Scentimental Waxing by Crater Lake Company

Iowa Flood Relief Auction

noreply@blogger.com (Crater Lake Company) — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 01:02:00 +0000

I don't even know where to begin. Everytime I try to write, I start crying. I can't stop looking at the photos. I don't know what to say except please help. Please help these poor animals who cannot comprehend what is happening to them. Who rely solely on the kindness of people to give them love, food and shelter.

So when Brooke contacted me about participating in the auction, I didn't think twice about it. I am so darn proud to be part of this all-heart initiative. So please. Please donate, bid or shop to support this wonderful effort. At the time of this entry, I still do not have a link to the actual auction. However, if you click here, a link to the auction will be posted at the top of the page.

There are so many wonderful companies who are participating in this auction. Please don't forget to check them out and bid, bid, bid on their amazing products and services. Also, 50% of Crater Lake Company's profits from sales made between June 25th and July 2nd will be donated to the Iowa Relief Fund/Cedar Rapids Animal Shelter.

This is our rescue dog Sally. She was adopted from a wonderful animal shelter in NYC - Animal Haven Shelter. She is a purebred mutt, although we have strong suspicions that she is the product of an ottoman and a coffee table mating. This particular picture was featured in the NY Rangers' Fan-atic DVD. Sally was what some would call a "difficult" or "hard to adopt" case. We had originally intended to adopt 2 Beagle/Basset Hound mix dogs, but when we laid eyes on her, we knew she was meant to be ours. There she was, in a corner, depressed and disinterested. She had been passed around from one person to another, eventually finding her way to Central Park and living with a homeless person. We knew that the 2 Beagle mixes would eventually find a home. They were young and cute, full of spunky personality. Sally on the other hand was old(er), not very cute, and definitely not gregarious. Now looking at the picture above, it's hard to believe that this is the same dog we adopted from the shelter that day. It's because of organizations like the Cedar Rapids Animal Shelter that makes it possible for people like me to find love and companionship in pets like Sally.

Please bid, shop or donate. Every penny helps :)

Thank you for reading.

Getting ready to re-open

noreply@blogger.com (Crater Lake Company) — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 13:15:00 +0000

Okay, back from holiday and chewin' at the bit raring to re-open. I'm looking to re-open on Saturday, June 14th. And yes, of course with a sale :) I have a few more scents to introduce for the summer and the collection should be available when we re-open. For those waiting for the Lvsh dupes, yes, they'll be in this release. Sorry it took me a while to introduce them, but I wanted to test them out in all the products we had.

Before I get back into the full swing of things at CLC, I wanted to write a bit about my wonderful, fabulous vacation to Peru. If you've thought about visiting this country - GO! If you ever get the chance to go, by all means do! It's a beautiful country blessed with the warmest and kindest people. The only funny quirk I found was that for some odd reason, no one addressed me in English. They insisted on speaking to me in Spanish, yet they would address my SO (Chris) in English. Granted he's uh - white and I'm Filipino, but I don't understand how they made the determination to address me in Spanish. The moment I touched down on Peruvian soil, it was sink or swim for me language-wise. Funny example - the doorman at our hotel would greet us like so - to Chris... "Good evening, sir!" and then to me right behind Chris... "Buenas noches senora!" I'd like to thank the following people who taught me the Spanish that I know today: Julie for the 15 years of friendship and impromptu Spanish lessons, the music of Marc Anthony and Shakira because now I can tell someone in flawless Spanish how oh they've broken my heart with their lies and deception, but I'm gonna be okay because I'm gonna to salsa the night away.

Anyway, here are some pictures of my trip. On Machu Pichu...no amount of research, guide books, looking at photos and talking to others who have visited before me prepared me for the soul-stirring beauty of this place. It brought me to tears the moment I laid eyes on this place. It is a humbling experience to be in the presence of such majestic beauty.

The classic Machu Pichu picture taken from the caretaker's hut. Chris climbed the mountain (Wayna Pichu) behind me.

Chris thinking he can move mountains.

Lake Titicaca (tee, hee) and the floating islands. We were blessed with beautiful weather the whole time we were in Peru. Crystal clear blue skies, the sun shining, a cool breeze - it couldn't have been more perfect.

We took over 1,000 pictures and 6 hours of video during our trip and I still feel like it wasn't enough to capture all the beauty we saw.

Some say that visiting Peru is a once in a lifetime type of experience. Hopefully and God willing, I have some ways to go because I intend to keep going back.

Thanks for indulging me and letting me share my wonderful experience.

Greetings from Peru!!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Crater Lake Company) — Fri, 23 May 2008 11:30:00 +0000

Hi! Internet access is quite sporadic here in Peru so sorry for not getting back to your emails quickly. (Even the keyboard is different here so sorry for the typos). Will try to post more a little later. Having the most amazing time of my life! I´ll be back stateside on Monday.

Accidentally deleting entire inbox and other shenanigans at CLC

noreply@blogger.com (Crater Lake Company) — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 02:00:00 +0000

Tim (my web designer) - if you're reading this...I DID IT AGAIN. I deleted my entire inbox again. This is probably the 3rd time I've done it folks. It happens early in the morning, usually before I've had my morning coffee - alright, fine - morning coffees. This time however, since I've been so jacked up on meds and my head has been foggy to begin with, I deleted my inbox in the middle of the day. Folks, do not get into the habit of hitting Shift + Del when in Outlook. Once you get used to this, you then get yourself accustomed to just clicking on the yes button when the computer confirms...Now do you really want to permanently delete this e-mail because if you hit yes, I am wiping it out of my system and no amount of begging will get this e-mail back. Since my fingers tend to fly faster than I can think and this process has become rote to me, I just hit yes, thereby effectively deleting the entire contents of the sharonn@ inbox. So if you e-mailed me sometime this past week and you never got a response, it's probably because you're e-mail was part of the Flying Fingers of Fury casualty.

This whole week, I have been busy writing people back asking them to please kindly and without judgment, resend their e-mail. This is a blanket appeal to all those who sent me an e-mail and never received a response, Will you please resend your e-mail?

In other news, I went through a battery of blood tests this week trying to figure out what exactly ails me. See, this Super Bug has been with me for 2 weeks plus now and it's over-extended its welcome. My blood test results finally came back and folks...I tested positive for two major conditions. Enlarged Butticles and Enlarged Gutticles. For all you skinny beeyatches out there, I'm talking about having a big butt and gut! In all seriousness, my blood tests came back fine and all my organs are functioning (save for my demented brain which is beyond help at this point). Doc said this may really just be a very bad upper respiratory bug. But back to my butticles and gutticles. This bug has literally wiped out every ounce of energy in my body. At its worst, I could only stand to be up and about for half an hour, after which I would collapse on the couch for 3 hours to rest. Do this for 4 straight days and you'll find that there's more carbs in the Couch Potato Regimen (CPR) than an entire loaf of processed white bread. Symptoms of CPR include an expanding butt and stomach, whiny voice, sickly palor (in my case I have turned a nice shade of pastel yellow) and a sudden affinity to daytime talkshows.

As of today, I am at about 70% of my normal health and given where I was just a week ago, I consider this a remarkable improvement. I suffered a relapse this past Saturday, but I am now on my 2nd round of antibiotics and it seems to be working (fingers crossed). Thank you for your patience as I slowly get back up to speed. A number of orders did go out this week and it looks like with this weekend's shipment, I'll be pretty much caught up. Thanks again for your patience and well wishes.

Last shenanigan to report is that I I've finalized my hair detangler/body mist. It's been in testing with friends and local customers for the last week and feedback is AMAZING. This is the third modification of the formula and I think I've got it to the point where I'd like to send it out to a few Smarties to test. I have 3 Smarties already signed up (from a while back) to test this formula. I'll send out an e-mail to the rest of the names in the database sometime this weekend. While we're closed, I'd like to gather feedback for this formula and if all goes well, I'm hoping I can offer it when we reopen in June.

I think I've reported all the shenanigans that have happened this past week. Don't forget...last day to place orders is Monday, April 28th. I'm quite looking forward to this break because frankly, I'm exhausted ladies! I'm still essentially a one-woman show and I think it's time for a little break. I need the time to finish up some projects, hook up and play around with my new kick-a$$ laptop, test out some ideas that have been rattling around in my head and most importantly, take a little break for myself. Thanks for rocking the last 3 months of my life! This has been so much fun hasn't it?! I really hate to tear myself away from CLC productions and I miss you all already, but the more logical, less crazy side of me is telling me that it's good to take a break every now and then.

Till the next shenanigan(s)...

Oh...I think I'll start signing off with a list of what products I used for the day so here goes...in case anyone's interested:

- Suave Clarifying Shampoo & Conditioner: I swear by this stuff. I've been using it for as long as I can remember and it's one of my HGs.

- Luscious Lather in Lemon Blueberry Frosting: Just trying to get through the bottle now since I've overdosed on this scent.

- Throughout the day: Comforting Creme for my hands scented in Sweet Cream and Lavender - gals, this scent has a very strong following and I couldn't be prouder. I'm not a fan of lavender, but I was determined to come up with a very approachable lavender. This is it. Soft, smooth and not snooty at all.

- The hair/body mist formula I'm testing scented in Shimmering Pink Sand. I think I overdid it because I'm getting a sore throat from stinking way too much! As a body spray it has great lasting power. Can't test for the scent longevity as a hair mist since I have chin-length hair and no amount of hair swinging will enable me to sniff my locks. If I shake my head furiously like Irene Cara in that "What a feeling" movie, I can get a whiff.

- Unscented Aloe Smoothie lotion.

- Obagi Vitamin C Serum.

- Oil of Olay Complete Defense SPF 30 moisturizer - the best facial moisturizer out there period. In my experience, it beats even high-end moisturizers that cost multiples of the price for this product.

- Later tonight: Flutter Butter in Sweet Cream and Lavender for my hands and feet before bed time.

Madras and Cream & Sugar Scrub

noreply@blogger.com (Crater Lake Company) — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 19:29:00 +0000

Okay, two developments regarding the scent - Madras, and the product - Cream & Sugar Scrub.

Madras
It turns out that my supplier has discontinued one of the main fragrances for this blend. I didn't know about it until I had to re-order. Imagine my dismay when I only had about 2 inches left of the FO and then no more! I begged and pleaded and promised my first-born son, but he would not budge - the heartless, capitalist robot that he is. I keeed people! He's actually a stand-up person who runs a small reputable fragrance and flavour business about an hour away from me in NJ. The reason he said, was that the oil wasn't selling well. In fact, it really wasn't selling at all!!! And you now what? I can understand why. Alone, the FO - which was the cranberry component of the blend - smells like the product of a flatulent donkey. Really, folks it was that bad. But as is my practice with all my first sniff disasters, I let it sit in an open amber bottle for a bit to see if the fragrance would morph to something better.

Sure enough it did and although I still wouldn't use it alone, the fragrance took on a mellow-sweet character, quite unlike a tart cranberry actually. Which is really what inspired me to create the sniff of the famous cocktail Madras. Using straight-up cranberry and orange juice in a fragrance blend would have created way too many sharp edges for anyone's liking. But this particular cranberry was smooth and sweet enough to make the citrus notes less sharp and biting.

Anyway, so until I can either find another supplier with this particular FO, I've resorted trying to make an accord to dupe the cranberry component. I'm not having much luck folks and it's been day 5 of my quest. Yesterday, I came up with an accord that I found came pretty close so this is what I'm using for now. Thankfully, the orders for Madras-scented goodies have dwindled, which will give me time to test out this blend and make a final determination as to whether to keep or toss the reformulated version of Madras. For now, orders from 1714 onwards will receive the reformulated Madras scent. I am sending this out to a few customers to test, but one in particular (KATHY!!!) who is THE Madras Queen! Like in gladiator days, we'll wait with baited breath as Kathy sniffs the reformulated version and then sticks her thumb either up or down. The reformulated version is not an exact dupe of the original blend. The cranberry note is a little sharper, and the blend is a little sweeter, but for those who know what the cocktail smells like, this may actually hearken closer to the real deal.

I'll let you know what Kathy says as soon as I hear from her. Till then, I'm keeping this reformulated version and again, keep in mind that if your order number is 1714 or higher, you will receive the new version of this blend.

Cream & Sugar Scrub
With the warmer weather fast approaching, I challenge tested this scrub to see how it would react to sitting in the hot sun for a few hours. Just as I had suspected, the cream base of the scrub gets soft and melty. Sometimes, it's even past the soft point and gets downright oily. Should this happen, simply pop the scrub int he refrigerator and allow it to cool and harden for about 15 minutes. Stir it once before you put it in the fridge, then one more time after you take it out and it should be fine.

As long as this scrub is kept in a cool and dry place, you shouldn't have to keep doing this prior to each use. Just please be careful opening the jars when you receive your package, especially if it's been sitting out in the sun for quite some time.

For those who live in warmer climes, please drop me a line and tell me how this scrub held up in transit if you've ordered it recently.

That's about it in terms of an update. I'm back to filling orders and working as fast as I can to catch up. I'm sad that I am not able to offer the Summer Box Sampler I had originally planned to sell around this time. Between the number of orders we have yet to fill and the setback in TAT as a result of my illness, it just wouldn't be in either one of our best interests to encourage another huge uptick in sale orders.

More to come in the next entry, but I think I've kept you out of trouble long enough with this post. Now go and wreak some fragrant havoc!

Update on orders from 1714 onwards...

noreply@blogger.com (Crater Lake Company) — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 18:26:00 +0000

Hi ladies! Just wanted to give a quick update on the status of orders starting from 1714.

I was moving at a decent clip filling and shipping orders within the lower range of the stated turnaround time (12 days) and then BOOM...I got sick. It started Sunday and got progressively worse. I have that illness that I liken to an urban legend. You start off by telling someone your symptoms "Sore throat, congestion, hair loss, crossed eyes, etc." and they get this sage-like look in their eyes. "Aye," they say, "My neighbour's friend's cousin's husband had something exactly like yours. He was home sick for 2 weeks! Darn near almost killed him." Everyone knows someone who knows someone else who's been hit with this bug that's been going around. Of course it's been going around people! How else would I have caught it!!! On any given day, I can be found in line at the post office, at the local Starbucks, the bank, browsing in Barnes & Noble and food shopping at the local supermarket. Funny really. I just got done telling my neighbour about my illness and it turns out his wife has the same thing. Now I think I'm being accused of coveting my neighbour's wife because how else could I have gotten this illness?!

Anyway, I'm confident that I'm on the road to feeling normal again. I've stayed away from making any orders, but I have been taking care of other adminsitrative tasks such as sending out completed notifications, printing out labels and getting packages ready for shipment. The good news is that it looks like I'm still within turning orders around at the stated TAT of 12 to 14 business days. The bad news is that it doesn't look like I'll be able to continue sticking to the lower end of the TAT range. Right now, it looks like I can get orders out within 14 business days. I'm sorry for the delay, but this bug has really kicked my beee-hind. Two days ago, someone would have had to surgically remove the couch from my butt in order to get me going. That's how bad it was. And the thing is, I'm one of those people who always says, "If you're well enough to go to the doctor, you're well enough to show up to work!" Tsk! Tsk! Tsk!

Before I sign off, I want to thank everyone for making our Spring Sale such a huge success. Soooo....y'all really took the tag line seriously huh? Stock Up and Save...and yes you sure did! Most of the orders we received were quite large. I'm seriously afraid that I won't hear from you for the next 2 years because you sure ordered enough to last you that long!

Alright, back to work for me. Just wanted to let you know how things were going here at CLC. It looks like we have a few more things brewing, but I'll save that for the newsletter. Speaking of newsletter, please make sure you sign-up to receive it! We're going to pick one lucky subscriber at the end of the month to win 200 points!

Sale Extended (for all ye procrastinators)!

noreply@blogger.com (Crater Lake Company) — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 01:19:00 +0000

Okay, so I thought I was actually running late for taking the sale down, but lo and behold!, a couple of hours after I did, I received a bunch of e-mails asking me if the sale was indeed over! One of the e-mails, from Lisa H. of Canada (hi Lis!) mentioned that she thought the sale was till the 16th. I had to go back and read my newsletter to double check when I said the sale was going to end, and sure enough, I wasn't drunk e-mailing (a blanket apology goes out to all my ex-boyfriends for being on the receiving end of my newfound literary prowess and expanded vocabulary of expletives whilst under the influence).

So anyway, we all have Lisa to thank for extending the sale till the 16th!

Happy shopping gals and remember, friends don't let friends text, dial or e-mail drunk ;) Oh, and the sale ends on Wednesday, April 16th at 12 p.m. EST.

New Kiva Loan

noreply@blogger.com (Crater Lake Company) — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 15:26:00 +0000

We just made the following loan through Kiva!

Borrower Profile as copied from Kiva:
"Mr. Sovannathou and his wife have been married for twenty one years. They have three children—one son and two daughters. Two of their children are employed full time and other one is in school. The family lives about fifteen kilometers from Phnom Penh.

Mr. Soun has been selling watches for fifteen years. He buys them from the market in Phnom Penh for resale in Treng Trayoeng Market (Kam Pong Spoe Province). His wife has been a garment factory worker for 5 years.

Mr. Soun is requesting a loan for the first time. He is asking for $1,000 to purchase watches for resale."

As of March 28th, 2008, Mr. Soun has raised 75% of the needed funds.

Please check out this wonderful organization that empowers and enriches the lives of so many people around the world. These entreprenuers do not have access to capital the way we do here in the United States, through small business loans and heck - personal credit cards, home equity lines of credit and friends and family!!! Kiva provides them with the opportunity to start or grow their business through loans. You can lend as little as $25.

Check out Kiva here: http://www.kiva.org/app.php?page=home.

Thanks to my sister-in-law Amanda who introduced me to this wonderful organization! $25 may not be a lot to some of us, but it means a lot to these people.

My side of the story...

noreply@blogger.com (Crater Lake Company) — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 13:19:00 +0000

I recently refused to fill someone's order and feel that I need to explain the reasons that led up to this difficult decision. Up until now, I've restrained from using this blog as a forum to air my grievances, but I've just about had enough of people who are so quick to cut and pass judgment without even for once considering that there is another side to the story.

This particular customer ordered the Spring Sampler. However, knowing that she prefers to have her products scented in Very Strong, and that I've received e-mails from her in the past stating that even at this intensity she still couldn't smell anything, I was sure that the sampler wasn't going to meet her standards. The products in the sampler are scented at Medium to Medium/Strong, the most often requested intensity by our customers.

So I decided to refund her money and in my e-mail to her I explained that since she has been unhappy with her previous orders and the lack of throw in the products even at the Very Strong level, I did not feel comfortable filling the order because the products in the sampler were scented at Medium to Medium/Strong. I offered to send her fragrance oil samples free of charge if she wanted to try out any particular scents, but again I explained that the sampler was probably not the right avenue for her.

Twice I've filled orders for this customer. The first time she ordered, she e-mailed me and told me she couldn't smell any scent in the product so I gladly remade everything, scenting all the products as strong as I could within safe guidelines. The feedback from this round was that she could detect a faint smell in the products and I suggested that she let it cure to allow the oils to bind and the fragrance to bloom.

The second order was for a shampoo and conditioner. The feedback from this was that the scent itself was nice, but again, still not as strongly scented as she would have liked. Again I explained that 1) All products need time to cure and 2) The scent she chose, Dark Pink, takes a little longer to fully blossom so she should give it some time and 3) I can only scent to a particular maximum load so as not to compromise the preservative system and stability of the product itself.

Okay, so given the customer's history of only being somewhat satisfied with her orders from me in the past, what possible incentive did I have to fill this one, especially when the scent intensity was clearly not going to be to her liking?! In my e-mail to her, I apologized for not filling the order and explained that I simply wanted to save her the frustration and money of receiving yet another batch of "weakly" scented products. What would YOU have done in this situation? I didn't refuse to sell her anything - closing CLC's doors on her! I simply refused to offer her the sampler given the past e-mails she's sent me about her lack of satisfaction with her previous orders. Come on? What was I supposed to do? It's like, "Hey doc, it hurts when I bang my head against the wall." "Okay, so DON'T bang your head against the wall then!"

Truth be told, I just didn't want to get another e-mail from her after she received the sampler stating that there's no scent in the products. I was damned if I filled the order, but I guess even more damned that I didn't. In addition, there have been more instances where I've received feedback that our products were too strongly scented and that they found the throw to be too much.

I really hate using this blog for this situation, but I've sat here feeling defenseless and mute long enough. When CLC re-launched in February, someone named Chocolate911, CocolatteXXX, ChocoDelicious and every other combination and permutation of the word, sent me some wonderful e-mails with screen shots of what was being said about me on a particular forum for weeks! My business and I were subject to a lot of name calling by people who had never ordered from me before, yet felt entitled enough to pass judgment on me. Those who were kind and open-minded enough to ask me what happened that caused me to close CLC down so suddenly got a very candid and honest answer from me. However, I wasn't going to use this blog to broadcast all the personal issues I went through. If you'd like to know and I know I owe some an explanation, by all means please ask and I'll tell you! Just not on a public forum such as a blog.

Anyway, whoever this "Choco-whatever" person is, used to send me daily e-mails from different addresses (so I couldn't block them) letting me know what was being said about CLC and me. Again, what I found most surprising was that people who never had exposure to CLC were the quickest ones to make judgment calls. Wow, if this is the market to which CLC caters to, then I guess I'm doomed from the start eh?

So how about we try this novel idea people? Before you pass judgment on someone, stop and think about what their side of the story could possibly be and what could have motivated them to do what they did? Some a$$hole cut you off? Maybe they're on their way to the hospital to witness the birth of their child or to hold the hand of someone who's dying. The waitress was abrasive and rude when you asked for extra napkins? Maybe the person in the next table left her a $1 tip for a $40 meal. Some e-tailer refused to sell a customer a sample set? Maybe, JUST MAYBE, given the customer's history and feedback on past orders, she knew that the customer wasn't going to be happy with the scent intensity in these pre-made products and that she thought she was actually saving the customer time and money by offering an alternative. I guess it's true what they say, "The road to hell is paved with good intentions."

If for nothing else, this whole ordeal has made me a more empathetic person because I have seen first hand just how ugly being judgmental can be. It's made me stop and think before I lash out because I've been on the receiving end of this type of ugliness.

So anyway, that's my side of the story. If you've gotten this far, thank you for your time and for at least hearing me out. That's all I wanted - for my side of the story to be heard.

I intend to move forward from this incident and I do not wish to revisit this. To the customer who felt "deeply offended" by my decision, I've apologized enough and offered an alternative solution which she didn't want to accept. If I've lost business as a result of this decision, well then it's a price I'm willing to pay to shake off all the negativity and false accusations.

I'm moving on and I hope others can too.

15 Minute Update

noreply@blogger.com (Crater Lake Company) — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 18:44:00 +0000

Okay - it's 2:44 p.m. EST and I figured if I can stick to this 15 minute rule thing, maybe I'll be able to post more often.

Here's some mindless on and off-topic banter that's been on my mind:

1) I really need to make a large batch of the hair mist/detangler that I'd like to send out to test. I wrote about it a while back, then I played around with the formula some more, then I decided I'd like to test two different versions. I'd like for it to be multi-purpose, so on top of being a hair detangler & perfume, I'd also like it to do double duty as a body mist. Hopefully, I can work on this this weekend.

2) Speaking of this weekend, I'd like to take Sunday off. I've been working 7 days a week, and well into the night and I need some time to unplug and decompress. On top of that, I have shopping bags of stuff that need to be unloaded. Here's the thing - I hit 3 Lush stores back in January/February when they were having their huge sale. I have been digging through the bags to see which product I'd like to use next. I guess in a way it's good because it's kinda like a grab bag. Close my eyes, stick my hand in and pull out whatever I happen to grab. Last Lush product I used was a bar of Snowcake. BTW, the 3 Lush stores I hit? One was in the Philippines, during my holiday. WTH is wrong with me?

Anyway, I think I need to spend some quality time organizing my stash. It's kinda gotten out of control. I made a bunch of CLC perfumes, Lusciuos Lathers, Comforting Cremes and Flutter Butters and the bottom drawer of the bathroom cabinet is now completely filled. I need to organize this before it gets too much more out of control. I took quick stock today and in addition to all the CLC stuff I have, it's brimming with airplane amenity kits, hotel toilettries, free gifts with purchase and product samples.

BTW, don't let me give you the wrong impression. I'm a HUGE fan of CLC products (but of course!). I love and use every freakin' thing I make but as I've always maintained, I'm a product junkie and a sales addict. You put these two together and you've basically mainlined a drug into my veins that will get me to surrender my credit card for the sweet truimph of Buying One and Getting One Free. Oh, and it doesn't hurt that these expenses count as a business tax deduction for competitive research purposes. Hello! Hey, it was Origins' Incredible Spreadable Scrub that inspired our Cream & Sugar Scrub after all.

3) It's now 2:52 p.m. - 7 more minutes left to type and I just hit a freakin' writer's block.

4) I think I have my running mojo back. If I can keep this up and commit to a sensible training schedule, I'd really like to run the NYC Marathon this year. I've backed out twice because of injury, but I feel good about this year.

5) I'll be releasing our Spring/Summer '08 scents soon. I'm looking at third week or last week in March for the release. Right now, I'm in the process of writing scent descriptions for all of them. Not sure yet what special I'll have for April. I'm open to suggestions.

6) Crap! It's 3:01 p.m. Gotta sign off.

Have a lovely weekend. I'll be posting some of the pics I took of the Denims & Knits event (which was a success by the way) in my next entry.

Progress not perfection

noreply@blogger.com (Crater Lake Company) — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 18:09:00 +0000

Okay, this has been a very hard lesson for me to learn. I am a perfectionist by nature and this idiosyncracy has been exacerbated by my strict Filipino upbringing where there's a huge emphasis placed on excelling in everything.

Flylady.net (http://www.flylady.net) has been a tremendous help to me. I've been a subscriber for about a year now and although I don't follow everything to a tee, I have learnt and un-learnt some lessons. Here's one I've found really valuable.

15 minutes is sometimes all you need: Now this was a tough one. I've been known to clean my stove with a toothbrush for an hour. As a matter of fact, and come to think of it, I've been known to clean a whole lotta stuff with a toothbrush! I was skeptical about this 15 minute rule at first, but the thing is, when you set a time limit to devote to a task, you're forced to be happy with the progress you make in that short amount of time. Here's what I can do and be happy with in 15 minutes:

Unload a dishwasher
Load the dishwasher and shine my sink
Clean the guest bathroom
Clean countertops
Vacuum the living room and hallway
Dust most of the furniture in a particular room

I'm sure I'm missing a lot of other tasks I've completed in 15 mintues, but you get the point. It's helped me let go of some of my perfectionistic tendencies, especially when it starts to get in the way of getting things accomplished - for example - getting an order out. One time, I spent an hour obsessing about a particular label, sticking, peeling, un-peeling and re-sticking to get it just so. I could've definitely spent that hour more productively, but I was on a mission to get this lable stick straight. Not to say that now you'll get products with lopsided labels. Truthfully? I know I'm my harshest critic so stuff that you probably won't notice or mind, I lose sleep over.

So anyway, try this 15 minute thing. Set a timer to 15 minutes and get busy. Once the timer goes off, you have to stop. Finish up what you're doing, step back and admire what you've accomplished , and you'll be surprised about how pleased you are with what you've done in that amount of time.

Okay, gotta run. My timer just went off and as much as I want to write more about the lessons I've learnt from this great website, I'll have to save it for another 15 minute session.

Where my...?

noreply@blogger.com (Crater Lake Company) — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 13:26:00 +0000

Girls at...?

Calling all NYC girls! On Thursday, March 6th, Crater Lake Company will be participating in Denims & Knits charity sample sale event to benefit Futures and Options. Stop by and say hi and I'll whisper your very own secret code good for 30% off CLC goodies. Here are the deets...

Who: Denims & Knits and the businesses that make up Marmalade Pink
What: Designer sample sale event to benefit Futures & Options
Where: 2 Cortlandt Street - Across from Century 21 (OMG!)
When: Thursday, March 6th between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m.

See you there!

New scents...?

We'll be releasing our limited edition summer collection in late March or early April. Here's a sneak peek at one collection we're launching...Tooth Sweet! And boy it sure is! I'll do my best to throw in a sneak sniff of some new scents we'll be launching in every order this month.

Package at...?

Okay, I still haven't gotten to the bottom of this and it's getting mighty frustrating at this point. The good news is that all orders from the sale have finally made their way to their loving homes. The bad news is that some packages that have absolutely no business making a stopover in Kearny, NJ are stopping there anyway. Here's 2 examples: Package one is headed off to some sexy body in Framingham, MA and another to Bronx, NY. MA is north of NY last I checked. The Bronx is about 40 minutes south of me. Where do both these packages go first? That's right folks! Kearny, NJ! WTF?

I think Jimmy, my USPS rep is on vacation (or hiding from me) because I haven't had a chance to ask him. But I intened to. Oh boy do I! For now, I make my frustration known by shooting Death Star glares at the unwitting clerk behind the counter every time I drop off my packages.

That's about it! I will try my very, very best to post more regularly on this blog. Believe me, I have so many topics to discuss and my running list keeps getting longer and longer. However, my priority is to get your orders out as quickly as possible. I'm working a little slower these days due to my carpal tunnel acting up and I have the finger dexterity and grip strength of a noddle right now. Thank goodness I'm a fast typist.

Thanks for reading gals. Happy March!

Quick Update on Grand Re-O Orders

noreply@blogger.com (Crater Lake Company) — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 18:19:00 +0000

Hello Bathing Beauties! Just a quick update and a few housekeeping items:

1. All orders from the Grand Re-O sale have been completed and are currently being packed and processed for shipping. Since I'm a one-woman show right now, I am doing everything - from start to finish. When you get a completed notification from CLC, it means that your goodies have been made and are now waiting to be labeled, bagged with pretty little things, packed in a box with more pretty little things and then processed for shipment. So there may be a day or two lag between when you get a completed notice and a Click & Ship notification. Orders are processed in batches for efficiency.

Apparently, there was a lot of hoarding going on (hey, I said hoarding you dirty mind you)! I received a number of large orders for either A) a particular product or B) a particular scent or C) A whole lotta both!!! You ladies crack me up, I swear.

2. I am now processing orders placed the week of 2/4/08. Keep in mind that orders placed on or after this date is subject to a 10 to 12 business day TAT as stated in our website.

3. What is the deal with USPS? I've been nervously tracking the first batch of packages that went out because of all the bad weather we've been having on the east coast. Anyway, it took about 3 or 4 business days for an order to get from Peekskill, NY to Stony Point, NY? What I noticed is that even though I drop off my packages at our local post office, they get processed in Kearny, NJ. Not sure what this is about, but I'm going to ask Jimmy, my USPS rep and fellow Ranger fan. (Let's go Rangers!)

4. For those who ordered a product in Dark Pink - let it cure! Although this applies to all products, it does so even more in this case. Dark Pink is a very heavy oil blend and it will take some time for the oils to bind. If you think your stuff smells good now, wait another week or two and holy sexiness Bath Girl - it smells even better. It's ironic really that one of our best selling blends is also the most temperamental!

I think that's about it. What's in the works right now? I'm looking at tweaking my detangler formulation which I will then put out to test. I'm still at the concept stage of two product developments, although I may just focus on one right now simply because I don't have the time to do both and I'm finalizing the scents for the spring/summer collection. Oh and in March, CLC will be participating in a NYC fundraiser, along with all the other wonderful businesses that make up Marmalade Pink.

Sleep? Who needs sleep?

A Day in the Life of a Crazed E-tailer

noreply@blogger.com (Crater Lake Company) — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 15:43:00 +0000

First and foremost, thank you, thank you, thank you for making the Grand Re-O such a huge success. It was so wonderful hearing from past customers and meeting new ones. Man, y'all haven't changed! Still on the Dark Pink & Walking on Moonbeams kick eh? I'm tracking the top 10 selling scents and will post a new list by month's end.

Okay I finally have a moment now that I've made a significant dent in the pile of orders that came in from the Grand Re-O and the wonderful write-up from Wickedly Chic.

I recently joined Marmalade Pink, a wonderful co-op made up of independent business owners. I'd like to credit my MP sisters as I like to call them, for keeping me sane during the craziness surrounding the Grand Re-O. Behind the businesses that make up MP are some of the most passionate, kind and intelligent women with whom I now have the honor of being associated. It truly is an honor to be part of this great organization. Marmalade Pink is the brainchild of Liz Nonnemacher and Amy Steinberg. I firmly believe that neither one of these women sleep as they are so adept at juggling all the demands of their busy lives.

I liken Liz and Amy to Jason Bourne. Think about it. Throughout the entire movie, we never see the guy eat or sleep. If you watch the movie again, try to find a scene where the handsome Bourne is doing something human like say - eating or resting. I don't even think the guy bathed? Did he? Man, imagine how much calmer and cool-headed he would've been if he had a jar of Comforting Creme scented in Walking on Moonbeams. Anyway, I digress. I stand in awe of Liz and Amy for all the wonderful things they do for their business endeavours, family and friends.

Okay, so right after joining MP, I get an e-mail from Amy asking me for a picture of myself to put on the MP site. I belly-ached. I stalled. Do I have to? How about just a picture of my Cream & Sugar Scrub? No, a picture would be nice. So I dig through 4 CDs worth of pictures and find a non-scary one of me. Darn you Salma Hayek for being first in line when they were handing out the sultry good looks, bodacious body and big hair potion. You too Angelina.

I reluctantly send my pic to Amy with a note saying that I may just drive over to Walmart and buy one of them glamour shot packages. Preferably, I say, I'd like to be photographed frolicking in a forest in a fairy princess outfit, busting out some VOGUE moves. Here's what Amy sends back to me...

Nice Amy. Real nice. On second thought, I'll do without the fairy princess outfit. It just doesn't communicate super-model glamour does it?

Well, there you have it folks. I am currently a one-woman show so on top of all the production demands, I also have to deal with issues such as trying to find a decent enough picture of me to show the entire, freakin' world.

I hope I've set the record straight and shed some insight into the life of a bath & body e-tailer. It's not all about the glamour of editorial pictures, lotions, potions and perfumes ladies. I know, I know, you all think we wake up in the morning, all soft and smooth and smelling good (umm, actually, we probably do, just given our line of work).

Okay, let me start again. You probably think we wake up at 4:30 a.m., lean over and kiss our SO's good morning as he begs for just one more sniff of our wonderfully fragrant locks. Then we hop on our treadmills, run 5 - sub-7 minute miles, lift weights for muscle tone, do 12,398 sit-ups without breaking a sweat and cool-down with an intense 1 hour session of Bikram yoga - all the while answering customer inquiries in a timely manner with our Blackberries. At 7:00 a.m. we take our abs and buns o' steel (mine's more like Abs o' Noodles and Butt o' Jiggly) and take a refreshing shower with products from our oh-so fabulous line of bath and body goodies before heading off to our glamorous office filled with glamorous employees. NOT. At least not for me anyway - and I'm cool with that!

In all seriousness, my next entry will probably be a behind the scenes look at CLC operations. That, and I've been asked to blog about my personal favourites from our line.

Okay, I'm off to work on my 6-pack abs - which right now bears a striking resemblance to a keg.

Chloe, Conditioners, Cones and Comments

noreply@blogger.com (Crater Lake Company) — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 06:46:00 +0000

I was going to respond to Chloe's comment in the same thread, but she hit on something I wanted to elaborate on further so I figured it deserved its own post. That, and I haven't posted in a while and this is a topic I've been meaning to discuss.

All this talk about cones vs. no cones has really touched upon the heart of what Crater Lake Company is all about. I've always strived to make Crater Lake Company a celebration of our individuality and uniqueness. No two head of hair or skin type or chemistry are alike. And as with products, the same goes for scents. I am envious of people who can pull off coconut scents, like they're some beach goddess, Hawaiian honey or something. Me? Coconut turns a wonderful aroma of tropical plastic on my skin.

I previously wrote about how our True Lustre Dish is too heavy for my hair, giving me that oh-so-sexy shellacked look. Obviously Chloe, if you're looking to achieve the Michael Jackson Thriller hairstyle, then by all means, help yourself to a jar of Moisture Whip Light Conditioner! Otherwise, stick with the TLC kiddo. Personally, I prefer using our Moisture Whip Light Conditioner. My hair does fine with products containing cones and our Moisture Whip is what my locks would consider a light dish. A few of our customers have even used the dish as a leave-in. I tried this, but my hair tends to be oily so I was sporting the grunge look about 13 years too late. "Edie Veder called. He wants his hairstyle back."

In all the product categories we offer, you'll find that there's always a choice between two or more. For example, we carry two different kinds of cremes and butters because I realize that some may want a thicker moisturizer, while others want to be able to turn a doorknob 10 seconds after application. (Rats. Right after I wrote this, I realized we only carry one lotion formula at the moment). Okay, as for the lotion. I'm offering a slightly reformulated version of the Nourishing Lotion (nka Aloe Smoothie) we used to carry in the past. It was our best-selling formula so we're keeping it. However, we received feedback that it was a little too thick so I'm thinking of offering one that wears lighter for the warm weather to come. That's in the works.

So anyway, my point is this. Crater Lake Company's philosophy is to celebrate you exactly the way you are, both inside and out. So we give you a variety of choices, from the products we offer so you can find the formula that's right for you to the unique fragrance blends we create so you can discover those that speak to your soul, to allow you to celebrate your uniqueness. It's also a reason why we're very heavy-handed with our samples. Maybe in that stash of samples is one scent or product that you would have never considered otherwise. If I remember correctly, this is how Kristy discovered our Whipped Soy Body Butter and our Peppermint Cream Torte fragrance blend.

From your choice of scent strength, to your hair conditioner preference to how scrubby you want your scrub, we hope we can deliver quality products to your exacting specifications in a fun and exciting way. While at the same time providing you with the information you need (with as little bias or propaganda as possible) to make an informed decision.

And what with the CLC Creations we concoct? From Kathy's beloved Madras to Holly's Walking on Moonbeams, they're all there for you to help make your bathing and smell good experience unique and personalized; to help define and enhance what is and should be a truly indulgent experience.

I know I've said this before, but it bears repeating. CLC was borne out of my unrelenting pursuit to make this experience the best ever. Ever. Because to me, as is with many of you, bathing and enjoying all our goodies is essential to our well-being, both physically and mentally. It soothes tired muscles as well as souls, makes our skin smooth and keeps our sanity in check. A bath is the remedy for my hurting knees after a long training run or when I'm particularly stressed out. My Sunday evening showers, before Extreme Home Makeover is sacred. Do not, I repeat, do not try to take this time away from me for I will unleash uponeth you 4 feet 11 inches of belligerent fury.

My signature scent changes constantly.

Sometimes, I find myself staring at my stash, unable to decide what scrub formula or scent to use and the sick thing is…I enjoy this type of indecision!

On occasional Saturday evenings, I've been known to watch QVC or HSN, as I sift through my containers of CLC and non-CLC products to sniff, apply and organize my stash.

It's been documented that I like taking showers in strange airport bathrooms.

It's also been documented that I like taking pictures of said airport bathrooms.

I derive great joy from re-discovering scents.

This is how I like to experience my bath and body products. This is my very own slice of heaven.

I encourage you to find your slice of bathing heaven and truly own it. Own it because for the remainder of the day you will be a domestic warrior, corporate powerhouse or both. Own it because you've been living in those sweats for the last 2 days. Or because you’ve cooked enough meals to feed a battalion, cleaned up spills larger than the Exxon Valdez and produced work that got your boss promoted. Carve out however much time you can afford to scrub yourself silly, lather yourself lovely and soak yourself yummy, all with the products and scents that speak to your soul. Find it, own it and enjoy it exactly how you want to. And I hope that in one way or another, the products and unique fragrance blends we offer can help you celebrate your individuality and enhance your indulgence.

So let's hold our shampoo bottles up high and toast the different traits that make all of us unique and beautiful! Here's sniffing at you kid.

A Thrilla in Manila

noreply@blogger.com (Crater Lake Company) — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 21:55:00 +0000

Happy New Year!

I'm slowly but surely getting into the swing of things again. My body is finally functioning in the correct time zone and my waking hours (which weren't a lot just a few days ago, thanks to jetlag) is consumed by getting CLC's launch underway. I'm looking at a late January, early February launch. Ideally, around the 25th, but could be as late as the 31st, or heck even the 1st of February. I just want to make sure the site is fully functional, or at least 95%, before I flick the switch. I say 95% because there's a new page I created, purely informative, that will take me a while to complete.

There will be no Gimme That this month, but I promise to come up with a good sale to celebrate the re-opening.

Congratulations to Sara T. of Jacksonville, IL who just got engaged! Whoo!!! Hoo!!! Oh, and for winning December's Gimme That! Sara won our Favourite Things Giveaway containing a few of my must-haves from our line.

Now, if you could indulge me as I chat a little about my trip. I specifically wanted to talk about a topic which no one else I've spoken to seems to appreciate. The pictures I showed didn't get them all excited. When I regaled them of my experience, their eyes glossed over and got this far away look. Those who know me well feigned interest, excitement and patience the way they do when I get all giddy talking about bath and body stuff.

Then I realized I was talking to the wrong audience. Who else would understand and appreciate how AMAZING a good shower is, complete with all the fixins that make for an out-of-this-world experience? Why, anyone else who's obsessed with bath and body products right? That means you!

Okay, so here goes...and stay with me because there's a point to all this.

I HAD THE MOST AMAZING SHOWER IN NARITA AIRPORT! Eeeek!!! Japan Airlines recently redid their lounge, Sakura. The space is phenomenal, taking up two huge floors complete with complimentary massages, a bank of massage chairs, free premium liquor and food and, and, and, the most beautiful bathrooms EVER! I was born a bad photographer so the photos below don't do the room justice, but really it's so beautiful. The shower stall alone was the size of a small NYC studio apartment! Since Japan is about 2 generations ahead of us in terms of gadgets and what-nots, there were more knobs, buttons and nozzles in this shower stall than a Fisher Price toy age 3 to 5. So anyway, here's some pics I took of the bathroom.

Maybe I was just so dazed after getting off the plane, but after such a long flight and feeling like I hadn't bathed in a week, a good, indulgent, take-my-sweet-ass-time shower was exactly what I needed. Of course, I used the toiletries they provided - just to try out the goods ya know? The shower gel had the most amazing floral citrus scent - definitely oriental notes - I'm thinking jasmine/cherry blossoms with yuzu. It was heaven, I swear! I was tempted to decant some of it so I could recreate the blend, but of course I didn't. I took a picture of the poo, dish & soap bottles because I thought they were so charming.

Okay so here's my point. This experience reinforced what I already knew about bathing and the pursuit of everything fragrant. We're different, you and I. We take the act of getting clean and elevate it to an art form. A shower or a bath isn't just a shower or a bath to us. We pick out our bath products of the day carefully, the way we do our outfits. We blog, chat and post about it. We religiously plan our Scent of the Day before we go to bed. We rotate our various scrub formulas. We agonize about layering. Will this lotion layer well with this EDP? Will this shampoo in Lavender Mint go well with White Cake?

To many of us, showering or bathing is the only time of the day we get to spend alone. So we relish, savour, revel and indulge even if it's just for 10 minutes. A bath or shower washes away our sins or the annoyances of the day; prepares us for what's ahead; calms our soul; hides our tears; gives us a boost of confidence...and so much more! Regardless of how much time we have for this indulgence, the act of getting clean and smelling good is an experience for us and we're absolutely obsessed about making it the best ever!

So I burst with pride when you invite Crater Lake Company's products into your home and make it part of your bathing and smell good experience. It makes me happy that the smell of Walking on Moonbeams makes you smile. Or Papaya Boat reminds you of your time in Mexico. Or that our True Lustre Conditioner has tamed your wild mane and our Bath Cloud is your HG! I love what I do and in everything I make, I hope it shows. So thank you. Thank you for making my passion a part of your life.

Crater Lake Company will be launching soon and I cannot be more excited about becoming a part of your life once again :)

A Few of Our Favourite Things

noreply@blogger.com (Crater Lake Company) — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 00:44:00 +0000

Here's next month's Gimme That! Giveaway. Inspired by Oprah's recently aired Favourite Things episode, but severely hampered by my lack of a few billion dollars of net worth, I decided that the best I could do was to give away some of my favourite CLC goodies. Okay, so it's not a refrigerator with a built-in television or a brand new car, but it will make you feel good and smell good :)

Up for grabs is a prize package worth a little over $40 and contains a few of my favourite CLC things. One lucky gal will receive:

4 oz jar of Flutter Butter scented in Holiday Sorbet: I love both the scent and the formula and it is now a constant fixture throughout my home. I currently have a 2 oz jar scented in Raspberry & Lettuce Leaf that's curing for my upcoming trip. May the powers that be help the TSA person who tries to take this away from me.
4 oz jar of Moisture Whip Light Conditioner scented in Mandarin Mambo: Between this and our other conditioner, TLC, this is my favourite because it's light and gives my hair just enough moisture. Having stick-straight hair, I can't really use an overly moisturizing conditioner otherwise I'll look like Alfalfa with hair stuck to my head.
30 ml EDP in Dark Pink: Sabrina, one of our amazing customers, said, "It's sexxaaaayyyy!" From the day I introduced this blend, it's been a HIT. 'Nuff said.
4 oz bottle of Luscious Lather scented in Lemon Meringue: This is a new product in our line and I am absolutely in love with it. We tried a lot of 3-in-1 formulas before falling head over heels for this one. The amount of lather it produces is fabulous - thick, frothy and dense. As a shampoo it cleans without stripping and as a body wash, it doesn't leave your skin dry...and all the while producing all this fab lather. I plan on taking 2 - 4 oz bottles of this stuff with me, but I haven't gotten around to making them because I can't decide on the scents!

To enter, simply subscribe to our newsletter located at the top right hand corner of this page.

...And in other news, I'm almost done taking inventory of all my supplies. The day before Thanksgiving, I received 11 boxes of packaging supplies. I've broken them up in 2 sets - a smaller quantity to have on hand for my workshop and the excess to go to our storage facility. I numbered all my boxes, created a spreadsheet of their contents and then applied filters (lluurrvv filters). So now, if I'm ever running low on say, 4 oz oval bottles, I just look up the item from my drop-down menu and voila! it tells me which box houses the rest of these bottles. Okay, so it's not rocket science, but hey, I'm a firm believer in celebrating life's little accomplishments.

Before I sign off, CONGRATULATIONS to the following beauties who each won a 4 oz jar of Sugar Cloud:

Dina F. - NY
Candice J. - MI
Katey V. M. - VA

Thanks for reading! Please keep checking this blog for updates. Oh! One last thing...If you were notified of a Fragrance/Product test, you should have received your packages by now. Please let me know if you didn't get yours and e-mail me with any questions.

Crunch Time & Plan B

noreply@blogger.com (Crater Lake Company) — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 19:51:00 +0000

It was around my birthday in September when I decided that the best gift I could give myself was to re-open Crater Lake Company. At that time, I thought I had a lot of time to get everything in order given that I had a target re-opening sometime mid-January. But my how time flies!!! Looking back, I've been consistenly checking off all my tasks on my to-do list, so technically, I'm in pretty good shape. There are times however, when I feel overwhelmed and can't believe that in spite of all the foundation work I've done, there's still more ahead of me. I just want to open already!!!

Now it's crunch time. In less than 3 weeks, I will have to have all my product pictures taken, Fragrance Bar edited, copy and layout finalized for the storefront, and other details which I'd rather not mention for fear of overwhelming myself! I know it's getting down to the wire because my web designer is now listing all my deliverables and before he starts his list, he writes, "Don't freak out!" I'm running on adrenaline, excitement, anticipation and sheer terror and I love it.

I know I wrote about trying to find a new space for CLC, but I've decided to resort to Plan B, for now at least. My space requirements are unique and my budget pretty tight. Two factors that didn't make my task of looking for space very easy. What I've found in my search for a new CLC HQ is that in order to get the space requirements I needed, ie. plumbing, I was basically looking at retail spaces which charged a premium for their location. Since all I needed was a manufacturing space which wouldn't be open to the public anyway, why would I pay the premium rent for the traffic and location that I didn't need? On the other hand, I could have rented an office space that was more in line with my budget, BUT most don't have plumbing in the space itself. I mean, I was looking at professional office spaces suitable for lawyers, accountants and the like. It certainly didn't fit my needs. I can just imagine the conversation with my new office neighbours going something like...

"Oh hello there. I'm Charles Winslow Stratford III, CPA, your neighbour down the hall. And 2 doors down from you is renowned attorney Rob U. Blind, Esq. Welcome to the building." (Sorry, bad lawyer joke. Couldn't resist!)

"Hi I'm Sharonn My Mom Didn't Give Me a Middle Name Itliong. I don't have any alphabets at the end of my name, but I do have a Dual Masters Degree, does that count?! I just love to make things that you put on your body to make you smell good and make your skin soft, smooth and glowy! Do you suffer from dry skin? Do you want to try a small jar of our Whipped Soy Body Butter?"

Yeah, I'm gonna fit in just fine! Eventually, when CLC grows enough to afford the rent a retail space charges, I'd like to move into one, but for now, I've decided to resort to Plan B.

CLC's office will be a custom designed room in my humble little home. Previously, we housed all our supplies in the space in which we worked, making it difficult to find and store all the materials we needed. Learning from that lesson, I've rented a large off-site storage space to house all the excess inventory (ETA: I'm talking about packaging supplies here, which I buy in the thousands) that I don't need to have on hand. Since the storage space is only 5 minutes away, it shouldn't a problem accessing any supplies I need. Thanks to my grad school professor, Dr. Silverman who taught Organizational Something or Another, I've designed my workspace so that everything I need to make my products are within my reach and is organized in such a way that each step of the production process flows smoothly into the next. For all you chefs out there, it's mise en place, as you say. Whereas before, our workshop space wasn't really conducive to our production process, we're designing this room to ensure that this process goes smoothly. Believe you me, it's going to save me a lot of time. So, as CLC grows, my storage facility will be able to house the overflow.

All this work is going to be done while I'm away, so when I get back, I'll have a brand new space waiting for me. Yey! I can't wait!!!

Well, I think that's about it in terms of an update. I received 11 LARGE boxes of supplies the day before Thanksgiving and I'm getting ready to head out to our storage facility.

Thanks for reading. Don't forget about this month's Gimme That! 3 ladies will win a 4 oz jar of our foaming sugar scrub, Sugar Cloud. I'll announce the winners around the first week of December after all the winners have responded to claim their prize.

I hope you all had a lovely Thanksgiving and made out like bandits in your quest to find the best bargains ever.

October's Winners and November's Gimme That! Giveaway

noreply@blogger.com (Crater Lake Company) — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 03:07:00 +0000

Gimme That Sugar Cloud™!!!

First of all, a big fat congratulations (and hug) to Donna C., Kelli C. and Lori D.- winners of last month's Bath Cloud giveaway.

This month's Gimme That! is our foaming sugar scrub - Sugar Cloud™!!! Thick, with just the right amount of fluffiness, you'll get a lot of scrubbing time before the sugar crystals dissolve. Three lucky ladies will each win a 4oz Sugar Cloud. Per Amy's suggestion, we're featuring CLC's top two best selling scents. The third and yet to be determined scent will be one from our 2008 collection.

Dark Pink™: From the Pink Parade Collection. The fun, sweet and oh-so girly scent we all know and love grows up to be one heck of a stunner! Sultry and mysterious, with a little bit of a dark side, this is a sexy blend of Pink Sugar, Egyptian Musk and lightly grazed by Vetiver. Pink Sugar greets the nose in all its sweet glory. We then pulled the musk background of Pink Sugar with the addition of Egyptian Musk. As the fragrance wears and evolves, it matures to a deeper, more sensual sniff, with Egyptian musk taking front and center to form the heart of the scent. This fragrance evolves from the sweet naivete of Pink Sugar to the sultry, "street cred" smarts of musk and vetiver. Created for the woman in charge who's lethally aware of her feminine wiles!

Walking on Moonbeams™: Shhh...don't make a sound. Angels sprinkle the scent of soft white florals, musk and baby powder to carry us to our most restful sleep. Guided by the light of the moon, they tiptoe on fluffy clouds made of the softest angel food cake with marshmallow frosting to spread this heavenly scent. This fragrance is an unexpected blend of comforting angel food cake laced with the powdery floral scent of Moonlit Rendezvous. Simple vanilla notes and an extra infusion of white floral blossoms lull is into the deepest slumber.

Congratulations again to Donna, Kelli and Lory! Make sure you're signed up for our newsletter to enter this month's drawing.

Thanks for reading and have the best day ever!

Crater Lake Company Creations ~ Exclusive Fragrance Blends

noreply@blogger.com (Crater Lake Company) — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 18:10:00 +0000

Hi! Just a quick reminder that the last day to enter for a free 4 oz jar of Bath Cloud is on Wednesday, October 31st. Winners will be announced on Thursday, November 1st.

We made a jar of Bath Cloud in each of the scents below to give you a sneak preview of the exclusive Crater Lake Company blends we'll be introducing when we re-open.

Speaking of blends, I'd like to hear your thoughts on mainly offering just CLC Creations (what we call our exclusive house blends). Of course, it goes without saying that I'll gladly scent a product in a single note fragrance or duplicate. If you want it, I probably have it and if not, I can probably get it or blend it for you! I just don't think I'll list a lot of non-CLC Creations in our Fragrance Bar. What do you think?

Okay so here are the Bath Cloud scents and their descriptions:

O Christmas Tea!™ Another CLC Creation ~ Limited Edition): The froth of the day has yet to start and in a couple of hours, your home will be filled with giddy squeals and laughter. For now, the presents sit unopened and the house is still quiet save for the whistling kettle. You pour yourself a mug of tea and savour this moment. O Christmas Tea is a joyful blend of white and black tea punctuated by tart cranberry and citrus exclamations. Add a touch of sweetness from a sugar cane swizzle stick and a bit of warmth from grated ginger and you've got yourself one delightful aroma that commemorates this holiday season.

Vanilla Lace Cupcakes™ (Another CLC Creation): If you suspend disbelief and envision the serendipitous combination of sweet vanilla cupcakes, smooth musk, heady jasmine and powdery lilac, then you've got yourself the beguiling fragrance of Vanilla Lace Cupcakes. Rich yet soft, indulgent yet refined, this is an absolutely gorgeous fragrance that begs to be sniffed - over and over again. Topnotes of lilac and jasmine folded into the richest cake batter lead the way to the sultriest musk and ends on a soft bed of wispy vanilla florals. Sweetly innoncent with a sophisticated edge, musk connoisseurs will approve and delight in this blend. For those who have been reluctant to try musk...consider this blend the start of your addiction.

I Love Yuzu™ (Another CLC Creation): Guaranteed to become a constant fixture in your fragrance wardrobe, this buoyant citrus medley is an absolute stunner. The undeniable zest and sweetness of yuzu supported by apple and grapefruit notes all rest against a fresh air accord. Inspired by a Japanese soft drink I had in Narita Airport, Japan. The drink was so gloriously fresh it made me forget about the 16-hour JFK-NRT flight I had just endured! Happy, sunny, sweet and fun wear this fragrance when you want to put an extra oomph in your step!

Don't forget to sign up for our newsletter to enter the drawing! Good luck and may you have the best day ever!

Gimme That! October's Giveaway

noreply@blogger.com (Crater Lake Company) — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 03:18:00 +0000

It's a soap! It's a cream! It's Bath Cloud!!!

Call this my excuse to make goodies even if we're closed!

This month's giveaway is a 4oz Bath Cloud to 3 lucky ladies drawn from our newsletter mailing list. We'll announce the winners on November 1st. From now until we re-open, I'll keep finding "excuses" to make more B&B goodies so we can have a giveaway a month.

Bath Cloud is Crater Lake Company's whipped bath cream that envelops your body in luxurious lather to get you clean and mmm smoooove!!! It has the consistency of very soft, whipped frosting and is deliciously scoopable.

The Bath Cloud pictured above is scented in Light Pink, a comforting blend of the creamiest vanilla caressed by Pink Fluff (our Pink Sugar dupe). I had left some Cloud in a bowl sitting on the counter while I went to take this picture and I hear, "Hey honey, can I eat the left over icing???"

Our Bath Clouds will now be colored and embellished with cute little sprinkles to make bath time even more fun.

Tip: Use Bath Cloud with a bath poof or scrubby mitts to exfoliate while you lather. You can also use Bath Cloud as a shaving cream, although I've found that on sensitive skin like mine, it's better to use non-lathering cream like our Shea-ving Cream.

To enter this month's drawing, please subscribe to our newsletter located on the top right hand corner of this blog.

Rule #2

noreply@blogger.com (Crater Lake Company) — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 15:49:00 +0000

Somehow, although this has always been our policy at CLC, it was never stated in our Policies Page. It is however in our FAQs, but I figured that since it's Rule #2 in our business (Rule #1 is the customer is always right – duh!), it warrants a prominent place in our Policies Page.

Rule #2: Once our turnaround time has reached its maximum of over 15 business days, we reserve the right to close our store in order to catch up. I think it’s only good business practice to define a maximum capacity for turnaround time and to implement a policy that’s fair to both customer and e-tailer. As a business owner, I know how important cash flow is. However, if positive cash flow comes at the expense of declining customer service, it’s a trade-off I’m not willing to make.

Look, far be it for me to preach e-tailer best practices; I’m the idiot who forgot to refund some pending orders remember? I’m just saying that personally, I cannot put a price tag on responsive and honest service because it speaks volumes about the business’ integrity and the people behind it. I can always purchase my supplies on credit. It wouldn't be right for me to over extend my customer's goodwill credit. Customer goodwill is earned the old-fashioned way – by providing stellar customer service and aligning the business’ operations with that of the customer’s interest.

I hope I didn’t sound too preachy. I know there are varying opinions regarding this topic. I simply wanted to state Crater Lake Company’s stance on this issue.

Thank you for your time.

And in other news – just a quick update on my search to find a new studio…My search is not going too well. My space and budget requirements are apparently a little too stringent, so I think I’m going to have to resort to Plan B. I’m holding out for a little longer though. Charlie said that there may be a larger space with plumbing that he can carve out into smaller units. There’s nothing available right now, but hopefully something will come up before the year’s over.

Can it core a apple?

noreply@blogger.com (Crater Lake Company) — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 01:19:00 +0000

And so the search for a workshop continues. I’ve come across some interesting characters as I search for a new home for CLC’s operations. Here’s an excerpt (as I remember it) of a recent phone conversation I had with the manager of a corporate park. Funny (or sad) thing is, it’s not too far off from all the other conversations I’ve had regarding my office space requirements.

Is my request for an office with a sink really that uncommon?

Ring, ring…

Manager: Yello!

Me: (tentatively) Hi is this So and So Industrial Park?

Manager: Yep. That’s us. How can I help?

(Okay, this guy has such a thick New Yawk accent I’m now picturing Rocky Balboa on the other end, half-expecting him to yell, “AAADDRIIIAAANN!!!” any minute now.)

Me: I saw that you have some space available. I’m looking for a space that’s around 600 square feet. Do you have any availability in this size?

Manager: Yeah, sure. We gotta few.

Me: Does it have a sink? (For all you Honeymooners fans…”Can it core a apple?”)

Manager: A what?

Me: A SINK! You know, to wash stuff in.

Manager: Like a bathroom? The bathrooms are down the hall.

Me: No I don’t need a private bathroom. Just a sink. Preferably a deep one.

Manager: Aw – lady you can’t use a sink as a bathroom you know what I mean?

Me: (What the !@#$!!! is this guy thinking?) Sir, I need a sink to wash our production tools in. We make customized bath and body products like lotions, soaps, perfumes…

Manager: Oh you make lotions like that Bath Works store I see in the malls?

Me: You mean Bath & Body Works? Not really, maybe a little kind of – only better (*ahem* if I must say so myselfJ)

Manager: So lemme get this straight. You need an office space with a sink in it?

Me: Yeah pretty much.

Manager: That’s it? No access to a loading dock or anything like that?

Me: Nuh-uh.

Manager: Well we don’t have any space like that, but lemme see what I can do.

Me: So will you be able to help me out?

Manager: Yeah, lemme see what I can do and I’ll call you back.

I’m waiting to hear back from Charlie to see if he can indeed retrofit a sink into an office. Pretty freakin’ funny!

I really hope this one works out. It’s close to home and right near my favourite Indian restaurant.

Once I find CLC’s new home, I’ll post some pictures.

Wish me luck!

Life Happens When You Least Expect It...

noreply@blogger.com (Crater Lake Company) — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 00:51:00 +0000

Hard to believe that about a year ago, my life looked nothing like it does today. There I was, dealing with an unexpected family crisis and trying to keep up with filling Crater Lake Company orders. It came to a point where I didn’t know which way was up anymore. I was on auto-pilot def-con one survival mode.

At that point, I made the decision to close CLC temporarily until the dust settled. Unfortunately, because I was running around putting fires out constantly, I overlooked refunding a few pending orders when I closed. I cannot apologize enough for this oversight. In my opinion, there is no excuse for this mistake and take full responsibility for it. I’ve since issued refunds with interest to those customers whose orders I overlooked. What amazed me was how many of you were so kind and understanding about what happened. You know who you are and I want to thank you again.

Fast forward to today where I sit in my quiet office, happily typing my first blog entry. Yey!

YES! CLC will be opening its doors once again in early 2008!!! I am so anxious and excited to get the show going, but I’ve taken a few hard knocks and learnt some valuable lessons I’m determined to apply this time around. Here are a few of them:

Lesson 1: Operate in a scaleable space. CLC started in a small home workshop and quickly outgrew its space. Between all our supplies, three people filling and packing orders and one belligerent cat doling out leg rubs there was simply not enough space.

So now, I’m on the hunt to find a studio that’s slightly larger than what we currently need so that we can grow into it as our operation expands. (More about my adventures on finding space in another entry).

Lesson 2: CLC is more than a business to me. Otherwise, I would have sold it the first chance I got. I was approached about selling the business and I gladly entertained the thought. For about a second. When I realized that CLC was going to be closed longer than I expected I thought about taking on a partner as well. For a perfectionistic control-freak like me, neither option seemed too appealing.

So I’ve decided to keep CLC. Because I love it too much and I’m selfish like that.

Lesson 3: You cannot teach passion. Now that I am looking to staff up CLC once again, I’ve learnt that it’s easy enough to teach someone how to process invoices, pack and fill the less complex orders. What I cannot teach is the passion and appreciation for lotions, crèmes, perfumes and whatever else we can think of to slather, spritz and smother on our skin. And the scents. Oh the scents!

So what I’m looking for is someone who has a healthy appreciation for what Crater Lake Company creates. Someone who can share in my excitement when after weeks of tinkering with a blend, it finally comes together beautifully. Must be passionate about anything bath and body and have contagious enthusiasm – that’s my number one requirement to work at CLC.

Anyway, I’ve blabbed on and on. Probably because I’m just so excited to be back in contact with my customers again.

Do drop me a line. In the next week or two, we’ll be disabling our storefront to start work on the re-design. We’ve added to and taken away from our product line and Fragrance Bar to make sure that we offer only the best. When we re-open, we’ll introduce products and scents we’ve been working on since our closing. I’m chewing at the bit raring to go, but we’ve still got some work to do and my annual pilgrimage home to the Philippines.

I’ll post here regularly and keep you updated through our newsletter. Oh! Don’t forget to sign up for our newsletter! The form is located on the top right hand corner of this page.