Thirty-one

So glad to be back selling Thirty-One bags and totes again. Based on the scripture Proverbs 31. I love that it's a bible based business. I love, love, love these totes and bags. I admit to copying and pasting here but the scripture remains the same.

https://www.mythirtyone.com/RaeMcLaren/

Proverbs 31:10-31

King James Version (KJV)

10 Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.
11 The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil.
12 She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life.
13 She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands.
14 She is like the merchants' ships; she bringeth her food from afar.
15 She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens.
16 She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard.
17 She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms.
18 She perceiveth that her merchandise is good: her candle goeth not out by night.
19 She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff.
20 She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy.
21 She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for all her household are clothed with scarlet.
22 She maketh herself coverings of tapestry; her clothing is silk and purple.
23 Her husband is known in the gates, when he sitteth among the elders of the land.
24 She maketh fine linen, and selleth it; and delivereth girdles unto the merchant.
25 Strength and honour are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come.
26 She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness.
27 She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness.
28 Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her.
29 Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all.
30 Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised.
31 Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates.

The Makers of Nyquil Thank You

Keep your stinky, icky nasty germs to yourself, Here's how:

1. Wash your hands. There's a reason it's called universal precaution. Use soap and water for at least 20 seconds and scrub. Sometimes you can't be near soap and water so carry a good sanitizer. I'm a huge fan of Germ-X

2. Cover your mouth and nose with the crook of your arm or a tissue or handkerchief. It blows me away how many people sneeze and cough right out into the open air! Manners people!!! Besides, it's disgusting!

3. Disinfect your house, your area, your work space. Do it with Lysol, bleach, vinegar, what ever. Especially at work and school where people are right behind you at every turn.

4. Use disposable things, like towels, cups, etc. That way it isn't laying around where any one can just pick it up. Homes with little hands that grab at things, we don't want our little sugar plums sick.

5. Take care of yourself. Plain and simple. Get plenty of rest, lots of vitamins and vitamin C. You've often heard it said, "How can you take care of others if you don't take care of yourself?"

Obviously, we're going to get sick at some point. I understand that, but by following these very simple things we can lessen the potential spread of those icky, nasty germs.

Thirty-One

I'm so excited. I have become a Thirty-One consultant again. I love, love, love their bags! Looking forward to this second and hopefully successful go 'round

Not Bad For A Crazy Woman

I did my first batch of real candles, with scents and dyes and everything. I have to say I am very impressed with the outcome.  Before you start, heat your oven to about 120. I just turned mine on warm. Put your jars on a cookie sheet and put them in the oven. You don't want to pour hot wax into cold jars. Leave them in there while the wax melts. I took them out as needed. On warm they shouldn't be too hot but still be careful

Ten pounds of soy

Very easy to work with

Use about a pound and put it in your pouring pot. Don't forget to use a pan you won't really care what happens to it. Fill it with about 2-3 inches of water and you have a double boiler

Lavender dye in the wax. Heating to between 160 and 180 degrees. (Add your dye and fragrance oil after it is melted. You will need approximately 1 oz of fragrance oil per pound of soy and shavings or drops of dye. Play with it til you get the color you want.)

Add your glue dot to the bottom of the wick

Use a straw to put the wick in and give it a firmer press to the bottom of the jar

Use a wick bar to keep the wick centered and pour your wax

Once you know the wick will be stable you can remove the wick bar and cut the wick to about a quarter inch. Put a lid on them and let them cure about a week before you light them.

Pictured is Blueberry and Apple n' Peel. I also made Autumn Harvest and Coconut milk with kiwi and lavender.

Autumn Is Here!

Autumn Harvest fragrance oil, that is! I can't wait to get in the kitchen and start playing with my candles.

Stay tuned. Pictures of the process to come later today.

Happy First Sunday Of Fall

Good Sunday morning my little ducklings. I've missed you so. The antivirus ran out on my laptop so it was time to renew. Some (as my grandson would say) stoopie website connected itself to my computer and I can't get rid of it. I stayed off of the computer as much as I possibly could, so as not to get a bad virus. Kind of hard to blog from your phone or Kindle Fire.

At any rate, I finally got my candle making kit from Lonestar Candle Company. I am so excited. I will be a candle making fool tomorrow. I was a little disappointed, though because it is missing one of the scents I ordered. Now I am waiting for three of them to get here.

I am using soy this time so I really think I am going to have better results with this batch. I am not really impressed with beeswax for candles. I have quite a bit of old candle making supplies that I think I will just get rid of and start fresh.

So until tomorrow, have a wonderfully wonderful first Sunday of fall

WOOOHOOO!

I'm like a little ole kid in a candy store or a happy kid on Christmas morning...call it any cliche you want to call it but I got my candle making kit today. They aren't necessarily the scents I would have chosen, but hey, any reason to play with hot wax and burners, I'll take it.

I have my candle testers ready so they can test the burn time and the strength of the scent. I am so ready to market these babies. The closer I get to making these and selling them the more excited and impatient I get.

I'm still trying to get my Washington State Business license set up and to find out if the name I have chosen has been taken but other than that, that's all that's left to do and I can really start getting in to the craft.

There are so many things I want to try. Styles, scents, shapes, designs...it's endless. Just when I think I want to try one thing, I see something else. It's been a long time since I have found a hobby that I am this excited over.

I can't wait to see what happens next!

Frustration

I am trying to get everything registered so I can start experimenting and building my business. I'm trying to register and apply for everything online and the darn Washington State licensing site won't let me sign in! I just want to get this done so when I am ready everything is in place.

Sheer frustration! I've vented now. Back to work

Hemp Rope Vase

I decided to be creative and I think for a first attempt it turned out really well. I used an instant coffee jar, 45 ft of hemp rope, tacky glue and some ribbon and bric-a-brac I had laying around. Very simple, I wrapped the rope around the jar, securing it with glue, made ribbons and attached the flowers

Please forgive the copy and paste font. That's exactly what I did after I typed out the directions on my Facebook page.

Materials needed:

Hemp rope- I used 45 feed I ordered from Amazon
Any type of jar-I used a Suave instant coffee jar
Tacky glue-That is what it's called. You can get it in any craft section or craft store
Any type of ribbon or beads of your choosing

The key to this craft is patience. I started at the top, because for me it is easier. My mom suggested starting at the bottom because, if you run out of rope you can cover it if you run out easier. I started by gluing at the top and holding the rope down inch by inch until I got a really good groove going. Once I was able to start on the base of the jar, I glued about a half inch wide zig-zag all the way around and wound the rope tightly against the next row. Keep doing this until you reach the bottom. Once you see the bottom has a tight hold then you can let it go and begin attaching the accessories. I used ribbon so it would cover that last 1/4 in that I ran out of rope.

 I didn't realize the picture didn't turn out well but you get the idea.

Way Excited!

I am waiting impatiently for my candle making kit. I can smell the autumn harvest fragrance oil now. It has all the essentials I need to make really awesome candles.

On another note, I still think my lip balms are too waxy. I get some who like them that way and others who want them smoother. I have done as much research as I possibly can find on the subject and have tried everything but can't get it any smoother. Looks like I need to find another group to join...

Switching It Up A Little

Finally found some time to make some lip balms. I made tangerine, tropical punch, pineapple and peppermint. I think my last batch was a little too waxy so I added another teaspoon of almond oil.

You will need a small saucepan or deep skillet that you won't mind getting messy.
Glass jars with lids or a small glass measuring cup
Lip balm tubes or jars.
Something to protect your counter top

Fill the pan about halfway with water. Make sure when you put the jar in the pan, the water only reaches about halfway up the jar.

In a glass jar with a lid (I use a small glass measuring cup) combine:

4 teaspoons beeswax
2 teaspoons shea butter
3 teaspoons almond oil (for a glossier balm, add another 1 1/2 tsp)
Flavored oil (I use LorAnn Gourmet Flavoring)

Make sure you use Flavored oil and not essential oil. There is a difference

I use an electric stove so I put the the burner on medium heat and let the ingredients melt slowly. While the ingredients melt put the lid on the jar loosely. The only reason for this is if you choose to shake the jar after you add the flavor oil. I prefer to stir it.

Once the ingredients are melted together add 1/4 teaspoon of any flavor oil. Remember to use oil and not extract. The old adage, "Oil and water don't mix" applies here. If you choose the jar method, tighten the lid and shake vigorously. If you choose the measuring cup like I do, use a wooden stir stick or chopstick and stir really well.

All that is left to do is slowly pour into your tubes or jars.

It's a really good idea to let them cool and solidify for 24 hours before use.

Once you are finished, wipe your jars as clean as you possibly can and wash by hand in extremely hot water. Sink drains don't like beeswax.

There you have it. Enjoy

I use a silicone ice cube tray to stand my tubes

 Got a little sloppy on the pour.

I'm So EXCITED!!!

I can hardly stand myself right now. I am getting everything set to start my new phase in life. I HAVE AN ACTUAL DOMAIN NAME AND PAYPAL ACCOUNT!!!!! Sorry for yelling, haha. I am working on getting the name for my business licensed in Washington and all the tax junk taken care of. It's the next step in achieving a goal I have set for myself. It may not make a lot of money and it may not even take off, but, ya know what? I can say I gave it my best shot!

I can't wait to see what comes next!

Let The Lessons Begin

I am really amazed at all the different ways there are to make candles. My dabbling is nothing. I began doing my homework on candle making, joined a few websites and started reading books. The more I looked, the more I thought, "WOW! I need to learn to make those!"

I saw gel votive candles, and Root Beer floats, sundaes, ocean motifs and sand design. I don't even know where to start. I know I need to start with the easiest. I need to learn flash points, and which fragrance oils are the best and where the best place is to buy supplies. How much fragrance do I use for the best scents? It's overwhelming.

One thing is for sure, I want to learn and I hope mine are as nice as the ones I see online and in books.

Have a beautiful Sunday. It's time to do more homework

Lots To Think About

I talked to someone today about all the things involved in creating your own business. What you should do, what you shouldn't do, what you need, what you don't need. How you should go about getting there and what steps you should take. So very much to wrap my head around and having only 8 months to make it a reality, per my one year plan. I thank God for supportive family. They may think my ideas are far fetched or outrageous, but one thing is for sure, they stand by me and cheer me on even when they think it's another OH BROTHER idea. When I have a set goal, I intend to achieve that goal. I have with every goal I have set for myself. Call it what you will. Stubborn-ness, tenacity, whatever...

When I talked to this friend today, she kind of toned me back on what my plans were. I was wanting to do too much. Basically, I feel like, had I not talked to her I would have definitely set myself up for failure.

I certainly hope you will join me for the ride I am about to embark on and follow me each step of the way, for my triumphs and my failures, as I am sure there will be a little bit of both.

 Thank you if you chose to follow my journey

The Next Step

I've really been thinking long and hard about financial independence. Don't get me wrong, I love what I do, but I don't love the stress. I've worked for this company for 7 years but I am really feeling the need to make an impact on lives in some other way. I also want to be able to get up in the morning to get a cup of coffee and look around and not feel like my apartment exploded because I haven't cleaned in a week. I want to be able to take a vacation or a weekend trip with out having to ask my boss for permission. I want to do something Christian based. The impact I want to make is to let people know God loves them. I began looking online and am considering getting a Washington State Reseller License. It's free, so why not? If I'm not selling, I don't pay taxes, haha. Then, I am going to begin looking for bulk items and things to resell.

I have a 1 year plan. I only have 8 months to go. Here's my problem. I don't know what to do. I have very little money to put down to buy. I have a pretty solid idea of what I want to sell. Then the next problem is where do I sell? Do I create on online store and ship from home? I've tried everything that appeals to me and have only met with failure. It's obvious I haven't found the right thing, yet. Do I sell trinkets, Bibles, books, music, etc? I have a lot of research, thinking and praying to do. Advice is welcome, as well.