Back in the studio

Here's where I spent the last week. Hawaii. Non-stop sun so bright it makes your eyes hurt. But in a good way.

The blues are so blue. And the greens are so green over there. So different from our palette of grey on grey over here.

I'm still feeling the ocean waves. And I'm totally not 100% hyped to be back at my desk working. But there is a pile of orders. A long list of emails to get to. A mountain of mail. And a to-do list a mile long.

So I'm taking it one step at a time and just moving forwards. Hopefully a little momentum will build. I've got a lot to make happen this week.

Studio Closed

Just a quick pop-in to say that the studio is closed, pretty much starting right now. I'm taking a week off for vacation. I just really need a little bit of space to regroup and relax before I get this whole year geared up.

I've put a notice on the website too. But any orders or inquiries will be on hold until Monday, Jan 28. I'll get back to work next week.

Until then,

Sale update

Yesterday was the announcement of the Winter Clearance Sale, and I got a flurry of orders all day so things are going fast.

The Ponderosa Pine and Spiced Mocha soaps are now sold out. There are just a few of the Cinnamon Cedar and Winter Mint soaps left too - maybe 4 or 5 of them. And not a whole lot more of the other 3 soaps either (Apple, Nutmeg, Berry).

If you were going to think about it for a few days or maybe have more time over the weekend, don't delay too long or the opportunity will gone.

And in other news, I can't wait for Sunday. Another miracle Seahawks game. The Golden Globes. And all day snacking on the couch in front the teevs. Wheeee!

P.S. Oh yeah, I can't leave the blog alone. The poppies were way too much distraction and intense color. I had to mess around with the design again. Sorry to give you all whiplash. It's going to stay this way for at least a couple of months. I think. But then the snowy tree photo will be so over. And I'll have to give it another facelift. Just saying.

Winter Clearance Sale

If you're on the email list, you will be receiving a notice today that I've just begun a Winter Clearance Sale. After all the clearing out and counting here, I've got a few bars left of almost all of the fall and winter seasonal soaps. So I've put them up on the Clearance Sale page on the website today.

Usually priced at $4.25 per bar, they are now $2.50 - a great big deal! And the perfect time to stock up on whatever you tried and and loved the last couple of months before they are gone.

Shop now because they will go fast.

It's a day for warm socks

And hot beverages. Blustery and wet here. Which is just a slight improvement over the frigid and dry we've had the last week or so. I think I hate the cold more because the darn heat is on all. the. time. And it does bad things to my stupid hair. Makes it all flat and wimpy and split end-y.

I have spent all week on numbers. And if you know me at all, you know that I HATE "the maths". Year-end inventory. Catching up on the last two months of bookkeeping. And then year-end statements and bottom lines and expenses and reports and what-not. All the numbers by month and then summaries of the year. Oof. My head hurts. And my bottom line is flat, or my bottom is flat, or something, from sitting here in front of the computer too long. The actual money bottom line is sort of flat too. Last year wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be, since the last couple of months were up a bit. But it's darn near the same as last year. Which wasn't at all good.

What to do next. That's the question. I've been pondering that, and still trying to figure it out. This brand spanking new year has got to improve somehow. Just saying that makes me tired. I already want to take a nap.

But I'm working on files today. Organizing the whole file system, clearing out 2010, making new files for 2011, starting all new spreadsheets and books. That kind of thing. I should have a secretary for that kind of thing. Come to think of it, I need an accountant too. And maybe a worker bee to do some of the other stuff that I don't like doing either. And seriously, the maid needs to show up any time now and start cleaning this place. There are huge cat hair dust bunnies all over since they seem to have permanently set up camp in front of my little heater.

The "to do" list is long this week. Both work and personal. It feels like a grind. I'm so glad it's Friday, even though it looks like I have to work over the weekend too. Ah well, back to the file drawer. Happy Friday all.

Back to work

Awwww, the holidays are truly over. It's Monday and it's back to work. Really back to work. Not half days or short weeks, but full on working again.

Today is office clean-up and inventory. The painful day where I have to clean up every corner of the studio and count every single piece of inventory and supplies for the once-a-year inventory. As a business, it's required by the IRS. Love those guys. It all has to be counted and then valued, meaning not only do I need to know how many of everything there is. I need to have a list of what each item is valued at (wholesale) or what the price was when I bought it. So that I come up with a full spreadsheet of exactly how many dollars and cents worth of stuff I have in here at this very moment. It is one of my least favorite tasks of all time.

But the good news is that when I get this part done, I'll be putting up all the leftover holiday items on the clearance page at a fabulous sale price. I'll post it here when that's ready, and I'll also send out an announcement to the email subscriber list. Which reminds me, I'm planning on doing a lot more special deals and sales on the email list this year. Really. Lots. It's so much easier to contact you all by email than waiting for the seasonal snail mail letter. And the blog is a little hit and miss - you never know who might be checking in this week or not. So if you want to get on the email list, sign up HERE and go down to "Email" or "Give me Both" in the drop down box.

Oh, you might have noticed that I changed the blog style too. I'm not fully convinced this is the one - but it's the one for now. I really needed some bright color and happy flowers to start off the new year. Let me know if you love it or hate it. I was playing around yesterday with other designs too and there are so many different ways to go I got a little overwhelmed. The poppies are happy and I just let it go at that for now. Too much?

1.1.11

Happy New Year!!!

1.1.11. All those ones. So pretty. And it seems fitting and optimistic for new beginnings and a fresh start.

I'm looking forward to a brand new year and doing a bit of starting over. Honestly 2010 wasn't all that great, and I'm glad it's over. Not that it didn't have its moments. But there was an awful lot of bad news, bad weather and rough spots. I like to think that this new year will bring with it a breath of fresh air and moving forward.

Best wishes to all of you too, for a brighter year ahead.