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Massage Pudding

Posted on June 17, 2013 by Georgia's Pampering

I thought I’d let you in on a little secret I’ve held for a few days. Brace yourself. Cover your eyes and read through your fingers. Start to wrinkle your nose now. You have been warned. Apparently I made bath boogers. Chocolatey orbs that felt like a combination of pudding and snot. Yeah, I’m wrinkling my nose too, remembering that disgusting bath.

I’ve been finishing up testing on several projects that I shared, and a few that I was a bit indifferent about, so I never mentioned them yet. Since I had a big bag full of chocolate massage melts that I wasn’t going to sell and would take me a lifetime to use up in massages I figured I’d try some experiments out on them. (Yep, the nerd side of my personality reared it’s head. Lol.) Just out of pure accident I found that if it’s in the 90s and you don’t have the AC on the melts will resemble a Cadbury Creme Egg. A thin, solid shell with a gooey, creamy center. That actually resulted in a nice texture for a massage (of course, can you really ever complain about textures if you’re finally getting a massage, anyway?). If they’re frozen they crumble and after two days the bits still won’t massage in. Admittedly that test was just to amuse myself. *sporting a mild blush* I put them through a few more paces and then thought that I’d try them in the bath. I’ve made cocoa baths before; oils, cocoa powder, and a little extra FO, and they were fantastic (except for the ring in the tub that I then had to clean *laugh*). I figured that these should be even more moisturizing since I could massage them in as they softened instead of the oils all making slicks that evade my sponge or hands. The key thing that I forgot was that there was Cocoa Butter in it. A butter. Something that doesn’t do so great in water. I nearly developed a bruise from smacking my forehead so many times while maybe exclaiming “Buh me!” loud enough when it hit me while sitting on the porch that my neighbors stared. I’m the crazy cat lady that makes my own bath and body stuff instead of buying it from Walmart or Walgreens in a small rural town, so they stare anyways, but these were those “I told you she had to be crazy – she’s from California!” kind of looks. Meh.

Anywho….*grin* I settled in my bath with a big cup of sweet tea and a new book on my nook, plus five of those divinely smelling, crusty looking, squares. I was going to do an even four, but if you’re going to pamper yourself, my theory is that you might as well throw one more in for good measure. Except in this case. I just ended up with another chocolate booger that slithered out of my hands when I tried to scoop the globs out. *shudder* The bath started out wonderfully at first actually. The smell of chocolate started to fill the air, the almond oil started to make my skin silky, and it felt heavenly. Then one crested the shore of my tummy and slithered across back into the water on the other side. Um…well…Bo, my big protector of a dog, might have come running in when I let out a super girly shriek from the bath slug gliding over me. I may have made some odd noises as I splashed the chocolaty boogers up the sides of the bath only to have them slide back down in an incredibly disturbing fashion. Maybe. I’m not saying I’d ever be that much of a pansy. And dogs can’t talk. After a few moments of *cough* dignified disgust, I sucked it up and after a little exercise of chasing the globs around I finally got a handful of water and goo, and massaged it in. Like I said, it truly felt like a mixture of instant jello pudding with the sliminess of a runny nose. It really does condition the skin though. In case you’re curious it doesn’t wash off either. Some of the really gross sliminess goes away with some dawn dish soap, but for the most part you only get the chocolate part off. The rest just has to wear off as you scrub your memory with “mind bleach”.

Needless to say the remaining squares are in the back of my product cabinet and it took a salt paste to make the tub safe enough to stand in (even with two grab bars in there I did a lovely bit of The Twist. Too bad I didn’t have Chubby Checkers actually playing at the time, but I’m impressed that I can still do the dance with all of my problems. Mom, next time I see you, we’ll dance. *grin*).

For the past week I’ve been nursing some burns on my arm (we won’t discuss that. Lol.), so I haven’t experimented with any other items. Honestly I’m a little hesitant to keep messing with the other items from before this disaster. *grin* I think I need to start a line of gross things to sell for Halloween parties now. Apparently I have a previously undiscovered skill at creating slimy and gross things. Hmmm…I’ve made Slimer the aloe rub and chocolate snot. I wonder what else kids could stick their hands into and squeal over. 😉

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Silver Linings

Posted on June 1, 2013 by Georgia's Pampering

I’ve had a hard time accepting and handling having a disabling case of Fibromyalgia and like everyone I have a hard time looking for the good in something bad.  Recently I had the incredible opportunity to see a little silver lining to being so sick.  Fibro has caused the signals between my body and brain to get all mixed up (maybe my nerve system is male and doesn’t want to stop for directions? *laugh*), so sometimes a hug or even a casual touch can feel like I’ve been punched, and leave me sore for days or weeks.  Top it all off with chronic illnesses and the feeling that I have a bad case of flu every single day, and I tend to forget that silver linings even exist.  We all have something in life that we get lost in despite our best intentions.

 

When I was chatting with a new tester recently we really dived into the topic of exfoliation and when I asked her how she applies the products on her face she had to pause to think about it (I’ll pause here for a moment for you to try to remember what fingers you use…*queue the Jeopardy music*).  We think we found a few things that she can try to do differently and while we discussed alternate techniques I realized that in learning to adjust to my new needs that I’ve also learned to be gentle to myself.  Most people never realize how much pressure they’re using or even how rough they’re being with their skin when they’re rushing through the little daily tasks, like washing, applying things, or even toweling off.  We’ve all done it, but if you can catch yourself and alter your routine, your skin will usually show the difference pretty quickly.

 

I had the opportunity to learn some fantastic techniques from a great Spa Consultant, Michelle Ayers, a few years back.  (I know it’s a faux pas to discuss someone in the same field, but she really deserves credit for helping a lot of people and showed me to describe things in more relatable terms, which isn’t a natural skill for me since I’m usually a textbook regurgitator.)  While talking about applying anything near the eyes she said to use the ring finger on my right hand, since it’s weaker, and therefore unable to apply too much pressure.  As time has gone by I’ve had to become even gentler with myself and went to the most awkward finger that I could – my ring finger on my non-dominant hand (we all know that it’s not either of my middle ones since those get a lot of exercise *sassy wink*).  Ahem.  I’ve learned that using this awkward finger has made a world of difference for me.  I never get that extra bit of puffiness around my eyes when I apply face cream as it reacts from too much pressure, plus when I exfoliate I use that finger and I don’t get that bright rosy hue that makes me look quite feverish.  I also pat dry instead of rubbing, massage the shampoo in for a moment instead of roughly lathering it all up, etc.  Figure out what your odd man out finger is, try it for a week, and let me know if you feel or see the difference.  From exfoliating to that secret wrinkle banishing cream that’s hidden behind the mega box of band aids, and everything in between.  Rub a dab of something on your arm with one of your super strong pointers (I won’t judge if your pointer is one that supposedly isn’t fit for society *grin*) and then rub a little bit in with the other one.  See if you feel a difference between them.  I have a little extra luck with that, since I have Super Senses (cape not included, dang it!).

 

Being kind to yourself isn’t always about a special meal or a vacation without kids.  It’s kind of like those instructions on a plane about putting on your mask first and then helping the child, because if you aren’t taken care of you can’t take care of anyone else.  Try to take a moment to be kind to your body.  We all want you to feel good, even when you can’t pamper yourself.  If you can manage to slow down for a moment and gentle your movements when you take care of those little things, your body, healthy or not, will thank you. 

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A Lemon a Day

Posted on May 4, 2013 by Georgia's Pampering

I learned in testing the new Lemon Scrub I’m experimenting with that a lemon scrub a day brings the ants to play.  Meh.  Every sugar scrub that I have made before has soap in it in some form, until the Lemon Scrub.  I never thought that leaving soap and extra glycerin out may be an ant deterrent.  Who knew?!  *bewildered shrug* I’ve never had such a watery and loose scrub before, so maybe that’s why it’s so attractive.  Or it could be because it’s so stinking cold when insects think it’s time to become active.  We seldom ever have trouble with ants thankfully, but holy smokes!  This definitely made up for it.  There were so many ants covering the lid of my jar that it looked like a moving black lid instead of bright white.  *cracking up*  I admit that I love the smell enough that I think I’ll just use the scent in my regular scrub recipe and use that for my Summer scrub instead.  Good thing that I have set myself a minimum of 2 weeks of testing now (after the Worms in Dirt issues lol).  As much as I was startled by our ants, I would be positively mortified if it had happened to a customer.  It makes sense that the soap in my previous versions of scrub deterred the ants.  I mean, we obliterate ant trails with dish soap and it stops and/or kills them, so it’s logical in retrospect.  It’s funny how things always make sense when you look back at the mistakes.  *grin* 

 

On a secondary note Slimer, the attempted leg gel, is now gone.  I caught Larry playing with it, making it plop around, and that just iced the cake for me.  *cracking up*  I can’t make up my mind if I really want to give it another shot.  Of course, Silly Putty wasn’t suppose to be a toy when it was accidentally created, either.  (Cue the “Weird Science” song.) 

 

I guess my misadventures will help any of the DIY readers.  If you want to make your own scrub, add some melted soap to the mixture.  *laugh*  And, no matter what others tell you, don’t add cornstarch to Aloe unless you want something to play with.  Maybe if I scent a blob of it with Bubblegum FO I could have a best selling non-toxic toy on the market.  *impish grin*

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I cloned Slimer

Posted on May 2, 2013 by Georgia's Pampering

After a couple of tests both new experiments will need to be redone. I’m not as concerned about the scrub, but I somehow created Slimer instead of the energizing gel and will call The Ghostbusters if the jar moves. *grin* I’ll be honest – it’s gross. *laugh* I poked it 6 times and got a slight moistness on my tip, but it just bounced right back. Only furniture and your Hippy Aunt’s mold of jello jiggler should bounce back like this. I’ll leave out the thickener, that’s for dag on sure, but I think I’ll also approach each incorporation a little less aggressive. So we’ll see soon! In the meantime, I think it moved.

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I’m not sure that it wants me to test it anymore, so back to the kitchen.

I’m not sure if the brief heat I was enjoying while making the scrub was the culprit or the little changes I made had a lot more impact, but some of the sugar melted into a simple syrup. To use the scrub you have to swirl your finger in the mixture for a few moments. Well, I learned one thing for doing these two experiments together. I’ll add some cornstarch into this scrub since it thickened the Aloe so much!! *grin*

Anyway, I’ll let you get back to things. I will return to treating the energizing gel as the old slime I used to get in gumball machines as a kid. I may have a new niche if the blob does cool moves down the wall. 😉

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Summer’s A’Comin’

Posted on April 30, 2013 by Georgia's Pampering

I was busy experimenting yesterday, but it seemed weird to include them with the cocoa melts post. The gloom has finally lifted and Spring has come to Kansas. *grin* It’s been absolutely beautiful, although seems incredibly warm at 80 just because it’s been cold so often. It was too warm in the house for soap to set and I was too restless to make anything but experiments. In honor of the warmth and sunshine I decided to try and make a few summer ready items.

The first is a lemon sugar scrub. This smells like fresh squeezed lemons, perfect for some iced tea or lemonade, and has no kitchen cleaner-type notes to it at all. *happy sigh* I found a recipe for a sandal scrub during all my research and made a few changes to it. There’s brown sugar and granulated sugar for the main scrub, and although the brown sugar doesn’t do magnificent things, it softens the scent of the mixture and made it look awesome, in my opinion.

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It’s thought that Lemon EO (essential oil) has a lot of antiseptic properties, helps clear grease and dead skin, and may even help to fight headaches while it’s helping to heal small blemishes or cuts (although I’d advise asking a doctor before using it on wounds of any type). There are a ton of possible aromatherapy benefits too, with relieving depression and fatigue being key ones, which is why I thought it’d be the perfect EO for a summer scrub. There’s Aloe Vera in the mixture too, so you get that soothing and moisturizing feel from it. I’ll test it for a few weeks, since I can only exfoliate every few days, but the first test was fantastic. If I closed my eyes I could almost imagine that I had a tall glass of lemon tea in my hand while I reveled in a warm summer rain. (I was in the shower and it’s kind of hard to have a fantasy that doesn’t include rain when you’re in there. *cracking up*) The exfoliation is super soft and the sweet almond oil left my skin smooth and moisturized. It sounds like such a crock, I know, but I tested it on one arm and compared them after the shower, and literally the tested arm looks so much healthier and I don’t have any dry spots yet, almost a whole day later. It may be close to time for a happy dance.

The second experiment is an energizing or refreshing gel. This one I have some mixed feelings about. I’m not sure how sellable it would be, because it looks and feels…weird. I can’t think of any other polite descriptions; I just keep coming up with juvenile and gross comments. *laugh* The main ingredient is Aloe Vera, so it’s great for the skin, and it has Peppermint EO and Wintergreen EO to give some zing. The EOs are also thought to be great for aromatherapy; comforting, uplifting, relaxing, and not to mention that they help with congestion. I admit now that I was just excited to be experimenting and adapting some recipes that I found, and failed to think through a few of the ingredients. I added EOs and oils to suit my interests, and what not, but the original recipe for this gel called for cornstarch, and that’s such a toss-away ingredients when looking at bath recipes that I didn’t give it any thoughts. Yeah, you know that I face palmed when things went wrong, and you all ready know something went wrong because it’s just my destiny for something to go wrong. *grin* Anywhatsit…I added the cornstarch to my own version of the recipe and happily started to stir. Then I got my small whisk and beat the crap out of the mixture. Then I brought out the big gun – the electric whisk. I know that this little bad boy can send bath whip from my stove all the way to my kitchen table (I wish I could say that only happened once *blush*), so I figured this mixture had met it’s match. Let’s just give that a big, fat nope. Let’s just make that italic to emphasize that the cornstarch beat me. Nope. This fun little mixture turned into a super thick, gelatinous cloud that can stay in form for the first few attempts to rub it in. That’s some serious witchy superpowers there! *grin* I forgot to mention that I never could get the cornstarch to fully incorporate either, so there are pockets of white floating around in this blob. I know the benefits of the ingredients, so I was able to set aside my nose-wrinkling over the texture and used it twice so far. I like how my skin feels afterward, although it’s not as refreshing as I expected. At first. Take a shower and rinse it off, and be prepared to dance a little. Or maybe that’s just me and my super senses from my Fibro. *laugh* Once heat hit those mints came back to life and had some zing. I loved it, truth be told. *grin* I love when products surprise me like that (not when they surprise me by having gelatinous superpowers though…meh).

20130430-123626.jpg See, the blob doesn’t even fall off of the spoon. There was too much shadow (and I’m too clumsy to be able to snap a pic with my other hand) for the shots of the blob staying put when held upside down and completely sideways to come out.

Top it all off I tried to cut my coffee soap loaf and package it. Doh! The frosting was extra soft and stuck to the bag, while the bar tried to melt where I touched it as I cut and packaged it. Although the grid paper helped to get somewhat even cuts, I need to work on improving that a bit more still. The different sections aren’t totally equal. I set aside this project to finish once it gets a little cooler again.

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Top it with fiddling with the cocoa melts and getting the rest of my supply order, and I’m feeling pretty happy with myself. Although today will be a review and research day, I can tell. That whisking…whew!

I hope you have a wonderful and pampering Tuesday!

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Cleaning Up

Posted on April 13, 2013 by Georgia's Pampering

I’ve spent the last few days doing the small things that tend to get put off and working on revamping my site.

I actually attempted to try to work on products yesterday. You would have had a guilty moment from laughing until you were crying if you’d seen me. *grin* As the heavy duty medications are wearing off I have the shakes so bad and it is really amusing to see how much falls off or sloshes out when I try to do something right now. Just trying to cut the coffee loaf was absolutely hilarious. A part of me actually still has a little self respect, so I’m not posting pictures, but the end of the loaf looks like a two year old drummed on it with a butter knife. *cracking up* I tried to measure out and cut the loaf into pieces, but kept having a “stuttering” kind of problem. So I guess I’ll be testing a lot more of it than I originally intended. Lol.

Thankfully the Type A personality took a seat for awhile and I ignored that feeling that I had to have some huge accomplishment, and did the other stuff. Despite the delays I got my quarterly taxes figured and filed (on time still *performs a short jig*), redid my order worksheet (beyond overdo really), and then started the housekeeping on my site. It actually felt really good to start removing some stuff from the site. When I’d written my list I admittedly got a little emotional over deciding which ones were getting sent out to pasture. That’s all my own issues and know part of it is, again, having to admit that some ideas that I get excited about aren’t sound for my business right now. So it surprised me that when I started deleting text boxes from the site I actually felt better. It’s kind of like a spring cleaning for my mind too. *smile* It’ll probably be a few days before the “While Supplies Last” page debuts since I can only sit for brief periods of time so far, but I’m pretty excited. Hopefully if you’re doing spring cleaning you can enjoy your version as much as I’m enjoying mine.

Before I lean the recliner back I thought I’d mention that I’m definitely going to have to reconsider the cocoa melts. They’re bagged, but they’re getting so cracked and dry looking that they’re not presentable. Lol. Dang it…more chocolate for me. A cocoa massage while I nibble my last hidden chocolate bunny. Ahhh…. 😉

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A Much Needed Realization

Posted on April 10, 2013 by Georgia's Pampering

I came to a kind of sad decision after a lot of research and thinking. I spent so much time fiddling with the concept of a logo and I honestly don’t think it’s going to work for me.

As much as a really snazzy label that catches the eye makes me feel a little warm and fuzzy, I think I’m focusing on the wrong things. One of the things that I am so proud of is that I work really hard to keep the price point low. A logo would result in another label, adding cost to every product, even if I fully design and print them myself. I’d rather stay a little boring and keep the costs level, especially when costs are going up every where you turn.

I spent several hours last night looking at packaging options to see if I could find a cost effective option there instead. Um, buh me. Lol. One, if I use tissue paper, cigar bands, or that extra label for a logo, then you can’t see the product, which kind of seems a bit illogical to me. Users like the goat’s milk lotion because it works and a dollar’s worth of shiny paper isn’t going to make the product better. Granted it might get a few more people to stop and look at it, but that’s not what my little business is about. Now that was a bit of an eye opening moment. I know, I know, it sounds so thoroughly dramatic, but I’m being completely honest. I truly want to be able to help people in some way and share some of the fun things I’m learning or discovering. I can totally justify (and enjoy!) wrapping baskets and combos, and what not, but not individual products.

I feel like a lot of time got wasted, but maybe it was worth it to take a long look at what I need to focus on. As much as the bells and whistles are fun to look at and think about, and even exciting, my original slogan needs to remain my main focus, and I just needed to get back in touch with that. “Pampering with natural benefits” is definitely more important to me, and offering a handmade product at as low a price as possible, than the incredibly adorable add ons. Time to get my nerd on and make a new spreadsheet of goals. 😉

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Logo and other fine details

Posted on April 8, 2013 by Georgia's Pampering

Who knew that deciding on a logo would be harder than finding the perfect pair of shoes? *grin* Clip art or a thumbnail of one of my most appealing products? An elegant font, something whimsical, or something no one can ever say is hard for them to read? With head to toe hives right now I don’t feel comfortable touching product or equipment, so I’m doing all of this logo and packaging research instead. I know I’m not contagious, but still! Ew! I’ll stick to the tech and research side today and just let all of my sauciness show.

I realized while surfing through dozens of e-how articles and business site posts about logos that my packaging and labeling got a bit boring and stuffy. They reflect a little too much of the blah side of me. *grin*

What cries out “me” yet makes it stand out for all of the “you”s out there? So I’m going to spend a few days trying on the different logo “shoes” until I find the perfect pair to make my butt look dag on fine. *grin* Can’t tell that I’m in a cheeky mood, can you?

I can proudly report that I finally made up my mind on the creature for the Monsters Away Spray pictures. I’m going for a piñata. I’m going to be able to make it “float” then and not be scary. *happy dance* I admit that I kind of love that idea.

So I’m going to check the Monster off of the planning spreadsheet and go troll the printer companies a bit more. *grin* Can you imagine if we could earn frequent flyer miles for trolling businesses? I’d be in Scotland determined to help the hot Scots in kilts (because they’re all Gerard Butler clones that would be perfect in every historical romance novel, you know) see how much my goat’s milk lotion could help their skin after I helped them sample it. In fitting with that naughty thought here’s a pic of the apron I’m going to get and wear when I’m making product. *flirty wiggle of the eyebrows while humming “I need a hero”…*

20130408-215332.jpg I can use it for a background when I’m feeling particularly…um…in need of an eye-catching picture background 😉

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Cocoa Moisturizing Massage Melts

Posted on March 30, 2013 by Georgia's Pampering

*stops dancing mid-rump shake, blushing from being caught* I thought it might take you a little longer to get to Part 2, so I was doing a little happy dance while looking at my little army of melts on the cabinet. I knew I should have stuck with a cool and casual head bob to my favorite song by Fun.

Anyway, I finally got to try making massage melts and I’m really excited over them. Unfortunately the melts are taking forever (queue the teenage dramatic eye roll of “this is so lame”) to set up. I, um, kind of made a really gross looking blob out of one tester when I tried to unmold it a little bit ago. Lol. Looks were definitely deceiving. Soon, my friends, I will post my deliciously scented finished product, but in the meantime I’ll share the process.

The Cocoa Moisturizing Massage Melts are basically a chocolate snack to your body. Instead of nibbling on that piece of Dove or that Easter chocolate rabbit that you hid behind the sofa cushion to attack rabidly when PMS hits, you actually do want this chocolate to go to the hips…or elbows, back, etc, and I want to test it on freshly shaved legs. I started with dark cocoa powder (rich in antioxidants); then added beeswax granules, grated cocoa butter, sweet almond oil, and I boosted the divine scent just a bit more with some Fudge Brownie FO. *happy sigh* I wish I could bottle the resulting smell for those raving lunatic, must-have-chocolate-or-someone-will-die, days. Lol.

I admit that it was the first time that I ever grated cocoa butter. I can’t even think of how to adequately describe the weirdness of how it melts in the hand while being grated, so my hand looked so oily. I couldn’t decide if I should let my mind play in the gutter over it or if I should wrinkle my nose and go all “eww” over it. *grin*

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In a double boiler (well, my generic version anyway lol) I mixed everything together. It looked really odd at first.

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It took me a while to get the heat just right for everything to melt. Beeswax granules are easier to handle and supremely easy to measure, but I had a hard time getting them to melt. As things began to melt and blend I was reminded of chocolate pudding.

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Suddenly everything was just right when I dipped the spoon in again to watch how the mixture dripped and I had to work fast when I turned the burner off. The mixture was poured into a large measuring cup to make it easier to pour and then I immediately poured into my guest squares mold. I had a little extra scraped from the edges of the bowl and cup that wasn’t as nice and creamy, since it’d been off of the heat a few minutes at this point, which I got into a couple of small molds to use as testers. I still think of chocolate pudding when I look at the melts.

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We tested what was left on the spatula and took “control” pictures to see how it will change with time, etc. My husband didn’t quite expect to be a tester. I suddenly walked up to him and smeared it down one of his legs while he was laying in the recliner. *cracking up* There were a few fun comments made, but then I think he started to enjoy the spontaneous leg rub. Next he got it tested on a hand and then I had him test it on my back, so we’d have several ranges of skin in the test. There was a bit of trouble with the cocoa leaving a slight tint when massaged into body hair, like manly leg hair. *grin* I’m going to keep checking it periodically and even seeing if it’ll rub in further with time. The patch on my arm and then the one on the elbow are both incredibly silky five or six hours later. The secondary, and most important, test is to see how the melts perform after they’ve set up. We have a baseline of expectations and I’m super anxious to get them un-molded.

So that I’m not tempted to poke the melts until they are set up (yep, I’m that kind of person that pokes jello and bruises lol), I’m going to go lay down and savor the lingering smell of chocolate. I can’t wait to share more about them with you soon!

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The Challenge and Melts

Posted on March 30, 2013 by Georgia's Pampering

This may turn into a two part post – it just depends how many words I can cram in under the limit…I mean *cough* how concise I can be. *grin* My strength was always in creative writing and not journalism, mostly because I love descriptions that wrap around you like your favorite fuzzy blanket, instead of a straight shooting line that smacks you between the eyes. *smile* Anyway, I reserve the right to continue this post because I have lots of ideas to share right now.

While I was really sick (actually only now am I starting to feel like a human again instead of a casing for phlegm – ewww, gross alert! *grin*) I caught up on some reading. I’m sure you probably know that I love to read and that it understandably means that I follow a lot of blogs. For awhile I had to prioritize and missed out on some blog posts. Well, one of my catch ups is on The Jackie Blog. I think this blogger is really engaging and I’m impressed that she has issued The Gauntlet to help motivate others to improve their lives. She’s accomplished a lot with her personal challenges and is really inspiring to me, especially because she’s honest and forthright about not wanting to do stuff some days. The challenge is to pick something in your life to improve that is quantifiable, for at least 30 days, and she has some incentives as well, although all participants will have the benefit of improvement no matter what. Well, I decided that I’d really like to apply the challenge to my business. Although I think about the business a lot and do a lot of research, I haven’t felt overly productive or successful lately, and I’m hoping that dedicated time with a little tough love will help both my feelings about my business as well as the business itself. So, although the challenge officially starts April 1st, I’m giving it a go now. We all know I’m not patient when I have an idea. *grin*

I totally nerded out and made an outline of goals to accomplish during the challenge, as well as a few other items to work on or consider. It’s a little sad to think about (let alone say) that I’m going to be removing some products from my line strictly because they don’t sell. My husband got a few extra days off and we couch potato-ed to help me recuperate, plus spend time together. Anyway, one show we caught up on with the DVR is Shark Tank. It’s one of those hate to love it shows for us. *grin* Just my luck one of the applicants was a young girl who is creating and selling homemade scrubs. She has a few variations of them, but that’s all. Of course Larry keyed in on that business model and said that I need to apply it to mine. “You need to focus on one or two items that actually sell instead of so many options that don’t always sell.” I understand, I totally do, and I know how he is looking at it. However, you have to have a bit of variety and change in order to find what is a perfect fit for the business and fills someone’s needs. I set my feelings aside and decided that I’d compromise by restructuring a bit, and I’ll also keep experimenting, but I’ll try to keep the new items under the main lines now.

I admit that this is a bit scary and kind of sad to revamp the business. The bad side of homemade sometimes is that every creative item has a little piece of your heart and hopes mixed in, so when they are unsuccessful you feel a bit emotional about it. However I am going to pull my big girl boots on and make bigger, and better, tracks for my business to step into.

First, several items that have never sold or seldom sell will be completely removed. I’ll have my friendly line reminding customers to please inquire if you don’t see what you’re looking for, because I may still be able to make that item, but I’m losing money by having them available full time.

Second, I’m going to come up with a brand logo that will go with the company name and product title on the main label. I’ll also probably add a label to the back for the “do not eat”, which will help to make the product label much more interesting and professional. That girl on Shark Tank had some really adorable packaging and a cute label. I know it’ll take some work and may not be finished within the month challenge, but it is a key priority to me, and one goal of the challenge that I’m really excited about.

Third, I need to finalize and implement the concept of “As Supplies Last”. I’ll use that for trying out my experiments and things that won’t be made any more, but I still have stuff on hand. I’ll see if the new items sell well and if they do, then they make it to a standard page of my website. If items don’t sell or ideas fall flat, they get a reduced price and will be removed once appropriate. It will be a lot easier than having to dedicate fluctuating space on my standard pages when they’re set up fairly well right now.

Fourth, I really want to do a sale. Larry thinks it needs to be labeled as a liquidation sale, which in my opinion is what the As Supplies Last page really is. I want to do a flash sale. I have a few real reasons behind this idea – I personally love to shop them so why wouldn’t others, I can control the time frame, I can possibly do high volume at a more discounted price for a limited time which will still make me more than slowly selling off a few at the moderate liquidation sale price, and lastly, it may generate some interest and excitement. When I’m excited about something it comes bubbling out of my mouth any time that the conversation goes idle, and if anyone else gets that excited, maybe they’ll spread the word to their friends and I’ll get some new sales.

Lastly, I have some smaller goals such as working on gift giving/boxing options that make the products even more attractive, better marketing, and some good ol’ tedious work like changing some names, editing my site, getting improved pictures to use in marketing, and whatnot.

I think I have a few months of work outlined, plus my work on trying some new items. I have the supplies on hand, so when I get a creative urge, I’m going for it. *grin* I hope to do a few featured ingredient posts to help everyone know a little bit more about a cool item and I have a few little summer recipes that I will share. They use perishable ingredients, so I can’t sell them, but I think some will appreciate them, even if they only get to the recipe via Pinterest. If there is something you would like me to write about, such as a specific ingredient or product, or whatever, please drop a comment and I’ll add it to my outline. Periodically I’ll share my overall challenge status with you, because that will help motivate me when I don’t feel well. I’ll be held a bit more accountable, even if you don’t honestly give two figs if I succeed at the challenge. Just acknowledging the challenge and putting that into the forever zone of the Internet…that helps me feel more accountable than when it’s just for my eyes only. *grin*

Now, I also mentioned melts, which is something I’ve been impatiently waiting to discuss, but I’m running out of space, so I’m taking the allowance I gave myself earlier and making a second post to accompany this. I’ll see you on the other side of the post. *big grin*

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