Good shop news at last...

Hooray! On friday I signed the lease on my new shop (pictured left). I'm so excited I can't sleep properly, well, excitement and a good dose of what Lily Allen terms 'The Fear'. The to do list is seemingly endless, thankfully I already have some pretty big stuff sorted such as customers, products etc (LOL). Also sorted is the PDQ machine for taking cards (this also means being able to take payments over the phone, something we're increasingly asked if we can facilitate), shop fittings- just gotta fit it together which could be easier said than done, staff, insurance...

Still to do? Fascia, cleaning and decorating, populating the shop, advertising (though my gob alone would probably do it he he), fitting a stainless steel sink to replace the miniscule hand basin that currently resides, shifting the 4 draw steel filing cabinet... Thats a job in itself!

All while keeping up with orders. We're getting through them much faster now that the storage unit is housing the shop fittings- previously it was sat in the middle of my workroom taking up valuable space, hence the long delays getting stuff out. Nightmare!

Well! Next job in the shop is cleaning and painting. The latter doesn't really need doing but I feel a splash of colour will really lift the whole place (again, not that it needs it but I love colour and can't live and work in Kansas, Toto, take me to the Emerald City ;) ). The unit has been empty for a whopping 2 years which I find hard to understand, it's a lovely unit, good decorative state, beautiful lighting with recessed spotlights in the ceiling and floor! Laminate wood floor, heck it even has a fitting in the bay window that I've got a lovely light for...

Advertising and SEO on the two websites continues with a lot of focus being put back on the retail site, www.thesoapycauldron.co.uk , as our wholesale cosmetics site now is quiet and we anticipate it being so until about july/august when our stockists start thinking about Christmas. There, I said it! Yes, we are planning that far ahead. As my Nan used to say, fail to plan, plan to fail :) We'll be pushing our gift baskets heavily this year within the shop, and we'll have a gift wrap service available all year round for a nominal fee. We offer 2 types of basket finish- shrink-wrapped (top pic, Rhubarb and Custard Gift Basket) and cellophane fronds (middle pic, Bath Bomb Selection Basket). The latter is stunning and great for dressing up an otherwise uninspiring basket (mostly this doesn't happen, but occasionally you'll get a basket request and feel it needs jazzing up a bit). The former lets the baskets beauty shine through and is fantastic for baskets with a good assortment of items and colours, and for smaller baskets. At Christmas we'll be adding metallic wire edged ribbon for extra pizzazz among other things for a lovely festive feel.

Back to today, I can't do anything about the shop (probably a good thing) so I'll be doing mundane housework, lovely playing with kids and a spot of shea butter whipping with soap making and a wholesale order to finish on the agenda for this evening...

Busy, just as I like it :)

Wholesale, Retail and Multi-tasking...

It's no big secret, I'm a WAHM! As I sit here writing this I have a baby on my lap determined to get the keyboard, my trusty bath bomb maker working away in the background (gods bless you Karen, you're a star!) and a to-do list that would make Anneka Rice weep. But it's all fun really and thats why I love my job!

Since we re-opened on new years day the orders have been rolling in steadily which is encouraging as I am now seriously looking in to opening up a shop. Yes, thats right, The Soapy Cauldron is hitting the high street sometime soon. How exciting! I shall omit the nerves and worry... Anyway, orders. Our wholesale site, www.wholesale.thesoapycauldron.co.uk is going great guns, and considering it's only been running since october (so Google, Yahoo etc are barely registering it) it's doing very well. With enquiries from all over europe this could see us really busy and further facilitate the opening of our shop! Happy days.

We've recently taken on Party Plan consultants in Morecambe, Inverness and Motherwell in addition to our Bristol and Sussex coast presence and I am about to reveal the new brochure for Spring/Summer 2010. I'm also busy expanding the range of soap cakes we offer, thy are so popular it seems silly not to, so look out for Bannoffee, raspberry cheesecake and pineapple upside down cake. Theres never a dull moment here...

Anyway, back to it. Have a great day everyone xx

What happened...?

...it's suddenly gone manic here. I've snatched 5 minutes to blog and then it's nose back to the cauldron. Not selling much soap but bath bombs? O.M.Gosh. My supplier must equally be scratching their heads about the amount of Bicarb and Citric Acid I've purchased over the last fortnight too! If anyone came over that didn't know what I did, all they would see is white powder everywhere he he heee...

So what are the big sellers? Laa-di-Lavendaaar is a good'un as always, consistently brilliant! Not surprised really, there's something about unadulterated Lavender that is addictive. Love is in the air- Patchouli and Rose- is also going well mostly because it's so pretty I'd guess, either that or we are in the midst of a silent patchouli revival. Either way I'm happy. Oh, and Big Softie (formerly Honey and Oatmeal) is enjoying a spell of poularity too. Happy days.

Well I guess I should get back to it, only another 250 bath bombs to make and I can go to bed. Who said working for yourself gives you greater freedom?

Bath Salts? You're Not Convinced?

We make Dead Sea Bath Salts here and The Soapy Cauldron and we sell them by the bucketload, quite literally sometimes. But people are often seen peering suspiciously at the jars as if to say 'But it's just Salt'. Well, yes, but it's not just any old salt- it's salt from the Dead Sea in Israel and that makes it very special indeed.

Dead Sea Salt is packed with minerals such as Magnesium, Calcium, Potassium, Bromine and Zinc to name a few- and these have benefits for your skin. People with psoriasis and excema swear by them, in fact my better half uses them and says much the same- he has psoriasis on his elbows. In fact, University of Kiel's Department of Dermatology in Germany found that Dead Sea Salt even improved the skins barrier functions. That's how good it is.

So we take the raw Salt and we colour it, fragrance it and, if the recipe requires, add botanicals to it. We also add a magickal ingredient- Epsom Salt. This stuff is great! It softens your skin, lends a velvety feel to the water (honestly, you have to try it to believe it) and soothes beautifully. Salt has been used for millenia as an additive to water to make it more gorgeous, and for purely cosmetic reasons- add enough and it takes longer for your skin to go wrinky!

So the moral of this blog? Try some and you won't be disappointed...

http://www.thesoapycauldron.co.uk/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=21

Getting busy now!

Wow, what a start to the week we've had! More parties booked and a request for bath melts. Hmm, I still haven't got the hang of those yet, I shall have to find time to hone my technique. Or even find one...

I made LOADS of Shower Soap yesterday, I've stacked it all up and it looks so pretty I shall have to take a picture. The blue of the Wicked Wakeup next to the pink of Hippy Rose and white Paradise by the Shower Screen... luscious! I sense a new category picture coming up.

The other thing I'm toying with are Bath Teas. I have all the ingredients here, I just have to gt round to making them. Plus I have a postal run to do at some point.

I'm sure I left a baby round here somewhere...

I love my job... but...

Okay, here's the deal. I love what I do. I love the fact that not only do I make wicked (IMO) soaps and stuff but that I get paid to do it and that people come back for more. I love the fact that the stuff I make has enabled other people to profit, be it wholesale or consultancy/party plan. And I LOVE the fact that soap paid my council tax this year. Nothin' but love.

But.

Why do people assume that because you work from home you are available for them at their every whim? For example- I have in excess of 160 bath bombs to make today. In fact I've made over 100 already (go me), but already the requests are rolling in! ARGHH! People, I love that you want me to help you but I'm one person. I haven't yet figured out the whole cloning thing (must watch Duplicity again) so if I say I'm working then I really really am.

Anyway! I'm making up a huge box of samples for a customer that wants to stock our stuff to the exclusion of all others- how very exciting! Now all I need is a decent camera to take pictures with. The last one died an untimely death, something about bath bomb mix in the zoom lens... I dunno... Not me guv 0:)