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.

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.

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!

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?

New Items in the Etsy Shop

We have some new items in the Etsy shop - three new washcloths and a washcloth set.

Beachy Keen Set of 4 Crocheted Cotton Washcloths

Bright Blue Crocheted Cotton Washcloth

Bright Lime Crocheted Cotton Washcloth

Sunshine Crocheted Cotton Washcloth

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!

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!