Postage Rants and Ramblings

So, I'm going to change the tone of my blog slightly today because I need to rant.  You may have noticed I still haven't found the time to get the items mentioned in my last post onto my website yet.  I got side tracked by another order for Santa Barbara Winery (yeah!) but it unfortunately moved several things down my to do list.  The one that bit me in the ass today was my intent to restructure the way I charge shipping on my website (yet again).  I changed my prices late last summer to include shipping because I thought it might help me sell more items.  Turns out it did not help me sell any more.  What it did do was to make me lose money on the sale of a few candles.  The one I mailed today cost more in shipping than I collected.  I believe I mistakenly posted it with my retail (not including shipping) price.  Duh.  The double duh is that I had another sale a month or two ago that turned out the same way and it was posted with the right price. 

It is very hard to account for the fluxuation in shipping cost without looking like a pricing jerk.  Etsy doesn't allow me to list west coast and east coast shipping prices... just one price for the entire USA.  So, I decided the last time I lost money I would go back to my old policy.  (In the past I charged my best guess for the cost of shipping and then issued refunds afterwards if the price I charged the customer was exorbitant.)  Unfortunately, I had not yet had the time to do that either.  I do hope to get around to it soon though (this weekend?), so if you have suggestions of a better way to do it please leave them in the comments section.

Thankfully, I didn't leave the post office angry because I witnessed one of those unexpected comedy moments while I was there.  The line for the main counter was nearly out the door (as usual) but this location has an automated machine.  (That's why I go there.)  A middle aged woman was using the machine to buy postage for four or five envelopes when I walked up and there was an elderly woman standing behind her... and I mean right behind her.  At first I thought maybe they were together or that the younger woman was helping the older learn how to use the machine.  However, right after I walked up, aging miss spunky pants asked, "Are you going to be much longer?"  (Wait... really?!  There are 12 people in line at the counter and you're going to harrass the one person in front of you?)  The woman using the machine turned around and kindly told her she was almost finished.  I stood there for another 1-2 minutes watching the elderly lady hover 2 inches behind the woman using the machine.  She kept peeking over her shoulders from various angles, making it very hard for the woman to bend over and grab her postage without bumping the old lady with her butt.  About 10 seconds before the woman finished, the old lady declared, "That's it.  I can't wait any longer." Then she left.  I started busting up laughing as soon as she was out of ear shot.  Who would have thought a little old lady could be so pushy about buying stamps?!

Winter Preparations Part 2: Introducing Crochet Mug Cozies

For the first time in forever I feel like I accomplished a heck of a lot of stuff in a week!  The most exciting part was the discovery of a crochet item I can make fairly quickly... mug cozies.  Aren't they cute?!  I feel a bit bad about copying someone else's idea, but there are patterns published all over the internet and I think there is room for me in the cozy market.

I've also made quite a few candles to add to my online inventory this week.  The rose petal candles really do smell better than a dozen roses.  I highly recommend them to any man who needs to buy a romantic present for a lady.  The green colored black tea candles also smell amazing.  If you want something clean smelling with a hint of spicy, you should give these a burn.

Happy Labor Day!  I'm off to relax, watch TV, and possibly crochet some more cozies!

         

New Online Pricing Structure

One thing I've learned over my years of selling candles is that if something isn't selling, you need to change something... usually the packaging or the pricing structure. After a few months pondering, I've finally taken the plunge to include shipping costs in my online pricing. All online listings have already been updated to show the new FREE SHIPPING prices. Coincidentally, the prices I have come up with are only a mere dollar or two per candle over the local retail prices at Hemp Wise and Midnight Sun. I hope you will find the new prices more attractive!

Recycled baby food jars were $3.25... now $4.75 each including shipping!

Recycled frappuccino jar candles were $6.25 a piece... now $8 each including shipping.

3" x 6" Square Pillar was $12... now $16 including shipping!!!

3" x 3 1/4" Small Cylinder was $8... now $11.25 including shipping.

April showers bring May flowers...

Spring and Summer have always been the hardest times for me to remain motivated to work on my side business. I could blame it on the change in weather calling me outdoors, the fact that there are less holidays that get me out of my full time job for a few hours, or the fact that people don't seem to burn as many candles when it's sunny and warm during the day, but the fact is that sometimes the best time to promote your business is when you're making the least sales... and I could take better advantage of my down time. I plan to do a few things every year to try to grow my customer base, but usually don't get everything done. I'm hoping this year will be different.

The main thing I try to make time for each spring and Summer is to take samples of my products to the buyers at local stores in hopes they will decide to add my line to their retail selection. Times have changed since I started my business... stores have closed... and only two of my original retail locations remain. (Thank you Hemp Wise & Midnight Sun for your loyal support.) My current strategy for obtaining more wholesale purchasers is to research the location and then bring some nicely wrapped free samples for the store's buyer to try out along with some printouts telling about the ingredients I use and prices I charge. I send custom postcards to thank them for meeting with me (assuming I get that far) and sometimes just to keep my products in their mind (i.e. when the buyer says they would be interested, but want to wait one to two months). It is hard to talk a store owner into expanding their selection during a recession, but I'm hoping to meet the ones who are optimistic about the 2010 economy.

At the same time, I need to continue working on my direct sales if I want to make more than a slight bit of frivolous spending money off my candles & soap. In 2009 I added a website, blog, facebook profile, and the occasional flea market or home sales party appearance to my job description as chief candle maker & marketing guru for Homemade by Hoyt. I even hired Google Ad Words to advertise my website day and night. I have definitely had some success due to these efforts, but the battle for increased direct sales is tough. My experience has proven that the best "advertising" I can buy is the personal referral of a friend. Last week I got to see a thank you note that came all the way from Budapest for a gift box that included Homemade by Hoyt soap & specially decorated Recycled Jar Candles. Many more friends have given my products as gifts and helped me win over another customer. (I'm not going to give you an exact figure, but I do like to give discounts and/or gifts to appropriately thank people who help me grow my business.) I also offer other special deals on my website and facebook page throughout the year, which I hope are making people peek at my products, but don't have a method to measure the traffic from facebook to etsy.


What I do know is that I would love to hear your opinions & suggestions if you happen to be reading this and could spare an idea. Is there a store you think I should check out? A craft fair or home party situation which you would like to attend? Do you or people you know read the blogs that review products and have contests for free samples? I am actually hoping to join an entrepreneurial women's networking group soon, so hopefully they can help me with these ideas if no one on the world wide web can... either way, the May flowers are here... 'tis the season to promote.

Procrastination and Frustration

Nearly two weeks have passed since my last post and very little has been accomplished. I've been burning tea light after tea light in my old christmas candles... thoroughly enjoying the vanilla smell but not getting rid of much wax. Thus, I am no closer to beginning my project of determining the best way to clean the candle jars for reuse or recycling. I did, however, begin testing a particular apple juice jar candle to make sure it would burn correctly. It burned great for the first 6 or so hours, then it went out due to the pool of wax drenching the flame.

In the morning I had the "brilliant" idea to attempt to pour off the excess wax to create a votive while ensuring that the apple juice candle would continue to burn as well. As you can see below, the results were not that pretty... the flame had blackened the wax. So, sadly I am back to square one. But I love this jar so much that I have to make one more attempt. Perhaps if I don't fill the jar so full originally it will burn better.

Thankfully for me, there was a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. I am currently making an order of candles for Midnight Sun. Below are the first two batches. The gray & red candles are Dragon's Blood scented - like new age resin, dragon's blood is a wonderful oriental blend of orange, rose, and carnation with a hint of patchouli and creamy vanilla. In the multi colored brown candles I am bringing back an old favorite, Tea Time - a spicy blend of citrus bergamot, peppercorn, cloves and more.

The full order of candles should arrive at Midnight Sun by Tuesday at the latest...

The P Word

Paraffin has gotten a bad rap as the world has made an effort to "go green". Perhaps the fact that I make the bulk of my candle income from paraffin wax pillar candles is what made me decide to start donating 5% of all purchases to the Environmental Defense Fund. But it doesn't matter if you think I did it out of green guilt, as a generous gesture, or a gimmic to increase sales... what matters is the truth about paraffin.

All over the internet you can find postings about the harmful effects of paraffin. The thing I wonder if people notice is that the authors of the information are usually the same person making and selling soy candles, which is why they follow the list of reasons not to buy paraffin with a monologue on the benefits of soy. I might respect their opinions more if I felt they were truly backed up with scientific facts. But, I tried clicking the link to the supposed EPA Report which details how paraffin candles ruin your indoor air quality, and the report was "not found". I guess we will have to wait a bit longer to back up our opinions on candle pollutants.

For now, let me list some of the main criticisms and my opinion as to their validity:

(1) Paraffin is a byproduct of crude oil, which we know to be harmul to the environment. In regards to the toxic chemicals supposedly released into the air as paraffin candles burn, I would like to point out one key ingredient not cited as a factor: the wick. Paraffin candles have traditionally been made with lead core wicks, the true culprits of unclean air. I used them when I first began making candles because I didn't know any better, but switched as soon as I saw the 100% cotton alternative. And I can tell you from observation that the flame from a lead core wicked candle does emit an ominous black cloud of smoke. While I still have never seen the EPA report detailing the carcinogens in paraffin candles, if it does exist, I am confident those candles had lead core wicks.

(2) Paraffin is petroleum based; it comes from a non-renewable resource. I cannot debate much on this point. Unlike soy wax, the ingredients needed to create paraffin definitely cannot be grown from seeds. However, soy wax is far too soft to be used in a pillar candle unless blended with paraffin. Furthermore, soy wax is more white than clear, which limits my ability to make dark colored candles. So for now, I choose to keep making my pillar candles with paraffin and to promote my new recycled jar candles with 100% soy wax. I highly doubt the world's candle obsession is the one that will use up valuable resources first, so let's focus on more important items like clean water and alternative energy.

(3) Buying petroleum based products supports the evil oil industry. Seriously?! It is hard for me to believe someone would think their choice to not purchase paraffin candles would be felt by the oil giants. They probably wouldn't even notice a change in revenue if you stopped driving completely and never bought a drop of fuel from them again... but at least that would make a significant environmental impact.

(4) Paraffin candles create soot, but soy candles don't. Do you honestly believe that there is anything anywhere that when burned would produce no soot? The only control you have is over the amount of soot, which can be limited by a properly trimmed wick and an undisturbed flame. Again I have no scientific evidence to back up my opinion, but was interested to read on a fellow candle maker's website that not all soot is black. In fact, soy candles produce white soot. Furthermore, the soot produced from any candle is no more harmful than the soot produced by heating cooking oil on your stovetop.

(5) Paraffin is not biodegradable. It may not break down when sent to a landfill, but there is hardly any wax left when one of my pillar candles finishes burning. And, I take those leftover nubs and melt them back down the next time I make a similar batch. I would be more than happy to take wax back from my customers for recycling... though it would have to be from a Homemade by Hoyt candle to ensure it was the right wax blend.

Resources:
http://www.articlesbase.com/environment-articles/soy-vs-paraffin-candles-the-great-debate-39919.html
http://www.ecomall.com/greenshopping/soycandles.htm
http://www.scented-soy-wax-candles.com/paraffin-candles.html

The Scent Lives On

It's Friday night and I'm at home, sipping a bottle of Westerly Vineyards 2002 Estate Grown Cab Franc Merlot blend. I decided to relax at home and sip some nectar from heaven... as I wandered to my DVD player to pop in another flick, I caught a whiff of ultra rich vanilla. It was coming from the christmas candles I burned until they smothered, and it made me want to write a bit.

Don't you hate it when your container candle burns "all the way" yet there's wax left along the sides? As a candle maker, let me say, I feel your pain but there's just no controlling the flame. I am not infallible, but generally do an excellent job of centering the wick. I always use the specified wick size for the width of the jar because there's no way I'm going to risk my product heating the jar until it shatters. And so, I suppose the unavoidable side effect is a bit of remaining wax. I recommend burning tea light candles inside this remaining "shell" of wax until the jar is as wax free as possible. I am currently experiencing the reality that there is plenty of leftover scent which can be released with the help of a tea light.Thinking about burning every last drop of wax in each jar candle also got me thinking about what to with the jars after that. I'm excited about the fact that I'm saving the earth a bit of carbon dioxide for each reused jar that I make a candle in... if I had bought a brand new one, another five to fifteen ounces of CO2 would have been released into the atmosphere, depending on how much recycled glass had been used to create that particular jar. Making a glass container from 100% raw materials uses about 40% more energy, so there is both a cost and environmental savings to recycling. (I've been reading up on my statistics the past few weeks.)

The reason I'm rambling about all this is because I think it is important to give my jars another life after the candle no longer burns. My first thought was that the soy wax isn't very porous, so it could possibly be scraped out with a butter knife or spoon. I have also found a few suggestions on the internet, one involving your microwave and the other using a vegetable steamer... I'm not sure I'm thrilled with any of the options at this point, but when my current jar candles finish burning I'm going to try them out and document the process. There are so many things these containers can be reused for. Obviously at my house I can make another candle, but they could store candy, buttons, jewelry, coins... or you could use some as flower vases. If you have enough jars around the house, then put them out with the recycling trash so they can find new life as an ingredient in concrete or fiberglass. There is no limit to the number of times glass can be recycled, so don't let the cycle stop with you... stay tuned for jar cleaning instructions.

One week, one order, one pledge, one recipe

It's hard to believe the first week of the year has already come and gone. I've already gotten my first wholesale order of the year - thank you Hemp Wise - which begins the ticker for dollars pledged to the Environmental Defense Fund. This order will mean a future donation of approximately $5... it sounds small, but I think the number will be much larger when I finally tally it up and make the first payment and I'm excited to be supporting a cause with my work. I didn't find time for any marketing this week, on account of having a cold and being busy enough just making, labeling and wrapping candles for Hemp Wise. So far I've made Red Currant, Rustic Woods and Oceanside... tonight I will make the final batch, pomegranate spice.

I also did a bit more cooking, through the week... glass jars are accumulating slowly. I thought I would share my newest potato salad concoction with you. It's loaded with vitamins and contains much less fat than traditional recipes thanks to the addition of greek yogurt.

1 bag baby gold potatoes

1 - 12 oz jar roasted red bell peppers - diced

1 shallot - diced

6 oz greek yogurt

2 Tbsp mayonaise

olive oil

Wash the potatoes then put them in a large pot, fill with water and put it on the stove. Bring water to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until potato skins begin to crack open (approx 40 min.). Drain and cool.

While potatoes are cooking, heat approximately 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil in a skillet on low heat. Add finely diced shallots and stir frequently. Cook 2 min or until lightly browned.

Once potatoes have cooled 5 - 10 minutes, pour in a casserole, use a fork to break into smaller chunks, then stir in yogurt, shallots, mayonaise and diced roasted red bell pepper. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Allow mixture to cool on the counter 20 - 30 minutes before placing in the refrigerator to prevent condensation from watering down your chilled potato salad. Enjoy!