Feb 5-11, 2013

OMG, OMG, OMG, OMG!

It has been a whirlwind week and things just are not slowing down!

Today starts a fundraiser by the Liberty High School Band and Orchestra. Between now and March 1, they will be selling soaps, lip balms, and bath fizzys to help them raise money for their trip to the Rose Parade plus other needs. Find a band member, tell them you want soap, and 35-50% of each dollar you spend goes directly to them!

I am also doing a fundraiser for Team Butt-erfly. use TEAMBFLY2013 on the web when you place your order and receive 5$ off, plus 20% goes to my friend Aliyah's team in the Lehigh Valley Take Steps Be Heard Walk  for Crohn's and Colitis. Diagnosed at just 11 years old, Aliyah hasn't let this disease define her, instead she proudly walks in the hope to raise awareness, fund a cure, and end the suffering and embarrassment many patients endure. http://online.ccfa.org/goto/TeamButt-erfly2013

I have two stores that need inventory badly, and I haven't even gotten the supplies in to make what they need yet, and one new store pending, well actually two new stores pending. I hope to get to schedule appointments with both of them for early next week so I can start figuring out what I need to make first.

Overall it has been a very good week, I have gotten so many things accomplished. I picked up and ordered almost all the supplies I need for quite a while, I have gotten my spring craft show schedule worked out, I have gotten the fundraisers set up, organized and order forms designed. I am keeping up with orders that roll in daily, and I am keeping up with emails (my goal is an empty inbox before bed each day).

Today I need to finish ordering, get inventory together for stores, mock up a label for a special order, return a pile of phone calls, and then trudge on and see what else I can get off my list of things to do. I have meetings every day this week, that makes this feel so much like a "real job" rather than my usual self-imposed schedule. 

OK, off to work! Hope to see you soon!

Jan 28-Feb 4, 2013

There just isn't enough hours in the day sometimes!

The huge list is now just a big list of big things to do. I have finished off most of the smaller more manageable things and have left myself with all the things that will take days or weeks to finish.

The big accomplishments for this past week are:

1) keeping up with order- there has been quite a few and I have to make sure that I don't let them linger for too long. I also have had a few special orders for baskets that take more time to put together than a typical order so that has been fun.

2) The new order form is finished, ok, my part of it is finished, I am just waiting on one more change by my friend who did it for me and then it can go to the printers. It is very spiffy and is all in color and two sided and I can even mail it just as it is. I am crazy excited about this.

3) The new logo is done. Same friend started out revamping and updating my logo before I begged her to move onto the order form. The old one is the top one.

4) All of my supply needs have been determined, listed, and priced. I have searched for new vendors, better pricing, and higher quality everything. There are so many things I was able to source from more local establishments, or at least small business like me. I am really happy to say that I will be able to keep most prices stable again this year.

5) All the new soap fragrances have been made. They are all in the racks waiting to be cured. This means I should be able to start shipping my pre-orders and have the new soaps available on the web site two weeks earlier than I thought.

6) FUNDRAISERS! I have two great fundraisers starting in just a few days and all the paperwork, order forms, description papers, and coupon codes have all been determined and developed.

This week is a little wonky, I took Monday off for my anniversary, and Wednesday I vend at Muhlenberg College, and Friday I have to go get supplies, so I don't have a ton of time to get things accomplished, but I hope to just keep plugging along and hope that I can say that by the end of the month, things will be in really good shape. See you next week!

Welcome 2013!

I am FINALLY back in the workshop after a hiatus for some family trips that had me only sleeping in my own bed for 5 days since Christmas! Man, my back is happy to be in my own bed. It is amazing how you don't really think about how much wear and tear that traveling has on the body and the mind. It is time for me to get back to my routines and get back to a plan.

I don't really make resolutions, I set goals.

This year I have quite a few, but for the business it is to lay back a little and do a few less craft shows. We are hoping that we can keep the days to 125 or under. This means some of the biggies will go away, and in it's place will be smaller and warmer shows spread throughout the year rather than just piled up at the Holidays. I am hoping that spreading out some of the days will allow us some more family time, some more rest, and a more even production schedule. I am hoping that the web site will increase with orders and that will take the place of some of the shows that take lots of energy, but produce little revenue.

I hope to continue taking better care of me this year, watching what I eat, getting more exercise, and  plenty of rest. I do wear myself thin. It is hard to turn off work when it is right there in the house with you. The list of things to do is always on my desk and this can be mentally taxing. I am hoping to put in place some new habits that will have me getting out of the house more and giving me ways to burn off some steam in a more productive manner than just venting it verbally. Last year I did pretty good and I even reaped some unexpected benefits (like 18 lbs gone!), so I hope that a continued trend will leave me healthier and happier than ever before.

And finally I hope to take advantage of the above mentioned goals and use the extra time and extra energy to turn to my home and family. They have been super supportive over the past 10 years and sometimes I know I can be very heard to deal with. I hope that organizing the house to run more smoothly, planting a big garden for healthy meals, and having more time for them will be a goal that I can obtain in 2013.

I can't express my gratitude to all of you that let me live my dream to make a product that I am passionate about and to live my life in a manner where I can still have time to help others. Thank you for all of your support during my first 10 years of business and I hope the next 10 are just as rewarding. I love you all!