Full time . . .Part Time?!?!?!

For days I have been pondering the idea of leaving my 9 to 5, and focusing on my business full time. I find myself in deep thought, thinking of all the risk involved and asking myself can we as a family afford to leave it behind. On some days, I say yes, of course I can! Especially on those days when my girls are sick, or I've failed to make an appointment because I'm exhausted from my day job. Its on those days when it takes little thought to leave and more to stay.
I have to be honest, there has definitely been moments when I've day dreamed of saying goodbye. Its not that I hate my job, its just that I see myself doing so much more with my time. . . Doing something I enjoy. Of course I know there's so much more to leaving my structured day job than just leaving. I'm mentally prepared to work longer hours and everything else to make my business work. Winning the lottery would be great. . . Maybe I should play more often :) Anyway, Its definetly a thought in progress. What are your thought?

Social Networking

O.K. So as the days pass and I surf the wonderful web, I find myself a bit overwhelmed of all the social networking sites available. Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, Linked, mycraft and many others, all in an effort to help promote businesses and network within your industry. The idea of social networking . . . .Awsome, the feeling I get when looking at all those sites . . .Overwhelmed! Why Can't I choose just one?!?!?!?
Well, the truth is, I can and I will! I've found that with trying to maintain so many sites, I've had little time to work on my craft. My goal . . .well it's to clip a few ends and to keep only a few under my belt. I must admit I was going overboard with my social networking attempts . .with very little success. . .and what good is that?
Now, I plan to work a few and focus on my craft . . . now the question is which few should I keep? Any suggestions?

Anticipation

Hello Everyone,
So ok. Tomorrow will be my first social networking event. I'm alittle excited and whole lot scared because I have no idea of what to expect. My hubby has agreed to come along, so this makes me feel alittle more comfortable just in case noone finds me or the products I sell interesting. Partly, I'm joking but I can say that's my fear. Of well, tomorrow is the big day! Atlanta, Ga here I come . . anyone have any suggestions?

It's been a while!!!

Hello Bloggers,
I hope that you all find this entry in great spirits! I know that it's been awhile since I've last made an entry, but to be honest so much has changed in such little time. The vision for Jahyah's Beauty had made many changes, and I thought it would be only right to adjust accordingly.
So . . .I now call this journey Jahyah's Beauty 2.0 . .lol! I have just decided to throw ourselves into what we believe in and go for it wholeheartedly. There will be no excuses just hard work that's consistent.
I've decided to turn this blog into our journey of revamping Jahyah's Beauty. To illustrate the ideas and stumbling blocks my husband I will come across. In that way, I feel that it will make it easier to look back and to see how far we've come. I hope I dont lose any followers. . . .come join in on the ride!!!

1 love :)

Experimenting with Candle Making

Hello Everyone!! I know that it has been awhile since I've last posted on my blog, but I must say that I have been experiementing with my soapmaking craft, and have recently decided to take a jab at candle making!!
Wow, what an experience!! I never thought, after playing with soaps and other bath and body products, that making candles would be such a tricky science project. Silly me, but I'm learning and I'm having a ball. These are some pictures of my first attempt at making soy candles!!




Soy Wax Measured and waiting to melt!



Everything is ready!!! Just waiting to pour :)



The Final Result!!!

As you see, they didn't turn out perfect, but I'm working on it! However, I must say I'm having alot of fun experimenting with my new craft!! I'll keep you all updated on my progress :)

Peace and Blessings

ArtFire

O.K. So I think I'm falling in love with ArtFire! It's not that I'm against any other craft selling venue, but I must say that each day I've become increasingly connected to their website.
I've tried to define what it is that draws me to their site, and I must conclude that the answer is very simple indeed! It's the fee of $7.00 per month (for the first 5,000 accounts) to list as many items as my heart desires! What more could I ask for?
Of course, ArtFire offers many other great incentives, such as two accounts, guilds, stats, customized shop templates, and most recently market hub (for verified accounts), but I'm just simply in love with basics . . . .$7.00 a month . .list ALL I want:) What about you?

My First Sale!!

I have to admit . .there's nothing like it! Waking up in the morning, getting ready for the day ahead, checking your email and BAM an email from etsy: Congratulations on your sale!

I can't really explain the excitement to know that someone purchased an item from my shop. I wanted to scream, jump up and down, do the funky chicken dance, but I knew I couldn't, so instead I just smiled! Not just any smile, but a big fat grin that seemed stay on my small framed face for the entire day. I'm more than grateful to know that someone purchased an item from my shop but then to find out that the sale was from an promotion ad that I placed on the etsy forums was even more exhilarating! I'm telling everyone . . it works and for now on I'm going to LIVE in the promotion forum on etsy.com!

By the way: My first sale was African Black Soap ($3.50 with a free Vegan Lip Balm with Purchase). Offer until 1/31/2009!!

Why Buy Natural?

Did you know your skin absorbs 60% of what is directly placed onto the skin? If you are what you eat, then why wouldn't you be what you place on your skin? With that said, why wouldn't you go natural?
In today's cosmetic market, the industry is saturated with labels exclaiming to carry all natural and organic ingredients. With first glance, this may seem sufficient, but with a further look you will find that "all natural" may in fact mean only a few ingredients fit that category. It's not just enough to say "all natural" as it is to actually use natural and organic ingredients in your products.
Lets take soap for example. If I told you that the soap you were using contained a detergent base would you believe me? Well, in fact most commercials soaps do. In fact, they are actually called detergent bars with the key ingredient sodium lauryl sulfate. Sodium lauryl sulfate is a detergent commonly used in personal care products to formulate suds. Many safety issues have arisen from the one key ingredient including its claim of stripping oils from the skin and hair causing irritation. Because this chemical is inexpensive many manufacturers use this substance in mass. If you want more suds, add more detergent!!
With this one example, I have to express the importance of protecting your skin and controlling the ingredients that are placed in your personal care products. Buying natural (and handmade) means you have that choice. You have the choice to tell your seller, I'm allergic to XYZ and to have them formulate a product just for you and your skin type. Nothing is 100% guaranteed, but lets look at natural and organic beauty based products and have some control over what our skin absorbs.

Today is a beautiful day!

Life is so precious and so are the people who surround us. On this beautiful day, two years ago, I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl Ayannah Elise Harris. As I lay in the hospital on that day, never did I imagine that my life would change in such a dramatic way. For one, I was now the mother of two children and I was scared! Scared that I wouldn’t be able to manage the simple things, like going to the grocery store alone or pumping gas at the local gas station, things that most people take for granted, however this was my deepest (and somewhat silliest) fear.
As the seasons change, so have my thoughts, feeling and insecurities. My children are my light. They are the reason I press forward and embark on my path to happiness. They keep me young. They teach honesty, and on this special day, I was excited to spend the day with my girls. As we ventured to the local park, ate lunch on the benches, and ran around excitedly across the playground, I was thrilled to see the smiles on their faces as they called for me to follow behind. With the wind slightly brushing across my face, I saw life again as I began to swing alongside my oldest daughter and my birthday girl across my lap.
What a joy it was to swing high, and think back to the days I wasn’t afraid to jump in the air and land someplace on the ground. To wait so impatiently in line to slide down the crowed slides and race to the line to get another chance. I was in the moment and I enjoyed it. I smiled A LOT and thanked God for every moment of truth. Wow! What beautiful day!!!

Who . . .What is Jahyah's Beauty?

O.K. So I know a lot of you have been wondering . . . who and what is Jahyah’s Beauty. So I thought I’d do the correct thing and properly introduce myself. First, my name is Angela L. Harris and I currently reside in Dallas, NC. A small rural area right outside of Charlotte. I’ve been living there for about 2 years now, with my husband Keith and two daughters Ajah (pronounced Asia) and Ayannah Harris.
The story of Jahyah’s beauty begins in late 2004 with the birth of my oldest daughter Ajah Harris. From birth, my little girl unfortunately suffered from eczema, a skin condition of those who suffer from inflammation and dryness of the skin. This was not to surprising, due to her father who also suffered from extremely dry skin from childhood also. After applying various commercial creams onto her skin, I consulted a doctor who prescribed my young child a type of topical steroid. Upon returning home, I researched the medications that the doctor sent home and was dismayed at what I had found. These creams were going into her bloodstream and were not recommended for someone her age. What was I to do? Sadly, I continued to use the cream, but only sparingly as her condition would worsen. In between uses, I continued trying other major cosmetic brands to help cure her aching skin.
In early 2008, I was blessed with another beautiful daughter Ayannah Harris. Ajah, who was 2 at the time, could not pronounce her name and instead called her “yah yah” for short. At about 6 months, I started to discover that Ayannah was also developing skin inflammation, but was more severe than Ajah had experienced. I knew that I did not want to use the same creams that Ajah used, so I began to research different ingredients and started testing the homemade recipes that were listed for remedies.
It was then that I discovered the benefits of shea butter! Oh how this rich butter worked wonders on my daughters skin. Also allergic to fragrances, I began mixing this butter with rich oils and saw how this strengthened her skin back to its healthy state. I was hooked!! My husband and daughters began looking for the creams, commercial products were thrown out our home, and friends and family began asking for my products. When it was time to think of a name for my new business, it became easy . . . combine the names of my girls and add beauty to specify the products sold: Jahyah’s Beauty was born.
What about you? Do you have an interesting story behind your business name? Please share your story!!

Happy New Year!!

Happy New Year and welcome to my new blog, where I explore my creative outlet and invite you to join in on the ride.
2009 is finally here and I am happy to say that I am currently on target for my new year’s resolution: Start a Blog!! So many things to talk about, so many new things to explore, and now I have a place to channel all of my thoughts and creative endeavors . .right here on Jahyah’s Beauty: Bath and Body Club House. I am so excited about what 2009 has to offer. This is the year that I’ve chosen to launch my business (Jahyah’s Beauty: Bath and Body) and extend myself beyond capacity. This is my year and I claim it! What about you? What steps today are you making toward your goals for 2009? Please share . . . . and again thank you for visting!