Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Visit our small town american Soapmaking Studio!

 We thought it would be nice to share some new pictures of our soapmaking studio here in Perry, Georgia. We are pretty excited since we've moved from our former location. Lots of space to create, dream and design new projects! We even have a GIFT shop where you can purchase our soaps, soapmaking equipment,fragrance,essential oils and herbs.
                                                  904 Northside Drive, Perry Georgia 31069

A View from the Front Porch
Our Gift Shop

A peek inside from the Gift Shop area

Our Teaching Area


We hope that you'll join us very soon in a class or just stop by to shop!

Currently we are open to shop Wednesday- Friday 10am-3pm
or you can shop anytime in our online store:
mossycreeksoap.com


Directions to our studio in Perry Georgia



View Larger Map

Thursday, March 21, 2013

Cosmetic Manufacturer or Drug Lord? Which one are you?


Education goes a long way when it concerns safe cosmetic manufacturing and I am not only talking about the "big guys" but also many small businesses as well.  In our quest to make a fabulous product and our passion to share it's wonderful benefits we may in fact be selling drugs. Making health claims on your products is a BIG no no unless you have the data and the license from the FDA to make those claims.  The FDA is very adamant about what you can and cannot say with your cosmetics-

http://www.fda.gov/cosmetics/guidancecomplianceregulatoryinformation/ucm074201.htm

"Intended use may be established in a number of ways. The following are some examples: 
  • Claims stated on the product labeling, in advertising, on the Internet, or in other promotional materials.Certain claims may cause a product to be considered a drug, even if the product is marketed as if it were a cosmetic. Such claims establish the product as a drug because the intended use is to treat or prevent disease or otherwise affect the structure or functions of the human body. Some examples are claims that products will restore hair growth, reduce cellulite, treat varicose veins, increase or decrease the production of melanin (pigment) in the skin, or regenerate cells.
  • Consumer perception, which may be established through the product's reputation. This means asking why the consumer is buying it and what the consumer expects it to do.
  • Ingredients that cause a product to be considered a drug because they have a well-known (to the public and industry) therapeutic use. An example is fluoride in toothpaste.
     
This principle also holds true for "essential oils." For example, a fragrance marketed for promoting attractiveness is a cosmetic. But a fragrance marketed with certain "aromatherapy" claims, such as assertions that the scent will help the consumer sleep or quit smoking, meets the definition of a drug because of its intended use. Similarly, a massage oil that is simply intended to lubricate the skin and impart fragrance is a cosmetic, but if the product is intended for a therapeutic use, such as relieving muscle pain, it's a drug."

Be very careful about making these claims because they do not play when they come knocking on your door. Whether you have stated in your description on your own online website, ETSY or distribute information at your craft shows--seller beware BIG brother is watching you. 


More links you want to know about:

http://www.fda.gov/Cosmetics/ResourcesForYou/Consumers/CosmeticsQA/default.htm

http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/DevelopmentApprovalProcess/HowDrugsareDevelopedandApproved/ucm2007006.htm
http://www.fda.gov/Cosmetics/ResourcesForYou/CosmeticsManufacturersPackagersDistributors/ucm142760.htm
http://www.fda.gov/Cosmetics/CosmeticLabelingLabelClaims/CosmeticLabelingManual/ucm126444.htm#clgk

Are you thinking of making a cosmetic and want to stay within the guidelines?  I suggest purchasing this fabulous book--  


Marie Gale makes it very easy to wade through these guidelines by providing examples to help you comply and not sell drugs without a license.  I hope you have found this information helpful.








Monday, March 4, 2013

Online Marketing Seminar in OUR STUDIO for JULY!!

 Sign up for Melissa Marro's Class we are hosting in our Studio for JULY!!
I got started with Melissa in the beginning of my new soapmaking business on CREATING the HIVE and that alone sent my ratings through the roof and helped me get the boost I needed with my online business- Don't miss out on the fabulous opportunity to improve your online sales!

Sign up today--http://stagingandredesign.com/online-home-staging-marketing-training/

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

We're going to the OSCARS next month!

We're pleased to announce, in association with The Artisan Group, we are participating in a luxury celebrity gift lounge hosted by GBK Productions on February 22-23, 2013 at an exclusive location in Beverly Hills, California, in honor of the The 2013 Oscar Awards Nominees and Presenters. 
Here's a sample of what's going to members of the press at the OSCARS!


Thursday, January 3, 2013

Building Your Small Business Credit



Starting a business in a recession is never easy and most small soapmaking business owners fund all their purchases via personal credit.  It’s fine to do in the beginning but when revenues increase and you are making larger purchases you may need to look for new funding.  This is where your business comes in. You will need to first apply (if you have not done it already) for a EIN number with the IRS (this is an Employer Identification Number), Register your business with your local and state agencies and designate a legal entity for your business (sole proprietorship, LLC..etc).  

 Remember when you had to establish personal credit?  You applied for credit and used your credit to build a history which was then reported to the various credit bureaus.  Well in business the terminology is a little different and works like this: As a business you will try to establish trade credit and it is when another business issues your business credit= trade credit.

At that point a business trade credit file will then be established, which is then gather by various business credit bureaus:

Dun & Bradstreet
Experian Business
Equifax Business

But the bad thing is that other businesses are not required to send in your information and the credit bureaus may never receive the good credit information that you have established. It will be up to you to check this report and make sure that your business credit is being submitted.  It may not matter to you now but with luck someday you may need to expand and get a loan. Then you will need this credit history.

You can check to see if your business is on file for FREE at DUN & BRADSTREET-  http://www.dnb.com/  and sign up for your DUNS number.  You can also pay to have your credit pulled from the above resources as well.

Some fine points to remember when establishing business credit:
1. Keep a business phone line separate from your personal line if your business is mobile. It sends up red     flags if you do not have one.
2. Update or create your business plan
3. Find businesses willing to extend you small credit and ask to see if they report to the agencies
4. Start at least 6- 8 months before you need the loan.


If you are intrested in starting your own soapmaking business join us for our 2 Day Weekend Workshop Jan 26-27, 2013.   Click Here For More Information!

Thursday, December 13, 2012

A bar of soap is only as good as it smells


Today, My Husband Dan, sent me a very inspiring video that basically defines why businesses succeed and why others don’t. The questions presented are why do I do what I do? Or better yet why make soap at all? Or why teach it to other people? So I thought for a moment, thinking it’s going pretty good maybe I am doing the right things? Otherwise I would have been out of business already—right? Well we know where that came from… Let’s just say I have a healthy dose of EGO. Maybe my German Puerto Rican roots are showing now? Hmmmm..

Anyway, back to those hard to answer questions, I had to think back to when this all started.  It was the early 90’s in my 20’s when I flew for Delta Airlines and had numerous layovers in Brighton England. There I discovered a little shop called “The Body Shop” everybody knows them now because they raced across the pond to open up a shop in every mall in America.  The main reason I loved their shop was the aroma streaming through the English glass doors that grabbed by my nose and dragged me in.  Then once you are in—you are completely inundated with the why.  Let me explain, the Body Shop International is designed around their need to educate the public on why you should be purchasing FREE TRADE products that come directly from the source harvested in such a way to protect and encourage the communities they came from.  Inspiring right?  I bought from them because I enjoyed the natural smelling products with ingredients that were good for my skin. Needless to say, I probably built a few stores here in America.  Good times!

Which brings me back to what motivated me in the first place to start making soap?  Since early on in my childhood I knew I was different, I found out that scent would either:  give me a headache, make me dizzy or make me feel good.  So I set out for the “Feel Good” part.  Since then I have developed that part of my senses to be very keen on what exactly everything smells like. Heck, I still smell my glass every time before I pour something in it. Weird huh?  It’s a proven fact that our sense of smell is tied directly to the memory part of our brains, which is why scent is so inherently personal to each of us.  Check out The Sense of Smell Institute for some smell good facts:  http://www.senseofsmell.org/.

Ok so then why soap?  We’ll for me it’s the easiest way to facilitate the scent!  Not really, it has to be a good skin loving bar as well. But it was the main reason I picked a bar in the first place. I spent a lot of money in the beginning buying all my fragrances and essential oils because unfortunately there are a lot of stinky fragrances. So I had to wade through the fragrances that didn’t last or with stand the process of soapmaking, ones that didn’t morph into a scent that I didn’t recognize and ones that were just plain “stinky”.  Ultimately what came out of it was a new found knowledge of scent and where to find them. A bar of soap is only as good as it smells, if you don’t pick it up you will never know what you’re missing. I believe a scent memory is important to your wellbeing and genuinely want you to feel better. The scent for my soap is carefully chosen for their harmony with nature, clarity of mind, wellbeing of the body and quality to help keep you grounded.




Soap is pretty easy to make with a few ingredients that do not have to cost a lot of money, you don’t have purchase huge vats of anything to get started and you can use your own cooking equipment to mix it in. When you are ready to learn how—sign up for one of my classes.  The 2 day weekend workshop in January is filling up! Deadline to SAVE $$$ will end DEC 31.