New Year's Resolutions

It's that time of year when everyone is talking about changes they want to make for the New Year and review the progress of last year's resolutions. I can't remember what I resolved to do in 2009, except read one book a month. I ended up reading a total of 9 fiction books about probably about 5 soaping books. Even though I can't say I read the soaping books from cover to cover, I'm still counting it!

I touched on one of my resolutions for 2010 in the first post here: I want to expand this small soap business. Not by a lot, but my main goal is to get some customers that don't know me personally. And don't get me wrong - I LOVE selling/giving soaps to my friends and family, but there will be something different about having repeat business from someone I don't know.

Another big resolution is to start exercising and eating healthier. I was diagnosed with Crohn's disease in November after 3 months of some not so pleasant symptoms. There is no cure for Crohn's, but it can be controlled with diet and exercise. The only thing I am taking for it now is a really good pro-biotic. After reading about pro-biotics, I think everyone should be taking them like a daily vitamin - they are so good for your digestive system!

And my third big resolution is to do well in school. Yes, I am 33 years old and I am going back to school. I was laid off in September (ironically, on Employee Appreciation Day), and I have made the decision to go back to school to get my degree in Elementary Education. I have always wanted to be a teacher, but it was really difficult to support myself full time and go to school part time. I tried internet classes, but I found it really difficult to stay focused and motivated. I really need to be in a classroom setting. The timing of being laid off was perfect, and it just seemed like everything was falling in to place. It really was a no-brainer decision.

There are a couple of smaller resolutions I want to make for this year: I want my husband and I to actually eat at the kitchen table instead of using it as a catch-all for stuff we don't want to put away and end up eating on tray tables in front of the tv. I don't want to go to wake up with dirty dishes in the sink. And my husband and I should really finish our wedding album...I mean, it's been over 2 years already. I hope our photographer hasn't forgotten about us!

Hmmm....maybe based on that last one, I should resolve not to procrastinate anymore. Nah, I'll do that one next year.

Sampler Village

Starting this spring, I'm going to feature my lip balms in the sample boxes at Sampler Village. I was contacted by Traci through my Etsy shop last week. She was commenting on my lip balms in pots, and I mentioned to her that I also have lip balm tubes and that I just haven't had much time to put them up on the Etsy shop just yet. So now I will be sending her 50 lip balm tubes to be included in the March Sampler Boxes. I also signed up to be the Village "Mayor" for the month of October, where I will be sending 100 samples of my Pumpkin Spice soap and have my shop featured on their website.

If you haven't heard of sample boxes, it really is kind of cool! They collect small samples or coupons from different artisans of handmade products to be included in a box each month. The samples vary from month to month, but they have about 30-40 different contributors in each box. It seems like a great way to test something you might be interested in, and then buy from that person directly the next time. The boxes aren't that expensive, ranging from $12 to $35 each. I can see this making a great gift for someone who loves handmade items!

Check out their website sometime and see if there is anything you would like to try!

New items are coming!

Thanks to my wonderful husband who got me a generous gift certificate for Christmas, I just placed a big order from Brambleberry yesterday! I ordered some great springtime colors, soap additives and exfoliants. One of the things I'm dying to try is shaving soap. After spending some time searching the web, I found some great recipes I can't wait to try!

And I'll be posting some pictures of my current soaps here soon...Still getting my feet wet here!

Still trying to figure this thing out...

I have "blogged" in the past, but I never took a lot of time on their appearance. I really want this one to stand out, so I'll be trying different skins and themes until I find one I like. So if this looks like a different blog each time you read it, don't worry...it's just me changing my mind once again!

My Goals for this Blog

I really want to start the New Year with a focus on growing my small soap company and really getting my name out there. I opened up an Etsy shop last fall, and I've sold a few items there as well as to a lot of friends and family.

It is such a wonderful feeling to hear so many positive comments about my soaps. I sent soaps to family members for Christmas, and I was overwhelmed with how impressed everyone was. This is something I really enjoy doing, and I look forward to a great year in 2010!