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The
Handmade Beauty Connection
October
16,
2006
A Publication of The Handmade Beauty Network
ISSN 1530-9630 | Volume 7, Issue 43
To subscribe, click here
-- Sponsor --
1. HBN Member Update: Welcome New & Renewing HBN Members!
2. Lifestyle CEO Report: Design Your Business Your Way!
3. Handmade Beauty Trivia Question: win something wonderful!
4. Blueberry Bath Fizzie Muffin by Lutzy's Lather
5. Feature Article: The Candle Couple
6. Here & There: Calendar of Upcoming Events
Handmade Beauty Recipe of the Week: Super Easy Body Scrub
1. HBN Member Update: Welcome New & Renewing HBN Members!
 Welcome
Renewing Members!
Patti's
Potions | Patti Eder | Wisconsin
* Member
since April 2005; Patti's Potions is your reliable source for
natural, handcrafted, environmentally friendly soaps, lotions, balms, and
home fragrance products. This is a woman-owned and family-run business.
Welcome New Members!
Evo
Solutions | Gigi Targe and Ronda Rider | Colorado
* All natural, synthetic-free, massage and body lotions, bath salts, and
massage lotion holsters.
Kettle
Care | Lynn Wallingford | Montana
* Certified organic by the State of Montana, Kettle Care is the only certified
body care laboratory in the state. We produce organic cosmetic herbs on our farm, process them into extracts for our 100% natural body care line. Kettle Care specializes in a full range of body care products, from shampoos and conditioners to foot cremes. The extensive facial care line covers cleansers, toners, exfoliants, day and night moisturizers. Our apothecary line ranges from mineral soaks, muscle rub and joint pain relief, and we specialize in eczema relief.
Extensive selection of fragrance and essential oils. Retail, wholesale, bulk
and private label.
The
Shanti Project | Jessica Gulati | California
HBN Members On The Move!
Cae Byng of J & L Handmade Toiletries
(member since August 2005) invited you to join them as they make life a
little sweeter on October 21 at 4W Circle of Art and Enterprise in Brooklyn.
Join them for free samples, demonstrations and more. For more info, cal
(718) 636-9326 or (718) 875-6500.
Learn
more about our members and their exciting activities by visiting their Web
sites through HBN's Online
Member Directory, now with 4 ways to search: (1) by
state/country; (2) by member business name; (3) by keyword search; or (4)
using our new alphabetical listings.
2. Lifestyle CEO Report: Design Your Business Your Way!
 \Life.Style CEO\n. A person who owns and manages a business, not
solely for financial gain, but also to enjoy the personal rewards of
entrepreneurship, independence, flexibility and fun.
Design Your Business Your Way!! Is your business achieving at the level
you know it could? Do you sense that something is holding you back, but just
don't know how to spot it? Today's guest Linda Feinholz joins me to show you
how to get the kinks out and get going with taking your business to the next
level! To join me and Linda live, log onto Global
Talk Radio.com at 1:00pm EST and click on "Listen Live!" You
can call your questions in live on the show!
And visit the Lifestyle CEO website book
page to get the scoop on my The Lifestyle CEO Book, featuring several
members of the Handmade Beauty Network who are the ultimate examples of
successful Lifestyle CEOs!
3. Handmade Beauty Trivia Question: last week's winner was
Yvonne Brunot of Takoma Park, MD. Yvonne won a delicious bar of handmade
soap, courtesy of BloomWorks
Natural Soap Co., an HBN member since January 2006!
Last Week's Question: I have been called the flower of the Incas.
While I have no known essential oil to speak of and don't even really have a
scent, there are millions of bottles containing fragrant liquid bearing my
name. It is said that I sprang forth from the limbs of a beautiful Greek
water nymph who died of heartbreak when the object of her affections cast
his affections toward another. What am I?Last Week's Answer: Sunflower
(Helianthus annuus)
This Week's Question: A substance produced by bees, in
combination with the sticky buds and leaves they come into contact with, is
used in hives to seal holes and cracks. This substance, also known as
"bee glue" is said to have a variety of helpful applications in
skin care as well as when taken internally. It is also added to incense for
its warm, honey-like fragrance. What is it?
Be the first to answer and win something delicious!
Please read the contest rules here
before submitting your entry. Put "TRIVIA CONTEST ANSWER" in the
subject line or your answer will not be considered. While time does not
permit me to respond personally to all entrants, the winner's name will be
announced in the next newsletter!
4. Handmade Beauty Product Review: Blueberry
Bath Fizzie Muffin by Lutzy's Lather
 Blueberry
Bath Fizzie Muffin
1 muffin | $7.00
These muffins looks JUST like a real muffins! Break a muffin into chunks and drop it into your bath. The fizz releases oils, minerals and fragrance into your bath. Your skin absorbs all this goodness as you soak - feeling moisturized and smelling great!
Bath fizzies are just plain fun. It's interesting how just a few years ago, you could buy them in just about any color or fragrance, but they all seemed to be round. They could be big or small, but they were still round. Well, those days are gone as companies become more and more creative about mixing together citric acid and a few other ingredients that combine to make a little explosion in your tub. One such company is Lutzy's Lather.
Kim Lutz-Isenhour says that her muffins look just like the real thing -- and it's true. They come in a plastic pastry container, just like the kind you get treats from at the corner bakery. And the colorful berries look juicy enough to
eat, and the fragrance is a dead ringer for the scent of warm muffins fresh from the oven. And of course they fizz up just like they're supposed to in the tub.
They are loaded with coconut oil so they leave my skin feeling moisturized
-- no need for lotion after a bath! They do leave the tub a bit slippery so
be careful not to fall. I was especially aware of this when I used one in my
5-year old daughter's bath.
Get your own Bath Fizzie Muffins (blueberry or raspberry) at the Lutzy's Lather website, and tell Kim you heard about them from the Handmade Beauty Network! And while you're there, why not check out the fudge brownie soap and the chocolate bon bon fizzies.
-- Sponsor --
5. Feature Article: The Candle Couple: Rendezvous Soy
Candles
by dM
 A man, a woman, busy kids -- what would make the picture even more
perfect? A family business of course!! It all started innocently enough when
Karen and Erik met and married 5 years ago. One day Karen was
cleaning the home and she took a clock off the wall and noticed that the
wall was blackened behind the clock. Karen was not a smoker so she could not
imagine what could have been the source of the black sooty substance.
Fast forward a bit when the couple went on a trip to Canada and
discovered a little boutique selling candles made from soy wax. As they
learned about how candles made from paraffin, a petroleum by-product, Karen
discovered that the black substance on the wall behind the clock must have
been from paraffin candles. Encouraged by the idea of being able to burn
candles without the negative side effects, Karen purchased some candles and
made an light- hearted comment to her husband that perhaps they could make some
candles of their own.
Don't you just love life's little offhand comments?! As time passed, it
became clear that Karen's idea was not that far fetched. After all, each of them
had run successful businesses before they married . Erik, who earned a marketing
degree after serving in Desert Storm, had owned a string of adult family
care homes and Karen was part of a partnership that imported furniture from
Indonesia. They played around with making soy candles on their own and it
wasn't long before they realized they were onto something. After taking some
soy candle classes to learn more about the process, the couple decided to
practice more -- this time with the goal of starting their own candle
business. Rendezvous
was born.
A
Rendezvous Purpose
Karen says that they
chose "Rendezvous" as their business name because of its meaning.
"A rendezvous is a popular gathering place," says Karen. "It
also means to bring or come together." But Karen and Erik, who married
in 2001, see
themselves as more than just candle-making entrepreneurs with a catchy
business name. "We feel that our company is providing light in a world
of darkness, and not just in a physical sense. "The company was birthed
out of our love and our father and we believe that God gave us this company to be a light in the
world and to have fruit in
our lives," she says. "We want to make a difference and to
encourage people that they can have
an amazing light. There's so much darkness and evil in the world and we want to share that there's
also hope."
They chose their website domain name "it's soy.com" because those
were the words they used to tell people about their candles. People asked
what made their candles special and they said, "It's soy!"
 Karen
a
nd
and Erik donate a portion of the proceeds of their sales to different
ministry organizations, including their church,
whom they also feel are spreading the same light they are. Karen has a
special place in her heart for women who are struggling with different life
issues and hopes to expand the business to make a difference in their lives
as well. "We are not religious," she says. "Rather, we are
simply full of faith. There are times when we'll enjoying a dinner out
together and we'll just give a candle to someone
who looks like they could use a little light in their lives."
Growing
Pains
Since
launching Rendezvous in 2003, Karen and Erik have strived to make the best
candles available, packaged in unique boxes that make a spiritual statement
-- all while growing debt free. Says Erik, "We have had some huge
potential accounts approach us but we've had to turn them down so far
because we cannot meet their huge production requirements." From a home
they converted from one of the family care centers Erik previously owned,
the Candle Couple does everything themselves. Because their house was at one
time a 4,000 square foot care facility, it has 7 bedrooms. Of the 7 rooms,
Karen and Erik share one, their two elementary school aged children each have their own and the
remaining 4 bedrooms serve as "studios" for a particular function.
One is the shipping room, another the body care room. They once had a
retail store with manufacturing room, but they have since moved to their
garage, which serves as their main manufacturing hub.
Business
and Your Beloved
It sure
sounds wonderful to work all day in a family business with your spouse, but
let's face it, it's not for everyone. Karen and Erik though say they have a
special chemistry and devotion which makes it easy for them. "The
dynamics
between Karen and I are really unique," says Erik. We spend every day all day
working together, yet we maintain specific separation in terms of our
duties and responsibilities." Erik knows that this kind of lifestyle is
not for everyone, particularly couples who need their space during the
workday. "We are pretty much joined at the hip," says Karen, and
so far, it seems to be working well for them.
Karen and
Erik have learned a lot about being in business with your spouse, and they
have a lot of timely advice to offer to anyone who may be considering it.
"First, define your unique gifts," says Karen. "Once you find
your strengths, you can then define your responsibilities in the
business." Karen cautions that if in identifying your gifts you
discover that they do not lend themselves to definition of responsibilities,
you may be setting yourself up for failure." She cautions that the fact
that you may be good at a lot of things does not mean that you should do all
of those things. Says Karen, "Erik is extremely gifted in many ways,
but he can't do and be the head of everything. I often find myself telling
him that he needs to take a break. Just because we can pour candles at 10:00
at night doesn't mean that's what we should be doing. Yes, love what you do.
Be passionate about what you do, but
remember that sometimes, you just need to walk away
and go and love and be with your family."
Karen and
Erik start each day with a morning "pow wow" after the kids catch
the school bus at around 8:15. During the pow wow, they spend about 30
minutes reviewing the priorities for the day and coming to agreement about
what needs to be done, when and by whom. "I find that starting off the
day in agreement binds you together for the entire day," says Karen.
The pow wows are also a time to air any issues that might fester and later
explode if not brought to the surface quickly. "We do have some great
debates," laughs Karen. "We also leave a lot of room for love and
forgiveness as we start each day and see what God has planned for us."
Organic
Growth
 When
Rendezvous launched in 2003, candles were the only product in the line.
Recently, they launched a line of body care products. Each is scented with
Karen's unique blend and they all send a particular message. For example,
their line of "Fruit of the Spirit" candles are adapted
from a book in the New Testament of the Bible (Galatians, chapter 5).
One of their best sellers is the "Joy" fruit of the spirit, a
candle made with a combination of the aromas of strawberries and rose
geranium leaves, which also doubles as their signature scent. Another
popular candle scent is "Tiki Hut," a blend of grapefruit drizzled
in oranges. This time of year, the "Pumpkin Souffle" is popular
scent. Of course, their signature scent of . Pumpkin souffle butter pumpkin.
Karen is inspired by many things, food and wine magazines in particular.
They also
launched a line of "Travelesque" candles, reminiscent of beautiful
places in the world such as Bombay (frankincense and myrrh scent), Cape Town
(water aroma), Morocco (saffron and cedar scent) and The North Pole
(Christmas tree scent) The candles
are of course their signature product, but earlier this year, they launched
body care products and roll-on perfumes.
Oh!
The Freedom of It All!
"We
usually have about 6 uninterrupted hours during the day to work our
business," says Karen. "The kids get home from school around 3:00,
and from then until around 6:30, we all move through a mixture of business
and family life before enjoying dinner and putting the kids to bed."
"I love
being here when my kids get home from school, Karen says. "We can spend
a few hours having lunch out or stop the candle pouring to play tennis in
the middle of the afternoon if we want to. We may have to work later into
the night, but I love the freedom of being able to work inside my home. I
like eating lunch in my own kitchen whenever I want to," she adds.
Favorite
Business Book
  Says Karen,
"Right now, we are reading The Experience Economy: Work Is Theatre
& Every Business Is A Stage by B. Joseph Pine III and James H.
Gilmore. The book is about how a business
can be successful by creating an experience for the customer as a way to
reinforce a positive memory of the product. "People buy products based on
emotion,"
says Erik. "In the overall scheme of things, quality is pretty
consistent, but when you create an experience that emotionally ties people
to the product, you set your products apart and enjoy repeat business. For
example, Starbucks is
successful because of the experience, not the coffee,"
he observes.
New
Stuff
At
this time, Karen and Erik are excited about getting into custom printing.
They are targeting real estate agents who are looking for unique gifts to
give clients to celebrate the closing on a new home. They plan to offer gift
assortments with the agents photograph on them as a way to co-brand their
products and create a lasting positive impression of the agent in the mind
of the new homeowner. "We're not trying to sell a million candles to
everyone across the US," says Erik. "We really want to have a
personal relationship with our customers. We prefer to have a core group of
customers who support our company because we offer personal things that big
companies are too big to do."
Karen and Erik
also shared their excitement at being able to take advantage of HBN's new products
liability insurance program, which covers candles, to help them expand their
business into the future with confidence.
Buy
Some Now!!
Karen and
Erik envision that the future of their business lies in wholesale. They
plan to add a new website design soon and branch out to more markets. In
addition to the Rendezvous
website, you can experience their products at the Seattle
Gift Center and also at select boutiques on the west coast, including
Romanzagifts (Seattle) and Paris in Portland ((503) 620-4930).
6. Here & There: Calendar of Upcoming
HBN Sponsored Events
As always, there's a lot going on at HBN, and
our members are very busy. I'll be including this chart in upcoming issues
so everyone can stay abreast of the happening here at HBN!
| Date |
Event |
Location &
Registration |
| October 19-22, 2006 |
4-Day Soap, Bath and Body Product
Making Intensive at The Nova Studio -- check our Events
Calendar for all of The Nova Studio's upcoming classes! |
The
Nova Studio, San Francisco, CA |
| November 18, 2006 |
Introduction to Essential Oils at
Aromahead Institute. Check our Events
Calendar for all of Aromahead's upcoming aromatherapy education
classes! |
Aromahead
Institute, Sarasota, FL |
| December 5, 2006 |
How to Make Organic Body Care
Products with The Organic Beauty Expert, Andrea Kane! Check
our Events
Calendar for all of Adrea's upcoming classes! |
The
Learning Annex, San Diego, CA |
| Spring 2007 |
The Lifestyle CEO & Handmade Beauty
Network Conference (pictures
from 2006 conference) |
Charlotte, North Carolina registration
to be announced |
Best & Success!!
Donna Maria
Editor, The Handmade Beauty Connection
The Handmade Beauty Network | www.handmadebeauty.com
Copyright (c) 2000 - 2006 by
The Handmade Beauty Network (HBN) and Donna Maria. All Rights Reserved.
Unauthorized distribution or reproduction is prohibited. HBN does not
necessarily endorse any product, event or ideology featured in The Handmade
Beauty Connection (HBC) or on HBN's website. All information is provided on
an "as is" basis and no express or implied warranties are given.
Any use of the information contained in the HBC or on HBN's web site,
including recipes, is solely at your own risk. HBN and Donna Maria disclaim
any liability in connection with the use of all recipes, products reviewed
and other information. Except for sponsorships, HBC refuses compensation
from companies to feature or mention their names or products. Opinions
expressed in any Product Review are personally those of the reviewer and do
not represent the views of HBN, Donna Maria (unless she is the reviewer) or
any other person or company.
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