Making Dream Pillows

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

The Valhalla Circle

We are very excited to announce that we now have a forum!!

The Valhalla Circle is a fun community for customers, friends, fans & others of Valhalla Soap Co. to chat, learn, grow & support one another. There are a multitude of subjects to chat about that are not limited to VSC products, including General Off Topic Chat, Cooking/Recipes, Crafts, Spirituallity, Humor and more.

We are still adding more interests and would love for you to join with us in this new and exciting project. We are looking for category ideas and moderators. So please browse on over the The Valhalla Circle and join the Tribe! We look forward to seeing you soon :-)

Blessed Be!

Shameless Plug - Penny Auction!

I have a Fun Offer for everyone. Every participated in a Penny Auction? They are lots of fun.
Now is your chance to pick a Silky Shea Butter Gift Set for what might be virtually Pennies!!!
This 3 item set has-
1 Bar of Silk & Shea Butter Glycerin Soap
1 Bottle of Silk & Shea Butter Lotion
1 Jar of Silk & Shea Butter Foaming Sugar Scrub

For more details and to place your bid, go here:
http://hyenacart.com/prod_details_auction.php?id=17256&vid=3015

Thanks for looking :)

October Spotlight Sale!

For the month of October our Spotlight will be on the new fall scent “Toil & Trouble”. A dark intriguing blend of patchouli, cinnamon and cedarwood. All known for stimulating a sense of arousal and euphoria.

All products on our Spotlight Products Page are 15% Off through the month of October. You MUST purchase them from the Spotlight Products page ONLY. The discount will NOT apply if purchase from any other area of our website.




Thanks for all your support :)
Blessed Be!

Fun New Product

I've been bored out of my mind just sitting and laying around while recovering from surgery and was itching to get back into the shop. However, I'm still restricted from doing anything strenuous and cannot stand for more than a few minutes at a time.

Gold Turns to Red

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Skin Soothing Herbal Salve

Feast or Famine

As usual business is slow during the winter months. Sometimes painfully slow when everyone is suffering the effects of rapidly declining economy. And face it. Our product is not one that most would consider to me a neccesity. Most who do not know the health benefits of using naturally handmade bath soap consider it to be a luxury item that gets pushed to the back of the budget in these economic times.

Let's examine some of the reasons to consider handmade soap a regular commodity to be added to your normal shopping regimine.

NO DETERGENTS OR SYNTHETICS

These days the majority of commercial bar soap and most all liquid soap found on store shelves are actually synthetic detergents. According to the FDA, it no long fits the deffinition of "true soap".

NATURAL SKIN HYDRATING GLYCERIN

As is the way of big business, commercial soap manufacturers found a way to make and sell two products from one. When soap is made a natural occurance is the formation of Glycerin; a humectant. One molecule of glycerin is created for every three melecules of soap. So commercial soap manufacturers remove the glycerin, replacing it with synthetic ingredients. They then sell off the beneficial glycerine to pharmaceutical and cosmetic companies. Thus making double the profits from one original product. It's quite brilliant.

QUALITY CONTROL

Most handmade soap is made is smaler batches. Any where from 5 lbs to 50 lbs at a time. As opposed to thousands if not millions of pounds at a time. By making smaller batches it is much easier to control the process from mixing of oils, to molding, unmolding, cutting, etc. You can rest assured that your handmade soap was "supervised" from start to finish.

PASSION

Yes, I said passion. Handmade Soapmakers are passionate about their skill. Not only do they take classes and stay abreast of the lastest in handmade soapmaking technology. But they love what they do. Yes, one can make a decent live at it. But few do it just to make a living. I've been a soapmaker for 13 years, and soapmaker that I've met is passionate about his (yes their are men in this industry) or her skill. They just plain enjoy making soap. Learning new methods such as "Funnel" soapmaking. Yep, pouring various colors of soap through a funnel into your mold so as to achieve a certain design in the outcoming cut bars of soap.

SUPPORT

So you can buy synthetic detergent bars or bottled lyquid in the store. But your just not going to get the love and passion, and energy put into a wholesome, healthy, beautiful bar of handmade soap full of skin hydrating glycerin like you would if you purchased some great handmade soap from a skilled, passionate Soapmaker at your local Farmer's Market. Or do a web search for Soapmaker in your area. Or go to The Soap Guild and look for a Soapmaker in your state. Be patriotic. Please support local small business and buy MADE IN THE USA!

And if you live in the Greater Spokane, WA area come see us at the Community Roots Farmer's market every Sunday from 11 am till 4 pm. Mention PNN ant receive a 10% discount on your purchase!

 

Risen From the Dead

For the past month it has been deader than a doornail in the soap shop. We were so stocked up on soap that were couldn't make anymore because we simply had no room to store it. So, I went about catching up on marketing, networking and general office stuff that had been neglected. And Mary prepared for and went on her trip to see her best friend Chris. All was quiet and peaceful.

Until this week that is. We just took on two new wholesale accounts and have moved well ove 100 bars of soap and a case of candles. Needless to say, we have been cleaned out! And just a week before the Farmer's Market is to start too! Yikes!! So someplace in between building a chicken coop for my babies, and building a lean to and fencing a pasture for Mary's new baby. And putting in the garden, and the new pond, we have to get the soap shop shelves (say that 10 times fast) restocked.

Oh and we are gladly accepting volunteers to help get all of this done. *wink* Anyone game??

Clean Money

UPDATE: 8/31/08

Just wanted to post an update to this article. Since posting it here and on our Valhalla Soap Company Blog we have had a HUGE influx of requests for these soaps. Everyting from orders for just a few for Christmas gifts to 1500 for event giveaways!! And organizations wanting them for free as a fundraiser. So, let me clarify a few things.

1) We originally did this for a local group at wholesale so that they could in turn sell them at a pre-determined retail price as a fund-raising project. It is not a product that we normally offer.

2) It is a very tedious process to manufacture these. New, clean, crisp bills must be used. The FDIC only allows banks to order new bills twice a year. Several banks informed us of this information this past holiday season when we were frantically trying to get our hands on new bills. As a result of this rule, we missed the deadline for ordering bills for the 2008 season. 

3) We may decide to offer them in 2009 for the holidays at retail. We are as yet still undecided on this.

----

Our latest project is 100+ bars of money soap for a local organization that is doing a fund raiser. Of the 100 bars, four will have a $5, $10, $20, and a $50 dollar bill embedded inside. The remaining 96 bars will have $1 dollar bills embedded inside. Pictured are some of the Sea Island Grapefruit, and Waterfalls scented bars. We've also poured 20 unscented (at client's request), 16 Almond, Milk & Honey, and have Lavender, and Cucumber Melon yet to pour. Never did we think that we would find ourselves spending an afternoon rolling hundreds of dollar bills into tiny, tight tubes hoping they would not spring loose before we could tape the little beasts :) But this has been a fun project and we hope that it is a great success for our clients.

Bubble Bash

Two weeks ago Mary, Natalie & I did our first Bubble Bash. With 7 women and 2 men in attendance, the Hostess earned 20% off her order plus a $25 Gift Basket. I'd say it was a huge success.

What is a Bubble Bash? It is program that we have been developing for quite some time now. Think Tupperware, Home Interiors, and many other popular Hostess/Catalog type parties. Hostesses receive a percentage off their order according to how many party/catalog sales they have. Plus when they reach a certain amount in sales they start earning Free Product. Here are the details:

Host a VSC Bubble Bash and Earn Free Products

I'm sure you are familiar with how these parties work. You've probably attended most of the popular catalog parties and filled your cabinets with air tight dishes, your book shelves with snazzy memory filled photo albums, and your mantels with enchanting candles. So, why not fill your bath with BUBBLES!!!?? Your shower with soothing AROMATHERAPY!!!??

Here's how it works:

You host a VSC Bubble Bash at your house/chosen location. Invite your friends, refer them to our website ahead of time so they can Pre-Shop** Make it an inviting event, serve some simple snacks and drinks or make it a "finger-food pot-luck". Provide an "Ice Breaker" game or two and we will provide the prizes. It doesn't have to be expensive, just warm, inviting, relaxed and FUN. Key word here is FUN! Encourage your guests to bring a friend. If they do, your guest AND their friend will get a FREE gift.

What does a Hostess earn?

~Party Sales Chart~

$50 - $100 = 10% Off Your Order
$101- $150 = 15% Off Your Order
$151 - $250 = 20% Off Your Order + Gift Bag Valued at $25
$251 & Up = 25% Off Your Order + Gift Bag Valued at $35


All orders received from your Bubble Bash event will be delivered to you the Hostess. It is then your responsibility to call your guests and make arrangements with them for pick-up. A Valhalla Soap Company Representative will follow-up with you in a few weeks to make sure that your Bubble Bash was a success for you and your guests.


NOTE: Some Body Care Products are made to order so that we may assure that you and your guests receive the freshest products possible.

**A printable order form can be downloaded from our website at www.valhallasoap.com. You will find it in the top right hand corner.


That's it, simple as can be and lots of fun :) At this time Bubble Bash event's are only available in the greater Spokane, WA (Deer Park & Newport) and Priest River, ID areas. However, we are working on a program that will allow anyone in the U.S. to host a Bubble Bash Catalog Party. So stay tuned for more details :)

New Soaps

We have been busy in the Soap Shop! With 6 new soaps on the drying racks. We've run out of drying space and have been clearing off shelves of other non-important stuff to make room.

New Old World Soaps

• Lemongrass Ginger
• Pirates Bounty
• Waterblossom Ivy (reformulated)

New Silk & Shea Soaps

• Amber Myrrh
• Lacey's Garden with French Clay

New Hemp Soaps

• Bergamot
• Dragon's Blood

These still have another week or so drying time, but will be on the website soon. We are now working on Valentine's Day Gift Bags. they will be on site within the next two days. I'll post pics soon.

Goddess of Spreadsheets?

We got a brief rest during the holidays and now we are back to work. But now it is Inventory and Tax time. Uhg!! In years past it has been a nightmare for me. Everything done on paper and countless hours spent at the dinning room table with Cambridge 12 Column Pads and an adding machine. At the 11th hour (the night before the appt. w/accountant) you would find me bleary eyed, grouchy, buried in adding machine tape trying to figure out why the end of month column didn't add up right for July.
Enter Mary......the Goddess of Spreadsheets !!!! Thanks to her brilliant talent we have been getting our Inventory, Sales, Expenses, EVERYTHING!!! on Spreadsheets. It's almost all done. And the appointment with the accountant isn't until Feb. 21st. Hooray!