Tag: Orders

Etsy Bugs!

Leave a comment

Etsy is currently undergoing issues with placing orders. If you placed an order during the 4th of July sale, your order may not have processed yet! Please check your account and see if your transaction has gone through. Some people are reporting their orders being cancelled!

Hopefully Etsy will fix this error soon but unfortunately I can’t do anything on my end. If you order does get cancelled just reorder whenever you can! If your order was cancelled and you used the promo code I will manually add it myself! Sorry everyone. šŸ˜¦

 

Check out my Etsy Shop, see behind-the-scenes photos on Instagram, follow me onĀ Twitter and watch me on YouTube!

New PC is here! Back in Business!

Leave a comment

I can’t catch a break with this blog! I’d love to be posting consistently but it seems something always gets in the way. I recommend following me on Instagram or Twitter for up to the minute updates. My PC died! Yep, after 2 years of chugging along little Frankenstein finally gave out.

I am typing this blog post on my new Lenovo PC that arrived today! It’s already worlds better than my old one. It’s smaller, quiet and it has built-in wifi! I’m transferring my old files as I type this post out. I’m hoping to have almost everything done by tomorrow.

The best part is all business related software and accounts are set up again so I can take orders to the shop without delays! Yay!

Check out my Etsy Shop, see behind-the-scenes photos on Instagram, follow me onĀ Twitter and watch me on YouTube!

Summer 2016 Annoucement!

Leave a comment

It’s almost that time of year! The sun is shining, the tourists are creating traffic jams and my boyfriend sunburns in any room that has windows. Summer! This month I will be focusing my efforts on the Summer 2016 collection to be released in early June! I will be bringing back old favorites as well as trying out some new ideas for the shop.

The timeline is going to be a bit odd. I will be spending essentially every free moment working on making the soap and the wax tarts for as early a release date as possible. The issue is the first full week of June (beginning on the 5th?) my future in-laws will be visiting! My lovely future father in-law has volunteered to do the job of painting the horrible orange off my walls in favor of a nice blue or gray… I’m still deciding! Which means orders will probably be delayed slightly. Obviously I will try to get things moving along quickly so I don’t have to work about any delays. Worst case scenario I may push back the launch of the collection if I feel the painting will interfere too much.

More details to come in the future! Stay tuned to this blog for any updates! Also, keep your eyes peeled on social media for possibly more sales!

Check out my Etsy Shop, see behind-the-scenes photos on Instagram, follow me onTwitter and watch me on YouTube!

Week-In-Instagram: Apr 24th- 30th

Leave a comment

I’m so tired after work today… I don’t know where the caffeine from that mocha frappuccino went! Well, May is finally here which means things will only get busier! I’m going to spend the entire month preparing yet another collection of soap and wax tarts! I need a nap just typing that.

I’ve been looking for about a month or so at new paint colors for my office. I HATE the traffic cone orange walls so just about any color would be a massive improvement. I do take a bit of joy reading some of these paint names. Who has this job and how much does it pay? I think naming paint colors is my calling.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BEpgnMJMK1a/?taken-by=theblackcurrantshop

 

This past week I did my first soap related flash sale! I tested the idea before with my wax tarts so I thought I’d give the soap that same treatment. It was amazing! I had a few orders trickle in after that needed packing that are also in this picture. If only my happiness and enthusiasm could translate the extremely tired and sad USPS worker that sorted all of these…

https://www.instagram.com/p/BEuD_1VsK5T/?taken-by=theblackcurrantshop

 

This weeks guest post comes from Canard Labs in North Bend, Oregon! Everything about this post is amazing! The simplistic logo, the colors, the amazing boxes… I am in love! I love that Canard Labs is also a brick and mortar location. Maybe one day that will be me as well… If you don’t at least visit the siteĀ http://www.canardlabs.com/ I really don’t know why you don’t like nice things.

 

Check out my Etsy Shop, see behind-the-scenes photos on Instagram, follow me onTwitter and watch me on YouTube!

USPS Strikes Again!

Leave a comment

USPS problems strike again! As if I didn’t have enough on my plate USPS threw me a curveball this week. No longer will they do package pickup for just first class mail! You now need at least one priority mail package to have anything else picked up.

Did I get any kind of email or newsletter? Nope. Phone call? Nope! Letter? Haha, nope! I want to let everyone know that this isn’t a panic situation but packages may experience a slight delay in shipping. I’ll be sure to update this blog and buyers if any further shipping delays are coming. I apologize in advance to anyone this may inconvenience but unfortunately this was out of my hands.

Check out my Etsy Shop, see behind-the-scenes photos on Instagram, follow me onTwitter and watch me on YouTube!

Week-In-Instagram: Jan 3rd- Jan 9th

Leave a comment

My cold took a terrible turn yesterday so I’m blogging today! Thankfully I the worst seems to be over for me- not so much my boyfriend. I hope he feels better soon! I can’t believe we’re both sick the week of our anniversary! Sharing is caring I guess?

Let’s take a brief look back at 2015. I made a mini goal for my business to ship to all 50 states. It was a lofty goal that I certainly didn’t think I would come close to meeting in my first year of business. Turns out I’m pretty close! I’ve shipped to more than half the country in less than a year! But I’m still hoping to cover this map in green so if you know anyone in the white states spread the word! Maybe I’ll put out a promo code once my map is filled up! šŸ˜‰

For more business related news I have some stock updates. Alpine Frost, my most popular male scent since Bonsai, is down to the last few bars! As of this post I only have 2 bars left and no plans to remake this scent until Fall/Winter 2016. With the Spring line coming closer and closer, I can’t keep restocking old scents! In fact, quite a few different scents are dwindling! New and old stock is starting to disappear…

… Like Fresh Brewed Coffee! I only have 1 of the wax tarts left! I still have a handful of soaps left but many scents in both forms are in low stock! Examples include: Moroccan Mint (1 wax tart, 2 soaps), Peach Smoothie (2 soaps), Island Coconut (2 soaps) and Vanilla Bean (2 wax tarts, 3 soaps).

Depending on what old stock is left, we may or may not see some returns! Not that I’m worried about keeping the shop stocked: I have 90 different items listed!

 

Check out my Etsy Shop, see behind-the-scenes photos on Instagram, follow me on Twitter and watch me on YouTube!

Week-In-Instagram: Dec 13th- Dec 19th

Leave a comment

Sorry for the extremely late posting. I had some early afternoon appointments that ran late so I’m rapidly typing this out! Don’t you hate when things run later than expected? That’s why I always make sure to be at least 10 minutes early. That’s some good advice for anything.

Anyway, TODAYĀ is the LAST DAY to place a domestic order! All orders placed on Monday, December 21st will be shipped on the 22nd and will get to you sometime after December 25th.

I hope everyone has finished wrapping their gifts! I’m all set and ready for Christmas Day. My boyfriend still has to wrap a present yet but he still has some time. The temptation to peek is overwhelming sometimes!

The outdoor decorations… uh, decoration is looking festive and cute! We don’t have a lot of space so we needed a small, yet festive decoration. Our front door is set back a bit so nothing could be seen there. We settled on this Christmas dachshund since we both love dogs and the hat and sweater was too cute! The winds have been blowing him over a lot lately so we have to reattachĀ his head almost daily! I know the feeling…

Inside the tree is nicely trimmed! The tree on the left was last year. We chose the traditional red and green to go with the gingerbread house ornament for our new home. This year, we chose a blue and silver “Winter Wonderland” theme since neither of us have had a tree like that growing up. It’s so nice to alternate themes every year! I have to give credit to my boyfriend for putting garland on the hand railings this year.

Happy holidays to all!

 

Keep up with my shop & social media!:

Etsy shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TheBlackCurrant

FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Black-Currant/1510492712559626

Instagram: @theblackcurrantshop

Twitter: @BlackCurrantWA

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCR5WLIY4E4TzgMgWQau2uew

Week-In-Instagram: Nov 29th- Dec 5th

Leave a comment

Is it that time already? It feels like I just did a Week-In-Instagram post yesterday but it’s already Sunday. This week has been flying by as I keep myself busy with the business, work and mountains of laundry! At least I can fold mountains of laundry while listening to Christmas music. I’m ready for Christmas!

This is some of the aftermath of my Black Friday sale. I’m very pleased to get a wide variety of orders! Some summer products went out as well as samplers. My most popular item from the sale? Spiced Holiday Fruit! I’m not surprised, it’s a warm blend of apples and peaches rolled in cinnamon and other spices. It’s delicious!

I hope everyone that celebrates Christmas has started trimming the tree! This year my boyfriend and I changed our tree theme. Last year we did the traditional red/green/gold tree to go with our gingerbread “first home” ornament. This year we chose a “Winter Wonderland” blue and silver theme. It’s our first year with this kind of tree. We both grew up with more traditional styles of tree so I enjoy this seasonal departure. We haven’t purchased our personal ornament yet but I’ll post it on Instagram once we do!

After months of waiting… it is here! My official Etsy card reader came in the mail on Thursday. I’m so excited to use it! I decided against any craft shows this year so I could focus on developing my products. I’m hoping to start doing craft shows and events next year. I’ve already started researching and contacting locations to see if I met the requirements. Maybe I could get into a farmers market! Fingers crossed for a Black Currant coming to a location near you (if you live in Washington state near Seattle)!

 

REMINDER: Tomorrow, Dec. 7th, is the LAST day for international customers to place their order for Dec. 24th delivery. I hope any international customers do get it in time but I also can’t make any promises since I can’t control it once it leaves my hands. Double check ALL of your info to ensure it doesn’t get stopped in transit!

 

Keep up with my shop & social media!:

Etsy shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TheBlackCurrant

FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Black-Currant/1510492712559626

Instagram: @theblackcurrantshop

Twitter: @BlackCurrantWA

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCR5WLIY4E4TzgMgWQau2uew

Thanksgiving & Black Friday Updates!

Leave a comment

Thanksgiving is tomorrow! Is everyone excited? I know I’m excited to make my fresh cranberry sauce! My boyfriend and I don’t have family visiting this year, and frankly I’m so busy and tired most days that I’m kind of glad. It’s been an exhausting week behind the scenes. My personal life is making some changes but they shouldn’t have much of an impact on the business. Speaking of the business, it’s time to talk about the sales and holiday shipping!

You may recall my post yesterday with the dates that you have to order by to ensure a Christmas Eve (or earlier) delivery. You can read all about it here. I’ll try to ship out orders as soon as I can! Naturally anything ordered today or tomorrow can’t ship until Friday at the earliest. Domestic orders are always shipped with Priority Mail while international customers may choose between First Class or Priority Mail. I’m not going to go into detail too much on the dates but I really don’t advise waiting too long. You run the risk of product selling out the longer you wait! If you’re waiting for a sale you can always use promo code CELEBRATE100 for 10% an order of $20 or more!

I bet you want to know about any Thanksgiving/Black Friday sales right? I thought for a while about what I wanted to do. I looked at other Etsy shops to look for patterns and promotions. I can’t offer a free shipping code just because even FirstĀ Class mail internationally is really expensive! The reason I use Priority Mail for domestic because I can guarantee a certain price for shipping. For first class it is calculated by weight. Do you know how expensive it is to ship even a few bars via First class? The cost of shipping could be even higher depending on the size of your order. I may make it an option in the future, but for this year it will remain as the only option for domestic orders. Instead, I decided to create a promo code for 20%! For a minimum purchase of $5 you can save $20 off your order! The promo code, BLACKFRIDAY20, will be available for this friday (11/27) only! Thanksgiving is for family, not shopping. Spend time with your relatives, enjoy some good food, argue about religion or politics and relax.

I’ll be processing orders in the order I receive them, like I always do. If for any reason I can not ship your order right away I will send you a message on Etsy! I will do the same thing if I encounter a stock issue! For example, I have to manually update my samplers with the quantities of each scent. If I only have 5 of a particular scent and 7 orders for it I’ll treat it as a first come, first served basis. I hope this issue will not come up but I will keep all customers in the loop and help to find a solution. Have a great holiday everyone!

 

Keep up with my shop & social media!:

Etsy shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TheBlackCurrant

FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Black-Currant/1510492712559626

Instagram: @theblackcurrantshop

Twitter: @BlackCurrantWA

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCR5WLIY4E4TzgMgWQau2uew

100th Order Celebration!

Leave a comment

We did it! After months of selling and shipping across the globe I’ve hit 100 orders! Well, technically I hit the 100 order mark on Friday but I wanted to dedicate a full post to it. It’s been a long road since I started my business. I opened on February 27th this year but the process of starting this business goes back to September of last year! Last year I worked hard to make sure I had the proper licenses and forms to legally start my business. You don’t have to be a registered business to start an Etsy shop but I wanted to take this business seriously and get the headaches over with now instead of later once the business picked up and took more time out of my day.

It was a very difficult process to get my business off the ground. I took an ambitious approach with the launch of 20 scents for my glycerin soap and wax tarts. Most Etsy shops I’ve seen start out very small with a handful of items in small quantities. By choosing 20 scents I cast a wide net to help determine my target audience. Some scents did stellar, like Tropical Breeze and Peach Smoothie, while others haven’t gotten a lot of recognition. I want everyone to know I really do take your feedback into consideration and I’ve already begun the process of narrowing down the Spring/Summer line of scents that haven’t done so well. I’m always open to suggestions on thing you want to see in the shop!

After all the blood (I did get a few papercuts, does that count?), sweat and tears (mostly tears) my shop opened up to US customers. I was met with overwhelming positivity and orders. I couldn’t imagine a better launch to my business! Opening up shipping to some international countries has not been a huge deal but after a few international customers asked for shipping estimates I did my best to offer shipping to them. I still get suggestions from people all over the world! Rest assured that I am working hard to make sure I can ship to you in a cost effective and customs safe way.

Thank you everyone, for everything. Please use promo code CELEBRATE100 to take 10% off any orders you place until the end of this year. You deserve it! Let’s hope we can reach the 200 order milestone soon!

 

Keep up with my shop & social media!:

Etsy shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TheBlackCurrant

FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Black-Currant/1510492712559626

Instagram: @theblackcurrantshop

Twitter: @BlackCurrantWA

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCR5WLIY4E4TzgMgWQau2uew