Happy New Year!
Thank you to the people who helped me move my business Third Day Soaps Garden: towards the next level. First let me start with my loyal fans; my customer’s. Third Day Soaps Garden could not be as successful as it is today without you! You have consistently made my life happier…Some of the most memorable people who come to mind are the ones that send me little notes of inspiration and business advice. Thank you for being so compassionate and kind. I would like to name a few. Jamie Gatewood, Creative Consultant, Kieashia Lindsey, Christian Blogger “Sincerely Mrs. Lindsey” . Michelle Nacareti and Chelsea Mitchel “Women for a Healthy Enviornment” and my family and friends.
2015 My year at a glance!
Janurary- Met with Chelle Stein, Web Designer to work as a team collating information for the Third Day Soaps Garden website. Thank you Chelle for the outstanding job you did creating and designingh this website! Started my new lifestyle diet and lost 40lbs in 10 months…I have been able to maintain the weight that I lost! Yippe!
February- HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY! The month of Love!!! that’s right..time to start thinking about that special person in your life you love! Kissing you; will be all she’s thinking about when you hand her this beautiful big, red, and beautifully gifted box treat on Valentine’s Day! Included are 4 star- studded natural and organic skin and body care products from our Third Day Soaps Garden Skin Care Kitchen. We will be uploading the gift box on January 14th, 2016. If you want to get a head start on you Valentine’s Day shopping head over to our sister site on Etsy.com/shoop/thirddaysoapsgarden.com
March-purchased my first brilliant color Mica’s from Mad Oils. Attended my first networking & craft event of the year with Diamond Event Planners. Attended market meeting to discuss plans for the Squirrel Hill Farmers Market.
April-. I took my tomatoe plants out to the greenhouse..the weather was so beautiful in the 60’s. a week into them being in the greenhouse it got really cold out and my plants suffered alittle..they recovered and grew beautiful! My son Blake took me to the movies and dinner it was fun to spend time with him. We are both so busy working so we caught up on whats going on in our lives. I traveled to Ohio to visit my granddaughter Mia for a few days it was a nice relaxing visit. Attended an Earth Day event hosted by the Rennasiance Hotel in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I had a great time with the customers and visitors. They really loved smelling the soaps and trying on some of natural lotions and sugar scrubs I had on display.
May- I taught a workshop/class on “Natural Skincare Recipes from the Garden” at the Carnegie Library in Bellvue, Pa. we used herbs from my garden to make herbal body oil, lotion and herbal sugar scrubs. The patrons and I discussed the importance of using natural ingredients and how to use your garden to make healthy skin care products. Sunday, May 31, 2015 was the first day of the Squirrel Hill Farmers Market. My granddaughter Mia came to visit me for the summer.
June – Enjoyed 5 Sundays of Farmers Markets…
July-My birthday month!
I taught 2 workshop/classes at the West End Carnegie Library and the Woods Run Carnegie Library. “Natural SkincareRecipes from the Garden” was the theme and topic of the workshop. The students made herbal sugar scrubs, herbal bath teas and herbal bath/body oil.
August- Signed up for Tumblr the online social media site. Read the book “4-Hour Work Week “ author Tim Ferris. This is probably the best book I ever read next to Anthony Robbins books. Tim is a beast at using his time wisely and outsourcing task. His book has really changed my life and my business has benefited from the strategies he teaches in the book. I suggest everyone on planet Earth read the 4-Hour Work Week at least 10 times!
September- My son Blakes birthday month! Spoke with the founder of the Eco-Soap Bank. They collect soaps from soapmakers and hotels and recycle, sanitze and rebottle and distribute to folks around the world. Cambodia is one of the hubs of the Eco-Soap Bank. Third Day Soaps Garden donates 10cents to Eco-Soap Bank for every bar of soap sold. I went to Sandusky, Ohio to visity my granddaughter for her birthday. We celebrated at Kalarhari Resort and Convention Center. It was so much fun. It has tons of water slides…wave pool; all of which is indoors..its a spectacular place.. I recommend you go.
October- I started a four-week “Natural skincare from the garden” series with the Gift.org nonprofit. They work with women ages 50+ and offer interesting projects for the women to enjoy in the community. The classes/workshop where held a the Wightman School in Squirrel Hill. Women for a healthy Enviornment hosted their annual “FACE-IT” event.
November- busy, busy, busy getting ready for the December holiday rush! Attended the Carnegie Mellon’s Health and Wellness Fair. Met with the buyer of Whole Foods Market, Heather Manning. I joined the National Council for Colored Women. Attended an event at Sparkle Dragon’s Magical Emporium. It was an interesting vending event. Lots of unique gifts and visitors.
December- Attended two 3-day Holiday Gift Shop events as a vendor! The Wilkins School Community Center held their 53rd Holiday Gift Shop. The Falk School in Oakland, Pa held their annual Holiday gift Shop. Both where very profitable for Third Day Soaps Garden. Last but certainly not least. I had the great opportunity to hire a parttime Administrative Assistant, Lets welcome Megan Whitmer. Im so thrilled to have her on our team at Third Day Soaps Garden.
2015 into 2016. was one of the most interesting and exciting years for Third Day Soaps Garden. The year was filled With several business partnerships and revenue growth spurts. One of the areas of growth was with the Squirrel Hill Farmers Market. The market was strong with customers each Sunday; buying fresh and local produce from some of the best farmers in the Allegheny County region. Folks came from all over the city. It was mesmerizing and energizing with folk and dance bands that played live for bustling onlookers and customers. I had the experience of meeting many new farmers that sold goatsmilk, honey and fresh local cheeses. They all tasted yummy! Of course my organic skin care booth was always filled with folks trying on lotions, sunscreens and demonstrating sugar scrubs and smelling the herbal soap bars…it was always nice and sunny. The weather was good to us market vendors in 2015.
This was the first year I started my own little herbal stand in my garden and greenhouse, I started over 23 different heirloom tomatoes and herbs. I also tried my hand at making herbal vinegars, jellies, jams and canning hot peppers and onions. It was so much fun! My grand girls had a great time picking tomatoes and playing in the garden.
Carnegie Mellon’s Health and Wellness Fair, Wilkins School Community Center’s Holidy Gift Shop, Falk School Holiday Gift Shop. Our educational workshops and skincare classes gave us a chance to work and meet many new students. Third Day Soaps Garden taught skincare workshops at several Carnegie Library DIY skincare demonstration workshops such as, Sheraden, Bellvue, West End and Squirrel Hill Libraries. We also provide private soapmaki ng classes. If your looking for a local business that specializes in organic/natural skin and body care instructors and teachers give me a call; 412-290-0611 or visit our website at: thirddaysoapsgarden.com for class schedules, fees and dates.
The year came to a close with the busy holiday season of many gift shop events where Third Day Soaps Garden was a vendor. Women for a Healthy Enviornment hosted their annual “FACE It” where this years Speakers where Sustainable skin and bodycare industry leaders met like the Sensible Organics, Rob Robillard, Chier Executive Officer was a speaker. Whole Food’s Beauty Buyer, Heather Manning, KDKA’s Television Personality, Jennifer Antkowiak spoke about her business venture with a top essential oil company. The Executive Director Michelle Nacareti hosted and made the night a special treat. She gave the guest a pretty eco-friendly makeup case to enhance the evening. Third Day Soaps Garden was a vendor as well as; many other wonderful organic natural skin care merchants that where available to talk to and educate the guest while browsing and purchasing products for themselves and gifts for the holidays.
The new year is moving in strong and eventful. I was blessed to partner with Eco-Soap Bank! Whats next on the horizon for Third Day Soaps Garden? Just recently I was blessed with attaining an Adminstrative Assistant. Her name is Megan Whitmer. I met her last summer at the Squirrel Hill Farmers Market. She was working with the Creamery at their booth where they make and sell specialty cheeses, icecream and fresh raw milk flavored with rubarb, strawberries and goats yogurt. She is such an intelligent, resourceful and pleasant person. Megan will be working with designing a customer relationship management program with insentives program for loyal customers. She will also be managing the customer databases and assisting in many project management venues.
We are moving up and into a major organic grocery store…right now it must remain a secret as to announce and give it away to soon would ruin the surprise~ so, stay tuned and continue to LIKE and SHARE our POST to our Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter and our website in the next few weeks for the announcement! To prepare us for bigger opportunities in the retail sector I am currently preparing my application membership to attain the GS1 so that the Third Day Soaps Garden products being sold in larger retail stores have barcodes. We are also working with folks to attain our Voluntary Cosmetic Registration Program with the FDA. One of the goals I have layed a foundation for in the new year is to encourage more people to learn how to formulate; and understand their organic natural skin care. Its very important to learn what the ingredients in your daily skin and hair products do and what they are really made of.
Hello 2016! be blessed!
Cynthia Hill, President
Third Day Soaps Garden