Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Meet the Team

This week we meet Julie from Just Specialty Products, LLC. Grab a cup of coffee and get to know her!

tell us a bit about yourself.


I'm a displaced (Gulf Coast) Texan living in Northern Wisconsin with 3 fab kids (6, 8 & 12 yrs old) and a PhD chemist husband who's kind enough to help me formulate and solve problems when they come up with. We started making liquid hand wash because our kids have sensitive skin and I have high standards about products we use including concerns about their impact on the environment. Sometimes, we'd give family and friends products as gifts and soon they were asking to buy them. Eventually, I caved, LOL! . I also added traditional bar soap, shampoo, conditioner, and bath bombs to my line-up. This month, I'm adding my "Organics" line to my Etsy store.


Getting used to the snow and cold, pretending to be a stay at home mom and running a more than full time business have recently made me realize that I need to take more time to appreciate what I have, what I do, and all the gifts in my life. My goal is to find balance and not be stressed, stretched and overwhelmed. To enjoy my life.



What is your motto/theme


My background (and degree) is in environmental resource management, and I've always been driven to a wise steward of our planet. So my aim for my etsy store (and products) is simple but ambitious; make products that are safe, simple and luxurious. No small feat, to be sure!


where did you get your name


My company is Just Specialty Products, LLC. My website is TrustJust.com - so that's what I named my etsy store (TrustJust), and it's my name at Facebook too.I'm the "Ju" and my husband is the "st" (of Just). Together we're Julie & Steve. "Just" not only means "what you see is what you get"... but also Honorable and Fair. Those concepts are very important to me. The word "Just" simply rings true for me on many levels. Our product are Just Plain Clean, Just Foaming Clean, Just Clean Fun, Just Bar Soap.... you get the idea.


tell us about your most favorite item


I'm most proud of my foaming face wash. http://www.etsy.com/listing/64313120/neroli-face-wash-biodegradable


It's truly a fantastic product that balances biodegradable ingredients with great quality. Neroli, rose geranium, and palmarosa, along with aloe, allantoin, avocado oil and hydrolyzed oats are a part of what makes your skin feel so good after washing. My face doesn't appreciate soap. I need a gentler product for the skin on my face - and formulated the face wash specifically to spoil my skin.


why did you choose to be on a team


Being a sole business owner/employee can be lonely. Bouncing ideas of my walls... results mainly in the same ideas coming back unchanged. I find a group of like minded colleagues to be a great place to stay motivated and be inspired - even challenged. The friendships and camaraderie are also a huge draw for me. This group, in particular, has such a warm heart and is full of experienced soapmakers with diverse backgrounds. Who wouldn't want to be part of such synergy and dynamics?! Truly, these members are inspirational. As part of this group, I feel I'm a better soapmaker, business-person - and a better human too.


You can find Julies products in her Etsy store at http://www.etsy.com/shop/TrustJust


and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/TrustJust

Monday, March 28, 2011

The Spring In The Tropics Challenge Winners Are....

Swan Mountain Soaps is the winner of the Spring In The Tropics challenge and Kristen is the winning commenter. She will win one of bars from Swan Mountain Soaps. Congrats!!!

Friday, March 25, 2011

Where To Find US...

This weekend a couple of us will be selling our stuff in person! Here is where to find us...


Sunday the 27th
Angie's Suds and Such
will be at event supporting
The Virginia Association of the Deaf

If you are in the area stop in and say hi!


It's at 3951 Pender Drive, Suite 130, Fairfax, VA 22030
from 1-5pm.



Beyond the Picket Fence
will be at the Beacon Farmer's Market
on Sunday as well!


The market is held every Sunday, 10am to 4pm on the river side of the Beacon train station parking lot. Just look for the clubhouse with a tree growing out of the roof (no, I am not kidding!) and a spire of smoke from our fieldstone fireplace chimney!


Wednesday, March 23, 2011

We Ship Love....Help Thistle Delight Share The Love

My name is San of Thistle Delight Soapworks on Etsy, but I am also a member of Navy for Moms. I am also the wife of a 20 year Navy Veteran, and the Mom of an active duty Sailor. I am fortunate that my son is not overseas, but love to support those that are overseas. The Moms on Navy for Moms adopt a group of service men and women every month, and this month it is a group of Marines in Afghanistan. Next month we will be told our next group.

Now once we know who our next group are, we receive a list of requests from that group, then we add more just to show how much we love and support them. Since I am a home soap maker, and make all bath and body products from scratch, I decided to be the supplier of said products. One of the requested items each and every time, is body soap and shampoo, they run out so fast. This month I have donated 300 lip balms just from me out of my own supplies. While making the lip balms and some soap for them, I got to thinking that maybe there are people out there, that would just LOVE to help out, but don't know how. With this thought in mind, I decided to offer that service to the wonderful people on Etsy. I made a special listing in my store of
I went around and advertised what I was doing within the Etsy Teams that I am on. Well everyone loved it, and helped me spread the word. Things have been going wonderfully, but have slowed down now. Lip Balms are important because of the heat and dry conditions that the troops lived and work in. My recipe is made with a hard vegetable wax that has a very high melt point, so perfect for the Troops.

Soap is also very much needed on a regular bases too. I have some wonderful team members sending me some of their soaps too. This is important for the Troops safety, and just certain people can have access to our chosen groups addresses, we have to keep them safe as well as clean.

I believe EVERYONE deserves to be pampered, but our service men and women deserve to be pampered more because of the job they do, and the sacrifices they make every day. I would love to be able to spread the word as far as I possibly can, and make it that they don't want for anything that they miss from home.

We ship with love, and love all of our service men and women, both near and far.
Please show your support and love too, and help me by buying lip balms and or anything from my store, or any of my fellow Team mates on Safeteam!!!!

Thank you
from a Safeteam member and very very proud Navy Mom
San

Monday, March 21, 2011

Spring In The Tropics SAFETeam Challenge

Spring is HERE! Finally! Now we can break out the flip flops, shorts, tank tops, toss the hair in a ponytail and be done with it. I challenged SAFETeam members to create a soap around the theme Spring In The Tropics. Which is your favorite? Leave a comment with your choice and your contact info and you just might win the winning bar. This time the spin is NO shop names with the listings. Happy Spring!!