Happy 2014 and other musings

So Happy new year! I hope the new year is off to a good start for you! The holidays were super busy for me, as they are every year, I am STILL trying to catch up, but I am getting there. In the midst of all the craziness I was cutting 80# of soap and heard "ping" and only one thing that I know of makes that noise: the wire on my cutter snapping! So the last time I had it re-strung, no one around here would touch it, it's very daunting, and so I sent it back to Michigan where it was handmade to the tune of $30 for shipping! I looked at the site where I bought it and they no longer make that model, too hard to re-string! (it uses a long piece of guitar or piano wire). So my husband was asking how long I'd had that one and I said better than 10 years, and he said I was due a new one anyhow, so it's on order! The one I was going to get is called "the Tank" and almost $300, but I decided to see how hard it was to re-wire, not bad, although I found another that's even easier and is handmade like the original, we love handmade as you know! So until it comes, I hope you guys appreciate uneven soap slices, cutting them bar by bar is NOT my idea of fun! Here's the new one

I had been getting a lot of requests to make the Winter Dreams holiday soap a year round soap, so I did that for you, it's renamed Hoopla, here's the new label, isn't it pretty?

A new year always brings bright new possibilities. My focus for the new year is "Balance and streamlining" and so to that end I'll be only doing 10 feet of table rather than 12 feet most of the time, and I have discontinued the Mini's. Trying to mostly focus on the core products. As always I am going to try to make more time for fun stuff, you know, movies, books, general goofing off! I am going to really try to do a post every week too, we'll see how THAT goes! So, I hope you have a wonderful year, may you achieve all your goals!

Throwback Thursday

I've been having fun on Facebook lookkng at everyone's pictures from days past, here's one for you of my little shop! It was such a cute little place and I loved it so! It was built in the 1930's and had coved ceilings. I was there for two years, until I started busting at the seams, buying my oils and such in bulk. I wouldn't change the experience for anything! You can see the tail end of Milo too, the little lilac Bug. He actually came to a couple of Markets in the begining! The sign, was handpainted by my brother in law. The logo is the first one I used, I designed it myself. :-)

Jack of All Trades Oakland Part 2

I had so much fun Saturday, I took a couple of pix for you. I was in a different spot this time, by the boats, really a gorgeous spot! In fact it's just a couple spaces down from where my son and I stood when we did the Jack London Farmers Market ages ago. Here's what was behind me

We also had Fashion Trucks, ever see those? They are like a store on wheels! I wasn't that close but I thought it was a cool idea!

And of course we also had a few food trucks! I loved the name of this one!

I was next to some really nice people that had these gorgeous hangings from Haiti and I horse-traded for a small piece! I had a lot of fun and hope they continue the event after next month. So for now December 14th is the last one, I can hardly wait to go again!

My Amazing Customers

So I have had some fall-out from the decision to discontinue the Mini's, but when I explain to my customers that it's a matter of balance abd time, the have been amazing. One customer said "I support that!" and it's so cool. It's never an easy decision to stop making any product, especially when its not doing badly, but for the overall good, I know it was the right thing!

Streamlining

I've decided to cut a couple of products that are time intensive. I always feel badly when I have to do that, especially when it's something that has been around a long time. The thing is that my focus for the coming year is streamlining so I can focus more on the core products, full sized soap and candles. So I'll be eliminating the Mini's and the glyerine soap, although I may do glycerine from time to time. I was thinking about the hours a week it takes to maintain an additional 18 mini soaps ( in addition to the 30+ I already do! ) as well as making each glycerine soap one at a time, it adds up to quite a lot! Anyhow, just wanted to let you guys know, so as soon as the current stock is gone, it's gone!

Handmade

To the right, under my banner, is a cool widget you can click to pledge buying Handmade this Holiday Season. I pledged, join me!

Vintage Coolness

So the picture is of my new flag holder, it's easier to use than the one we built with PVC pipe, much less combersome. So here's the cool part, it's actually made to stick in your lawn with the flag hanging from that, a friend had one that was welded across the prongs as mine is, now. I didn't know anyone that did welding that could do that for me so my sweet husband called around and found this place in Brentwood that could do it for me. Kirk's Welding on Brentwood blvd. So while he was welding it for me, I was looking around and said that he was sort of a modern day Blacksmith, and he said that's what the building was originally! I just thought that was SO cool, that the building still got to do what it had been used for all these decades later! He did great work too and understood what I wanted with only a quick explanation, that's so rare too! I just thought it was so cool to see that!