Jadryga
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Posts posted by Jadryga
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Hey PiP! It's an interesting template, and the way you've lined them up to photograph is definitely eye-catching. I think the font's a tad hard to read though, might want to consider that... It took me a while to read Sonoma Blush. Maybe make the font bigger, or use a less compact font? Something a little wider spacing may be easier to read
Take care! -
Oh hmm... just dug around, and found some not-so-good reviews of the HP 2600n. I personally love mine, but it's something you may want to consider.
http://www99.epinions.com/Hewlett_Packard_Color_LaserJet_2600n_Printer/sec_~opinion_list/pp_~2#list
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I have a HP 2600n color laserjet I absolutely love. I think after the ringgit to USD conversion it's about $400 or so. It's a bit pricey, but it comes with full ink toners (some laser printers give you "starter" toners that aren't 100% full so it runs out fast then you have to buy new ones) and in 2 years I've only replaced ONE toner (black). The other toners are still 30% in, and I don't exactly skimp when I print. In fact, I'm pretty careless about it.
Loving the quality and the fact that I don't have to worry about waterproofing.
Sadly, it doesn't fax or scan, but well, this is pretty darn cheap for a color laserjet compared to some other models I've come across.
I think quite a few other candletechies have this model too.
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Well, if all goes well, hopefully you'll be able to hire staff and delegate some tasks. That will take a large load off and give you more time with your daughter.
I hope you come to a good compromise though, it seems like a really good opportunity!
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Sally's got some good advice going on there. Usually when people ask how to make B&B I stress how much research is needed, and how they'll have to order stuff in from overseas, that sort of thing. Usually when they hear that I used to research 6-10 hours a night and the complications of preserving lotions, they start to tune out so I switch topics and that's usually the end of it. It's a good way to weed out the ones who are really interested in B&B and the ones who just want to make a quick buck anyhow.
If you're not good at coming up with answers on the fly, maybe try anticipating questions so you'll have a rough idea of how to answer without being too long-winded, or getting stuck.
Smiling is good, and small talk is extremely important once you're done presenting and it's tea & cakes time. Most customers are more likely to return if they feel they "know" you personally, so I always make it a point to do some small talk and find out their name. I occasionally get customers who talk my ear off, but I get others who bake me yummy cakes too
I'd suggest going through your presentation with someone (family, close friends, etc) if you haven't thought of doing so already, so you can identify and fix potential snags (too short a presentation, too long, too messy, etc).
I think the tarts with the business card is an excellent idea. Everyone loves freebies! Bring more than you think you'd need anyhow. Some of my customers like taking more than one "for my sister" or "for my friends", that sort of thing. They may be keeping my stuff all to themselves for all I know, but well, you never know, really
Good luck and have fun!
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Oh, only just noticed that you wanted to use first class mail, Lynn. I agree with jbren... use the flat rate envelopes!
I absolutely LOVE flat rate envelopes. I bought soapies from Chagrin Valley Craft and Ida sent them in a flat rate envelope. The best smelling envelope I've ever received, and only $11 and 5 days all the way from US to Malaysia! The soaps were only slightly dented but that was to be expected... her bars are 5.5-6oz, not much room for padding.
Garden of Wisdom sends me my smaller purchased goodies in them too
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That's awesome! Congratulations!
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Not as far as I know
Perishables are mainly foods.
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Hmmm... there's no ingredients list for the linen spray, but simply looking at the body mist, I don't think it would be a good idea.
The body spray contains humectants such as glycerin and Dioctyl Sodium Sulfosuccinate. I don't know what they'd do to your linens, but I doubt you'd want moisturized linens. Worst case scenario the body mist might stain linens or make them feel tacky.
It may also take much longer to dry than the linen spray, especially since it's alcohol free.
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Depends on how you'd like the massage oil to feel. How much slip and glide you'd like, whether you'd like it to stay on the skin longer or absorb rapidly, etc. It's a personal choice, really.
I'd suggest something that doesn't absorb too rapidly, so you'd have some decent time for a good rub (play?) yet not so heavy you don't get some good glide. FCO's great, doesn't stain sheets, it's got good glide, and it's pretty light. Maybe mix it with some avocado for a nutrient boost or some rice bran oil (AWESOME skin softener and unbelievably rich in vit E).
Additional vit E and ROE's good for delaying rancidity, yep. My massage blend is macadamia, avocado and rice bran - mac and rbo have pretty decent shelf lives as is, so I don't add extra vit E. If you're using straight FCO, it's pretty stable on its own as is.
Play around, see what you like!
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Another awesome option is http://www.gardenofwisdom.com.
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Hmm... you're right... I never noticed those before... never bothered to check safflower and hemp since I already know they've got short shelf lives. Meh.
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I wonder how anxious they'd be to have your candles if they read what you wrote here about them?
It was mainly this that I felt was uncalled for.
Calling her out on a mistake was one thing, even though she didn't mean anything mean by it. Taking a jab at her like that though, is going somewhat overboard.
Well, either way, I'm pretty sure Inez got the message, which was the point.
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FNWL has a great list actually... lists the shelf life for just about everything on their site.. let me see...
Here we go!
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While I agree that ubure's statement could have been much more diplomatic, I honestly doubt she had any bad intentions.
I think derogatory is a rather strong word, considering she was not insulting her customers. She already clarified that she meant "tall" when she said "large", and she was actually complimenting them on their sweet nature, though she could have been more careful since she also implied that ex-models are generally not sweet and normal, which I think was your point.
I don't think you needed to be so harsh, Michi. A simple warning would have sufficed. By the time she saw your post and thought about it, it was far too late for her to edit her original post anyhow.
Everyone makes mistakes. I'm sure Inez will be more careful with her posts in the future.
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Firstly, congratulations!
I'm just looking into getting a space myself, I'm lucky to have two friends already helping me out. I don't know how your agreement will be, but for this hotel account I hope to get, I'm probably going to request for a 3-6 month advance on cash so I can get everything going smoothly (no jams in the mechanisms if the cash doesn't come in on time, that sort of thing, as well as security). The hotel requires stuff on a monthly basis, and it won't do if I place my order at the end of the month... plus curing time and shipping and all for soaps, I'd be SO late. If they want things on a monthly basis, that might be a good idea, if you haven't thought about it.
Well... that's really all I can think of at the moment... barncat's already given you some good food for thought anyhow... it's nearly 7am, brain's fried (lol).
Lots of luck!
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Have you tried this place?
They are in Malaysia. Looks like a very nice site with nice looking bottles etc.
That was just the first site that came up after a google search.
Tons of manufacturers came up doing a China search also.
That is the best local packaging site I've ever seen. Maybe I've been using the wrong keywords to search with. I'll try calling them tomorrow morning. Thank you!
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It's shampoo and conditioner, I'm probably going with a base from Essential Wholesale. It's pretty cost effective even with shipping figured in.
You'd actually be surprised how few choices we have here for B&B. There are very few small B&B crafters, so I think what we make is generally for export. I think www.makeyourowncosmetics.com was where I read a comment by someone in South Africa that shea butter was an expensive commodity, so she made whipped cocoa butter instead. Ironic, since that's where it generally comes from, but low local demand and high export demand will drive local prices up for just about anything.
When I first started thinking about seriously making my own B&B several years ago, I went in search of a local supplier for cocoa butter. I never realized how hard it was to find the stuff in a country that grows and export cocoa. I tried bakery supply shops first. I said "cocoa butter" and I got responses ranging from perplexed looks to directions to the cocoa powder, so I tried looking in the Yellow Pages (our phone directory) for chocolate people. I found a few. I looked up one website, and found that they had only 25kg packs (about 55lbs). Now as a starting B&B crafter, I had absolutely no idea what to do with 55lbs of cocoa butter, but as the search dragged on, I got desperate enough to call the company and ask about the price for a pack. They were as helpful as a raincoat in the desert. The people I spoke to had absolutely no clue as to how much a pack was, or whether they had a minimum quantity, so they asked me to e-mail their boss. Two e-mails and 3 months later, I gave up. I eventually managed to find some in a craft shop for approximately $17 USD for about 1lb (I THINK it was a pound. Might have been less). Beeswax was even more expensive. I went to a local honey supplier and he got a huge chunk of uncleaned wax for me at about $10 USD, which was great, except... well... Cleaning bee bits and some twigs, maybe, but noticing some human hair embedded in the wax just grossed me out.
I'm thinking about sourcing from the Philippines or China next... they've got some good things from what I've seen, and I'm probably going there in October for a wedding anyhow. Other than that, China would be my next best bet, but like most Asian countries, you have to personally go and source for items. China has tons of sourcing fairs, etc. but not much in the way of websites (especially websites in English. They're either hilarious, complete gibberish or just plain unhelpful. I can't read Chinese.) My mother sources from there for her boutique, she goes every other month or so, but something usually pops up when I want to tag along, so I've yet to follow her. I'll probably try to next round.
That price is actually for 8000 bottles, directly from the manufacturer. I had to call them directly and ask because their website is scant on info and terribly outdated, and they insisted I go to see the samples then call them (they're in another state, but their little showroom is about 40 mins drive out of the city) with the code before they could give me a quotation. Sadly, I know most local manufacturers are like this - I'm lucky if they have a website, and they either can't or won't recommend items or fax pictures of items, so I have to see them myself.
I asked the lady in the showroom (more like, warehouse) about pricing, minimum quantities, etc, and she said she had no idea, I could call the factory and query.
When I got to the showroom, I found that the items had absolutely no information besides the code provided, no capacity (oz/ml), no measurements, no color or cap options, no prices, no materials, nothing. Even the code was handwritten on some tiny labels (I had some trouble with one bottle... I thought it was 8, but when I called the factory they said that range only went up to 7, so I thought "Maybe it's a 6", but it turned out to be a 2. Still not sure how 8 and 2 look alike.) and some had absolutely no code. They were just stacked around on shelves, and I had to figure them out for myself. The lady did absolutely nothing except let us in, shook our hands, introduced herself, then proceeded to gossip on the phone.
I know I'm practically ranting, but I think I've been spoilt by US/UK/Aus websites where just about everything a customer needs short of the physical presence of a salesperson is usually provided and sourcing is no more than a click away.
I have a feeling those prices are the average, and if that's the case, I think it's quite obvious why I'm not jumping with joy at the thought of checking out another supplier for just a few cents difference (your 1 cent is our 3.5 cents, so when I say few cents in ringgit, in USD that's one measly cent).
I AM still checking out some other local options though, one being medical suppliers, but I'm not overly optimistic.
It really is saddening for me to realize it's cheaper for me to import. Now I'm just praying that printing labels on a roll won't cost me an arm and leg. If I don't figure this out soon, I'll probably just have to admit defeat and let the shampoo/conditioner part of the account go and stick with just soaps.
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We have all had customers we wanted to rant about and we've all had to say, "no, I don't carry that,". My point, which seems to be very difficult to grasp by some, is that it's inappropriate to discuss these issues with or in the presence of other customers.
It is absolutely appropriate for ubure to come here with her post. It's unlikely her customers read here.
ubure, I use a larger font because I don't like squinting. I prefer sitting back away from my screen with my coffee in hand.
Firstly, I have no idea if you actually are aware of it, but the way you address things is quite hostile and occasionally sarcastic.
Secondly, I'm a customer of Lindsay's, but I am ALSO a business person who has to occasionally deal with the same sort of situation. It's unrealistic of me to expect Lindsay not to.
I agree with the basics of your principle - it's not advisable for a supplier to air dirty laundry in front of customers - but it doesn't consider the full context of the situation, which is that these customers are also fellow business people who can probably empathize with the situation. We're all "suppliers" in a way, even full-time moms (especially?).
Thirdly, Lindsay did not at any point mention names, nor did she drop any specific "hints" - not even gender - or insult anyone, she merely mentioned that this customer stressed her out because he or she wanted everything under the sun, which she could not provide, so she cut them loose and tightened her policies.
Fourthly, if you press Ctrl + +/-, you can adjust the size of the text on the screen in most cases. Just be careful not to adjust too much or you'll break the layout. You won't break the website, but it'll be an eyesore.
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Boy you are mighty busy with thousands of hotel soaps, now 8,000 bottles of whatever. How do you have time to visit the boards so frequently?
Good luck.
I do most of my research/sourcing online
They're the same account, actually.
Thanks for the luck!
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I know what you mean, shipping's a constant pain, but luckily for me, I'm just looking at 1oz bottles
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I tried sourcing for containers here... I did find a place that does cosmetic packaging, but the cost of the bottles alone vary from $0.50 USD to about $0.90 USD. The budget given to me was about $0.57 USD per product, so those aren't even an option
Someone recommended a US supplier who could supply bottles for $0.08 per, which is awesome. Anyhow, I've found a manual label applicator for about $995 which would make my life tons easier
http://morewinemaking.com/view_product/5891/102724?PHPSESSID=50f25fb72475b47a97
If I get the account long-term, this would be a worthwhile investment to me since it can even label lip balm containers.
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Anyone have any idea how much it would cost to print on bottles? I have an account in the works that would require about 8000 bottles a month, and I'm not really psyched up to labeling 8000 bottles every month
If it's within the budget I've been given I'll probably consider getting the bottles printed straight instead of me having to label them.
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Ran a quick search for you.
Maybe these? Not quite soap suppliers, but well...
Take care!
For those with wire soap cutters...
in General Soap Making
Posted
I'm thinking of getting a wire soap cutter for logs, but I read in the How-To Guide at FCS that their wire cutters may not cut soaps cured more than 4-5 days well.
http://www.forcraftssake.mainsecure.net/shop/index.php?main_page=infopages&pages_id=5
I'll probably be ordering soaps in so plus curing so it's hard enough to ship and shipping time, it'll be at least about 2-3 weeks cured. Would getting a wire soap cutter be a waste of time on my end then... or could someone clarify "may not cut well" a little further for me? Like, is it that it won't cut at all, or it may be tougher to cut, or that the soaps just won't be even?
TIA!