November is the month of Harvest Festivals for me. For those of you who do not know what one is, it’s like a craft fair on steroids. They are open for three solid days from 10am to 6pm and offer shoppers the chance to visit artists from around the US (most are local to the West coast) and purchase unique gifts.
This year I signed up for a series of back to back events. They are enjoyable, but a lot of work none the less. I will be traveling and working the Harvest festival for almost the entire month of November. This is also one of the reasons I did the on-line special for the Free shipping and No taxes through December. So the San Mateo show that just happened kicks off the beginning of the series. I managed to get set up and created a look that I was quite proud of. You can see some images on the Très Spa facebook page You can also like Très Spa while you are there and be kept up to date of activities and spot specials. Aroma Therapy Crystals especially the Sanctuary and Meditation ones.
As the day progressed so did the outlook of the website. There was light at the end of the tunnel. Thank goodness for good friends who have engineering backgrounds! All of the important stuff, the customer information, the product reviews, the newsletter subscribers, was all safe from the malicious intruders. Tucked away behind the scenes. All was not lost! The only part that had gotten wiped out were the product pictures, some internal links and various minor things, and well yes, the front engine that served up all the information. My hosting company was able to load a newer version of the front end software and connect it to the database at the backend. All I needed to do was rebuild the images and tweak minor changes.
Compared to what I had thought at the beginning of the day, adding product pictures and reconnecting links was really minor stuff. The site was up and available and customers could order. As far as the rest of the tweaks… well a website really is never fully done is it?
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Saturday, November 13, 2010
A Symphony is not played with only one note
From time to time I have people ask me why I combine the ingredients I do. For example, why not make soap out of one oil or maybe two? Same goes for the Body Butter. There are lots of folks out there who create their butters using straight Shea butter. So, the last time I had a chat with someone at one of the markets, it really did get me to thinking about why I do do things the way I do.
I can’t imagine doing such a thing as only using one or two oils no more than I can imagine listening to a symphony of only one note. Composers may get inspiration from one note, but they add to that single note a series of notes to create chords and then blend various cords in unique sequences to create a finished piece of music.
I use the oils based on what they are known for or to put it another way, their nutrient combinations. Some oils are higher in certain vitamins than others. Some create a better lather than others, some ride on top of the skin creating a barrier, and others penetrate beneath the top layer and get down to the Dermis layer where all your new skin cells are being cultivated.
Just as a composer may get inspiration from a single note, they create a symphony with a blend of notes into chords which harmonize into the final piece. I apply the same art in creating recipes for Très Spa. I start with a single application, take for example body butter. The intention is to create a moisturizer that is free from preservatives. Butters are thick and tend to take a longer time to absorb into the skin. (If the label says water then it’s a cream and not a true body butter. )
Now if I’m going to take the time to apply a gorgeous butter, thick and luxurious, I’m going to want a butter that has all the nutrition in it that I can get. I’m also going to want a butter that is easy to get out of the jar and glides on smooth. Since Cocoa and Shea nut butters tend to be very hard in their natural state, I whip in other ingredients to make the most packed nutritious body butter around that is smooth and spreadable.
As far as the soaps, well…. They are also packed with a variety of oils and other ingredients. I usually start with a season in mind and the characteristics of nature during each season then I build from there. Sometimes it comes from customers looking for one essential oil, like my Grazin’ in the Grass. This soap started out from several customers looking for a Tea Tree soap. I got tired of saying no and gave it to the request. The result was a bar that has way more punch than just Tea tree on its own. It is the most astringent, antibacterial, anti microbial bar soap I create.
It may start out with one note, but I quickly add notes and ingredients that build upon each other and accent or strengthen each other until I have a finished piece. While you might not hear the symphony when you use Très Spa products, your skin will.
I can’t imagine doing such a thing as only using one or two oils no more than I can imagine listening to a symphony of only one note. Composers may get inspiration from one note, but they add to that single note a series of notes to create chords and then blend various cords in unique sequences to create a finished piece of music.
I use the oils based on what they are known for or to put it another way, their nutrient combinations. Some oils are higher in certain vitamins than others. Some create a better lather than others, some ride on top of the skin creating a barrier, and others penetrate beneath the top layer and get down to the Dermis layer where all your new skin cells are being cultivated.
Just as a composer may get inspiration from a single note, they create a symphony with a blend of notes into chords which harmonize into the final piece. I apply the same art in creating recipes for Très Spa. I start with a single application, take for example body butter. The intention is to create a moisturizer that is free from preservatives. Butters are thick and tend to take a longer time to absorb into the skin. (If the label says water then it’s a cream and not a true body butter. )
Now if I’m going to take the time to apply a gorgeous butter, thick and luxurious, I’m going to want a butter that has all the nutrition in it that I can get. I’m also going to want a butter that is easy to get out of the jar and glides on smooth. Since Cocoa and Shea nut butters tend to be very hard in their natural state, I whip in other ingredients to make the most packed nutritious body butter around that is smooth and spreadable.
As far as the soaps, well…. They are also packed with a variety of oils and other ingredients. I usually start with a season in mind and the characteristics of nature during each season then I build from there. Sometimes it comes from customers looking for one essential oil, like my Grazin’ in the Grass. This soap started out from several customers looking for a Tea Tree soap. I got tired of saying no and gave it to the request. The result was a bar that has way more punch than just Tea tree on its own. It is the most astringent, antibacterial, anti microbial bar soap I create.
It may start out with one note, but I quickly add notes and ingredients that build upon each other and accent or strengthen each other until I have a finished piece. While you might not hear the symphony when you use Très Spa products, your skin will.
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