I just thought I would touch base and let everyone know that things are going well, and getting better.  I am over most of the HORRID sickness of the first and second tri-mesters, and am caotiously rolling through my fifth month – tic tacs in tow. (yes, I MUST have one in my mouth ALMOST all the time..  :>)   Hubby and kids are being SO very helpful, I am grateful for them!  I am slowly getting back to cooking (the smells made me puke), cleaning (the smells made me puke), and general home-making (the smells made me puke!) LOL!

the BIG NEWS is that we finally know the gender of baby#3..  We did an awesome gender cake reveal. It was so much fun!  Dear daughter celebrated her 8th birthday, and hubby had the baker make the filling of her birthday cake either blue or pink, so everyone found out when we did – as we cut the cake!!  In THIS case, the filling was BLUE, and we’ll be adding a little BOY to the family!  :)  Exciting for daughter, because this means she’ll be getting her own room!

On the business front, tiny update says that Carlton Farms in Rockmart, and Designer Antiques at the Avenue at West Cobb, Marietta have both recently been stocked with a new batch of Grandpas Woodshop.  Slowly but surely, small batches of soap are being made, right now, mostly to keep small retail availability possible for you, my dear customers.  As always, being a small family business,  “family first”.. so for now, I’ll continue avoiding essential oils throughout pregnancy, and doing my best to facilitate family life around here. The shop will re-open in a few months, but for now.. baby making is first priority, and we cant WAIT to return to the good ole land of soapmaking!  :)

How do YOU deal with enormous muti-tasking ?  Do you have a system in place that works wonders for your heavy schedule of responsibilities?

Before you read it though, I have to tell you what’s coming..  look for our new spring and mother’s day challenges.  We will also be adding body butters in 6 other varieties -Almond Butter, Lavender, Baby Powder, Rose Geranium & Vanilla cream!  AND, we will also be adding  SOLID skin fragrances (an all natural alternative to perfumes) – mmm!  can’t wait on those!  I have a Ylang, Ylang and a rosewood in mind – heavenly!   Alright, enough of my yammerin’, check out the new product (and the new limerick!)  ;)

O’Malley’s Peppermint Clove Whipped Body Butter

O’Malley, A leprechaun true
had problems with his wooden shoes.
They chaffed his wee heels,
and made his skin peel.
What was poor O’Malley to do?

With a head and mug full of ale,
he tripped off to check his email!
He scrolled all through the ads,
with their silly do-dads,
but all of their remedies failed.

Then, while surfing the web that same night,
O’Malley found to his delight,
a site he felt sure,
that might give him a cure
to his terrible skin peeling plight!

Fullearth’s “e” “t” “c” was it’s name,
and natural skin care was it’s game.
Filled with all sorts of charms,
healing butters and balms,
“No fake stuff” was it’s claim to fame.

There he found soaps made of Shea,
lip balms that were made the same way,
salt scrubs with anise,
a veritable feast
of almond and clove oils, “hurray!”

Then with a wee happy shudder,
he stumbled across body butter!!
Just right for his heels,
They’d no longer peel!!
To this day, he uses no other!

Fun!

]]> http://www.fullearthsetc.com/2010/02/new-things-to-come/feed/ 0 http://www.fullearthsetc.com/2010/02/change-exciting/ http://www.fullearthsetc.com/2010/02/change-exciting/#comments Wed, 03 Feb 2010 07:53:49 +0000 admin http://www.fullearthsetc.com/?p=871 Are changes, both expected, and unexpected, supposed to be exciting!!??  not sure. :)  I feel so many changes coming for my business.. and I’m so not certain how to feel about them.  One thing I have decided ~ is to blog MORE!  If my customers can be faithful to my product line, than I can certainly be faithful in letting them know all of the ins and outs of my business.  I think change is an uncomfortable place to be sometimes.. I’ve been feeling the dis-comfort that can come with change, and especially tonight for some reason, I have the most exuberant butterflies in my tummy.. not for any specific thing that I can think of, but for the entire gamut of events that will unfold this year.  Am I ready?  I better be! whoooo… breathe.

Up until now, I have been working on the dining room table, and my kitchen counter, where I weigh my oils and cook my soap. ALL of my supplies – soapmaking, packaging, shipping, accessories – all of it, has been stored in stacks in this corner, awaiting a basement re-do. Well, the basement re-do is taking a little longer then expected and my inspiration was beginning to wane! I woke up this morning with a beautiful soap project in mind, and couldn’t bear the thought of doing it amongst the chaos, so…

partially painted table...

Tada, i found an old furniture piece in the basement that seemed to work fine in the space, and even had a shelf along the bottom! A few baskets and crates, and a rolling 3 drawer unit and there is a place for everything! We thought it needed a little sprucing up, so a little paint and a logo stamp and it’s perfect! I LOVE the view out of the back window!!

ahhhhhhh, and NOW i can make some soap! ;)

The name actually was born through this little guy, the SoapWort herb.   I started making soap when we began thinking about having our first baby.  I didn’t want to use any of the chemical laden bath products on the market, even the “baby” products by huge companies like Jonson & Johnson’s (read more here! HUGE disappointment!)  This being 10 years ago, there weren’t very many options available to me, so I ventured into making my own.

Fuller's herb ~ our inspiration...

I went into business after the making of free soap for family and friends became a bit cost prohibitive.  I needed a way to “support” my habit, and starting a small business doing what I already love to do, seemed to be the way to go.  I digress..

As I searched for a company name, I came across the soapwort herb in the bible, it’s called Fuller’s Herb.  So, what does this herb have to do with soap making?  To me, Fuller’s Herb was the very first “soap” on the free market!  A natural herb that LATHERS!!!! It was used by many as a mild skin soap, and laundry wash for delicate fabrics.   I paired the fuller’s herb name with the bounty of the earth that is used in creating our product line, and came up with Fullearth’s.  It has been with us ever since!

...our artists rendition of the Fuller's flower!

In other related news (ha! I’ve always wanted to say that!), we have long been seeking to add to our company colors to emphasis the fact that our wholesome, organic handcrafted soaps, bath and body items are gender neutral in nature and not just for the ladies!  Many men have discovered the unbelievable advantages of our product already, but we believe that the little pink flower may be throwing some off!  LOL

So, we’ve come up with a pallette of corporate colors that holds true to the earthy, organic nature of our product line, by capturing the colors of the perfect little fuller’s flower sitting on an earthy, rustic mountainside.  What do you think?  Leave a comment and let us know!

we LOVE colourlovers.com for color inspiration and palette play!

…and, last but not least!!!! {{drumroll please}}}  Have you seen our new Etsy Shop header?  Now, granted, the new company colors have not yet been incorporated, but we think this header does a great job of showcasing some of the product line, and gives the shop a cleaner, brighter, more airy feel.  Head on over and check it out!

Stay tuned folks, there is MORE to come.. and an exciting new addition to our line in just a few short weeks.  I am VERY excited about this, but you’ll have to hang in there with me, until I’m at liberty to spill…

We talked about chemicals in the skincare products  so many of us use, and love (including baby products), and shared a few easy peasy recipes to get the listeners started!  You can hear it HERE or by clicking on the radio below!

Click Here To Listen!

If you’re interested in some of the recipes we talked about, Visit Happy Housewives Club for the:  Fullearths Natural Skin Care Article & Recipes,   Fullearths Baby Powder Article & Recipe and  Fullearths Tooth Powder Article & Recipe

]]> http://www.fullearthsetc.com/2009/04/darla-on-the-radio-interviews-fullearthsetc/feed/ 0 http://www.fullearthsetc.com/2009/04/fullearths-etc-on-the-darla-shine-radio-show/ http://www.fullearthsetc.com/2009/04/fullearths-etc-on-the-darla-shine-radio-show/#comments Sat, 04 Apr 2009 12:15:58 +0000 admin http://fullearthsetc.com/blog/?p=328

Yes, I have good news!  For those of you who listen the the nationally syndicated Darla Shine Show, I will be interviewed today, at about 2:30 EST. Check out the website for station listings, or listen live on the webiste. If you miss it though, it’s ok, there will be a few encores both today, and tomorrow, and it will be on itunes in a couple of days!  It’s very exciting, and somewhat nerve racking, since I ‘ve never done anything like this before, but I think it will be VERY fun!  

If you haven’t already, check out Darla’s website, Happy Housewives Club, named after her amazing book, Happy Housewives: I Was a Whining, Miserable, Desperate Housewife–But I Finally Snapped Out of It…You Can, Too! , this book wa a life-saver for me!  
I think we’ll be touching on 2 very important topics: 

Part 1 of The Chemicals in Skincare Series , Part 2 - Parabens, Phthlates, SLS’s! , Part 3 - 3 easy ways to avoid consuming chemicals through your skin.

and

Formaldehyde in Baby Products

Have a Great weekend! 

Naturally.  It’s all about skin.

If your job often makes you feel tired, burned out, or stressed to the max, try a new bathrobe on for size. February 9, 2009 is the seventh annual “Doing Business in Your Bathrobe Day,” a time to celebrate the freedom home business ownership offers people. Everyday an increasing amount of working parents are waving goodbye to the pressures of the corporate rat race and settling into a more balanced and better quality of life…working from home.

Working in my Bathrobe in my Dallas, GA kitchen.

I have been working from home in Dallas, Ga since 1999, providing 100% natural handmade soap, bath & body products-and most recently, handknit gifts. It’s comforting to know that if you do make the decision to work from home, that there are numerous online organizations and events, like this one, that bring together work-at-home moms from all over the country. 

Kristie Tamsevicius, co-founder of Webmomz.com, a site that empowers women who have chosen to work from home, views having a home business as the ultimate life balancer. “Some people may think that living and working under the same roof creates more stress, but in fact, just the opposite is true. Working from home gives you the freedom to schedule your work around your life, rather than the other way around. That way you can create a life that you truly love.”

And the home business bug isn’t just biting American workers. People in England, Australia, Canada, Ireland, and New Zealand are celebrating the power of the bathrobe and taking control of their workday and financial future.

Considering that the average worker spends up to 12 hours a day focused on work-related activities, often skipping lunch due to job demands, it’s no wonder that many people feel out of balance. So for the millions of people who have dreamed about a home based business and the opportunity to finally have some life balance, February 9, 2009 may be the perfect day to celebrate the entrepreneurial spirit and map out a new business plan—one that makes the bathrobe your power suit.

On the day, Webmomz.com will hold a random drawing for a bathrobe and a host of other prizes. Register online at www.businessinyourbathrobeday.com.

Additional information on the festivities planned for the day and about the WebMomz prizes can be found at www.webmomz.com or by contacting Kristie Tamsevicius at 847-244-8450.