Gingerbread Man Soap: Run, Run As Fast As You Can

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Mold Market's new gingerbread soap mold is adorable. My assistant, Kristy, poured up a few test soap samples this week. The use of the injector tool is still somewhat new to Kristy, but she did an awesome job.

The injector tool is necessary for the gingerbread trim details. For info on how to use this tool check out this blurb.

The little guys smelled heavenly in their gingerbread scent. I packaged one to gift to my hair stylist. I know she's going to think this is a fun soap.

A glassine bag, hole punch and grosgrain ribbon is a perfect way to package this guy. I put the soap in a 4 x 6" sealed plastic bag before sliding it into the glassine bag. Packaging the soap in a plastic bag will keep the soap oils and glycerin dew from staining the paper glassine bag. GPE resealable plastic bags are another option for sealing the soap.

No Kidding, Re-Purposed Toilet Rolls

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Believe it or not, there is a use for those empty toilet tissue rolls you throw in the trash. I shaped them into small "pillow" boxes. I stacked them with double sided tape and tied together with jute cord (GPE will be offering jute cord very soon).

This is perfect packaging for things like lip balm or small bath teas. Great way to showcase small soap samples when using the Mold Market personal size soap molds. Fold the ends of the tube to form a casing for the product you will be putting inside. Oh, let's not fail to mention gift cards. How fun to place a $5 or $10 gift card inside each box. In fact, I'm getting a haircut and color later today. I'm gifting my hair stylist with the above package. Inside one box is a $5 Subway gift card. The other two boxes are filled with chocolates and candies. (It's national Hair Stylist day today!)

I attached a tag (which GPE will have online very soon) to the jute cording. A sprig of fresh greenery and printed vintage stamps complete the wrap. It would also be fun to glue some vintage stamps to the formed pillow boxes.

So many ways to make these re-purposed toilet tissue rolls make a statement in the traditional packaging world ;)

New Packaging Supplies Are Arriving

This week we started receiving some of our recycled and "organic" looking packaging supplies. Over the holiday closure (December 23-January 1) I will be assembling ideas to showcase on my blog. GPE will be selling gift packs that include various items needed to put together your own touches to a natural type of gift wrap.

I'm excited to start working on some fun packaging ideas for your soap or toiletry products. With the trend for "green" and re-purposed items, I think you'll find some of the ideas a selling point for your product.

Postage Stamp Packaging

 

Wait until you see what I'm doing with vintage postage stamps and recycled paper. Another creative packaging option that is easy on the budget. I will have pics posted within the next day or two.

Our new recycled card stock paper has arrived and will be online later this week. We're offering a 5-pack of recycled brown Kraft card stock or recycled taupe color. Both are pictured above.

Soap Sampler Christmas Tree

This is actually a cheese tree from Cabot Cheese Company. I'm envisioning this as a spectacular appetizer for my family Christmas; one everyone will oohhh and ahhhh and say "how creative". Then my OCD brain grows feet and starts running with ideas of how this could work for soap. Honestly, I try not to think and sleep soap; it just happens.

The Mold Market brand of soap molds sells a 48-bar cubed tray. How perfect is that? If you are a retail store or offer soap samples at trade shows, why not use this holiday tree idea? Mold Market offers a star mold that makes a perfect tree topper. Swap out the red tomatoes in above pic for the star snowflake, small puffed heart, apple wedge or strawberry slice.

Placing sprigs of thyme or other fresh greens between the colored layers adds depth and a festive tone. I'm thinking bay leaves, sprigs of tarragon, pine sprigs... heck, the ideas are countless.

Display on something portable like a cutting board or sheet of corrugated cardboard cut from a recycled box. Wrap the cardboard in festive gift wrap. Forming a tree shape from cardboard with sides to support the soap might help keep the soap in place. As customers and buyers remove a sample, refill the void.

Under $6 Holiday Centerpiece

Yesterday our family celebrated my Mom’s 81st birthday. Because her birthday is close to Christmas, I wanted a festive table setting without spending a great deal of time (or money) on it.

I grabbed one of my shorter flower vases and filled with clear glass pebbles. I did some snip-snip of pine branches in my yard and as a last minute thought clipped a few branches from a Japanese Maple. The void in the vase was filled with miscellaneous holiday ornaments and candy canes. A splash of water and I had a pretty awesome centerpiece in less than 10 minutes. It should last a week or so and when the pine needles start to drop, they will be discarded and freshly cut pine branches will replace them.

Don't dismiss holiday centerpieces as a means to showcase your soaps and toiletry products this season. Using a centerpiece, pine branches, holiday ribbons as a backdrop to your photos helps market product in an up-scale manner. Online customers rely on photos to determine if your product is something they want to purchase. This is especially true with finished bath and body products.

This centerpiece was inexpensive and items used were things I had on hand.

Brown Bag Holiday Gift Wrap Idea

Now isn't this so clever? Recycled brown bag, recycled blue jeans, recycled tissue paper... VERY earth friendly and "green". I bet you have a slew of old jeans that don't fit (I do!). Or, jeans your kids have worn out by sliding across pavement, rolling in gravel... who knows how kids wear out the knees of jeans, especially boys. It's a mystery much like the missing sock the washer seems to gobble up.

Rebecca over at Older and Wiser offers this incredible packaging option to recyle denim parts.

Think soap here (not the chocolate bars). How fun to place a soap in the denim pocket and fill the bag with bath goodies (lotion, shower gel, body butter, room spray... you get the idea). Add colorful tissue and your own finishing touches and you've got yourself an "attention grabbing" package for little cost.

Absolutely Inspiring Soap Design

This soap design by Omar is stunning. The colors are breathtaking and the shapes lend themselves well to the design concept. The soaps made by Omar are inspiring to say the least. They are true works of art. I hope this post inspires you to think outside the soap box and experiment with new designs, colors and shapes.

A number of years back, I remember a comment made to me by a colleague in the business. She said, "You can only do so much with soap and soap mold designs." Well, I think that's a bunch of hooey! I see individuals stretching the boundaries everyday. This is just one example of the talented soap artists in the industry.

Holiday Gift Card Packaging

I am gifting a number of restaurant gift cards this year. What is a unique and creative way to make those gift cards stand out? This is my take.

Print out a 6 x 7 inch gift card announcement on plain white paper. Next, cut white card stock paper to measure 6.5 x 7.5 inches. Use a glue stick to adhere the plain paper printed message onto the card stock.

Measure a piece of corrugated wrap to fit the card. Adhere to card with double sided tape. Insert gift card.

My gift cards are for lunch at a local eatery which is why it reads "THANKS a lunch" (in place of thanks a bunch).

Glassine Bag Gift Wrap Idea

When I spotted this creative packaging idea at Katherine Marie (she's a photographer), I immediately thought of the glassine bags GPE sells for soaps. These are white pastry bags, but glassine bags will work equally well. Slip a soap into the bag and tie with twine or butcher's cord (red and white colored cord is available). Add a small candy cane to the front and a printed Kraft label on back side.

The packaging will cost you about $1.10 per soap. Just make sure your melt and pour soaps are wrapped first to prevent them from sweating onto the bag. Shrink wrap or plastic wrap work well.



Glassine Bags for Soap

You will find butcher twine at Walmart (where you find plastic wrap) or do a Google search if you're looking for a red and white twine. There are plenty of places locally that sell butcher twine.

Gift Wrap: Using Dictionary Pages for Soap & Small Gift Items

Financially, times are tough. We are all looking for ways to recycle, repurpose and put on our creative caps to save a few dollars. This year, I am focusing on ways to recycle or reuse items that would end up in the trash. Here is my take on zig fill for small gift boxes (like soap).

I shared a holiday wrap idea a few days ago. This goes right along with that theme. I paid a visit to the local Goodwill store. It's a haven for old books looking to be repurposed and very affordable. You can pick up a book for as little as 25 cents. I tore out pages from a dated dictionary and folded them into 5/8" to 1/2" strips. Once folded, I cut into lengthwise strips (see above photo).

I also used my handy-dandy tearing ruler to make strips of paper to wrap around the center of my gift boxes. See my prior post to understand how that works. As always, my choice of gift wrap is generally natural Kraft paper. There are countless rubber stamps that can be used on Kraft paper to jazz things up for any occasion. And, BTW, our liquid gel colors can be used to ink the rubber stamp pads.

Beyond Soap: Packaging to Sell

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How do you make your soaping projects stand out from the rest during this holiday season? Here's one idea.

Wrap you gift box in brown Kraft paper. The above pic uses one of our white window soap boxes. Double sided tape was used to keep everything nice and clean looking.

The lettered paper was printed on white linen paper using the MS Publisher program. You can select whatever font size and type that suits your fancy.

The appeal to this inexpensive wrap is the brown paper coupled with the printed font sheets. A tearing ruler was used to cut the font sheets. Tearing rulers are available at scrap booking stores. The torn font paper lends itself to a handmade look.

Add grosgrain or double-faced satin ribbon and you've created a package that is inexpensive, yet exquisite.

Countdown to Magic Elf Arrival 2011

It's that time of year again. The Magic Elves are arriving the evening of December 10, 2011. This year they will be wearing ice skates and, of course, they will be in their usual sleigh. Not sure yet how they will all fit in the sleigh wearing skates, but I'll make it work. I found the skates at Kohl's earlier this season. They were somewhat pricey (about $10 per set), but I can also re-gift by filling each skate shoe with small lotions, shower gels and soap next year.

I have the first 4 Days of the Magic Elf agenda outlined below. I am honestly surprised at the email response I receive for this holiday event. I know it's not soaping related, but it's just as fun and creative as making soap. Guessing there are plenty of moms and grandparents that feel the same.

Last year the Magic Elves arrived with Elf Mailboxes that the grand kids decorated. The elf mailboxes will be arriving again this year. Of course, passports and Elf report folders are still in the mix.

2011 MAGIC ELF CALENDAR (first 5 days):
Hope this sparks some ideas for you this year. I'll post pics as the daily events happen and continue to post ideas until the elf departure on December 24.

THURSDAY, DEC 8
Letter from Santa about the Elves arrives from North Pole along with the Elf mailboxes.

SATURDAY, DEC 10
The three elves arrive in their sleigh wearing ice skates and Santa Elf hats to keep their ears warm. Passports will be sent with each elf. They need these to get back to the North Pole when Santa picks them up on December 24. I picked up the Santa Elf hats at Target in the $1 section. They were the perfect size.

SUNDAY, DEC 11
Grand kids awaken to advent calendars (that I also purchased in the $1 section at Target). There is a small pocket under each calendar day. I will be putting a folded stick of gum in each pocket (see the pocket dated the 11th). The elves will be sitting under the hanging advent calendars surrounded by plenty of used gum wrappers.

MONDAY, DEC 12
Elf wakes up in bed with child. A note around the elf's neck reads, Check your Elf Mailbox." The mailbox note tells where gift is hidden.  A sample mailbox note reads as follows,

"Just wanted to snuggle tonight. I'm missing the North Pole. I left a gift for you. Can you find it? It's somewhere on your dresser shelf."

TUESDAY, DEC 13
It's countdown place mats and holiday cups at breakfast. Those darn elves had a late night snack of milk and cookies. These place mats were a great find at Target and can be used right up until Christmas. The kids will have fun moving the date on the place mat. I also purchased matching holiday cereal bowls to use on December 16 Elfcapades. (see below picture).

WEDNESDAY, DEC 14
The elve's are wearing slipper socks and the house decorated in crepe paper (red and green). I ordered 200 jingle bells to scatter on kitchen counter tops and floor. Also, some fake snow is in the works. I'm thinking a sink full of fake snow would be fun with one of the elves sitting in the sink making a snowman. I'll be sure to take pictures when this event happens so you can see how it all plays out.

I'll be posting the next Elfcapade Episode once the fun begins....

Everything's Coming Up Polka Dots



I so love to see some of the handiwork and colors used for the Mold Market brand polka dot soap mold. Pictured above is Blueberry Bliss from The Soap Garden's Etsy Shop. Love the colors.

This Christmas soap is from Katy Star Smoothie Esty shop. You'll want to check out some of the other soaps offered. Nice job.

Pink...my grand daughter's favorite color. This polka dot soap is made by Moxie Makings Etsy shop.

The Mold Market polka dot mold is soooo easy to do in multiple colors. The dots are raised for easy filling. If you use the GPE injector tool, it makes the job even easier.

Awesome Stocking Stuffer Soaps

Here's a shout out to Soapsations at Etsy. Great display of GoPlanetEarth's printable soaping paper.

Nice job, Melanie.

Black Friday Savings at GoPlanetEarth.com

Here's the heads up on our upcoming Black Friday event. It starts midnight on November 23, 2011 EST. It ends Sunday, November 27, 2011 at 11:59 PM EST.

Pick your discount or use them all. It's entirely up to you. Here is the savings agenda:

• All closeout Mold Market molds are just $1.25 while quantities last. If we sell out.... oh, well. Key discount code BLOWOUT when adding to cart.
• 10% off one-ounce fragrance oils. Key discount code FRAGRANCE10 when adding to cart.
• 8% off two-pound blocks of GPE olive oil melt and pour soap base. Key discount code OLIVESOAP when adding to cart.
• 20% off all regular price Mold Market molds. No back orders, limited to stock on hand. Key discount code MOLD20 when adding to cart.
• Receive a $7.50 discount on shipping when placing an order of $100 or more. Key discount code SHIPSAVINGS at checkout.
• PLUS... all qualifying reward points are applicable.

Hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and friends. Remember, we are closed for the extended holiday weekend. Orders can be placed online, but we won't begin processing those orders until we return on Monday, November 28, 2011. 

Wine Bottle Holiday Candle Centerpiece

Well, the bottle cutter has come in handy. I found a place online to order these wine bottle candle holders. They aren't inexpensive (about $12 each w/shipping), but for me, they were a perfect fit for some of the holiday gifts I have in mind.

These bottles are currently sitting on my kitchen island. In the near future, I will be placing them on a holiday platter surrounded with greenery to make a nice table arrangement. Note of caution: The bottles get hot when burning the tea light candles. Use care when placing greenery, ribbon or other holiday ornaments near the bottles.

When the lights are dimmed and the tea lights are lit, these bottles look awesome. Even with the cost of the bottle candle holders, you've got a gift for $12.50 once you've purchased the bottle cutter. You can find tea lights inexpensively at dollar stores, Wal-Mart and Ikea. These make a great housewarming or holiday hostess gift.

SIDEBAR:
Consider wrapping silver wire around the bottle neck with beads or other small holiday ornaments. You can swap out the wire wrap for various seasons. How fun to do a Valentine centerpiece in February using heart beads.

Sharing Ideas: Repurposed Wine Bottle Centerpiece

Most of my loyal followers are aware I have a Blimpy Girl food blog. It's a place where I share my personal weight loss journey and how I continue to maintain that loss. I won't go into all the details at this point, but I will say that the Blimpy Girl site does share some creative ideas (as time permits between soaping stuff).

I'm sharing this particular link because I feel it offers an inexpensive holiday centerpiece from repurposed wine bottles. Most of us are on a budget and recycling items for another purpose is a win-win situation. The household budget wins and you win by receiving  the results of the crafted end product.

I hope you enjoy this idea and share with others.

Fun with Layering Single Bars of Soap

Layering soap whether making a loaf or single bars takes time. Patience is key to making sure that layers are poured during the window period. If you pour too soon, the layers will bleed and migrate together and you won't get nice clean edges as pictured above. If you wait too long to pour the next color, you risk the chance of the layers not adhering together.

I used liquid gel colors in the GoPlanetEarth white soap base for these soaps. I elected to use the Mold Market Groovy Bar mold as it is deeper than most cavity mold types. After seeing the finished soaps, I wish now I would have used the injector tool and filled in the ridged area on the top of the soap in a coordinating color. The red color would have been nice. Oh well, next time!

Colors used for the soap: Red Oxide, Yellow Oxide, Kelly Green and Orange Oxide. If you are wanting deeper colors then use these colors in clear soap base. I wanted softer Fall tones and white base was ideal to achieve that look.

The soap pictured (right) was tilted and poured at varying angles. Experiment and have fun with layers. You can pour the layers in most any direction. You could even layer part of the short ends by tilting the mold slightly and then layer one of the long ends rotating back and forth.

To purchase everything used to make this soap as pictured, order below. Don't worry, you can remove items from the cart should you decide you don't want everything. But at least this BUY NOW button will allow to see all the items needed.

Green Apple Soap from Hemp & Mango Butter Base

This weekend is an intensive soap testing weekend. I like to be certain that all of our soap bases our performing well for customers. The only way to know is to test each base in various applications. Because our Hemp Butter and Mango Butter are very "hard" bases, I was a bit concerned how they would fair in a loaf mold when sliced.

They were awesome. Although both bases crumbled when initially cut from the scored block, once melted in the microwave that all changed. The hardness of the soap makes for low sweating and once the soap set up, it cut easily. The above picture showcases how well both these bases worked.

This soap base was scented in green apple fragrance (my honey man's favorite). I've been promising him some new soap and his grin alone told me how delighted he was when presenting him with the soap slices. It's weird, guys don't like to admit it, but they really do like soap.

The green color is made with hemp butter base colored with lime green and a smidgen of neon green. The white band is the mango butter base, no color added. I give both of these melt and pour soap bases a thumbs up based on my test results from today. Don't let the initial cut into the cubed soap base fool you. Even though the base crumbled somewhat when cubing from the scored block, once I melted in the microwave, it was all I had hoped it would be.

FREE Holiday Gift Boxes with Loaf Mold Purchase

Limited Face Book offer (only 9 sets available) as of today. Order the Mold Market brand square loaf mold and Mold Market will include 10 holiday Christmas gift boxes (includes lids). Each box will easily fit a loaf soap slice (even two). Fill the box with colorful holiday shred, shrink wrap your loaf slice and plop inside the box. Perfect gift, EZ gift giving. Boxes ship flat and assemble easily.

You MUST use the below link to receive this special offer. It is not available on the web site. Once you order, you can continue shopping from our web site for other items you may want to add to the cart.

Autumn Leaves Soaps by Fields of Ambrosia

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Princess Packers

Meet the Princess Packers: (L to R) Annah, Nichelle and Courtney. We received a shipment of novelty toys that GoPlanet is donating to a local Trunk or Treat event. These princess tiaras were part of that shipment. Just goes to show you, no matter the age, we girls still dream of being a princess.

The girls were kind enough to let me snap a picture. So.... if you had a package ship yesterday, it was courtesy of a "princess".  I would also like to welcome both Nichelle and Annah to the GoPlanet team. Both girls are in training as packers and doing an awesome job. Also a big thank you to Courtney, Kaylee, Chelsea and Kristy who are assisting in the training process.

Blimpy Girl Recipe: Eggplant Parmesan

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Sleeping With The Enemy Might Be A Good Thing

My grandson likes to play with small action figures. His favorite play station is my bedroom because it is a quiet retreat from his siblings. He uses my bed as the backdrop for his battleground drama. When passing by my bedroom door, I often hear a "kish", pooooff!, "coo!" sound or a shout of "man down, man down as he imitates noises and phrases heard in action movies. It has been amusing until recently.

On this particular night I was burning the midnight oil and working late in my home office. I finally called it a night and crept into my bedroom anticipating the luxury of my comfy bed. I threw back the covers, positioned myself and suddenly discovered I was sleeping with the enemy. Not just one or two, but the entire army. My grandson’s ‘bad guy” army had built a fortress under my bed covers.

In one sweeping motion I knocked the action figures into a crippled heap on the bedroom floor. I can assure you visions of sugarplums were not dancing in my head. As little character heads and arms went flying and all I could envision were action figures preparing to do battle on the woman who attacked them on neutral ground because she believed they were invading her territory.

Isn't that so like us in the business world? We believe that taking out opponents invading our territory will allow us to be the dominator. In the online business world this isn't the case. Pairing up with the competition (or so called enemy) may just help us win in the end. Sleeping with the enemy might be a good thing.

In the past, territorial boundaries in business have been well defined. We find ourselves competing to be better than the other guys and willing to succeed at all costs. The fact that two people can do the same thing and do it without conflict is inconceivable. And then along comes social media and networking. This shared community concept has turned everything upside down. Just like the farming community in which I live, information, equipment, knowledge and tools are being shared to allow everyone to succeed. Companies and individuals are joining hands and embracing the idea that survival in the small business arena means collaboration.

The days of working in isolation are long gone. The new age business concept has evolved into a “team spirit” mind set. It’s an environment that expresses, “tell me what you know and I’ll tell you what I know so we can both grow our companies and make a living”. The Evil Empire concept has been crushed. We are finding it necessary to merge with our competitors. We are coming to understand that our perceived (business) enemies are well informed and decent people who might possibly be able to help us.

As business owners, we need to grow through multiplication instead of division and turn our competitors into our best allies. It’s time to take a look and determine if sleeping with the enemy might be a good business move. As we begin to understand the product differences with our competitors, we can also begin to improve our own product and make it stand out.

Certainly there will be competitors that we do not wish to share information. Those would be the “bad guys”; the guys I wiped off my bed without thought or care of their outcome. In no way am I suggesting you wipe out your enemy or competition. What I am suggesting is coming to the realization that some competitors may actually help you in collaborating a new market or product in this ever changing online business world. Take a chance. Sleep with the enemy. Engage in a relationship with your perceived Evil Empire. You might be surprised at where it takes you.

The Journal: My Future Legacy

I celebrated a birthday this week and this is one of the wonderful gifts I received from my daughter. She wrote the first entry in "The Journal" and I cried. What an honor to have someone speak this kindly about you. Especially someone who has lived with you and has seen not just good stuff about you, but also the bad and ugly things that we try to hide from the world.

This will be the one and only time that I share "The Journal" with you. It will now become a very private part of my daily life. It will be my legacy in writings for my daughter and grand children.

I am committed to writing in the journal in my own handwriting which is not exactly neat. Thankfully, The Journal has lined pages. I plan to make my first entry tonight. I already know what I want to share.

Life is an incredible adventure. When I lost my Dad a few years back, I wish there had been a journal that allowed me to remember his life... in his own words...in his own handwriting. With all the electronic devices on the market, we have lost sight of how much a handwritten page, thank you, poem, or journal entry can mean. It's our personal postage stamp on life. We write, we scribble out things, we have misspelled words, but it makes us human. It makes the reader believe what we have written. They become engaged in our thoughts and feelings at that particular moment because there is no "send" or "delete" button. Call me old-fashioned, but I like that.



The first two quotes listed in The Journal read:

"There are two lasting bequests we can give our children; One is roots. The other is wings."- Hodding Charter, Jr.

"There is a point at which you aren't as much mom and daughter as you are adults and friends."- Jamie Lee Curtis

I've have always told my daughter, "If you weren't my daughter, I would want you for a friend." Lucky me to have both a daughter and friend. It was a good birthday. Not only because I was gifted this wonderful journal, but because so many other family and friends extended well wishes and made me feel that my life is important to them. I think that's all any of us can ask for. We want to know that we matter, that our life, our work, our talents, our efforts count for something. As the owner of GoPlanetEarth, I would like each and every one of my customers to know that you count and you're important.

Katie's Cupcake Soaps

Some time ago, I sent my 11 1/2 year old great-niece a box filled with soap making supplies. It was a big hit and pictured above is one of the soaps that she recently made using Mold Market's cupcake mold. Here is what Katie had to say about her soaping adventure.

"This was the first time I used the cupcake mold, and I found the tutorial extremely helpful. I used the Fruit Punch fragrance when I made my cupcakes. They look delicious. The whole process took me about 30 minutes. The longest part was waiting for the soaps to harden so I could take them out.

Thank you for the soap supplies. I had everything I needed."

The one thing Katie did mention to me was perhaps including a small spritzer bottle for the rubbing alcohol. She makes a valid point. These small 2 ounce bottles are often difficult to find, especially with a sprayer. GoPlanetEarth sells the small spritzer bottles on for those having a hard time locating one.

Thank you Katie for sharing your beautiful cup cake soaps with us.

The Shoes

What more can I say? THE SHOES. These size 8 toddler shoes were left in my laundry room this weekend because they no longer fit my youngest grandson. We took a trip to the local apple orchard to ride ponies and do all things related to an orchard, but he couldn't wear these shoes. They were too small.

My little guy had to run around the orchard in socks because his Mommy had let him pick out his own outfit that morning. Which not only included the wrong size shoe but pants that had to be folded up three times.

So why am I posting about these shoes? Because they signify change. We grow, move forward, and hopefully experience bigger things (in the case of my little guy, bigger shoes). That's life in a nutshell. That's business in a nutshell (or in this case, a shoe). We continually outgrow where we are and need to adapt to change. It's not always easy to make that change and we sometimes try and squeeze our foot into shoes that no longer fit. No doubt, I'm guilty. It's easy to walk in a place of comfort. No new calluses, no breaking in the leather shoes. We want to insert our feet with little effort into a familiar environment (shoe).

Recently, I have been stepping into new shoes and starting new projects. One of those projects is about weight loss. My BlimpyGirl.com blog site was launched earlier this month and will continue to be an ongoing project for me. Yes, it does take away from some of my soaping stuff... but, you know what? I need that. I am rapidly approaching retirement age and I am looking for projects, adventures, and avenues that will enhance those retirement years. I love soap making, but I love plenty of other things as well.

My new shoes are walking in unexplored territory. I will continue to move forward in the soaping industry, but with brand new shoes and blazing a new trail. As for the shoes pictured above, I will be washing them, spraying them with one of my handmade home fragrance sprays and stuffing them with new socks, photo memorabilia and other trinkets and gifting to my daughter for Christmas. In fact, I think I will do this with all the grand kids shoes for the next 5 or 6 years. It's a great reminder of how we outgrow things but in that process move on to bigger and better things.

Stepping Outside your Comfort Zone

I am entering what I call the last “summer hurrah”. It’s those last few weeks before the fall season officially begins, school starts, boats are put in storage and we say farewell to summer (at least here in Michigan). I am preparing for my “last summer hurrah” which is a house boat trip with good friends. It’s a third trip for me down to Lake Cumberland. For some of the couples going on this trip, it's their first time navigating this pristine lake.

There is one comment that stuck in my mind as I prepare for this week long trip. It’s from a long time friend. This is her first houseboat trip. Her employer made mention that she wouldn’t enjoy this type of vacation. As I reflected on this comment, I was saddened that those close to us sometimes put us in a box. Why wouldn’t my good friend enjoy something new and unfamiliar to her? Why shouldn’t she step outside her comfort zone? As we approach the countdown, my friend is getting excited and making plans for this new adventure. I guarantee this will be a trip of her life. I am so proud that she has agreed to step outside her comfort zone no matter what.

My point: Don’t let people put you in a box. When you get the courage to step outside your comfort zone, run with it!! You may find that you have everything to gain, meet new friends, experience new adventures, and realize that YOU CAN do anything you want.
Are you willing to step outside your comfort zone? If not, who or what is keeping you from doing that? I hope your last summer hurrah is filled with fun, joy, living a bit on the edge, and making plans for a great soaping holiday season.


P.S. I will not be in the office next week (8-27 through 9-6) due to down time and Labor Day weekend. You can order online, but we will not process orders 9-1 through 9-5). Kristy and Chelsea will be taking care of usual business next Monday-Thursday. I will not have much access to internet on the houseboat trip. I will do my best to email as coverage and time permits.

Marketing: Driving Home a Point

Last week my husband, Chris, showed up for his general sales meeting in a swimsuit and tie. His work attire is generally dress casual, but monthly sales meetings require a sport coat and tie. However, this month’s meeting was themed “Beach Party” so casual summer clothing was encouraged. With this in mind, my husband started working on his presentation and the best way to drive home his point to sales staff.

As brand manager my husband’s job is to develop and present unique marketing ideas to sell product. Although my husband has a marketing degree, it goes way beyond that. He also has the ability to think outside the box. If you are fortunate enough to encounter one of these gifted individuals’ run parallel with them. It’s a learning curve you will not forget.

As the meeting assembled, Chris, walked forward to address the group in standard business attire. He then turned his back to the audience and began undressing; trousers first, sport coat, then the button shirt. While disrobing and his back to his peers, he talked about his first week with the company and the many ways he could avoid wearing a tie. After several minutes, he slowly turned to face the group donned in a pair of swim shorts with a lone tie draped from his bare chest.

My husband’s opening line was, “Wow, it’s cold in here.” The immediate response from someone in the group was, “How can you be cold when you’re wearing a sweater like that (referring to his chest hair). “ It was the perfect ice-breaker. With the audience fully engaged Chris was able to drive home his point knowing it would be long remembered.

The point being made in that sales meeting is not important to us. It’s the way the audience [customer, employee] became engaged and drawn into listening to the topic presented. It’s about stepping outside the norm and doing something a little risky. There is no doubt that my husband had concerns about what his immediate boss and CEO might think. He also knew that he could make a pivotal point to his sales staff and it worked. He was applauded by his CEO for thinking outside the box and thereby generating an influx of new sales and company growth.

Are you thinking outside the box? If you are selling a product or service you need to understand the competition. There are thousands doing the same thing as you. What makes you or your company stand out? How are you driving home your point?