Kellerfest Day #2

Jay and I are up and at 'em, getting ready to head out to our second day of Kellerfest. We met a ton of great ppl yesterday, and look forward to meeting about 6,000 more today!

We are in booth #30, just to the left of the front gate. Be sure to stick around for the HUGE fireworks display around 9. Last night's was great! Hope to see many of you there!

www.kellerfest.com

*SJ*

Kellerfest is Here!!

OK, so I just got back from setting up our booth at Kellerfest. We are in Booth #30, just inside the front gate. I'd love to stay and chat, but I need to head back. Hope to see you there!!!

*SJ*

Look Mom, I'm Blogging...

...and it's not even midnight yet! I noticed that over the last several days I have been blogging *really* late at night. I'm trying to break that habit, but it seems like that is when my brain just starts going!

So why blog in the middle of the day, you ask? Because I just finished making up a few sets of diffusers (remember, the ones I should have been making yesterday) and I am super excited! We have switched the bottles we use for the diffuser oil, and the new ones are GORGEOUS! I know I am probably the only person you know who gets so excited about packaging, but lemme show you what I mean.

Here is what we were using when we first started making diffusers:

Not a bad looking bottle, right? But then someone asked for just the oil. She said she had a ton of bottles and only needed an oil refill, which...I didn't have. So off we went, back to the place we buy our materials to see what we could see. Our second generation diffuser set looks like this:

Same glass bottle, but this time, the oil comes in a seperate bottle. That way, if all you need is the oil, we just pull that bottle out and you're good to go. (I should mention here that each of these includes a fresh set of reeds. They're not pictured bc they don't fit in the box!) Better.

Now, I am all about being practical, but, this is also something you're going to use in your home. You want it to make a statement, right? That's why I am sooo excited to show the *new* and *improved* SJ Reed Diffusers generation 3.....

Are these a couple of beauties, or what?! I love that they look trendy and chic, but are still obviously functional. They also go very well with our new logo design, which you'll see in an upcoming blog.

Since I'm on a roll with the pictures, I thought I'd end with this one. Check out this handsome guy who, although he still lives with his parents, is among my biggest fans. He brings his mom along to check out the stuff at my shows.

Thanks, Isaac! I appreciate your support!!! XOXO from Aunt Sarah!

*SJ*

I'm too lazy for my own good

Even though I have a HUGE show coming up this weekend, I just couldn't brind myself to do any work! I probably should have made some more diffuser sets and run a candle inventory. Instead, I made 4 sets of coasters and spent the rest of the day doing laundry and surfing the web.

I had a batch of soap curing, but I waited too long to take it out of the soap form and it got too hard. When I tried to take it out of the form, I ended up splitting the soap in half! I'm going to have to figure out how to salvage what is left, or else I just got stuck with 3 pounds of passionfruit tea soap!

*SJ*

Busy Weekend, Followed by a Busy Monday

After a really long weekend at Trade Days, what I wouldn't have done to spend my Memorial Day out at the lake!

Instead, I spent 8 hours inside on my new laptop. I've been looking up recipes, researching ingredients, and watching old shows I had on the Tivo. So here's a look at what's coming up:

Lotion Bars
Lip Balm
Body Butter

I also hope to have the website up and running within the next few weeks. Somehow I have not found the time to get the pictures taken. Once those are done, we'll have it hosted; you'll find the site at www.sjcandleshoppe.com

That's all I have for tonight. Don't forget the first giveaway will be June 2. You can enter by either 1) subscribing to the blog or 2) leaving a comment on one of my posts.

*SJ*

A Couple of Things

1) Starting today, all orders will have a free sample included. This is a simple way for me to thank you for your support, and also allows you to try a new product risk-free. It's also a way for me to get your input on what you like, and what you'd like to see in the future.

2) I have also decided to do two give-aways each month. One giveaway will be for a candle product, and the other will be for a soap or bath product. Some of the giveaways will be for subscribers only, so make sure you are signed up to follow me here on the blog.

Remember, you can also follow me on Twitter @TXshoppegirl.

*SJ*

Upcoming Shows

Hey Everybody!

Don't forget we are at Trade Days USA this weekend. Saturday and Sunday 8-5 at Texas Motor Speedway in North Fort Worth. You can find us in booth F1.

Next weekend we will be at Kellerfest in Keller, Texas. Keller is just North-East of Fort Worth. I won't know our booth number until we check in on Friday, but will update as soon as I can. The hours for Kellerfest are: Friday 5pm-11pm; Saturday 10am-11pm; Sunday 1pm-7pm.

Remember, you can contact me anytime at sjcandleshoppe@gmail.com Don't forget to follow me on Twitter: @TXshoppegirl We hope to see you soon!


*SJ*

Big News!!

OK, I realize that I said I was going to be updating the blog regularly, and I fully intend to do that. One minor thing happened, though, that in "Sarahland" equates to something huge: my computer died! My wonderful, faithful laptop that I have had for the last 2.5 years is finally gone. I now have to start completely over, and it's a little scary. I had *a lot* of stuff on that little laptop. But I will be updating again, now that I am up and (sort of) running with my new laptop. Now on to the big news...

WE HAVE A WHOLESALE ACCOUNT!!! I am so excited about this; it seems like I have been working on this for so long. I kept getting my hopes up, then nothing would happen. See, just about every show that I've done, whether a high school craft show, trade show, or just talking to people about our business, I always have people ask about buying wholesale. I've even had a few that looked really promising, but then nothing would come of it. I was getting so frustrated, and wondering if I could really make it happen. Well, today, it happened!

We still have to work out a lot of the details, but this is so encouraging.

Gotta run, have a pot of Leather and one of Lime Vanilla Royal on the stove.

*SJ*

Welcome to SJ Candle Shoppe!!

I am so excited to finally be setting up this blog! It's been a long time coming, and I apologize for taking so long. The purpose of this blog is to keep my loyal followers updated with the goings-on of our company, SJ Candle Shoppe.

Over the next several days, I will be setting up a lot of the content of the site. I'll keep a list of scents in stock, as well as new products we're working on. As a sneak peek, here's what I just finished:

This is a trial batch of Carrot Veggie Soap, made with real carrots and good-for-you oils. I'm trying to come up with a catchy name, but so far I'm coming up blank. If you come up with something I love, maybe I'll send you a free bar, so...suggest something!!

We're also trying to determine what other products people are looking for. Of course everything that we make will be environmentally-conscious. We do it because that is what people are looking for, but also because it is important to us. If you have any suggestions or questions about our shoppe, our products, or US, please comment. Don't forget to follow us on Twitter @TXshoppegirl.

*SJ*