Opinion Time

OK, I'd like to get some opinions!

I am trying to decide on new scents for the new year! I already have 4 new scents that I will be revealing in January but I would like to know if you (the readers) have any requests?

Post a comment or send me a message to get a coupon for free shipping!!

Blog Giveaways

It's been a while, Christmas is always sooo busy!

When I was considering starting a blog I started looking into other blogs that were advertised on etsy. That is how I was introduced to blog giveaways!

For all you etsy sellers this is a WONDERFUL way to get your name out there, and to meet really wonderful people from all over the world. I decided to do two giveaways.

The first blogger I contacted was Mikell (http://gordongoodlife.blogspot.ca/)
She is super sweet and writes about her life. She includes great pictures and really makes you feel like she could be your best friend. Her blog is wonderful and I've definitely taken some pointers from her. The giveaway I am doing on her blog is for a 8 oz exfoliating scrub of the winners choice.

The second blogger I contacted was Eliza (http://elizakprints.blogspot.ca/2012/11/sneak-preview-our-very-first-giveaway.html)
Her giveaway actually includes tones of great stocking stuffers, including an 8 oz Scrubxury scrub (total value of $200!!!). Eliza has been great to work with, I contacted her right before her giveaway was going to start and she was more than willing to get my scrub in! Eliza's blog always includes great recipes, lists and ideas. Her most recent post is all about great gift ideas under $10!


Check both of these blogs out, they are wonderful examples of what can be accomplished with some great ideas and dedication! And for all you etsy sellers out there I highly recommend contacting a blogger, you will meet really great people and have so much fun!

Christmas is coming!

Post number 2, here it goes.

I find it hard to focus my thoughts sometimes when I sit down to write my posts. I have so many topics swirling in my head and it is very hard to pick just one. I think today I will talk about getting ready for Christmas. I'll be honest when I say the end of November, start of December is my least favourite time of the year.
NOT beacause I don't love Christmas! I LOVE LOVE LOVE Christmas, but I HATE Christmas shopping, I hate busy malls and I hate figuring out what to give someone.

This year I've decided to make a lot of my gifts (I can't say what they are incase family and friends are reading this) but that has certainly cut down on the amount of time I've spent in the mall........actually I haven't spent any time in the malls (yet). And the reason for this is online shopping! What a wonderful tool the internet is!

Anyways my Christmas shopping is almost done (WOOT!) and I'm almost into my favourite part of the season, getting ready for Christmas!

Growing up, decorating and baking for Christmas was a pleasure. My Mom puts up a Christmas village every year, and although the 4 hours it takes to do it is a time commitment, it is a wonderful time for my family and I to get into the Christmas spirit. We would always play classic Christmas music such as Boney M., Roger Whittaker, A Rosie Christmas and Celine Dion. My Mom and I know all the words to our favourites and always sign along (much to my brother's dismay). Unfortunetly because of the bad weather this year I couldn't make it to Mom's to help with any decorating, it seems strange to not participate in that tradition.

Another Christmas tradition in Mom's house is the baking. We always make gingerbread men, sugar cookies, shortbread and many others! This tradition is on my mind today because last night I made Christmas cookies in my own home for the first time. I made gingerbread and sugar cookies, both turned out wonderfully. I will share the gingerbread recipe with you at the bottom because it turned out so good! I of course sang all the favourite songs while baking (much to my husband's dismay :) )

Having just started a business a few months ago with holidays season so close has presented it's own set of difficulties. This is definitely the busiest retail time of the year! The beauty of Christmas is that it gives you the opportunity to bring new and fresh products into your store. For my shop, Scrubxury, that meant 5 new flavors (pumpkin pie, eggnog, gingerbread, Christmas memories, and hot chocolate) and a completely new line of body butter! I must say I may just keep the Christmas scents all year round, they have been such a hit! If you are starting a retail business, a few months before Christmas is an excellent time to start. It forces your to dive right in and means you will get lots of people looking at your shop.


Last post I mentioned that I didn't know where this blog would go, I believe after the second post I am starting to see a path. This blog is my public journal, a place to discuss what is on my mind and share what I have recently learnt. I hope that you as the reader will be able to relate to my experiences and maybe even learn something.

And now the recipe as promised...

Gingerbread Recipe
(originally pinned from http://theparsimoniousprincess.blogspot.ca/2010/12/only-in-december-best-gingerbread.html?m=1, check her blog out, it's GREAT!)

1 1/2 cups of butter (3 sticks), softened
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 cup molasses
1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
2 tsp. ginger
5 cups flour

In a large bowl, combine butter and sugar until smooth. Add eggs one at a time until incorporated.

Add molasses. Mmmmmm....the smell reminds me of Christmas (and my dad, who loves old-fashioned molasses candy). Mix. 

In a separate bowl, combine the soda, salt, spices, and flour.  Add to the wet mixture. Mix until smooth. 

Before you roll out the dough, you need to let the dough chill for a couple hours.  Before I put my dough in the fridge, I like to split it up, flatten it on a piece of plastic wrap, wrap it up, and stick it the fridge. This makes rolling out the chilled dough a little easier because it's ready to go.

Once your dough has chilled, roll it out on a floured countertop until it's about 1/4 inch thick. Cut into desired shapes.  While you're doing this, you should also be preheating your oven to 350 degrees. 

On a lined or greased baking sheet, bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes. It can be a little tricky to tell when they're done (wait until they're golden brown?). Just mess up one of the uglier cut-outs to test for doneness.

Let the cookies cool and then decorate with frosting, candy, and/or sprinkles. 



Thanks for reading!

Me, myself and Scrubxury

This is my first blog, to tell you the truth I have always been hesistant to start one because I didn't know how to do it....I can't imagine I'm the first person to feel that way.

Regardless of my fears I have decided it is time to give blogging a try. My goal is to share my life, loves and passions. I know that is a pretty broad topic so we will see as time goes on where this blog leads me.

The goal of my first post if to tell you a little about myself and my business Scrubxury. I will certainly discuss my business on this blog, but it will by no means be the only topic.

I'm a newly wed, in June I married my high school sweet heart (and I know it's sappy) but the love of my life. The wedding was beautiful, I really can't think of a thing I would change and I plan to talk more about that later.

This fall I decided it was time to make a change for myself and my now (and future) family. I decided I would start my own company. The next question was what should I make/sell? I have always loved working with beauty products and cosmetics, I have even sold them in home parties and I was confident that I know what people like and are looking for. I decided I would come up with one great product and make it the very best I could....I just needed to decide what that product was.

During wedding planning I had gone to get my nails done many times and one time in perticular stands out in my mind. It was during a manicure and the lady used the most wonderful exfoliating scrub on my hands. It was the perfect amount of moisture without leaving my hands too oily. When I asked where they bought their scrubs she said they made them in house. Well I figured if they can do it, why can't I? So I put my research skills to work looking up recipes and online stores. I picked a few great products that were widely used in various recipes I had found and selected some yummy scents! Scrubxury was born!

The business happened very fast, I started selling to friends and family, received some feedback and within a month I was up on etsy. I, of course, had become familiar with etsy during my wedding planning and decided that would be an excellent platform to launch my business to the international market.

I thought this is great!! I will have sales in no time! For anyone who sells on etsy they know that is not the case, you don't just put a great product up and start selling that night. Its hard to sell a great exfoliating scrub when the shopper can't smell or feel it! I have had a very steep learning curve with etsy, but with a lot of hard work has certainly came a lot of joy.

Well thats enough about Scrubxury for this post, other than being obssessed with exfoliating scrubs I am an extreamly active person. I have a dog that I walk morning and night and I am planning to run a half marathon in the spring/summer. I love to swim, zumba and weight train. I love the occational yoga and kick boxing class and in general anything else fitness related.

I love pinterest, etsy, facebook, twitter and basically anything else social media related but I believe that social media doesn't hold a candle to real life social time with my friends and family. Balance has always played a key role in my life and life on the computer is no exception.

Thank you for reading my blog, I hope that I will be able to share my experiences, show case my talent and over all bring a smile to your face whenever you read it.