February is "Love Movie Month"

My husband and I subscribe to Blockbuster online, which is kind of like Netflix...same concept.  At any rate, he jokes that he is able to control very few things in our household.  Therefore, he gets to control our "movie queue".  Since he's a pretty good husband (wink wink), he devotes February to "love movies" just for me!  I think he secretly likes some of the romantic comedies out there, but shhhhh....don't tell!  We actually started watching our February movies a little early this year.

Here are a few movies that I would recommend:

1. Definitely, Maybe is at the TOP of my list.  It was soooo cute! 

2. The Proposal another hilarious flick! Can you tell that I like Ryan Reynolds??

3. Knocked Up Adorable~love Seth Rogen to pieces!

4. Juno Heartwarming and witty!

5. The Ugly Truth Love that guy, too!

Sooo, grab your sweetie (or BFF), a snack, a glass of wine and curl up in a warm blanket for "Love Movie Month"!

Get it done Friday!

Do you ever feel like you are going in a million different places, but you know you are still on the right track?  It's such a weird feeling!  I have been scouring blogs, websites, magazines in search of ideas and direction for our candle biz!  In order to hold myself accountable, I decided I would post 10 goals to the blog.  Periodically, I will go back to review this list and update our accomplishments.

1. Create a business plan.  SCORE is a wonderful resource for direction on a business plan.

2. Take a photography class.  Legacy Pics is holding a class on Feb 19th, so I will be able to cross this one off my list very soon!

3. Get organized!  I will update my biz records monthly---I have decided to set aside the 1st Monday of every month for this activity.

4. Send applications for 2 new festivals.  I think we'll try The Pork Festival and the Yellow Springs Street Fair.

5.  Wholesale Wholesale Wholesale!  Our goal is to get our products in 6 retail stores this year.  I have already received some amazing tips from Justine, the Handmade Marketer.

6. Ensure our product pricing is correct.

7. Get some Etsy sales!  We've had 5, and I am extremely thankful for those sales. However, I would like to sell a minimum of 5 items per month.

8. Blog weekly....I will try to blog a little more frequently, but I know I can post weekly.  In addition to the blogging, I am going to try and find interesting topics.  I certainly don't want to bore my readers!

9. Create fun and elegant products for our upcoming bridal show!

10. Finally, recognize our accomplishments!

Oh, and just a little plug for myself....these are my new handmade Valentine's Day Cards!  You can purchase one for your sweetie at Simply Scrappee.  My new Etsy shop was inspired by a personal goal---scrapbook my wedding & honeymoon from 2006---LOL!  

Tax Time.....eck!

Today is Saturday, and it's our busy shopping day at the 2nd Street Market.  I am trying to balance sales and tax entries into my Quicken program.  I am asking myself (for the second year in a row) WHY I did not make these entries on a monthly basis.  I have completed my entries for Jan through March and my brain is fried.  It looks like I will be working on this tomorrow, as well.  I tried to give myself a deadline of 1/31 and I am determined to meet it!

As a side note, our sales have been pretty good today!  I think people are starting to get out and shop again, which is a blessing since our rent is due soon.  LOL

I have been daydreaming about our next endeavor...The Dayton Bridal Expo.  I have another wonderful Etsy friend that has been designing labels for our candles.  She recently designed a template for us to use for our wedding favors.  I can't wait to get started on these! :)  If you need anything, contact Grain on Etsy.

Well, back to work!  I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

I almost forgot!

I can't believe I almost forgot to do this!  I wanted to post a great big THANK YOU to Heather at The Buzz for helping with my ad button.  Not only did she create the perfect button for our store, she did it for free!  I just wanted to let everyone know how wonderful and helpful she has been to our shop! :)

Shabby Chic Sunshine Bouquet

Sunshine and Dreams

Sunshine and Dreams

SunShine Handspun Happiness

Friday Features - Sunshine

Happy Friday to all you hard working peeps out there!  My features for today are a result of the LACK in sunshine we are experiencing in Dayton, Ohio!  Usually, I am not affected by the weather, but after a week of NO SUNSHINE, I think I am going to lose it!  Well, not really.....at any rate, let's hope these features add a little burst of light to our day!  

New Signature...will it work???

Love is...

I stumbled across this blog while searching for free banners (of all things)?  It was a gentle reminder to appreciate life in it's simplest form.  Love is.....http://perchedonawhim.com/

TGIF!

TGIF!  Really, though, I don't think about Friday as often as I used to....I left my full time job in October 2009 to pursue a career in real estate~whew, that's a tough one to build.  My true passion is our candle business, of course.  We have a small shop in a local Farmer's market and I actually look forward to working at the market each week.  We are open Thurs & Fri 11-3 and Sat 8-3.  The market is full of energy, especially on Saturday mornings!  For this reason, I don't think about Friday in the same context.  However, I know my husband and stepson are always ready for the weekend, so I try and remember that Friday is still a pretty cool day of the week...

Here's a link to our market website  http://www.metroparks.org/Parks/SecondStreetMarket/Home.aspx
If you have a similar shopping experience in your city, I strongly encourage you to check it out!  I have always been a "mall shopper", but I am slowly moving towards the "other side" (whatever that is)! LOL   

Speaking of the market, I need to get my day ready!  Praying for lots of sales...even on a dreary day like today. :)

Here are a couple more pics!

New Pictures!

I think the photo box works!  Yeah!  Here's a link to the blog that I followed  http://strobist.blogspot.com/2006/07/how-to-diy-10-macro-photo-studio.html

It was soooo easy!  I took a ton of pictures and then edited the color a little bit.  Now, I realize I am not an expert, but I really think they look a lot better.  :)  Next step, add them to the website!  http://www.starwickcandles.etsy.com/

Before the photo box!

World of Blogs

Soooo, I am supposed to be blogging, but I have become addicted to reading everyone else's blog.  I am not actually following that many blogs, but I end up reading blogs that my favorites are following! It's so much fun!  I stumbled upon the cutest picture EVER on Etsy---a must have for me!  Check it out: Good Thing Print.....

Over the weekend, I made my new photo box.  My goal is to get some better pictures of our products on the website, so I am hoping I can accomplish that task throughout the week.  Jen made some of our new essential oil candles---lemon and peppermint!  Yummy!

Sampler Village

Well, my goal is to blog every morning, and I have already fallen behind! Thanks to Mammalicious Finds, I came across an opportunity to share our products with the Sampler Village. Check them out at www.samplervillage.com! We are going to provide samples of our tea lights and votives for the March sampler...just in time for our spring preview! I will post more information as we get closer to our sampler date.

I am super excited to share our new aromatherapy line with everyone! We were asked to fill an order for a local customer, which led to research on essential oils. These oils are amazing! We currently use all natural soybean wax, so the essential oils produce a safe, completely natural product. To date, we have made lavender, eucalyptus, cinnamon leaf and sandalwood. A local massage therapist suggested a few additional scents, so we can't wait to test our newbies~lemon and peppermint. Yummy!

Today I am working at our storefront at the 2nd Street Market. The snow is still falling and people are happily eating, shopping & drinking their warm beverages. :) It's a good day......

Snow Dayz

The snow has been falling all day, which has inspired me to get on the ball and create my new blog! I am calling this blog "Candles and Caffeine" because I plan to start each day with a cup of coffee and my random thoughts, ideas and plans for Starwick Candles!

Let me introduce myself...my name is Cathy. I looovvve coffee and I am the proud co-owner of Starwick Candles. We just completed our second year in business, which to my biz partner and me, is a pretty big accomplishment! During the last couple of years, we have participated in local festivals and craft bazaars~our little business is blooming! In July 2009, we opened a small shop at a local farmer's market in Dayton, Ohio. Check out our website at www.realliving.com/cathy.dean/thinklocal.asp!

Oh, so I guess you want to know about our products, as well! We make candles and lotion bars with all natural soybean wax. Jen, my candle buddy (aka lifeline/biz partner), is the candle maker! She is the blood, sweat and tears behind each finished product. Our newest endeavor for spring 2010, a bridal show! Time to get our creative juices flowing...