On Efficiency..and Efficacy

Hi Everyone!   Today we're going to get up close and personal.    Or, as some might say here in the Deep Deep South...."All up in yo FACE"!  hee hee....oh well.

As you may or may not know, things are heating up and escalating if you will in Cassia's Kitchen.   After a busy busy Christmas season where we sold out of inventory, it appears that the majority of our business is now wholesale.   I am delighted but somewhat s t r e t c h e d by this, and the downright agonizing process of quantitative and qualitative assessment has been brewing on the back burner.....and now there is no good reason to not buckle down and get that sharpened pencil out already.  ouch. and oh my...and deep sigh...

My husband the Contractor/Golf Teaching Professional has been underfoot a bit lately (I say this smiling; you can see my molars between tightly clenched teeth, lol)  and the little blue vein on my forehead has been strangely protruding and whatnot...   I say this jokingly but you know the feeling right?  Am I horrible?  Yeah yeah, I know.   For those of you who do not work at home, you might be tempted to drift into a daydream but let me tell you, it is great and I wouldn't really want it any other way, but it really is not very sexy.  lol...

Anyways, he's been running a background check on my endeavors; silently but nonetheless presently.   Being a contractor and having quite an arsenal of tools, he is always trying to increase his bottom line by keeping costs down and maximizing his own use of sweat equity by doing things the Most Efficient Way.

SO.  He got all up in my face last week not once, nor twice, but three days in a row  for about two hours each day.  He effectively halted production which then produced the resulting tightness in my neck and shoulders and subsequent trips down to the chiropractor.(OK I am mostly joking but mildly serious too)..all in the name of efficiency.  And.....efficacy:

Noun

efficacy 

1.  Ability to produce a desired amount of a desired effect.

[Synonyms

• efficacity

[edit]Related terms

• effect, effective, effectiveness, 

OK, I am sure  you get the point.  

So after 3 days of torture, he got me to give him $300 and he went down promptly to Home Depot and came  back with this:

Brinkmann Turkey Fryer

with a 30 quart stockpot.   Here is a closeup

He proposes that I heat my oils in this.  It actually does fit on my stove under the microwave!  But HIS plan is to get me on the front porch of the cabin behind our house where all my packaging materials are.    Immediately I flashed on a picture of Granny from the Beverly Hillbillies making her famous lye soap out in the woods near the bootleg still....but quickly dismissed this horrific self portrait.  (Besides, I don't rightly know if I  will ever possess that spry old lady's svelte silhouette, lol).   The other things he purchased were two of these bright orange monstrosities:

 that he modified by way of adding a spigot

Cool, eh?    He keeps me thinking B I G G E R,  I tell ya!   He was talking about how nice it would be to make a big batch of lye water to keep on hand.  To me that is not hard at all to make, but what I really would like to make is a Master Batch of Oils to keep on hand that are already premixed and all you have to do is scoop out however many ounces or pounds of oils that you need and they are already premixed.     

Joe wants me to heat my oils out on the porch but we have such extremes of temperature, and I just am not sure I want to do it that way.  But at least we will have a deep fryer for turkeys come Thanksgiving!?

He also bought some sorely needing shelving material, enough to put shelves in the cabin out back so I can put product out there instead of on the counter space in the kitchen.   W H E W!   That was a blessing!

This little room in the cabin has a really cool office space that I plan on making my shipping center.   It has a phone line but no DSL but we can get wireless internet access.  That is a blessing too.    Joe will make me some more shelves in my next room......now promise you won't laugh?     Some of you have heard me go on and on about my post consumer packaging hoarding habit.  I really just cannot throw a box or a bubble wrap or a brown kraft shred of paper away if I think I can re-use it....and believe you me, I have N E V E R had to purchase such items for my business.   Here's  a peek:

Actually my assistant, Chanda, got it all organized after the Christmas rush and now it's all nicely and neatly stacked along the walls.

Please don't shudder when you see the main room of the cabin, though......as I still have not done inventory yet and there are cases of glass and spray bottles and practically a whole pallet of ribbons......sheepishly blushing; I have a passion for ribbon now....

We sort of just hurled stuff into this room trying to get the main house downstairs ready for Christmas but now it's time to clean up, and count every stinkin last piece..

I know I made fun during this post, and I am really grateful to my husband for taking the time out to troubleshoot areas where I am needing to maximize my own efficiency, efficacy and bigger picture thinking.  Thanks, Honey!  I love you, and thank you for all your hard work!

Thazz All, Folks for today, but thought you might get a kick out of this post in some ways.....

Toodles for now!  

What ways are YOU thinking about your own EFFICACY and EFFICIENCY this year?   Does your spouse help you to see a bigger picture?   How does this help you?  Please comment!

The Catharsis of Writing, Candidly....

Dearies, how are you?  It has been awhile and honestly, I don't know how bloggers do it.  I mean, how exactly do YOU do it?  I guess the answer lies in the scheduling.    If it is on paper, I guess you have the permission to and the edict to actually sit down and write!

I have to make a few confessions on this post, so, if you didn't grab a cup of coffee, you might want to..  or hot tea, or hot cocoa.   Today I will exorcise my own frustrations at myself for not being more together, and then I will forget all about  it.  Because I just have to or else...

So.....I planned this lovely Holiday Launch.  Yeah, that one.  Visions of grandeur.  A launch of a gift line that included (did you laugh yet today?  Good, get ready)  cards, chocolate and other gifts in addition to soap and toiletries and candles.  Yep, all that.  I think I have a Martha Stewart complex. (Well she is my hero in a myriad of creative ways).  As my husband reminded me, Martha Stewart has a whole army working for her who does nothing but sit around all day and cater to her whims and fancies, and who, by the way, is also a megalo-millionaire and can snap her fingers and launch a whole new line of pet product at Petsmart.  Oh my, who in the heck do I think I am kidding?

So I started making soap and more soap and more soap and even more soap until soap filled my kitchen.  Then I ordered gift boxes and more gift boxes, and more.......well you get the picture.

So anyways, here we are 7 weeks before Christmas and everyone else has their cra I mean stuff  I mean products up on the website and looks like they all have their act together, and I still have boxes and labels and card making material all over the place.

Last week I felt like I literally was going to explode with the pressure of having to have my act together.   It kind of sucked the living life out of me,  ya know?

So then I tell myself to slow down, think, write a plan, just keep it simple, You know the psychobabble we all tell ourselves.   Calm down and carry on.  And it works, sometimes, for a duration of about 5 minutes.  And then, all falls apart in my synapse center as I fall prey to the pressure again.   Oh well.  

So then I get these two new ideas for two new designs.   And go to the drawing board and they fail, not once but twice, and then thrice, and now on the fourth try it is starting to look like I can pull it off.  But then the pressure mounts again and I start to cry from feeling like a complete lunatic in my own kitchen.

But alot right has happened and alot of really yummy soap and completely good boxes and pretty cardstock is sitting here looking at me to get ready to swing into full blown production mode.   And besides the boutique is calling asking me for more soap, with a referral to another boutique and another boutique, and the art school directors across the street from me consented to me putting up a dispaly in their art school that is full of high ranking international oil executives and ambassadors kids,  and a couple of schools wanting vendors, and a really posh boutique wanting me come come and sit outside for 2 whole weeks and sell, and then orders are coming in so -  what am I so down about?  

I think it is the Pitfall of Comparison.   Rome did not get built in one day.   Brands did not get instantly established.   Labels are made and remade everyday by solo-preneurs wanting to prefect their image.

So, now I have raved and ranted, I feel somewhat better, although this blog is configured to my facebook and my twitter and all kinds of other media, so in retrospect I might feel a tad awkward if everyone reads this.   But confession is good for the soul.   So I let it rip.

Here is some of the yummy soap I have in my kitchen and have begun to list it into my Etsy Shop.   Again, I had the distinct quandary as I tried to decide if I should wait several  more days until my new labels were done and it was all wrapped and ready to go, or just get it up so everyone can actually see what is curing and get some Christmas ideas ready for gift giving.  So, I chose the latter, as I can always go back and add new photos of these things and tweak the listings.......

So here goes:  some quick crummy photos with better ones coming hopefully soon

Lavender Essential Oil Shea Luxe Soap

 Purely Peppermint Salt Spa Soap

 Frankincense & Myrrh Luxe Soap

 Pomegranate & Black Currant Luxe Soap

not listed yet =)

 Vanille de Noir Luxe Soap 

Cranberry & Fig Artisan Soap

Passionfruit Rose Luxe Shaving Soap

Wasabi Intensely Fresh Men's Soap (not listed yet; heck the label isn't even made yet)

You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch Gag Gift Soap =)

Assam Tea Garden Soap (for men, or unisex)

Black Amber & Lavender Soap;  oh my it smells good and so luxuriant too!

and no, it's not listed yet......=) still drying and curing.

Lavender Pumpkin Soap

Peppermint Patty All Natural Glycerin Soap

So my plan is, after I get all the soaps labeled and tagged and wrapped and listed, then to go on and  make the corresponding lotions, and scrubs, and perfumes and bath bombs and shea whips to accompany each one.   I have beautiful little see-through boxes that are slim line and will fit an whole ensemble even with a small candle into sets to sell.   

When I get "my act together" yes, you will see and hear all about how wonderful they are!

So until then, my dear friend, we will keep calm and carry on now, shall we not?  It will all work out in the end!   It always does.  

Do you ever share some of these feelings?  Share, PLEASE!  It might comfort a friend with consternation issues!  Toodles until next time!

Gearing Up: The Most Wonderful Time - of the Year!

Hi Everyone!

We've been hard at work here in Santa's Workshop (aka, Cassia's Kitchen!)   On any given day, there are smells wafting through here bringing smiles and sighs, and expressions of pleasure from mainly me.   (LOL!)

Soap has been filling (literally) all horizontal spaces!  My mom used to do the same thing.  Guess I inherited this propensity from her, rest her soul.  Hers was a very avid, keen and inquiring mind.   Daily reading the entire Los Angeles times, her quest for learning caused her to save all kinds of clippings.  Me, I 'm just disorganized.    "Outta sight, outta mind" is one of my expressions; lamely excusing my distaste for filing and lack of organizational planning.   Oh, well, maybe one day I can hire a professional organizer.   But until then, all plans are laid out where I can see 'em!

Which leads me to the unveiling of my latest organizational acquisition and merger:  the baker's rack purchased at a restaurant supply and auction site here in our town!  Woo Hoo for Conroe, TX!

Dave, the owner, and his lovely wife Kathryn buy soap from me every week at the Conroe Saturday AM Market which is in the new parking lot on the Corner of Metcalf & Main in downtown Conroe, TX!  Come out and see us sometime!  I've been eyeing Dave's sundries in his shop and there are some equipment pieces that I hope to acquire someday as we expand our operations.   

I have found that it's a whole lot easier to think clearly and have a sense of peace when working if I keep the work area clean!  A whole lot of time can be wasted looking for things buried under other things.   There's no time to waste as Christmas fast approaches.  

My new baker's rack with 20 spaces for racks (I purchased all the store had: 10 racks) can probably hold up to approximately 500 bars of soap.  I plan on filling this up daily to get ready for numerous parties, market days and website sales.    Woo Hoo!   It's been fun!   

Other news is that my new friend Anna is buying soap to stock her lovely boutique and that boutique is right here in town as well.  Every week I deliver once and even twice.   I wish I had a picture to show you of her display of my products there.  I am SO thrilled that a beautiful lady like Anna would want to purchase from me and that she keeps me busy!   Bring me more Anna's Lord!   About 20 more would do just nicely!

Other than that, I am cookin' up a plan that is bigger than anything I have attempted so far;  a Holiday Products Launch and Open House........HERE!  Yikes!   I want to invite business leaders and target customers to enjoy hors d'oeuvres, wine, music and a walk through of Cassia's Kitchen.  Eliciting the help of my friends, I hope to have at least all the horizontal surfaces and several tables stockpiled by color and fragrance with cash and carry and a 15% discount.    I can SEE IT in my mind.   I want to mail color postcards to all my neighbors, friends and contact.  WHEW!  It's alot of work but I think it's totally do-able! I would like to also afford the opportunity to some friends who are complementary of my industry and let them also showcase their business and products as well.   Up to 4 vendors.   More on that - later!

My timer just went off, so I have to run; my new Spa Salt Bar with Sage, Cedar, Orange, Tangerine, Spruce and Peppermint Essential Oils is ready for me to put in the mold!   

So long for now, and thank you, dear reader for stopping by!  You just don't know how it makes my day to have your visit!

Toodles!

Black Raspberry & Vanilla, mmmm mmmm!

Black Raspberry & Vanilla Cream

Creamy, and Dreamy......

Guys, this is a quickie post. Number one, to say hi! and number two to let you know a little of what I have been making in the kitchen! My family will wholeheartedly tell you it is not food, but it sure does smell wonderful!

After recently signing on with a lovely lady shop owner in Birmingham, AL, things have been all a scurry around here. Making bath bombs, candles, doing research on some products requested of whipped body frostings, ordering new supplies, and upgrading the labels for a high end shop!

I am quite happy with the end result, so please pray a little prayer for me that these items will FLY OFF THE SHELVES! for me! And for this lady! It is so amazing how God links your heart to people that you serve! I am finding myself actually praying for the ladies who I buy my supplies from and now my customers!

Please pray for me; this is an extremely busy busy busy season! I need wisdom, strength and grace to rise to the occasion and still fulfill all duties domestic and local! I feel like I need an army of helpers!

Later this week, I am posting Spotlight #2 of Women-Owned Small Businesses! It is a toss up between another soapmaker that I met in the blogosphere, and a dear lady friend who lives and worships in my congregation! So, stay tuned!

The Day After....Behind the Scenes

Here are some pictures of what my kitchen looks like today. After the party. It was a great success and alot alot of fun. I do believe alot will come out of it. Several school teachers were there who want to help me promote my products at their schools for corporate gift programs. A cheerleader who stated her school is looking for a fundraiser, a bride to be who is excited about wedding favors, and close friends who encouraged me and were excited about my "refill candle" program as an environmental measure. Every guest filled out an feedback sheet and signed up for my email newsletter permission list, and I do feel more parties are coming! So, it is worth the mess and I think I worked harder than I ever have. I see where I can make improvements and next time will be even better.

Labels still need a little tweaking but they are looking good. And a friend of mine got so excited about my Original Fragrance Blend #1.....I called it Siam Sunrise. Stay tuned for more infomation about this exciting breakthrough which is more in line with my original vision for Cassia Candle & Fragrance!

But meanwhile, I need to spend time with my Kitten, and since there is no food in my house and I am tired and even if I wasn't, there is not a square inch of counter space in my 16x40 kitchen to make anything......so, I am outta here and going to go have some Mexican Food and recharge a little.

And, then, back to float in the pool and recharge sufficiently to be able to finally......

Clean Cassia's Kitchen!

Until next time, Au Revoir, mes amis extraordinaire!

Ciao!

Time Out

"Honey, will you PLEASE take some time and straighten up this office?"

Well, I knew it was coming. Conscience told me. Even Common Sense told me. Finally my husband told me, "Please take some time and straighten up this office!" To which, I sweetly and readily, even enthusiastically concurred, "Yes!".

As office manager of this work space, it is my responsibility to keep order, propriety and peace in this small area we call our HeadQuarters. Unfortunately, three small puppies and an illustrious 11 year old also frequent the space.... especially since My Business Laptop crashed and burned last month. I will call her kitten, my 11 year old tries to monopolize the space where I now spend most of my time.
Here is my mail "Center". Ah-Hem! Not.

Every day I gather mail and stuff it here.

Usually once a month I go through it, open it, file it and trash the rest. I absolutely HATE mail.

But that's not the object of this post.






So I took the necessary time, all day yesterday to work on this space. It is still not finished, but peace is again reigning supreme in my heart. Did I mention, my 11 year old is away at a friend's house? Kitten, are you perhaps reading this post?

So now, here is the project at 50% completion. I can once again think clearly! Clutter is the conspirator against creativity.

Here is my desk:

Here is my husband's desk.

You might think, "What a silly post!" Well, I just became an author on another crafting site, and let me tell you, it is hilarious! I tell you, we creative people really do know how to make messes! Because when the creative mood strikes, watch out! It just keeps evolving and evolving and evolving. All consuming in nature, when creativity strikes, you have to strike out.

After all, leave all the orderliness for the left brain people who punch holes and use paper clips for a living!

Oh yeah, I are one of those too! And as my dear husband tells me, that is what pays the bills.
So cowgirl up katw0man and get a punchin' and a clippin' and an organization on!

Just had to post this. Progress, one day at a time!

Be blessed and enjoy this wonderful season of the Son!

On another good UpNote.....My labels from OnlineLabels.com came today. Yay! Now I really have my work cut out for me!

before the clean......

fragrance buckets, heat guns, molds, more molds, mica and more fragrances.

Pillars, Pears and Pinecones test project in garden window

island kitchen one end

test batch whipped cream dollops, will remelt and use again.......

other end of island

fragrance bar, one of two

where i sit in my bathrobe, alone, in the dark to talk to you...... notice laundry center behind

le boxes next to stand up freezer

well, here you have it, not exactly the Betty Crocker test kitchen where you see laboratory clad workers all in white in clinical conditions. Or, not the ladies from the Reynolds wrap kitchen whre you see Betty testing her aluminum foil vs. the competitors. We won't even mention Martha Stewart's kitchen. But we don't live in Martha's Vineyard either!

Before turkey etc, this is going to all get boxed up and put away only to be dragged out again in two days. I cannot wait!

If I don't talk to you guys before, have a Wonderful Thanksgiving with all your loved ones!