due to the rising costs of materials, shipping of materials to us, and shipping of products to our customers, we are being forced to raise our prices as of June 1st. We really didn't want to do this, because we believe in providing our products to you for the best possible price, but it has unfortunately come to the point where we either raise our prices or we close our doors. We don't want to close our doors, so a price hike is inevitable.
Our bath salt prices will be as follows - maybe you'll see a pattern here:
4 oz - $4
8 oz - $8
16 oz - $16
32 oz - $32
We will also soon be offering a "bulk" option where you can pick three 2 lb bags of bath salts for a discounted price. These salts will not come in the glass jars but will be shipped in quart Ziploc bags with labels affixed. If you've already purchased salts from us, these can be used as refill bags for your current jars, or if you have jars you'd like to use, you can use this option to get 6 lbs of salt for less than you would if they were in the jar!
Our shower gels (although we only have one right now LOL):
8 oz bottles for $8
Our liquid body lotions:
8 oz bottles for $8
Our body butters and sugar scrubs will remain the same. So just a heads up - if you want to grab some before the prices go up, do it in May!
Don't forget through May 13 you can get 15% off your order using coupon code MOTHERSDAY12
8 oz Cotton Candy Bath Salts
8 oz Strawberry Daiquiri Bath Salts
8 oz White Sakura Bath Salts
Those are our current auctions on eBay.
Also, due to the rising costs of materials, shipping of materials to us, and shipping of products to our customers, we are being forced to raise our prices as of June 1st. We really didn't want to do this, because we believe in providing our products to you for the best possible price, but it has unfortunately come to the point where we either raise our prices or we close our doors. We don't want to close our doors, so a price hike is inevitable.
Our bath salt prices will be as follows - maybe you'll see a pattern here:
4 oz - $4
8 oz - $8
16 oz - $16
32 oz - $32
We will also soon be offering a "bulk" option where you can pick three 2 lb bags of bath salts for a discounted price. These salts will not come in the glass jars but will be shipped in quart Ziploc bags with labels affixed. If you've already purchased salts from us, these can be used as refill bags for your current jars, or if you have jars you'd like to use, you can use this option to get 6 lbs of salt for less than you would if they were in the jar!
Our shower gels (although we only have one right now LOL):
8 oz bottles for $8
Our liquid body lotions:
8 oz bottles for $8
Our body butters and sugar scrubs will remain the same. So just a heads up - if you want to grab some before the prices go up, do it in May!
Don't forget through May 13 you can get 15% off your order using coupon code MOTHERSDAY12
Friday, March 9, 2012
Mother's Day Sale
Just wanted to let you know that you can now grab 15% off your total purchase by using coupon code MOTHERSDAY12.
Can't remember the coupon code? Just click the button to your right and grab it from EtsyCouponCodes.com! :)
Can't remember the coupon code? Just click the button to your right and grab it from EtsyCouponCodes.com! :)
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Been So Busy!
Let's see, since I last blogged (about our new Body Butter line) we've been a bit busy. We've had a few sales, both through eBay and Etsy - bringing our total up to seven items sold on Etsy and five items sold on eBay - plus one sold offline. :)
The following scents have been sold:
Peppermint (x2)
Sweet Pea Cucumber Melon (x2)
Sugar Cookie (x2)
Buttercream Cupcake
Wild Berry Vanilla
Cucumber Melon
Vanilla
Pomegranate Vanilla
Lemon Lavender
Lavender
All scents have been sold in the form of bath salts. Which is great, because we love making the bath salts. And we are getting ready to expand our product line! :)
We are working on offering not only bath salts & body butter but body lotion, shower gel, glycerin soap bars, and bath salt bars. As soon as these items are ready, we'll let you know here on the blog! :)
Additionally, we have some new scents, so I will be updating the available scents page! A teaser: Yuletide Vanilla, Jack Frost, Grapefruit Blush, Honey Almond, Coconut, and more! :)
The following scents have been sold:
Peppermint (x2)
Sweet Pea Cucumber Melon (x2)
Sugar Cookie (x2)
Buttercream Cupcake
Wild Berry Vanilla
Cucumber Melon
Vanilla
Pomegranate Vanilla
Lemon Lavender
Lavender
All scents have been sold in the form of bath salts. Which is great, because we love making the bath salts. And we are getting ready to expand our product line! :)
We are working on offering not only bath salts & body butter but body lotion, shower gel, glycerin soap bars, and bath salt bars. As soon as these items are ready, we'll let you know here on the blog! :)
Additionally, we have some new scents, so I will be updating the available scents page! A teaser: Yuletide Vanilla, Jack Frost, Grapefruit Blush, Honey Almond, Coconut, and more! :)
Monday, November 28, 2011
New Items!!!
These are not yet in the Etsy shop as I need to ensure that I am not raising the Etsy bill so high that I can't afford to pay it, but these new items have been added to the Made It Myself shop! :)
Last night LaShawn and I went into the kitchen and started playing with our shea butter! :) We haven't played with it yet because we weren't sure exactly what we wanted to do. I knew I wanted to make a whipped body butter using it, but I didn't know exactly how I wanted to do it. I put some coconut oil and some shea butter in a bowl, microwaved it for a few seconds so the mixer would actually do its job, and after about 8 minutes, we had an awesome whipped body butter!
I have to admit, my favorite so far is the Buttercream Cupcake. It smells so good, I want to eat it! I keep having to remind myself that I can't! :)
Check out our shop on Made It Myself to purchase it - $5.00 per jar + $8.00 shipping and handling (combined shipping discount available)!
Last night LaShawn and I went into the kitchen and started playing with our shea butter! :) We haven't played with it yet because we weren't sure exactly what we wanted to do. I knew I wanted to make a whipped body butter using it, but I didn't know exactly how I wanted to do it. I put some coconut oil and some shea butter in a bowl, microwaved it for a few seconds so the mixer would actually do its job, and after about 8 minutes, we had an awesome whipped body butter!
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| Our whipped shea body butter in the package. |
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| Buttercream Cupcake scented body butter |
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| Lavender scented body butter |
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| Lemon scented body butter |
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| Lemon Sugar Cookie scented body butter |
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| Peppermint scented body butter (great for the holidays!) |
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| Sugar Cookie scented body butter (great for the holidays!) |
Check out our shop on Made It Myself to purchase it - $5.00 per jar + $8.00 shipping and handling (combined shipping discount available)!
Saturday, November 26, 2011
More Treasury Love
We told you about a few treasuries a couple of weeks ago in which we had our products featured. Well tonight we got double treasury love. We were featured twice in the same treasury! :)
Hostess gifts from local artisans features our Sweet Pea-Cucumber Melon bath salts & our Wild Berry-Vanilla sugar scrub.
Speaking of sugar scrubs, I'm planning on making some more tonight - most likely in Lemon and Sugar Cookie scents. I am also considering trying to make a whipped shea body butter, but I haven't decided if I'm up for that task tonight or not. ;)
Hostess gifts from local artisans features our Sweet Pea-Cucumber Melon bath salts & our Wild Berry-Vanilla sugar scrub.
Speaking of sugar scrubs, I'm planning on making some more tonight - most likely in Lemon and Sugar Cookie scents. I am also considering trying to make a whipped shea body butter, but I haven't decided if I'm up for that task tonight or not. ;)
Friday, November 25, 2011
Another Sold Post
We have sold another item - this time we got our first Etsy sale! Woo Hoo! :) A great lady from Iowa (our home state no less) bought our Sugar Cookie bath salts. That makes our grand total of sold bath salts up to five. :)
The breakdown on our sales so far is:
Don't forget today is Black Friday and you can use BLACKFRIDAY11 to get 15% off in the shop! :)
The breakdown on our sales so far is:
- 2 Sugar Cookie bath salts
- 1 Buttercream Cupcake bath salts
- 1 Sweet Pea Cucumber Melon bath salts
- 1 Wild Berry Vanilla bath salts.
Don't forget today is Black Friday and you can use BLACKFRIDAY11 to get 15% off in the shop! :)
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, & Cyber Monday
While Eternal Stardust shops are not going to be having any sales for Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, or Cyber Monday, Candlelight Boutique is having a sale for all three!
Beginning at 12:00 A.M. CST on Friday, November 25, enter coupon code BLACKFRIDAY11 to receive 15% off your entire order!
Beginning at 12:00 A.M. CST on Saturday, November 26, enter coupon code SMALLSATURDAY11 to receive 20% off your entire order!
Beginning at 12:00 A.M. CST on Monday, November 28, enter coupon code CYBERMONDAY11 to receive 25% off your entire order!
Please be advised that these codes will not be made active until the above mentioned times and dates and will be deactivated 24 hours after they are activated.
While items such as bath salts are listed mostly as only one being available, we will re-list items as necessary to ensure that the scent you want is available. If you find the scent you wanted is no longer listed as available, simply send us a conversation and let us know what scent we want. If the scent you want is out of stock, we will let you know and let you know when you can expect the scent to be back in stock.
Happy Shopping!
Beginning at 12:00 A.M. CST on Friday, November 25, enter coupon code BLACKFRIDAY11 to receive 15% off your entire order!
Beginning at 12:00 A.M. CST on Saturday, November 26, enter coupon code SMALLSATURDAY11 to receive 20% off your entire order!
Beginning at 12:00 A.M. CST on Monday, November 28, enter coupon code CYBERMONDAY11 to receive 25% off your entire order!
Please be advised that these codes will not be made active until the above mentioned times and dates and will be deactivated 24 hours after they are activated.
While items such as bath salts are listed mostly as only one being available, we will re-list items as necessary to ensure that the scent you want is available. If you find the scent you wanted is no longer listed as available, simply send us a conversation and let us know what scent we want. If the scent you want is out of stock, we will let you know and let you know when you can expect the scent to be back in stock.
Happy Shopping!
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
SOLD!
We had our first official online sale today! Our first total sale came a couple of weeks ago when a friend from church purchased a Lavender bath salts from us. But tonight on eBay a lovely lady from California purchased four of our bath salts! She also received, although she won't know it until she opens the package, a free jar of the Pumpkin Spice bath salts and a free set of 5 cotton facial scrubbies. :) We love to pamper our customers!
The scents purchased were Sweet Pea Cucumber Melon, Wild Berry-Vanilla, Sugar Cookie, and Buttercream Cupcake. I noticed that the Sugar Cookie and Buttercream Cupcake scents had a lot of views on eBay - the next in line was Apple Pie alá Mode. I think people tend to like food-related scents. :)
We have six more auctions that are running - for Apple Pie alá Mode, Pearberry Mint, Vanilla, Red Rose & Thyme, Cucumber Melon, and Peppermint. Of course, all of the aforementioned scents plus Lemon Lavender, Baby Powder, Pomegranate Vanilla, and Pumpkin Spice are available for purchase in our Etsy shop! :)
The scents purchased were Sweet Pea Cucumber Melon, Wild Berry-Vanilla, Sugar Cookie, and Buttercream Cupcake. I noticed that the Sugar Cookie and Buttercream Cupcake scents had a lot of views on eBay - the next in line was Apple Pie alá Mode. I think people tend to like food-related scents. :)
We have six more auctions that are running - for Apple Pie alá Mode, Pearberry Mint, Vanilla, Red Rose & Thyme, Cucumber Melon, and Peppermint. Of course, all of the aforementioned scents plus Lemon Lavender, Baby Powder, Pomegranate Vanilla, and Pumpkin Spice are available for purchase in our Etsy shop! :)
Monday, November 14, 2011
New Sizes Coming Soon and Treasuries
Recently a potential customer contacted us to ask if we offered larger sizes of our bath salts. I answered that yes we did offer them in larger sizes - this particular person wanted to know if we could do 16 or 32 oz sizes. I said sure.
We procured a box of 12 canning jars in 32 oz (quart) size, as well as a box of 12 canning jars in 16 oz (pint) size. We plan to make a few batches of our current scents in these sizes - although I have to say that one bucket of salt will only make 7 of the 12 pint jars or 3.5 of the 12 quart jars before we need to buy more salt. :P Those jars a bit more expensive as you can imagine because we use a lot more salt than we would if we were just doing 4 or 8 oz jars. :)
Plus we've been featured in several treasuries over the weekend - at least three that we are aware of.
Easy Like Sunday Morning features our Sugar Cookie Bath Salts
Berry Fusion features our Wild Berry-Vanilla Sugar Scrub
Sneaky Treasury Challenge 11/12/11 features our Buttercream Cupcake Bath Salts
We've also had several of our items added to people's favorites, as well as a couple of "shop favorites" so far. I think the search ads may finally be working as far as getting views to our shops, but I'll have to stop them until we either get some sales or I get some extra revenue coming in somewhere to be able to pay for those ads. Even $5 a week adds up fast! :)
We also have a few possible new items coming soon, so stay tuned for those! :)
We procured a box of 12 canning jars in 32 oz (quart) size, as well as a box of 12 canning jars in 16 oz (pint) size. We plan to make a few batches of our current scents in these sizes - although I have to say that one bucket of salt will only make 7 of the 12 pint jars or 3.5 of the 12 quart jars before we need to buy more salt. :P Those jars a bit more expensive as you can imagine because we use a lot more salt than we would if we were just doing 4 or 8 oz jars. :)
Plus we've been featured in several treasuries over the weekend - at least three that we are aware of.
Easy Like Sunday Morning features our Sugar Cookie Bath Salts
Berry Fusion features our Wild Berry-Vanilla Sugar Scrub
Sneaky Treasury Challenge 11/12/11 features our Buttercream Cupcake Bath Salts
We've also had several of our items added to people's favorites, as well as a couple of "shop favorites" so far. I think the search ads may finally be working as far as getting views to our shops, but I'll have to stop them until we either get some sales or I get some extra revenue coming in somewhere to be able to pay for those ads. Even $5 a week adds up fast! :)
We also have a few possible new items coming soon, so stay tuned for those! :)
Thursday, November 10, 2011
eBay May Drive Me Insane
One of the places I chose to attempt to sell our products is eBay. I've used eBay to sell other things, mostly some of my jewelry that I was having a hard time selling anyways. So I went ahead and used the eBay account I have for my jewelry business for this business because I didn't feel like dealing with two different eBay accounts.
Now the first thing that is driving me insane is the fact that at some point, eBay got a bee in their bonnet and set limits on my account. I am only permitted to sell 10 items per month or $500 worth of items, whichever comes first. I'm not sure how eBay expects me to make a successful business via eBay when I can only sell 10 items per month - but according to them, my customer service did not meet their standards. I'm not sure how that is, because I have nothing but positive feedback as both a seller and a buyer, but whatever. So until they decide my customer service meets their standards, the limits remain and there is nothing I can do about them except hope that someone will buy from me so I can prove myself and get those stupid limits raised.
The next thing that is driving me insane is this idiotic limitation they have on my PayPal account. eBay owns PayPal, so of course, they can do whatever they want with your PayPal account if they choose to and they do. You have to "prove yourself" on eBay before they will stop messing with your PayPal account.
Basically the limitation works like this - Jack buys a jar of bath salts from me on eBay. He pays me via PayPal. When I log into PayPal, I see that Jack paid me, but the money is "pending." I have to purchase shipping (conveniently I must print the label through eBay or else I can't use the money Jack paid me for shipping), ship the item, mark it shipped, and wait until delivery has been confirmed before I am allowed to have my money. Even then, it will take three days for PayPal to fully release the funds into my account once delivery is confirmed.
I understand this is to "protect the buyer" from eBay sellers who do not have a good reputation - those sellers who will take your money but never send you the item. However, if I can prove that I sent the item out via Delivery Confirmation and it never reaches the intended recipient, that is not my fault and I should not be punished for it. Alas, eBay doesn't see it that way, so if the item doesn't get to Jack, even if it is not my fault, then I have to give Jack's money back. This puts me as taking a loss because I am out both my product & the money paid to me for the product & shipping.
This is why I am making it a point, if I do sell anything via eBay, that delivery confirmation will be added to every single package. This way I have proof that yes, the package did go out in the mail, and yes the package was delivered to the customer. Because without that delivery confirmation - what would stop a person from buying something, claiming it was never delivered, and then getting their money back? Nothing.
eBay isn't my favorite way to sell and I'm not having much luck with it, but I'll give it a go for a while longer. You never know, business may pick up soon! :)
Now the first thing that is driving me insane is the fact that at some point, eBay got a bee in their bonnet and set limits on my account. I am only permitted to sell 10 items per month or $500 worth of items, whichever comes first. I'm not sure how eBay expects me to make a successful business via eBay when I can only sell 10 items per month - but according to them, my customer service did not meet their standards. I'm not sure how that is, because I have nothing but positive feedback as both a seller and a buyer, but whatever. So until they decide my customer service meets their standards, the limits remain and there is nothing I can do about them except hope that someone will buy from me so I can prove myself and get those stupid limits raised.
The next thing that is driving me insane is this idiotic limitation they have on my PayPal account. eBay owns PayPal, so of course, they can do whatever they want with your PayPal account if they choose to and they do. You have to "prove yourself" on eBay before they will stop messing with your PayPal account.
Basically the limitation works like this - Jack buys a jar of bath salts from me on eBay. He pays me via PayPal. When I log into PayPal, I see that Jack paid me, but the money is "pending." I have to purchase shipping (conveniently I must print the label through eBay or else I can't use the money Jack paid me for shipping), ship the item, mark it shipped, and wait until delivery has been confirmed before I am allowed to have my money. Even then, it will take three days for PayPal to fully release the funds into my account once delivery is confirmed.
I understand this is to "protect the buyer" from eBay sellers who do not have a good reputation - those sellers who will take your money but never send you the item. However, if I can prove that I sent the item out via Delivery Confirmation and it never reaches the intended recipient, that is not my fault and I should not be punished for it. Alas, eBay doesn't see it that way, so if the item doesn't get to Jack, even if it is not my fault, then I have to give Jack's money back. This puts me as taking a loss because I am out both my product & the money paid to me for the product & shipping.
This is why I am making it a point, if I do sell anything via eBay, that delivery confirmation will be added to every single package. This way I have proof that yes, the package did go out in the mail, and yes the package was delivered to the customer. Because without that delivery confirmation - what would stop a person from buying something, claiming it was never delivered, and then getting their money back? Nothing.
eBay isn't my favorite way to sell and I'm not having much luck with it, but I'll give it a go for a while longer. You never know, business may pick up soon! :)
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Remakes
So we have discovered that the metal tins we are using to store our bath salts are not doing a very good job of keeping them nice. Seriously - the salts have lost their color and scent both - the salts literally smell like the metal tins.
We have two variables that we think might have had a hand in this - the first variable, of course, was the metal tin, as the salts now smell like the metal tins! The other variable we have thought of was the Grape Seed Oil we used in the salts. We are making the salts without the Grape Seed Oil for the time being and we have started packing the salts into glass Ball jars - adorable/pretty quilted "jelly jars" that look amazing with the salts in them!
We are going to see how the salts keep their color/scent with the glass jars & no Grape Seed Oil. We did make a batch of Lavender salts for a custom order that had the Grape Seed Oil in them, so we will ask the friend who ordered them a couple of weeks if the salts have lost color or scent. If they have, it is the Grape Seed Oil that is the culprit, as her salts were packed in a glass jar.
A quick search for Grape Seed Oil in bath salts has turned up a number of recipes using Grape Seed Oil, so I have a hard time believing that the discoloration/loss of scent is due to the oil. I am more inclined to believe that it is the metal tins - as all the recipes including Grape Seed Oil have said to put the salts into a glass or PET container.
Oh well, this is going to be trial and error - all we have to do is remake the salts, put them in the glass containers (the lids are metal, but have a lining on them because they are canning lids), and see how that fairs.
In other news a few new scents to add to the shop soon include:
Baby Powder
Lavender
Lavender Vanilla
Lemon Cupcake
Lemon Sugar Cookie (as soon as the fragrance oil arrives for this one)
Peppermint Sugar Cookie (as soon as the fragrance oil arrives for this one)
Peppermint Vanilla
Pumpkin Spice Cupcake
Sugar Cookie (as soon as the fragrance oil arrives for this one)
The Baby Powder comes in either pink (although it's a bit more red than I wanted LOL) or blue - and can even be made in baggies for Baby Shower favors! :)
The available scents/colors page has been updated as well, so be sure to check that out! :)
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