LuminousBoutique

Fitting an office/shipping desk into a 4' space... I need help! I'm finally making myself move my office into my workspace. Up until now I've used a desk in my house but its just not working anymore, my kids are old enough now to cause problems, break things, spill things.. my cats sleep on my printer and print out 100 scans of nothing as they step on the buttons... i've gotta get out of here. This is the reason my work space isnt in my house to begin with.. animal and kid free zone!! lol My issue is the only open space I have in my workshop is my shipping desk. its 4' long, and 2' wide. I can clear the whole top off.. there is space above it, but not below. I have to fit my huge printer (1.5'x2') up there, that takes about half. Doesnt leave me much space.. so I'm looking for tips from you guys on ways to use the wall space to organize my padded envelopes, flat rate boxes, tape, twine, a roll of wrapping paper, so on and so forth. I'm thinking Martha, on a... rachel ray budget :laugh2:I found some inspiration here.. http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&q=wrapping+paper+station&wrapid=tlif12942470249251&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=paMkTavbBY70swPvoJz3AQ&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=9&ved=0CHEQsAQwCA&biw=1362&bih=583 but that will only work really for my wrapping paper, scissors, twine.. im just not sure how to get those boxes and envelopes on the wall.. I thought about magazine holders, but they arent big enough for most of the boxes... ugh. If anyone has any awesome ideas... the wall space is 4' wide and I can go about 4' up, too

I dont smooth them alot of my customers like the funky rough tops

yeah some EO's are going up in cost.. so FO is next.. at least those that contain those EO's. blah

yeah no games. people hate them. dont do it. lol

I give the hostess a gift basket if she will take it, or some "store credit" if she wont. I stay and go through the products one by one.. I have testers of my B&B, so they can smell and test and try each thing. I have 8x10 sheets with all the products and prices listed, then a spot for scents. They can write down the scent they liked for each product as they try it. At the end of the night I sit with each woman (thats the goal at least) and ask them what they would like to purchase. Most things I have in stock, and actually bring with me in the back of my truck.. what I dont have in stock I will take payment for and deliver or give to the hostess to deliver at a later date if she is willing. The great thing about home parties is the access to sinks and bathrooms.. so people can test soaps, scrubs, so on and so forth. The one thing I like to kinda know ahead of time is if their house is large enough for everyone to sit.. be comfortable.. and clean. People will and DO associate your products with the setting. If they are uncomfortable, hot, cold, crowded, or the home is unclean.. it doesnt do you any favors for your product. I also have little gift bags made up ahead of time with a few items to give away.. a lip balm, a soap sample, a sugar scrub cube, a bath truffle, a little packet of sea salts.. little things they can use or give to friends that keeps them thinking of me afterwards.

looks great!!

I have not run across anything that states it MUST 100% be displayed.. i think its just one of those unwritten rules.. and they are so cheap, even to have them custom printed, I never really blinked twice at it. Which reminds me, I need to order more!! good thing I saw this today or I wouldnt have thought of it until Wednesday when I was pouring!! lol

Better photography! LOL. And following through on my ideas. No more hesitation.. if I want to go for it.. GO FOR IT!

There is a customer for every kind of candle, and a candle for every kind of customer. I find it very distasteful to put down the business decisions of someone with whom you are neither acquainted, nor familiar with their market - or sales history. One mans “unique and exciting” is another mans “ugly and tacky” one mans “plain and ugly” is another mans “cozy and homey”. The point of going into business is to make money. The "big" candle makers dont make money simply because they use tumblers. We use tumblers and have pretty boxes too. They make money because they can afford branding, marketing, and risky investments in wholesale accounts. I make a beautiful tumbler that rivals any $40 candle on the market, creamy wonderful soy candle.. all the things those "fancy" candle buyers look for. I wholesale them to a boutique that sells them for $38.00 and sells them quite well. I couldnt move them at $38.00 at my farmers markets, shows, or online to save my life. Why? Because I dont have a photographer, a brand name thats well known locally, or a beautiful store shelf to put it on. They do. Thats it, thats the only difference. I dont sell them on my website, because... they dont sell. My more affordable candles do, at shows and online. Its that simple. My customers ASK for them. I take offence to the fact that someone would view my line or anyone elses line as "plain and ugly" based on one simple glance or based on the fact that they personally dont like jars. Pretty sure comments like that are throwing rather large stones in alot of our directions. That’s my .02c...

padded envelope, single wrap of bubble wrap and then a non-padded envelope (taped closed!) works great too. I want to say its a 4x6 envelope.. I buy them in packs of 20.. they will fit two bars of soap or two clamshells quite nicely! it weighs 4-5oz It goes as "package" since its thicker, and one costs 1.73 if I ship from the PO, or 1.93 with paypal click to print (it adds .20c delivery confirmation). Add in .25c or so for the envelope and 2.50 is pretty accurate. I've never really had anyone order just one though.. usually they buy 4-5 at a time and it goes Flate rate envelope.

yep http://www.candlescience.com/containers/jelly-jars.php I use the 8oz masons but now alot of other people do too. which does have me exploring other options. People do like them, the one nice thing is that they do hold 8oz of wax.. jelly jars do not if I remember correctly..

yep it can stain your clothing.. using detergent can help but if someone overuses it, like CAKES it on, it can stain just like any other deoderant can, thats basically it

hi Matt, I'm a candle and soap maker here in Ogden and the ONLY place worth driving to in our area is MMS, TheSage.com, in Logan- for soap and B&B. There are some "candle supply" places around here but dont waste your money, they simply repackage and sell at a huge price increase. Peaks is closest to us (Denver) and shipping is generally two day.. if I order on a Monday I tend to have it on Wednesday. Once a year we drive to peaks, make a night of it, and buy multiple cases of wax, jars, and my fragrance oil 5lbs at a time. We also order from CandleScience, they are on the other side of the country so shipping is longer but not more expensive generally and the prices are great- the FO's are great quality too. Now, for FO's, MMS has some great ones and you can go up to logan and sniff them all... BUT, they are not all tested in wax (they dont sell wax anymore but did at one point..) and they are much more expensive than peaks or CS. They also have multi cavity clamshells. If you have any other questions of local resources just let me know! We do have Candlewarmers.com here in Layton and they are a great place to pick up some warmers.

crystal lite containers are perfect for shaving soaps! Absolutely perfect.

I think there is a fine line between sharing and handing information over on a silver platter like wessex said. I've had people ask me "could you tell me your wick, wax, container combo? Oh and where you got your ___ fo?" I mean.. come on! I am in business.. I am trying to make a living. I certainly will help anyone I can but there is a difference between asking for assistance with wicking if what they are trying isnt working.. or saying "OK I've narrowed it down to four choices, help me choose two..." but asking specifically for someone to basically do the testing for you isnt cool. You shouldnt be hurt.. you dont do that Kyme! You're pretty darn smart, woman. You've worked hard for what you know.. you've put in your testing.. and why shouldnt they too? Too many people go on etsy, artfire, zibbet, ebay.. and sell inferioir products just trying to make a quick buck and I get frustrated when I hear them or see them suggest CS as a place to come and get all the answers with none of the work. Thats what gets to me. Its just the difference between asking "hey I'm thinking of trying this. have any of you done it..." than "tell me how to do this, with step by step instructions" and then they dont even say thank you

Hi Cedar. Tea tree does stand out but it blends nicely with lots of other fragrances. Lavender Tea Tree is nice, so is lime, lemon, orange, and grapefruit! SKS has nice deodorant tubes, I can vouch for their quality as a vendor. http://www.sks-bottle.com/340c/PlasticDeodorantTubes.html my solid deodorant bar has 92* coconut oil for a bit more firmness, shea butter, a touch of candelilla wax, baking soda, grapefruit essential oil, tea tree oil, and a touch of castor oil. I dont really make them that often.. they arent huge sellers for me, but they are fun! And they do work. I'm not a "sweaty" person so I dont notice a huge difference.. my huband does sweat, but there isnt any odor when he uses them. I like it alot. I've also made it before in a cream form, by basically cutting the wax out and upping the oil and that works well too but its messy. PS keep in mind it can stain clothes.

I saw a guy selling them at a local show and selling alot, but he was selling them for .75c each, or two for a dollar. There is no profit in that.. cant say people would have bought them for much more. edit to add: they were not the ones NG has. I got an NG one fom somewhere (maybe in an order? cant remember.) and it fell to pieces in my hand.. cheap cheap cheap. These were the larger, more sturdy roses.

I'm working harder on getting into new shows.. my goal is to have (an average) of one show a month, plus our weekly famers market if possible. I'm contacting more wholesale accounts. Working on product photography and my etsy shop.. working on more seasonal items, I want to be able to have something for every holiday, at least the bigger ones. On the flip side, I'm going to be more reserved with what I order.. I need to add some diversity to my line but not as much as I was attempting this year. I'm also going to cut down my amount of FO's. I have too many.. time and time again I've discovered someone who wants to buy a candle will find one at my table to buy... I dont need to offer hundreds of choices.. its just not practical for us right now. I can dream of more choices someday when I have a shop

I've read alot from Millers, I think the only thing stopping me is the alcohol stage.. why would I want to waste good vodka? http://www.millersoap.com/glycerinsoap.htmllol just kidding.. kinda

Yep or the people who see things like our local morning show did.. where they told people to use the paraffin canning wax from the grocery store and put "fragrance" in it and make their own tarts. Brilliant. Then those people see it doesnt work, but wont give up and keep coming after US to get answers. Heres your answer: do some research, or buy ours. Simple.

lol... got this from someone on my etsy last night: I have a question, I am making the lip balms also, but im haveing an issue with getting it to twist up. Is there a secret to this? Thanks so much *omitted for her own safety* *sighs* this is a daily thing. I wouldnt walk into a restaurant and ask for their recipes so why do people think its OK to ask US for our "secrets to making lip balm tubes twist":laugh2:

I've thought about it many times but never tried it!! Let us know how it goes if you do, it looks really cool

really easy to make with a basic photo edit program and you can print labels very easily using microsoft word, especially if you download the avery design software from Avery.com (its free) but a word of warning.. do not use images from sources you dont know are royalty free. If you do, its theft.. and you can be, at the least, called out on it and asked to remove them..

AHHH I tried! I told him that I could melt them down, use them for something.. he gave me "that look" and said maybe i wouldnt have a storage issue if i didnt store so much stuff... sigh