FUgly Edition #4 - Ummm Soap

There really isn't anything wrong with this soap.  In fact it's made with Shea Butter and has a super creamy lather which leaves your skin moisturized.  The aroma is fantastic!  The only problem is that I can't remember the scent I used.

I'm usually super organized and you have to be  when dealing with almost 700 scents.  I was working on this soap over the holiday and when it became busy I abandoned the new creations and started filling orders.  Now that it has settled down I came back to my soap to cut and test.  I thought I wrote the fragrance down or left the bottle next to it but after cleaning up I must have put it away.

I do know my intention were to make a great smelling men's soap and this has notes of sweet brown sugar and a slight woodsy undertone.  My "official testers" love it!  I love it for myself as well.  I considered going through all the men fragrances I carry to find the right one but sometimes fragrances smell differently when mixed in the product.

Right now I'll just call this Shea Butter soap and offer it at a discount in my Etsy and ArtFire shops.  If I ever figure out the fragrance you will see it on my website.  Take advantage of my mishap and try this soap out because you are sure to love it as well!

New for the New Year!

Hope your holiday season was full of giving and getting what you wanted!  I've finally gotten a breather to let you in on some of the updates for 2011:

January Scent of the month - Black Forest Truffle 

Doesn't that look delicious?  What a way to start off if your resolution was to lose weight and eat healthy (well that was mine this year...and every year).  But instead you can just indulge in smelling this decadent fragrance all day with no calories, fat or carbs!

Best Sellers + Nikki Favorites

A recent customer emailed me elated that they found our website with all the scents I had.  (I love getting emails from fellow scent addicts).  She wanted to know which were my best selling and my favorite scents.  I do mark certain items  "Best Seller" or "Nikki Favorite" but I didn't have a list one can go to to see them all.  I know almost 700 scents is overwhelming so I'm not sure why I haven't thought of this sooner.  

That's why I love my customers for giving me great ideas!  Therefore now you can click the link "Best Sellers" to find our customers' most popular products and scents.  You can find my favorites called "Nikki Favorites" in a couple of weeks. I'm trying to narrow it down but it's hard for a scent addict.

Monthly Give-a-ways

After several years of giving away our products each month we are revamping somewhat.  We are still giving away items each month although several will be through other sites and blogs.  This month check out Women-prenuers Galore to win a $10 gift certificate in our Etsy shop. Giveaway ends 1/18/11.

New Scents

• We have 25 new incense scents (which I think now totals over 100 incense fragrances).
• 20 new Perfume/Cologne Body Oil fragrances
• 22 new candle, bath + body scents

Payments & Shipping

We are happy to announce that we are now accepting credit cards on our website once again.  Now you don't have to veer away to another website to pay.  We keep all personal info private and our website is secure.

We are also happy to offer FedEx as another shipping option.  It will not be included in the real-time shipping calculator but if you prefer to use FexEx let us know and we will calculate shipping fees.

    

Funky Business Cards

If your thinking of starting the year off right with a new look, look no further with these funky business cards by Biz Cart.  Anyone would love these colorful cards for a business or just calling cards!   Very unique designs that will pop out among all the rest!

She also makes amazing invites and custom banners. Check out her shop on Etsy (http://www.etsy.com/shop/bizcart?ref=seller_info) or see even more designs on Zazzle (zazzle.com/bizcart).  To top it off the Biz Cart shop owner will give a free banner with a business card purchase if you mention you saw our feature! Just say you saw it on Nikki's Blog.  How cool is that?!

It's the thought that counts!

We all know the meaning of  Christmas isn't about gifts but a religious holiday celebrating the birth of Jesus.  I do admit I don't celebrate the religious part but the Spirit of Christmas takes over me.  I play all kinds of holiday music on my iPod from Johnny Mathis to Rap Christmas songs (yes there are some.)  My mom makes beautiful wreaths and I love driving around seeing the white lights adorning the homes in my neighborhood.  Oh, and the food!  My second holiday excuse to eat baked mac & cheese, cookies cookies and did I mention cookies?

Also my favorite is I absolutely love giving gifts and make an effort to think of the person and what they like,  dislike, their style and beliefs.  I hope people take the same care when shopping for me but most of them don't.  I was a little taken a back a few years ago when a close friend bought me a bath salts and lotion one year.  Really?  But I wasn't as obvious as this little kid.




So in this nation of christmas marketing, what are the top 5 things you DON'T want for Christmas this year?
Here is mine (in no particular order):

1. Gym Membership - what are you trying to say?
2. Gift Cards - unless it's to the Cheesecake Factory, I forget about them for years (literally years).
3. Anything technical - I'm getting old and don't have the patience to learn how to use it.
4. Underwear - If you must I don't wear thongs.
5. Your re-gifted (used) gift - I don't mind the re-gifting if you think I would use it more than you but next time you give me a candle holder can you scrape off the melted wax.