Absolute Direction

Oh, we have been so busy since school started!  We are moving our brand slowly from Product Body to Absolute Soap.  We have also decided to offer all natural soaps, scented with essential oils and colored with clays and herbs.  We will be launching them very soon.  We are in the process of building our new website with the expertise of my partner (and husband), Brad - - thank you!!!  It is really looking clean and streamlined.  I am so pleased with the hard work he's doing.  It will all be worth it for our launch.

Obviously, we will keep you posted on the launch date as we get closer.  In the meantime, we have been so busy producing the new soaps - not only natural, but a new formula with moisturizing organic cocoa butter, unrefined shea butter and one of my favorite oils: avocado.  Because the soap now is jam packed with shea and cocoa butters, it is extra awesome.  It took months of test batches to get to the formula we were all happy with.  We were looking for a hard bar with plenty of lather and ultra moisturizing properties.  We managed to get all of that.  I am super pleased :)

Please follow us on Facebook to see the latest pictures of all of our new soap along with tidbits about our soap.  We will be announcing our launch date here as well as on Facebook and the newsletter, which should go out the day we launch.

In the meantime, here is a picture I took with my phone of one of our new soaps in the slab mold:

All Natural Handmade Red House Soap

A proprietary blend of essential oils: Dark patchouli and four different folded citrus oils. 

It smells so good in the studio right now....

Colored with Moroccan Red Clay and Annatto Seed Powder

Sneak peek of our All Natural Handmade Citrus Sprig Soap

creamy lemon rosemary

with calendula petals

xxoo Joanna

BIG News!

New Website Launches

The other big news is our new website. After a few weeks of super-secret work that involved not only a redesign of our logo (you might have noticed - no more awning) but a top-to-bottom re-code of our website, the new Product Body site has launched.

The new site is much cleaner, with easier and faster access to the products you want, when you want them. Every product page also has the requisite (it is 2011 after all) social media links, so please Tweet and "Like" products you think are groovy.

We've also put in a ton of new photography, and every product page has a clickable image with a beautiful full-size photo that comes up for your in-depth perusal. Co-owner Bradford Schmidt did the design and coding, with photography by both Joanna and Bradford (but mostly Joanna - and it's beautiful).

ABSOLUTE SOAP: The Real Alternative
(Find out for yourself with a free bar)

It's time for a REAL alternative to the every-day soaps, shampoos and body washes we all grew up with. For a line of handmade, real, pure soaps to replace the detergent and chemical-laden products on store shelves. Soaps that are reasonably priced, soaps for every need, soaps for everyone: men, women and children.

So Product Body is incredibly proud to announce the launch and immediate availability ofABSOLUTE SOAP, our new line of real, handmade soaps designed to replace, not augment, whatever body cleansing products you're currently using. Prices start at just $4.95 a bar, making it easy to use the real deal everywhere.

They are all handmade using the traditional cold process method, and are cured for weeks before being mindfully wrapped and delivered to your door. We take great pride in bringing you a product filled with fine oils, butters, milks, grains, clays and other ingredients that feel wonderful on your skin. If we don’t love it, we don’t sell it.

Our launch bars include (aside from the incredibly reasonably-priced Everyday Soap), some of the artisan bars you know and love, face bars, shea butter bars, goat milk bars , and sea salt bars (in other words, something for everyone). We'll be adding shampoo, shave and other special purpose bars soon (they're now curing).

And don't miss our new exfoliating bars! We've got two brand new ones: Citrus Black Pepper with Ground Coffee (pictured above, right), and Lemon Scone with Oatmeal (a goat milk bar). Both incredible, and both immediate staff favorites. In fact, just last night Joanna rubbed a raw chicken with butter and spices (for DINNER) and used the Citrus Black Pepper to degrease and scrub her hands. It was wonderful: no greasy aftermath, her hands smelled divine, and they were clean as a whistle.

TRY ABSOLUTE SOAP FREE! To help you learn exactly what you've been missing, we're giving away one free bar of ourEveryday Soap (seen here in this lovely photo) with every purchase over $10. Hit the site, put 10 bucks worth of stuff in your cart, then add your choice of Orange Lemongrass, Pineapple Icee , or Fresh Linento your cart. Use the couponEVERYDAYFREE when checking out and we'll deduct the price of the soap from your cart.

Remember: no matter what bar you're looking at, and no matter what it's for, we always use the best and freshest oils and butters we can find, and every bar is made to the exacting standards of our founder and chief soap maker, Joanna Schmidt.

It's time to get real with ABSOLUTE SOAP. Grab your FREE BAR from now until Tuesday, June 1.

Reducing Waste

As customers, you may have received a box from us that had an amazon.com swoop on the side or a Brambleberry box. We purchase shipping boxes so that we have the proper sized boxes to ship your orders in, however, our studio is half filled with boxes from all of the supplies that we order to make the products you order. It seems irresponsible to buy boxes and then recycle all the others and not reuse some that would work just fine, right?

So instead of buying boxes and recycling ALL the ones that come into our studio, we have made the decision that if an order fits perfectly into a box that is in-house, whether it has been shipped before or not, and it is in good, sturdy condition, we will use it. Or should I say, reuse it.

We have always tried to be environmentally responsible. We recycle, reuse when we can and we use sustainably grown organic palm oil in our soaps so that the orangutans aren't massacred. Please read this article if you haven't already, on the palm oil issue, especially if you soap with it.

If you get your order in a box from amazon.com, you were chosen to be a part of our reusing/recycling efforts. Be proud with us! And no, we don't use anything from amazon.com in our products, but my husband reviews things for them and loves books.

A Peek Of What's Coming

what do you think they are?

Holiday Shop Closing Announcement

For all of you who can't stand being away from Product Body's Crush On You and soap and the new Creme Fresh, order today or you will have to wait until we return from vacation before we start formulating and shipping again.

Our physical store will be open 10 am until 7 pm today through Wednesday and then on Christmas Eve 11 am until 4 pm. After that we will be closed until January 5th. That is the day we will be returning to the shop/formulary so any orders that do come in will be sorted, and we will begin to formulate, but shipping for those orders will not begin to go out until Thursday January 7th or Friday January 8th because we will be making all fresh EVERYTHING, so you must be patient.

:)

We love you and thank you all for your support and patronage this year. Have a warm, wonderful holiday and a very safe New Year celebration.

I leave you with what I have always told my kids since they were itty bitty:

Surround yourself with people that make you feel good.

This isn't always possible during the holidays but it's something to think about for the new year. Have a happy, all!!

**

Joy Of Statistics

Have you heard the big news?

It's very big for us. After serious number crunching and long, hard hours of back and forth between me and my husband/business partner, we have dropped our prices by 15-25%. This was a hard decision, but we believe that in these economic times that we all face and with the situation being what it is for so many of us, we need to put this company in a more accessible place without sacrificing quality. We hope that Product Body will be what you reach for when you need something and that it is easier because we brought it closer to you.


We love our customers and every email and phone call we get brings smiles and adds lifts under our toes and sparks energy into our very noisy muses, so thank you thank you thank you for your support and feedback.

You have no idea what joy it brings me, personally, every time you add a comment on my blog or send an email about an experience you had about a product you used and how it made you feel or what memories the scent evoked for you. You think I may not be listening or don't care? You are wrong. I read every word myself. I eat that stuff up. Maybe because it just brings me such joy to bring people such joy!

=)

Changes

There will be changes coming with our products....

Some new things, some things gone for good. Stay tuned for our newsletter and I will update you here as well with the news and with photos.

A Thousand Thank Yous

We made it past 50 endorsements for Shine A Light! I am thrilled. We are into the first round of the "Judging Phase", I can't even believe it. Brad nominated Product Body and who knows?? Well, you never know. I'm sure thousands have entered, but Product Body sure could use the award money for marketing, staff (boy, I really could use help!!), a sales person... we could really be efficient!

We may be inspiring enough....

I love you! And so I give you a thousand thank yous and my promise to continue to try to be the best I can be and try even harder.

A Facelift

Product Body's homepage was redesigned and I am loving the colors, the treatments and the whole vibe. It needed to be brightened up, cheered up and simplified along with our slimming menu changes.

We hope you like the changes and the eye candy. Thanks to my husband for his talent, perseverance and his patience with my perfectionism, nit-pickiness with this-n-that, and my random thoughts through the process.

Go see it for yourself: Product Body Website

*

Very Slimming

The shop looks so much nicer now from the front.
Must. Take. More. Pictures.
And my hair has grown. ;)

Being everything for everyone has put me and this company into a head spin. As much as I love to formulate new things and offer a million wonderful fragrances, I can not do that with the lack of staff and support I have in the current state we are in.

With that, we have decided to discontinue some products from our line and just focus on the products which are our best sellers.

We will be eliminating:

• Chez Salt
• Velvet
• Butter Scrub
• Bubble Rubble
• Tangerine Whipped Dream
• Coconut Milk Bath Soak
• Salt Bath

What we have on our shop shelves that are already made are on closeout on our website and when they are gone, they are GONE. Super discounted, some over 30% off. We will be offering new things for the holidays and we will bring in new things eventually, but for now, we will be offering the best of the best and we will NOT disappoint.

The Crush On You is amazing and is our very best seller. Apparently, some of you scrape the bottoms of your jars while you wait for your paychecks. I totally know how you feel, though because I can't live without it. I have to scrub my face with it every night, and I am addicted to the Baked Bread scent. Can't live without it, oh my gawd! It's THAT good.

The other thing is that we added some handmade soaps to our site. You can still see all of my soaps that are available on my Etsy shop, but if you want one transaction when you shop with us, we'll be offering more and more soaps as we go right there at the Product Body site.

So this is my update for now.

Hope this wasn't too much of a hit.

I still love you! And I'm still here. =)

Beauty By The Batch

Have you checked this place out?

"Beauty By the Batch is dedicated to promoting the benefits of using handmade beauty, health and home care products to consumers seeking high quality products."

We are one of the featured artisans there and I am really proud to be a part of this new website. They have artisans listed, but they also have articles in their Personal Care Articles Library that are saturated with an enormous amount of information that we can all learn from.

=)

...don't be left out without the information

Vacation Notice

I am giving my notice. ;)

Product Body will not be formulating or shipping any more orders until we start processing orders again on August 11th. So if you haven't placed an order by yesterday, Friday July 31st, you will have to wait until August 11th to have your order processed, formulated and then shipped.

I do hope you understand. I must have a vacation before I fall over. I haven't had one in (I think) two years.... SO! Here I go on a road adventure. Perhaps I'll see you on the way!

Have a wonderful half of August.

this is how I feel now....

this is how I want to feel on my vacation.... =)

Am I A Control Freak?

It's hard to be lying in bed all sweaty and achy while my husband mans the shop and puts together the orders I almost completed on Saturday. I know he's competent. I am just so used to me doing it all myself that when I am not there, I feel like I have no control. And I don't. So this whole idea of control is really a bigger issue.

Since I'm already in a lying down position, there's no need to sit down to think about control. I'm here, in the most relaxed and exposed position known to man. On my back. Like a turtle. So I'm thinking, "Am I into control? Do I need to have things go the way I want them to go? Do I need to maneuver situations in order to guide things to my desired outcome?"




My answer is no. I am just not one of those people. I mean, I'm not someone to be walked all over or just shrug my shoulders at any idea. I am not a slug with a lack of input. I just don't carry agendas that are inflexible.

So why is it that when I am not at work, and others are doing my job, do I feel a bit worried, like somehow it might not be done right? Again, super competent husband doing really easy packaging and labeling work.... I suppose if we had a bigger staff and we had individuals doing specific jobs, I could let go of the control.

Ok, I am achy now and my little moment of stress should have been a moment of Zen. My oatmeal and water must settle and now I need to nap.

I hate fever aches. :(

***

I Love My Job

Other than cold calling, which I hate and avoid without even realizing it, I love everything about my job.

I love...
creating
thinking about creating
trying my creations
trying new fragrances, butters, oils, clays, botanicals, extracts, etc......
hearing about others experience with my creations (+ or -)
being in a creative community who share my passion
talking with and emailing customers
being in our shop
you...


Of course, Product Body is not all puppies and cupcakes (is that right or am I miss malaprop?). We wish we had more walk-in sales, more wholesale accounts, and online orders, but the reality is that I am so happy to be here and I wake up every day excited to go to work and rush to get to the shop and create.

Yay that. There was a time that the dread of going to work was so painful, it hurt.

Betty's Bath Staff Picks- SWEET!

We love Betty's Bath. They are in Albuquerque, so if you live nearby, get yourself over there for a treatment, because not only are they lovely people, they carry our products!! One of the lovliest spas we deal with....

A massage would be really nice right now, wouldn't it?

Pictures Of The Shop

looking from the front right to the back door

looking from near the back door to the front (the front door is very dark in this picture. Just under the lit exit sign)

Brad, my husband, and I did all the work except we hired a plumber to install a hot water heater and to run hot water lines for our lab sink. We put in the floor, built cabinets painted, cut moulding, put up shelves.....etc. When I say "we", I really mean Brad. I was really there as the handy assistant who humped my butt off and worked and sweat alongside the master pro. Trust me, I worked like heck. He worked harder.

These two are only half done...

front half (shop)

back half (formulary)

So this is complete:

you could see the formulary in the back (bakery concept, sort of)

Now, these pictures were taken after the first day of retail, so our shelves are looking pretty bare. I will have to post more when the place is packed again with soaps and goodies and when I am not sick anymore.

(sniffle)

These don't feel like they show everything. I'll try to get it all in the next time, but you get the vibe...

I'd Love Your Input Contest

I have two locations for signs at our new shop. The one on the building will have our logo Product Body on it, but we are on a very busy street where traffic moves between 40-55 mph and we want people to notice what we sell, perhaps, more so than who we are. It is two sided and we thought we should say two different things, one on each side. I would love your suggestions, if you have any. Let's make it a contest!

Some ideas we have:

Bath Treats
Bath Shop
Bath + Body


Anyone who comes up with one that is actually used (that isn't listed above) will receive a Product package from us once the sign goes up. Thank you!!

Contest ends when the right sign words are realized.

Wahooo! And Can I Bitch For A Sec?

My eyes are blurring. I think I must be tired. He he. The sun is setting and I feel happy standing in my shop achy and exhausted. In fact, the exhaustion feels really good even though it's exhausting. I had two customers today. People I knew, but it was good, because I got to do the the minor details around the place that I hadn't gotten to yesterday when it didn't feel ready. Things just work out the way they need to sometimes and this is one of those times.

Sadly, my friends have all disappeared from my life and I am sort of feeling sorry for myself. This is one of the biggest things in my life (except in the past when it was my wedding day and when I had my babies .) This is my third child and for weeks, my friends have completely vanished. Maybe they were giving me space and didn't want to get in my way...? I even asked one of them to come on over because I missed her and I'd love her to see the shop (she lives a mile away and has a working car). No show. What gives? I will tell you: If my friend opened a shop, I would be the first customer and bring a box of doughnut holes for opening day or a cup of coffee or get fancy and get a bottle of champagne or El Patron and limes. I've got the sea salt covered. Work perks, y'know. ;)


It's not all bad.
ps: I have gotten more support from my husband, mother and my children than I ever could have expected and it brings tears to my eyes even thinking about it.

A New Home For Us?

Formulary and retail home of Product

Have you heard the news? Product has moved the formulary and is opening a small retail store! Holy COW, we are nervous. I have never had a shop before, or juggled so many things at one time. My head is spinning and I am filled with more emotions that I even knew existed.

Yahoo!

Our new address is:

PRODUCT
633 Alternate A1A
Jupiter, Florida 33477

So if you need to send anything to us or want to stop by (after the 15th), please do. This is now the official Product Body address.

More pictures to come...

Trixie's Beauty Bar

I think I love Tracy Menasco, owner of Trixie's Beauty Bar in Portland. When I called her recently to follow up on a shipment to make sure our products arrived okay, Tracy said sternly, "Joanna." My heart sunk. "Yes, Tracy." "Joanna, that Coconut Bath is like crack. We are all addicted to it."

When she said my name at first, I thought there was a problem, but thank goodness we have addiction problems instead. ;)