FREE SHIPPING & Silver Lids for Spa Tumblers (all sizes) are BACK!
January 17, 2012
Scented Soy Wax DIPPED Bears {Room Fresheners}
March 4, 2011
Check out our NEW FLARE Jars
http://www.maddisonavenue.com/item/Square_Flared_Top_Jars/257/c25
PRIVATE LABELING {Procedural Guideline Change}
September 1, 2010As of September 2010 you are only allowed to use one (1) label design per order. In addition, only one (1) color labels per order. If different labels are used, you will need a separate order for each design. The only special request allowed is what is typed in the comment section of the order at the time the order is placed.
As you know, there are only a hand-full of companies that will private label small-run orders (less than 5,000 pcs. per order) and Maddison Avenue is one of them. We wish to continue with small run orders but will need your help in order to do so.
With small runs the chance for errors increase with each additional variable/special request. We can not be responsible for errors due to special request orders that are not on separate orders. We are happy to print different style labels but please make sure each different style is with it’s own order.
With the orders going through different departments in the factory, it is impossible for each department to look up emails for order with special request. Not to mention that several email for an order come in from different email addresses, which only adds to the confusion.
We only want a smooth transaction with every order and hope to help alleviate errors with the implementation of this new procedure. Thank you for your cooperation with this matter.
10 Common Logo Mistakes!
August 1, 2009The following tips were pulled from the website www.smashingmagazine.com and they hit on 10 very common logo mistakes including:
1. Having it designed by an amateur (bottom line: you get what you pay for)
2.Relies on trend (unless you want to look like every other bank/lawyer or snowboard company)
3. Using Raster-based images, rather than creating Vector based icons (if you don’t know what this means, you won’t want to find out the hard way)
4. Contains Stock Art (clipart does not a logo make)
5. Your designer designs for themselves rather than for you (if your designer tells you his comps are awesome…beware. Unless creating a logo for a frat house, awesome should be left in his mac)
6. Overly Complex (this causes problems in shrinking and enlarging)
7. Relying on color for effect (note, all logos should work exceptionally in black and white first. if it’s not successful in BW, it won’t be successful in color)
8. Poor Choice of Fonts (2 words: Comic Sans)
9. Has Too Many Fonts (unless you are branding a ransom note letter writing business)
10. Copies Others (if you think yellow arches or a black swoosh is innovative, they are…if you are McDonald’s or Nike, otherwise make sure it’s creative)
FREE SHIPPING
June 23, 2009FREE SHIPPING
on all orders placed by
Friday, June 26th. Hurry don’t
miss this incredible deal!
– code is good until June 26th –
fathersfreeship
After typing in this code during checkout, you will then need to click ‘PICK UP’ for your shipping so that you will not be charged. Please note: this offer does not apply to emailed or phoned-in orders. Only available for shipping in the continental USA.
We have a WINNER!
April 21, 2009Yea. Hooray! Karen Keown is the lucky winner of the 20oz Sophia SOY CANDLE (worth $24.95). She chose Hibiscus Passion as the fragrance for her soy candle. Karen said that she liked soy candles because they burn clean and longer. Congratulations Karen!! We had 53 entries.
HIBISCUS PASSION: Fresh hibiscus, cress, muguet and violet blossoms combine with luscious fruit to seal the deal on this sophisticated blend. Hawaiian hibiscus flower being carried by ocean breezes. +essential oils used: ylang.
Win a FREE 20oz Sophia SOY CANDLE (worth $24.95)
March 25, 2009Enter to win a FREE Sophia soy candle in our largest size, 20 ounces! The contest will run until 5:00 pm on April 15, 2009. The winner will be randomly picked by our software.
FRAGRANCE:
Pomegranate Passion: Juicy, delicious, and exotic! Luxurious pomegranate indulgence from head to toe! So strong you get the WOW effect!
TO ENTER:
Fill out the form with complete information. Please share with your friends! If you love our products, you can enter 3 times each. If you love us you will surely want to comment on this blog about your favorite products. It helps with promoting our soy candles if you share this with friends on facebook and twitter, etc. We love, love, love, our customers. Thank you!
NOTES:
+Contest will only be available to shipping addresses in the United States.
+Winner to be announced April 16th!
opening an business in an economic slump
by our wonderful quirky web designer, staci brillhart
Things are tough. The economy is in the can. Getting a loan is near impossible. So can you start your own business? Yes, you can. We’ve compiled some tips to provide a few options so you can live the dream and start your own business.
KEEP YOUR COST LOW
Services
What can you do that has low overhead? Offering a service is one of the lowest cost businesses you could kick up. It’s not as easy to make stick though, and you may have a hard time finding clients with things being tough. Unnecessary services definitely get cut when times are hard. Your biggest cost would probably be your website and advertising. Most costs you can pass off onto your client, until you need to hire help.
Retail E-commerce
If you’re really dreaming of opening a retail store, you have a lot of options but your overhead is going to be higher. You’ll need a website and a budget for advertising, but also you’ll also need to purchase products. The good news though is that you don’t have to buy ALL of your products to open!
For those of you that don’t know about it, there is a common practice out between manufacturers and retailers called Dropshipping. You become the middle man between the manufacturer and customer. The customer buys from you, you purchase from the manufacturer, and the manufacturer ships directly to the customer. You will probably receive a lower percentage off compared to wholesalers that purchase in bulk. Some Dropshippers will still require you to make an initial purchase, but most won’t.
One downside of Dropshipping is that there is little or no quality control. This is especially an important thought to note if you’re selling handmade goods from a small manufacturer. When the sample is sent to you, it’ll be perfect, it’s a sample after all. There’s no way to approve what the Dropshipper sends to your many customers though. They may even sneak some of their marketing material into the packaging to try to drive the customer back to their own website rather than yours. This, I should add, isn’t all Dropshippers. You may have a friend be your secret shopper to help keep the control and make sure the packages our are meeting your specs and requirements.
Wholesale/Manufacturer E-commerce
For those of you that have a great idea and want to start production on it, this section’s for you. You’ve got the idea, now you have to get it going. If you’re hand making goods, this is pretty simple. You may think, holy cow…how am I going to make enough to have in stock? Where will I put it all?! The answer is, just get enough materials for a handful of each style of product and make one of each style. Take a phenomenal photo of it and get it on your site. When someone buys, make it to order. This will keep your time, space, and material cost down.
Now, if you need to go into factory manufacturing, that is pretty heavy stuff. It’s going to be very hard to keep your costs low unless you’re able to purchase large batches at a time. It’s definitely the most expensive of options in opening an online business.
Getting quality traffic to your site
Again, as we all know, times are rough. So you’ve figured out how to start your business, now you have to get people to your site.
Carry brands that are popular. Now, I don’t mean popular like you’d find in a department store. Do some research if you haven’t already on some online stores that have interesting brands, but brands that you see in other stores. Keep in mind though, normal joe’s aren’t out buying items over $100 that they don’t need. Just use that good sense that your mom set you up with and choose interesting, known brands that offer reasonable pricing for average people. Then offer incentives. Free shipping. Coupon codes. Buy one get one. People google for the items they want plus free shipping, or sale, those kinds of tag words. Use that to your advantage.
You can live the dream, even though the economy smells like an old shoe. Just be smart, be aggressive, and make good choices and you’ll come out the end of this smelling like roses.
free shipping
February 19, 2009Place a wholesale order over $1,000 from Feb. 20th through Feb. 28th and receive free shipping! Good only in continental USA.
Soy candles have a memory!
Soy candles have a memory! When you light your soy candle for the first time, it is important to remember that it has a memory. Therefore it is very important to burn your soy candle until the soy wax melts to the edges of the container (usually 1 hour for each inch of its diameter). This process is called getting a “full melt pool“. For example: a soy candle 3″ in diameter should be burned for three hours to establish its memory. This allows your soy candle to get its full melt pool which will increase the scent throw of the soy candle. If a soy candle isn’t given a proper memory burn, especially on the first burn, it will cause your soy candle to burn in a tunnel down the center and you will not get a good scent throw from the candle.
What drug habit do we all need to break?
October 28, 2008The habit of chucking unused medication. When we flush meds down drains or send them to landfills, they can make their way into rivers and even drinking water. Safer disposal is just what the doc ordered.
+THE BENEFITS OF SAFER DISPOSAL
Not turning fish into addicts. The U.S. Geological Service found that more than 80% of sampled rivers tested positive for meds like antibiotics, birth control hormones, and antidepressants.
Less drugged-out drinking water. Trace amounts of pharmaceuticals end up in our taps (and bottled water, since 40% of bottled is just repackaged tap water) because most treatment plants aren’t designed to filter them out.
Helping people who can’t afford meds. More than 20 states have programs that’ll take unused drugs and redistribute them.
Black Logo Bracelet
July 31, 2008
Endangered Species Chocolate has re-purposed obsolete chocolate wrappers to make a limited edition candy wrapper bracelet. This handcrafted bracelet is made by Ecoist and features the Endangered Species Chocolate logo in black and green. The bracelet is adjustable to fit child to adult sized wrists.
Ecoist makes handcrafted, one-of-a-kind gifts and accessories from re-purposed, sustainable materials in fair trade, sweatshop-free environments. Merging style and social responsibility, their products spread a message of fashionable environmentalism. The folded and woven items are handmade by artisans in Mexico and Peru. In addition to Endangered Species Chocolate donating 10% of net profits to help support species, habitat and humanity, Ecoist plants a tree for every product sold.
Eco-Decorating and Holiday-Making Ideas
July 30, 2008
By the Care2 Staff.
Want to decorate your home with nature’s gifts to celebrate the season?
Make your own Christmas tree ornaments? Learn how to make an eco-friendly dreidel? Create special greeting cards the green way? Find easy, energizing ways to light up the holidays? Look no further!
Here are some wonderful holiday ideas for the whole family from all of us at Care2. Enjoy, and have a happy, healthy, green holiday!
Seven Easy, Energizing Ways to Light up the Holidays
Decorating with Winter Nature Magic
And for the eco-friendly dreidel, an eco-friendly Kwanzaa, green holiday cards, and more, see Eco-Fun Holiday Projects
Best Green Holiday Decorating
By the Care2 Green Living Staff
As easy as it may be to drop that artificial garland in the shopping cart, we’ve found that green decorating for the holidays is healthier, cheaper, prettier and so much more satisfying. Deck your halls with our favorite eco-friendly winter decor ideas and start dreaming of a green Christmas.
Decorate with Nature
Use evergreens. It’s good to remember the undying green when the natural world sleeps. Fragrant and bristling with good energy, evergreens are the quintessential symbol of this season. Heap them in vases and jugs, garland your doorways, banisters, mirrors, or mantelpieces, place a sprig or two underneath the bows on your gift packages. Put them in an old workboot to place by the door, or a twig basket for the bedside table, or a pretty mug for the kitchen counter. Evergreens add festive cheer to every room in the house.
Make Organic Twinklers
Holiday candles nested in fruits or vegetables are a creative way to light up a room, and an excellent reason to forgo traditional holiday candleholders for a more “natural” alternative.
Decorate with Edibles
Make garlands with dried bay leaves, small lady apples, dried figs, cinnamon sticks and more. Just thread a needle and start stringing!
Make Your Own Ornaments
Make, bake and decorate using this recipe for homemade ornaments. The dough is very easy to work with, and once baked the ornaments are very firm and easy to paint.
Create an Indoor Sanctuary
We can all benefit from spending time in a little quiet corner where we can find our center, and be recharged. All you need is a private place and a candle, although some of us also like to include photos or statues or gifts from nature in our sanctuary spot. Taking time out to simply gaze at a lighted candle is one way to commune with the inner stillness that brings such peace in the midst of frantic activity.
posted by Annie B. Bond Aug 1, 2007 10:55 pm
How to choose eco-friendly candles
May 21, 2008Whether you’re planning a romantic wedding or a candle-lit dinner for two, look for these green candle options.
- Beeswax candles are naturally scent-a-licious, non-toxic, soot-free, and non-allergenic. They’re completely renewable and require little, if any, additives. You’ll find that 100 percent beeswax candles are relatively easy to come by and burn longer than regular paraffin candles (a byproduct of petroleum).
- Soy-based candles are generally vegan, soot-free, and biodegradable, and like beeswax, they’re renewable. They also burn up to 50 percent longer than paraffin candles and, if spilled, can be cleaned up with soap and water. Two downsides: First, soy doesn’t throw scent as well as some other varieties. Secondly, you won’t find soy candles for your birthday cake or your candelabra since soy wax is soft and therefore usually encased in a glass jar or tin. Consider opting out of GMO-varieties by choosing Certified Organic ingredients.
- Palm oil comes from the fruit of palm trees (so no plants die during harvesting). Palm oil can be infused with essential oils, allowing them to fill a room with lovely aromas. They’re clean burning and long lasting. Like soy, it’s wise to choose GMO-free palm wax whenever possible.
- Vegans beware: Many candles (yes, even natural ones) are made with stearic acid—an animal-derived fat from meatpacking plants. If this is a concern, read ingredient lists or request more information before buying.
- Hidden ingredients sometimes sneak their way into natural products, so check labels before making a final purchase. In particular, be sure to choose 100 percent paraffin-free options (some natural candle manufacturers add a little paraffin to the mix) and opt out of lead-based wicks, which can be hazardous to your health. Safe wick options include hemp, cotton, or paper. Scent and color may make for a less-than-healthy candle experience, too. Synthetic fragrances often added to candles have been identified as VOC-emitters.