Cool Beans!!!

Good morning, boys and girls. Today we are going to be talking about the Four C’s. No, we’re not discussing diamonds, but something WAY more important!

1. Coffee
2. Caffeine
3. Cellulite
4. Cancer
5. Cindy Crawford (okay, let’s make that 5, no.. 6 C’s)

Here we go….

Coffee scrubs have become the rage among the skin care industry for its unique properties to exfoliate, reduce the visible signs of cellulite, soothe, deodorize and heal the skin, our largest organ.

Caffeine is known to tone and firm skin. When applied topically, caffeine may help redistribute fat cells and decrease the formulation of cellulite. It also may aid in tightening and shrinking blood vessels.

Supermodel Cindy Crawford reportedly uses coffee grounds on her thighs, to reduce the appearance of cellulite. I don’t know about you guys, but I’m comforted by the knowledge that she actually HAS cellulite. (On a semi-related note, Christy Brinkley uses kitty litter as a facial exfoliant. Since she’s 54, and looks 34, she must be doing something right.)

Caffeine is also a powerful anti-oxidant that has been shown to prevent skin cancer caused by UV radiation. Recent reports by scientists at Rutgers University, and University of Washington, conclude that applying caffeine to your skin can actually REVERSE skin damage.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/354233_coffeeskin08.html

Pretty impressive findings for a little bean that grows on a tree, but nature provides us with all kinds of botanical benefits. We just need to learn how to use them wisely!

Okay, class, the lesson is over, but we MAY have a pop quiz later.

Cool Beans is just an amazing scrub. For the first time, I can say that I am addicted to coffee. Of all of the scrubs that I have used in my life, including the expensive department store ones, this is by FAR my favorite. It leaves my skin super soft.

The first time I gave it a try I thought it was wonderful. The oils soaked into my skin quickly and there was no greasy after feel. When the warm water of the shower/bath started to "brew" the coffee, the aroma was unbelievable. Just writing about it makes me want to go shower. :)

Cool Beans will invigorate your senses as it smoothes your skin. Isn’t it time you gave your body a wake-up call?

p.s. This is also great as a hand scrub to keep in the kitchen! Due to the freshly ground coffee in this scrub, it is wonderful at removing odors from the hands after cooking! (onions, garlic, etc.)

When I fight authority, authority always wins.....

I’ve always been a fan of Bath and Body Works’ Cucumber Melon products. I just love that scent. So, I was thrilled to find a Cucumber Melon fragrance oil for my scrubs and body butters!

If you’ve looked at any of my other products, you’ll see that I like to come up with goofy, generally music themed names for my scrubs. When I was thinking of a name for this one, I immediately thought.... John Cucumber Meloncamp. I told Reid. He laughed and said, "I love it!". I told a friend, and she laughed and said, "OMG That’s exactly what I was thinking! I love it!"


So, a little ditty about John Cucumber Meloncamp Moisturizing Body Scrub.....

Maria was more than a little bit stressed. She had a big meeting tomorrow with Jack and Diane, and right now, she just needed a hand to hold on to. She was born in a pink house in a small town, and with the pressures of the city, everything was crumbling down.

It was going to be a lonely ol’ night, she knew that, but she was counting on her new John Cucumber Meloncamp scrub to help her get a leg up on her problems. Its mild, yet delightfully sweet-smelling combination of cucumber and honeydew melon would make her troubles go away like paper in fire.

She’d go back to fighting authority tomorrow. Right now, it was time to relax.

Still laughing...

Okay, I last blogged about my coffee scrub, Cool Beans. Whenever I create a new scrub, I use it for several days in the shower. Since I don't want to waste a jar on a non-paying customer, I usually just scoop it into a Ziploc baggy, and take it in the shower with me. A few days ago, I put some of the coffee scrub in a Gladware container, instead. So, I used it, and I LOVED it. I think I've already mentioned that. :) Since you don't really need to use much of the scrub, I had quite a bit of it left after my shower. I left the Gladware on the edge of the tub.

Anyway, later that night, I hear Reid call out from the bathroom. "Hey, baby? Did you...uhmmm....take... taco meat into the shower?"

I almost couldn't answer him, I was laughing so hard.

Wake me up, before you go go!

What has me singing Wham songs on this lovely Saturday afternoon? My coffee scrub, of course. I am SO thrilled with it. I absolutely LOVE the smell of coffee, and guess what?! When you put lots of coffee in a sugar scrubb, it smells... just like coffee! What has really surprised me though, is how well it works as an exfoliant.

From all of the research I've been doing, coffee scrubs are becoming pretty popular. Apparently the caffeine in the coffee does some pretty wonderful things for the skin. It reportedly aids in skin renewal AND is a natural anti-cellulite treatment. I wouldn't know anything about having any cellulite. ;)

Instead of just using the oils that a lot of coffee scrubs contain, I decided to whip up some Shea Butter and then mix it in. It makes such a HUGE difference in the way the scrub feels.

Now I'm just working on designing the labels. Can't wait to get them printed so I can start listing my yummy coffee scrubs. Cool Beans!!

Who is this girl with the funny scrub names?

Hello. My name is Kimberly and I’m a bath and body product addict. It’s been that way for as long as I can remember. I’ve always loved taking long hot soaks in the tub with my favorite expensive bath salts, candles and music. The only thing better was to follow that up with a luxurious massage using a rich body scrub. I swear, I think I kept Origins in business.

One day I was sitting around watching the DIY network (yeah, that may surprise some of you) and they had a show about making your own body scrubs. It had never even occurred to me that I could make my own products. Not only make them, but make them even better than the ones I had been spending all of my money on. Christmas was coming up, so I decided to make them for all of my female friends and family members. They were a big hit, and the rest is history.

I’ve had more fun than I ever thought possible researching and creating these scrubs. They have evolved quite a bit from those first Christmas scrubs. I’ve added new essential oils, and my most exciting addition has been Shea Butter. I just LOVE that stuff. It’s so smooth and creamy.

I love to shop, so finding cute little bags, jars, labels, and gift set containers has been a blast. I’ve honestly been amazed at how much better my skin looks and feels since using my products. Apparently using chemical free, quality ingredients really DOES make a difference.

I’m continuing to create new scents and new products, so please check back often. I’m currently working on a coffee scrub and body butters. I would also welcome any suggestions about bath and body products you would like to see.

Oh, and despite the fact that I am pictured with my cute little Mia above, all of my products come from a smoke-free and pet-free home. Mia is living happily with my ex-husband. :)

"What is an 'etsy'?", you ask?

Well, your first lesson is that "etsy" is pronounced like "Betsy" without the "B".

Esty is an online marketplace where you can buy and sell anything handmade. You can pretty much find anything you can think of. Handmade greeting cards, photographs, purses, jewelry (oh, the jewelry. whew! love, Love, LOVE it!), scarves, baked goods, and bath and body products, of course.

Not even counting the time I spend on etsy listing my products, I have spent HOURS looking at other seller's shops. Several of them are my myspace friends. You should check them out.

Registration with etsy is free, but you don't have to register to browse. When you want to purchase something (and believe me, you will) you pay the seller directly. Most sellers accept money orders and Paypal. If you don't have a paypal acct, I can accept credit card payments through Paypal. That way, the sellers don't actually get your credit card numbers, so you can relax. :)

When I was introduced to etsy (Thanks, Jill) I couldn't even believe a site like that existed, and I hadn't heard about it! Etsy is definitely gaining popularity. It was featured on Martha Stewart on Friday. A lot of newspapers and magazines have featured etsy in articles. Here's a link to a Business Week article.

http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/08_02/b4066060100841.htm?chan=smallbiz_smallbiz+index+page_top+small+business+stories

And also an article about sellers leaving ebay to sell on other sites that was featured on US News and World Report.

http://www.usnews.com/articles/business/2008/02/11/boycotting-ebay-here-are-three-alternatives.html

Happy shopping, my friends, and please don't blame me for all of the housework you WON'T be doing while you are on Etsy. :)

March isn't doing much roaring just yet

I've been spending quite some time on etsy. Listing new items and scouring the forum for tips on how to improve my shop. I've been pleased with all of the encouragement I've received and the compliments on my pictures. They are still a work in progress, but I thought I would share my journey to the perfect etsy picture. :)

I had never taken still photos of inanimate objects before, only candid shots of friends and family, so this was a challenge for me. I went in search for a background. I went to the fabric store and was totally confused. I had NO idea whether I should buy a dark fabric or a light one. Small pattern, large pattern or NO pattern? Blah! So, I settled on this. Yeah, I wasn't too happy with it, either. Just way too dark, not enough light. Many problems with this picture.


So, one night I started researching Photo tents/light boxes. I didn't want to spend lots of money for one, so I was delighted when I found tutorials on how to build your own lightbox!! I spent quite a bit of time looking at different sites and pictures. When I went to bed that night, I couldn't sleep because I was thinking of the lightbox I was going to build. I was making my shopping list in my head, planning all of the stores I was going to, etc...

The next day, I headed to Hobby Lobby to buy poster board for my background. I decided on white and a royal blue. I went to the Dollar Tree to buy tissue paper and glue sticks. Then I went to Wal-mart to buy desk lamps. I already had a large box for the frame of the lightbox, so my shopping was complete! I think I spent a total of $ 20-25.00. When I got home, I couldn't wait to get started on my project. It didn't take me long to put it all together, but it was still pretty late. Reid was ready to go to bed, but I told him that I HAD to take some pictures, or I wouldn't be able to sleep.


So, I grabbed some of my scrubs and started snapping pics. Here is one of the first pictures from that night. I was SO disappointed! I couldn't understand why the picture was so... pink!





I opened the picture in Abobe Photoshop, and adjusted the levels. It helped quite a bit.






Then I decided that I wanted to try a different background color, so I tried the blue background.



I'm still working on the light being too pink. I've had to adjust each of my pictures in Photoshop, but I think I have it figured out. I need to adjust the "white balance" on my camera. I'll let you know how THAT goes.