New Layout

Thanks to Witchy over at The Copper Cauldron, our switch to a three-columned layout was mostly painless! Let us know what you think - we're always open to creative criticism.

Now, here's the featured product for this week....

Moisturizing Hand Salve
available in 2 ounce or 4 ounce tins

Hope on over to our shop if you'd like to keep your hands soft, smooth, and moisturized!

Just for Sandy...

....and anyone else who needs this information.....  

Sandy over at Stitchinglifetogether asked how to make a blog a favorite on the Entrecard Toolbar for Firefox.  Here you go, Sandy:

When the blog is in your active window, there should be the following on your toolbar:

Your Name

Your EC total/drops for the day

Category (like Favorites, or Inbox)

How the pages are sorted

One arrow to get one window

A double arrow to get something like 10 windows at once, and then...

A heart.  

This heart is what you want -- click it to make the blog you're viewing a favorite. Beside that heart you'll also find either the amount of EC needed to advertise on that blog or "insufficient funds".  Which makes advertising so much easier, too! 

I hope this has helped, or at least is a start.  

Now can someone tell me how to save my widgets so I can convert to a three-column blog template?  I don't want to lose everything, but want to change my template.  Any advice?  Also, where do you find templates that are minimal, or changeable?  I generally don't like prepared templates and opt for changing colors and such on my own.  But I really want three columns. Email me if you have some answers!

Holy Toolbar, Batman!!

I don't usually blog on weekends, but this is totally necessary:

This evening I added the Entrecard toolbar to Firefox.  It was amazing.  I do not say that lightly; I am not easily impressed.  I finished dropping in no time flat, and had much less aggravation. If you don't have this toolbar, do yourself a huge favor and go get it here.

What else is going on around Baileys Basics?  I'm planning on painting and doing some home improvements around our house in the next few months.  I'll be making drapes for some of the rooms, so I'll be sure to post pictures.  I'm browsing Amy Butler for fabrics, of course..... Other than that, we've been doing our usual things like working, working, and working.  

Oh, yeah...and dropping EC.....

EntreCard Addict

Hello, my name is Andrea, and I am an EntreCard addict.  

I can totally admit it, though.  That's the first step, right?  My goal is to knock out 300 drops each day.  So far, I think my highest day was 240-some.  Not bad, considering I have a full-time job, a part-time job, and an online store.  If I do say so myself.  

Meanwhile, I can't stop dropping.  And being just the tiniest bit OCD (just a little....) I have to have  system for dropping.  It keeps me focused, trust me! ;)

So, if you're an EntreCard addict, please pop over to the right and drop away.  I'll be by your blog later to leave my own little mark, I bet.  Maybe eventually I'll get off the computer and finish making new products!  I did sew a bit tonight, but not for the shop.  But I've been making things that will eventually make their way into the shop, I promise!  Lots of new stichy goodies for your houses -- stay tuned!

We Need Your Opinion, Please!

It's nearly Spring.  At least, if you live here in the Valley.  It's about 60 degrees out today, and it's February 11th. That's absurd. I have our windows open and I'm wishing I was wearing lighter clothing.  And the change in seasons always gets us thinking about new products.  In our line of products, new things take a few weeks to make.  Sure, salves take little more than an hour to whip up.  But infusing all that oil with some herby goodness?  More like two weeks and three days.  So if it appears as though we're moving slowly, have patience - goodness is cooking.  

One of the products we're working on is a clay facial mask.  I've used bentonite clay for about a year on my face now, and if I do say so myself, I have darn good skin.  So we're going to share it with everyone else out there!  Here's my question:

When purchasing a clay facial mask, would you prefer the mask to be powdered and add water, or would you prefer an already goopy mask that you just scoop up and apply?

We need to know.  E-mail us, or (better yet!) leave a comment with your answer and input. 

In addition, warmer weather always leads me to think about kombucha.  I won't go into the health benefits and debate about kombucha here.  Just suffice it to say that I love it, and practically live off it in the summer.  Every batch of kombucha yields a scoby, or Symbiotic Colony of Yeast and Bacteria, the little organism responsible for kombucha's yummy taste and probiotic qualities.  I simply hate to through the little buggers out. But they are shareable! So, that leads me to my next question:

Would you be interested in seeing scobys offered in our shop?  At a ridiculously low price?

Let us know.  Enquiring minds and all that,you know! 

Don't You Wish You Were Me?

As some of you may know, our dearest friend (and Brian's cousin-in-law) runs The Copper Cauldron.  She makes the best soaps I've ever used, and that's no small feat.  If you're a fan of Witchy's soaps, you also know that she's moving.  Which is so sad, for those of us who are used to living five minutes away and having our soap (and occasionally groceries or Farmer's Market cupcakes) delivered.  

As she was getting her shop ready to go into vacation mode, Witchy found a lot of irregular or second soaps.  Maybe they're not pretty, or they're underweight.  She made grab bags, and posted them in her shop.  I was lucky enough to get one....

OH MY GOODNESS!

This is by far the most amazing collection of so-called seconds I've ever seen.  I am completely in love all over again with Witchy's soap.  And now I have enough of it to last at least until I see her again (which is April, so not that long!).  In all reality, I may have enough soap to last the rest of my life!  

Now, never fear.  Witchy will be safely moved by mid-March and I know she'll have her shop back up as soon as possible.  I also know that she will spend the next month packing and unpacking...and thinking.  Thinking up new soaps and scents and yummy things to do with oil and lye.  So you can rest assured that The Copper Cauldron will be bubbling away again soon.  You can also be sure of another thing:  Witchy is picky. Very, very picky when it comes to her soaps.  So she'll be sure to have some seconds to put up in the shop ($2 for a pound of soap? Please.).  When she does, grab them!!  Then you can be like me....