RamsdenDesigns

Trying Out a Gift Pack Idea

Today I sat down and tried out a new idea I had for packaging my guest sized soaps. Figuring out ways to package them without it costing a fortune has been a problem…boxes are always the wrong size (meaning I’d have to have them custom made) and I’m balking at the thought of wrapping them up like a gift basket (too hard to store and would cost a fortune to mail).

So I tried an idea I had; wrapping them with cello and sitting them on a thick sturdy cardboard mat. The wrapping and board make for a nice sturdy pack, they don’t wobble around and sit flat…a major bonus. I like it but I’m not 100% convinced yet and feel it needs more work.

It’s back to the drawing board but I feel I’m a little closer to the finished product.

You Da Bomb! No! I Da Bomb!

Why am I so awesome? Apart from the obvious…

If you know me personally or read this blog often you may be a little “Oh she has ANOTHER bath bomb solution…blah blah blah! Good for her” but I swear I’m positive this one is going to be permanent.

90% sure anyway.

If you’ve never made bath bombs and then tried to package them in durable, attractive, professional, cost effective packaging that still lets you smell the fragrance then you may be unaware of just how gosh darn difficult that is. I have tried just about everything I can think of but have never been completely happy with it. It may look nice but be costly, time consuming or cover up the fragrance. And I was never really satisfied with leaving them unwrapped as the only option, fearing what humidity and air conditioning will do to them.

But I’m really happy with this packaging solution. Introducing:

I know right! Simple, yet brilliant.

It still needs a few more tweaks to get it perfect but I’m really happy with it.

The bombs are protected from the elements while still allowing the fragrance to come through and all product descriptions, logo and ingredients are easy to see.

So from this week I’ll be offering two different types of bath bombs; wrapped and unwrapped. This will apply for wholesale orders too and will enable people to decide how they would like their purchases. At the moment I’m visualising the wrapped bath bombs would be perfect for gifts, web orders and most retail outlets while the unwrapped bombs will probably fair better at markets as most customers are buying them for themselves and are happy to forgo a bit of wrapping.

Stay tuned folks, they’ll be up in the shop soon.

My New Logo is a Delight (snort!)

I’ve never actually had a proper logo. Not a real one, so, in an effort to get my business act together I spent an inordinate amount of time making one.

Now I’m not going to tell you that whilst looking for a bird with the word “Delight” in it’s name I came across a “Twitchers Delight” which I thought was a simply wonderful looking bird. But it turned out that that isn’t the name of a bird but rather a term used to describe the sighting of a rare bird (or something to that effect).

I won’t tell you, because that would just make me look like an idiot…and we can’t let that cat out of the bag.

So it’s a twitchers delight wearing a crown. See where I’m going here? My little bird friend is the emperor of delightful birds.

I know I know, my genius is positively radiating from me.

He’s (no name yet, we’re still at getting-to-know-you stage) going to be absolutely every where soon. In fact the little fellow is already on this blog and on the website. Check out the website if you don’t believe me, and while you’re there, buy something. The soaps are fantastic value.

It’s Hard to Stay Positive

When a market bombs it’s hard to keep thinking positive thoughts and not question what you’re doing.

Yesterday I did one of those horrible markets where you do your job and put in the hard work…and no one shows up. That…it happens…is one of my childhood fears that has stayed with me through to adulthood. You decide to have a party, invite tonnes of people and then the worst happens and no one comes because you’re so uncool.

I never had a party that bombed as a kid it turned out…no sane kid gives up free candy.

Thankfully it wasn’t a reflection on me that no one came to the market…that’s someone else's fear come true this time.

And I’d been really happy with my setup this time too. It was all sugar and spice and all things nice. I’d got to try out my new tree decorations and made new price tags in a whimsical design to fit in with the children's themed market.

All the bath bombs were new and I’d tried out a new packaging idea. They looked lovely and had the added bonus of making a lot of kids cry as they thought the bombs were candy and were devastated when the mums all said no.

A kids line isn’t something I’m interested in pursuing right now. I had been thinking about it but have changed my mind. Saturday was a clear reminder that it’s easier to sell something an adult wants as opposed to something their kids want.

To keep me motivated I’m starting two new projects designed to get me back into a working frame of mind and keep me focused. Stay tuned.

Let Them Eat Cake…All Day Long

We do a lot of cake and chocolate eating in this house.

Well, why not? It’s perhaps one of the great loves in our household.

And in honour of that delicious substance, just yesterday I saw these online:

Oh how divine, how delicious, how scrumptious. Details here.

And while we’re still on the subject of chocolate I also came across this beautifully designed chocolate milk collection:

How amazing. Designed by Mark Johnson a recent graduate from the Savannah College of Art and Design in Savannah. I would buy chocolate milk everyday if it looked like this.

To add to my blissful morning I’m listening (and forcing the kids…one’s home sick) to the 2005 Pride and Prejudice soundtrack. It’s really lovely and I’m definitely getting old :)

You Da Bomb!

I’ve got new packaging for the bath bombs and I am loving them.

Oh the pretty colours and the shiny boxes. Not only do they smell fantastic and are great for your skin but they look so very pretty as well.

I’ve even got a nifty little poster for the display stand…thinking of everything here.

Sneak Peak – New Soaps

Easter isn’t all chocolate eggs and fresh rain. It’s also the perfect, quiet day to get the creative juices flowing.

I’ve just finished the wrapping for two new soaps. The first is my famous 100% Olive Oil Soap which my parents make me deliver to them in bulk they like it so much. Mum has recently started using it as a shampoo and says her hair has never felt better.

The second is a Blackberry Soap which smells of fruit, lollies and a day of fun all at once. It really is divine, I adore it.

I am thrilled to pieces with the packaging. The olive oil soap has the cutest little creatures drawn on the wrapping and if you look carefully you can see a giraffe and bird. On top of the soap is the image of a whale which was almost the deciding factor when choosing the pattern. The blackberry soap has peacock feathers all over it; my favourite bird and the delicate colour and pattern go just perfectly with the scent.

Three more weeks however, dear reader, is how long you’ll have to wait before these are ready for sale.

Almost doesn’t seem fair.

Product Spotlight – Coffee Soap

 

A wonderful, gentle soap with no added extras or fancy ingredients, just good old fashioned moisturising soap. But don’t be fooled by it’s simple ingredients, this soap will take good care of your skin and the invigorating coffee fragrance will wake you up in no time.This is a big big bar of soap that will last and costs a measly $7.50. Buy it here.

Coffee Soap is packaged in a unique patterned paper and looks like a little present already. Leave it sitting on your bathroom sink if you dare, it smells divine. But trust me, you’ll be missing the best bits.

Ingredients

Olive oil: creates an extremely mild soap with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

Sodium Hydroxide: the ingredient that turns oil into soap. While used in soapmaking, there is never any left in the finished product.

Coconut oil: an effective moisturiser for very dry skin.

Castor oil: a wonderful moisturiser and produces an amazing lather in soap.

Rice Bran Oil: a good source of Vitamin E, and antioxidants, and is particularly suited to sensitive, dry and mature skin types.

Fragrance Oil: only the highest quality fragrance oils are used. They must be skin safe and made in controlled environments that promote safety.

Weight: 270 grams

Product Spotlight – Buff Country

Buff Country is an exfoliating salt bar plus a unique luxurious rich layer of soap on top. Use in the shower or bath for an amazing spa treatment. Buff Country will polish and moisturise your skin until it’s silky smooth.

Made with the most moisturising ingredients including Macadamia Oil and Mango Butter which is so rarely used in soap.

A mild, yet delightful sweet smelling fragrance. A wonderful combination of the coolness of a cucumber with a delightfully sweet melon.

Made in small batches, it takes several days to make one batch due to the differing qualities of each layer. Each bar is shrink wrapped, then hand wrapped and packaged in a sturdy clear plastic soap box. This protects it in transit, helps stop moisture problems and makes it very easy to store or gift wrap.

It is natural for the soap layer to be used quicker than the salt layer due to the incredible hardness of the salt layer. The salt layer will last much longer than a regular soap bar and due to the high salt content will produce fewer bubbles. This does not alter its wonderful polishing ability.

Ingredients
Sodium Chloride: increases hardness and acts as a gentle exfoliate and skin polisher. Gentle, but not recommended for the face.

Coconut oil: an effective moisturiser for very dry skin.

Olive Oil: creates an extremely mild soap with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

Sodium Hydroxide: the ingredient that turns oil into soap. While used in soapmaking there is never any left in the finished product.

Palm Kernel Oil: adds hardness to the soap. Our Palm Kernel Oil is sourced from a sustainable plantation.

Castor Oil: a wonderful moisturiser and produces an amazing lather in soap.

Fragrance oil: only the highest quality fragrance oils are used. They must be skin safe and made in controlled environments that promote safety.

Macadamia Oil: a moisturising and soothing oil.

Mango Butter: packed full of anti-oxidants and has healing properties.

Titanium Dioxide: is a neutral, very white powder and is considered food and skin safe. It is used to whiten and brighten products.

Silk Powder: makes the lather feel silkier and leaves skin feeling smooth and soft.

Cosmetic Grade Colour: we use colour specifically designed for cold process soap.

Product Spotlight – Fairy Dust in Glass Jars

Not yet available in stores these perfect little treats will add a touch of magic to your bath time.

Sprinkle a little over your bath and watch it fizz.

Fairy dust comes in a unique heart shaped glass jar topped with a green bow for Cucumber and Melon and a pink bow for the wonderful fruity Energy fragrance. It makes a perfect gift and looks beautiful sitting next to the bath.

A mild, yet delightful sweet smelling fragrance. A wonderful combination of the coolness of a cucumber with a delightfully sweet melon.

Fruity scented dust is a wonderful citrus scent smelling of Grapefruit, Lemon and Lime, with hints of fresh Cucumber and Jasmine, adding to the heady scent is a touch of Pineapple, Blackberry and Champagne.

Both contain French clay, the mildest of the clays making it suitable for dry and sensitive skin and helps to stimulate circulation.

Is safe for children, just be careful to not get the product in eyes as it may irritate.

Buy your green bottle of delight here. And your pink bottle here.

Ingredients
Citric Acid: one of the basic ingredients of fizzy bath products.

Sodium Bicarbonate: one of the basic ingredients of fizzy bath products.

Kaolin French Clay: a very mild clay and is suitable for dry and/or sensitive skin and children. Helps stimulate circulation and produces great slip in soap making it ideal for shaving.

Coconut oil: an effective moisturiser for very dry skin.

Fragrance oil: only the highest quality fragrance oils are used. They must be skin safe and made in controlled environments that promote safety.

Avocado Oil: has softening and protective qualities for the skin and also helps revitalise the skins appearance.

Macadamia Oil: a moisturising and soothing oil.

Mango Butter: packed full of anti-oxidants and has healing properties.

Jojoba oil: has anti-microbial properties and also closely resembles the skin’s natural sebum, so it is easily absorbed and rarely causes allergic reactions, even in the most sensitive individuals.

Cocoa Butter: has excellent moisturising properties.

Witch Hazel Extract: a wonder liquid which acts as an astringent toner for normal and oily skin. Also has antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antibacterial, antifungal, and anaesthetic properties.

Colour: high quality food colouring is used.