Just Sent Out My First Custom Order!

A lady my mother works with was having a tea party this weekend and about a month ago she had asked my mother if I made custom orders for party favors. But of course I do...well, at least now I do :)

I spent a couple weeks designing some new yummy teas that wouldn't be too "herbally" and tasted fabulous and created 40 tea samples with 3 bags each. If I say so myself they turned out wonderfully!

My mother took them to her this morning and we shall see what the reaction is next week. It was a blast making them, knowing that 30-40 women were about to be introduced to The Om Intention and that I may make a few new friends.

This little venture made me think...if I could do favors and make labels specific to the event, say weddings or baby showers or even tea parties, I could spread the word about my shop even more and have fun in the process! Because making those tea samples were a lot of fun!

Here's to new business, to getting my name out there, and to filling time in my severely unemployed days. Hahaha

New Teas and New Herbs

This week I've added some new teas and herbs to the shop, and still have more to go!

Today I've added my new tea Berry Berry Yummy. I didn't make it to serve any high, lofty, or remedy-like purpose...I made it to taste yummy! While it isn't just berries that is the flavor that most stands out. It has a hint of orange and cinnamon, and is wonderful as both a iced tea or hot tea. Did I mention it's great as an anti-carcinogen and anti-inflammatory? Well it is!!!

This week I'm also going to be adding my new flowery tea, Springtime Bouquet. It's light, floral, and has a wonderful flavor. With chamomile, lavender, jasmine and lemon peel its quite a pleasant tea. It reminds me of a spring day, like something I would drink at a garden tea party.

I'm also posting my new herbal tea that I designed for my friends and family battling diabetes. It's called SugarBuster and it's a one tea fighting machine. It helps regulate blood sugar, it helps reduce edema, and it tastes REALLY GOOD! I've heard some great reports from friends who are using it so I'm happy to begin selling it now.

I'm working on some new teas next week...some for taste, some for a purpose...and I am so excited to show them to you!

When Life Gets Nuts!

Many of you may know that I recently left the Virginia area and moved back to my home town in Massachusetts. Well, that made for a more hectic life than I ever thought possible. Now I've had a month to re-energize, refocus, and this month is all about posting my new, wonderful teas!

What's coming down the road?

A tea for the common cold! That's right, it helps clear the sinuses, soothes the throat, and calms the stomach all in one! I've been testing it on local family as well as myself and I can happily report that it works gently and silently and caused our nasty colds to last 3 days tops! Can you imagine??? Woohoo!

A tea for menopausal women! I'm leaving out the Red Clover that many such teas include because all the post-menopausal women in my family found Red Clover to react horribly in their systems and actually made things worse...so why take that chance?

A tea for diabetics! Every little herb in this baby is known for helping the body regulate blood sugar as well as reduce edema! It also tastes sooooo yummy! Waiting for a report back from my guinea pig to see how well it worked for him and I'll be letting you all know!

A tea for women trying to get pregnant and want an added boost to their fertility. I will be joining this group shortly (wedding in less than 90 days!) and wanted to create something for those of us who need a little extra help and want it to be more pleasant than a shot in the buttocks :)

I'm also going to put out a new line of yummy teas that are purely for taste! I know! All my teas are good, but these babies are specifically for the yummy factor. Does the fact that they are also good for you detract from the yumminess? Not even a tiny bit.

So keep your eyes open and check back here or at my Fan page on Facebook because I'll be letting you all know as I post them.

Nice to be back!

Jacqui

HUGE SALE THIS WEEKEND!!!!!

THIS WEEKEND, FRIDAY OCTOBER 16TH THROUGH SUNDAY OCTOBER 18TH ALL PREPACKAGED TEAS ARE ON SALE!!! Make your purchase between midnight on Friday morning and midnight Sunday night and get 25% off all prepackaged teas! Purchase 4 or more and get FREE SHIPPING!

This does not include prepacked herbs, bath salts, or herbal tea samplers.

As always, 10% of all purchases go towards CandleLighters Organization, helping families afford to give their children a fighting chance against cancer!

Woa, What Happened??

As many of you may have noticed I unintentially dropped off the face of the planet for the last week or so. Not to worry, while there were a few small oops and emergencies the big reason for my online-absense has mostly been due to too much business!

I know, too much! I wasn't prepared! Imagine..me..little girlscout that I am. I had an incident involving shattered glass all over my entire supply of tea bags, ran out of most of my tea bases, and had so many orders that I had to work long into the night and most of the weekend days to get caught up, and I'm still going!

Well, I've gotten my new order of tea bags and the new tea bases will arrive tomorrow, my new packaging will arrive the day after that and this weekend will be filled with preparation and new products listed!

Now to fulfill a few more orders and fill my promise to a certain blog give-away winner who is either being the most patient person in the world (and oh, shall she be rewarded) or has completely forgotten and will be getting a very nice surprise shortly!

I appreciate everyone's patience, your encouragement, and your faith that I would return!

Another Weekly Etsy Artisan Favorite Of Mine!

I found this shop while looking for potential jewelry for my wedding when I had chosen a very simple wedding dress and wanted to spice it up with something gorgeous and unique. Everything I saw in this shop was more lovely than the next and made me really jealous that I have NO talent at jewelry design.

This piece, "GhostLove ORIGINAL DESIGN - Victrola Locket - ELEGANT ALICE IN WONDERLAND INSPIRED VICTORIAN STEAMPUNK LOCKET with FLEUR de LIS on COPPER CHARM CHAIN" is absolutely one of my favorites, along with this:

This is the item, Pandora's Key - A BREATHTAKING GREEN CRYSTAL CAMEO CHOKER with HANGING BRASS KEY on RARE VINTAGE RIBBON LACE, I had planned to wear, or ask if she could make with a red or black ribbon instead until we bought a much more fancy dress. I may still buy it just because....if my hunny will lift the ban on new jewelry :)

Whoever gets a piece by GhostLoveJewelry will be one lucky and fashionable person!

In Addition To Free Shipping!

This weekend we are offering a 10% discount on EVERYTHING in the Etsy and Artfire store as well as free shipping!

Etsy: Simply purchase the item, make your payment and all discounts will be reimbursed to you within 24 hours of receipt!

Artfire: When you are checking out simply add the following coupon codes : LABORDAY10 and LABORDAYFREESHIP

This will be applied to all purchases made from Saturday, September 5th through Monday September 7th.

Any special orders requested and approved over the weekend will also receive this discount but ONLY if the payment for the special item is received before Monday at midnight.

Labor Day Weekend Deal! Free Shipping!!!

Have you been thinking of buying some tea, grabbing a bath salt, or trying a sampler but don't want to spend so much on shipping when you can pick up something kinda-sorta similar (but much lesser quality, of course) at your local healthfood store?

No problem! This weekend any purchased made between 12:01am Saturday, September 5th through 11:59pm Monday, September 7th will have all their shipping fees reimbursed to them!

So, start picking out your favorites now and all shipping charges will be reimbursed to you by noon on Tuesday (if not earlier!).

Just remember that all my products are made fresh, handcrafted to taste perfect each time, and are made from the best possible ingredients, most organic and many even wildcrafted!

Also watch out for some new products this weekend as I finally get some of the new packaging I've been waiting for AND new bath/body product toys to make bath bombs!

Bath Bombs Away!

I just got confirmation that my new supplies are on their way and I should have them by the end of the week! And a long weekend! Oh joy!

So, I'm getting plenty of stuff to make bath bombs, going to make them all natural and herbal, of course. I also put in another order (and got some nice essential oils for a new customers too) of additional stuff to make Halloween and Winter themed bombs too! So excited.

What else is new....Trying to put the finishing touches on my new website www.theomintention.com and I think my next tea will be a flu-fighting tea since so many people around me are getting sick and MD/DC/VA is getting ready for a horrible flu season. Why not give them something to help fight it BEFORE you get hit with it? I know I'll be drinking a lot more tea in the coming months. I need to save my vacation/sick time for my wedding in May.

See that dress? That's my dress! I know the front looks nice but the back is amazing! It laces up like a corset but with these thick ribbons and it is so beautiful. Le sigh...le heave. 8 more months. ACK!

Weekly Etsy Favorite

Ok, is this gorgeous or is it just me? I love these colors, it reminds me of deep autumn in New England. The yarn looks incredibly cozy, and the design is so fun! Is it a scarf or shawl? Who cares?! So beautiful its mesmerizing. So is Ellita's other items, but this is a favorite.

This capelet from their new fall/winter collection. As you see, the collar is getting taller, as the bottom part covering chest and shoulders is getting lower, to assure warmth and comfort for the upcoming cold days and nights. It could be worn as an accessory to your turtleneck, or as an extra layer over your light fall jacket. You could also wear it snugly around your bare neck and shoulders, as it is made from 100% soft wool, which is hypoallergic and will not irritate your skin.

If you want to spend some time playing with different cozy ideas, or are looking for some fabulous holiday presents I would highly recommend you take a look here.

Ellita's Shop

Weekend Plans and Really Awesome Test Tubes!

I'll try to take pictures of them this weekend once they are put together, but I have this really great set of Test-tube-like spice containers that sit in this holder. They are really great and we had planned to use them, a year ago, as spice containers but then went to Ikea and got addicted to spice tins instead. These poor glass Spice-tubes have been sitting around and I finally figured out what I'm going to do with them! Use them as a container for a Bath Salt gift! 1 bath salt in each of the 6 tubes! Now to create 2 more bath salts, which shouldn't take long :)

One of my coworkers has also started going through these new mints that come in fun little plastic test-tubes and he's giving them to me, so voila! Bath Salt Samplers. I only have 2 right now, but give it time...he's addicted to those babies!

Just ordered new jars and a host of bath bomb making substances. Can't wait for them to get here, feels like Christmas! Won't be able to work with them until next weekend though. A lesson in patience.

Oh, in fabulous and completely personal news.....my Father-in-law-to-be has offered to pay for our wedding caterer! A serious chunk that we now don't have to fret over. Now we can continue to pay down debts and put $$ into savings for our future abode. Yays! I can't even begin to tell you how happy and relieved that makes me!

Weekly Featured Etsy Product

I've decided to cut down the amount of Etsy features I was doing as they took almost a week to complete and were very hard to put together in the way I had hoped...so from now on I am choosing one or two products that I think are just great and featuring them each week.

My first choice is a funky steampunk hat I saw that grabbed my eye immediately!

The Secret Garden Steampunk Mini Top Hat

This fantastic mini is very steampunk! More elaborate and intricate than their others, this one has lots of eye candy on it. They started with a brown brocade fabric, added a heavy ribbon hat band and vines, flowers and a clock button in the back. The overlay on the side is a wonderful vintage veiling in brown.

I have to admit that I've been thinking of possible costumes I could put together so I could buy this hat....and I will continue to do so until I have succeeded! I don't know about you but there is something slightly Alice in Wonderland about this hat....maybe when the movie comes out I'll have a reason to buy it...Mad Hatter a'la Johnny Depp?

This fabulous mini top hat is made by GypsyLadyHats and in her store you will find so many amazing hats that you won't know where to start drooling first. Corset hats, velvet hats, goth hats, military hats, hats with veils...love it!

I'm in a Treasury and a Blog Feature!

Check it out! People think I'm cool, people think I'm chic....ok, tooting my own horn just a little.

http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=77603

A very awesome treasury of relaxing things.....mmmmmm and she included my Anxie-Tea!

http://kimscraftyapple.blogspot.com/2009/08/themed-thursday-allergies.html

A few Etsy Allergy items...and she spotlighted my Eye Poultices. Woohoo!

And The Winner Is.........

I want to thank everyone for coming to my blog and taking a look around! 69 Followers is nothing to sniff at. I just hope I can give you all enough reason to come back and check out my blog after this is all over.


I am happy to announce that this morning I pulled a number from a hat and the selected Blog Follower was:

Ponder & Stictch


Congrats!!! Please convo me through Etsy with your name and address and I shall be putting together your Bag O Swag this weekend!

http://www.theomintention.etsy.com

BIG TEA SALE!!!

Ok kids! I have never done this before but I'm having a tea sale! This weekend, starting Friday night, I will be offering all my teas (premade, not the samplers) for Buy 2 Teas and Get 1 Free!

So mix and match, get a Detox Tea for the holidays and a Happy Tummy tea for Aunt Mae and get your coworker Noggin Number for Free! Buy your friend struggling through chemo two bags of Tea-Mo-Therapy tea and get yourself Miracle Elixir to get through the winter months healthier than ever.

But, this is a weekend deal only, Friday night through Monday morning. Simply purchase the items in the shop and don't pay. I'll invoice you for the correct amount. All my teas are made by hand and are made fresh to order! If I've had it sitting for more than a week it goes into my new "Overstock" section. The teas can last up to a year and still be fresh, and once you see experience how delicious they are and how effective you'll be coming back for refills!

This sale is going on in both my Etsy and Artfire shops, so take your pick!

http://www.theomintention.etsy.com/

http://www.theomintentnion.artfire.com/

Why am I having a tea sale you ask? Well, to be honest its because I want more herbs and supplies! I have dozens of new items rattling around in my head and want to make some large orders but can't until I have made some more sales! So tell all your friends about my sale and you'll be seeing lots more delicious teas, invigorating bath salts, yummy lotions, and healing oils listed in my shop before you know it!

From The Cave

Well folks, I spent a lot of time creating this weekend and got some really great inspiration from a trip to Wegmans (a giant and incredible grocery store). Am I the only person who gets inspiration from grocery stores??

Well, this weekend I made a new bath tea and three new herbal teas! Once my new herbs arrive I will also begin infusing some new oils for future creams and lotions. I got a request from a fan of my Facebook to make some foot soaking salts as well, so those are rattling about in my brain as well.

Take a moment to check out my new products!

http://www.artfire.com/modules.php?name=Shop&op=listing&product_id=367285

http://www.artfire.com/modules.php?name=Shop&op=listing&product_id=367278

http://www.artfire.com/modules.php?name=Shop&op=listing&product_id=367274

http://www.artfire.com/modules.php?name=Shop&op=listing&product_id=367270

I'm still working on my packaging which is not coming along smoothly at all. I got some really great designs and logos from a fellow Etsy seller but none of them are large enough to use on my packaging and my lovely new sticker/laminator machine is hard to master. So, hopefully she can create a couple of label options for me this week and I will have my new packaging ready by the SWAG BAG giveaway :) Can't wait to see who wins!

This Weekend, in My Cave

This weekend I have a lot of work ahead of me as I embark on some new tea and herbal items. Not only will I be making the Bath Salt, Cleansing and Anxiety teas, as I said I would this week and have had NO time to do it, but I will also be trying to create a new tea for a fellow Etsy seller who is in need of herbal assistance AND a tea combination for those suffering from Diverticulitis.

And that's not all! Channeling Billy Mayes here....

I will also be starting some herbal infused oils as well. This means more creams down the road, massage lotions, etc! Yippee!

So, I'm putting out there a request for new ideas! What kinds of teas or herbal body products would you love to see me offer? (no pressure to buy, just looking for some great suggestions)

It's Been A Week??

Well, let me apologize, I had no idea that it had been a week since I posted last. That never happens! Things have been so busy for me that it has slipped my mind completely!

This weekend went well, trip to Massachusetts and New Hampshire went as well as could be expected and I got to see some friends I haven't seen in a couple years. My sister's wedding went well...I've never been to one where there were aligators, bunnies, turtles, and dogs roaming around. The keg stands were a new twist. Makes me think that my wedding plans are a tad tame.....yeah, thats ok. Oh, speaking of my wedding, we bought THE DRESS. Not the one originally planned either. In an effort to please my frazzled mother we went to try on dresses at a local David's bridal and the first three were nice but nothing special. I was beginning to think that I really wasn't a bridal gown kind of girl, until the fourth gown. Tried that baby on and the mom started crying, I was speechless, my hunny was very well impressed, and the 360 degree mirror made me fall in love.

So, this week is all about trying to catch up on orders, get some readings written out, get some teas and herbs out the door, and try to make it until Friday.

Just Found a Couple GREAT Resources!

So, I've been struggling, as I am sure many of you have, to build a legitimate business here. I'm sticking receipts here and there around my office, I'm creating spreadsheets to track things and getting lost and giving up....and then I found a really fabulous resource on Etsy for many different aspects of not only working with Etsy but running a business! Here it is!

http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=6236215

What it is, in a nutshell, is a listing of various Etsy sellers who are either very good in particular areas or are experts in particular areas and have agreed to help out fellow Etsians with their questions. The subjects range from Adobe Photoshop to tags, from bookkeeping and gemstones, and everything in between! I know I'll be taking advantage of some of these.

Also, if you have ever had a question about shipping, shipping internationally, customs, etc, this is the forum for you! I haven't had a chance to dissect it all but there is enough good information and links in here about how to ship anything to anywhere that its worth looking at if just for the links!

http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5933779

Good luck!

Mini-Vacation, Upcoming Products, And Announcements

As many of you know I will be leaving the area on Thursday morning and returning Sunday morning. I am traveling to Massachusetts to attend my little sister's wedding and secure some of my own wedding items for next May. During this time I will NOT be closing down shop but I may not be able to check it as often as I'd like. Please note that I will attack any purchases the moment I get home and finish crashing.

Some fun products I have just finished researching and will be attempting this week, for hopeful posting by Wednesday night:

Anxie-Tea

A great new herbal tea made of some, what else, organic herbs that help reduce tension and stress in the body! I'm going a little light on the Valerian root since I don't want you all falling asleep. hahaha

Cleanse-Happy Tea

Another great tea that protects, cleans out, and otherwise makes your little liver very, very happy! Not bad to have around after a few months of binging or alcohol consumption, etc. Hmmm, better get this baby out before the holidays .

Breath Easy Herbal Bath Salt

Along with Pink Himilayan Salt and Epsom salt I'll be combining some great aromatic herbs and essential oils (only 100% therapeutic grade, of course) for a bath designed to help stimulate the lungs and airways. Perfect for those who suffer from fall allergies or tend to get those nasty bronchial bugs each year.

Also, big announcement, I have decided it is time to break up my shop a bit. While I love my tarot readings and will continue to do them I will be segregating the little buggers to another shop of mine which I opened years ago as a Buyer shop and had grand intentions of using some day. I will let you all know when I do this but expect to see my listings deminish as I move the spiritual store out of TheOmIntention and into BohemianChick.