Soap for Hope fundraiser for CVS and MDA

Fish, Frogs, and Shamrocks, Oh My!

It’s not every day you go to work and handle 800 fish, frogs, and shamrocks! Teona, Keltcey, Tracey, and I spent the week laughing our heads off, mixing glycerin soaps for Soap for Hope, and laughing as those little fish stared at us (forever frozen in soap…).

Work days like these don’t feel like work at all. No doubt we got soap in our hair, all over the floor, and in our mouths (YUK!). Even though most of my employees aren't disadvantaged girls in the mentor program, each woman is special and pours an extra ounce of love in each bar of soap she makes. We ended our days smelling fabulous (like our zen green tea) and feeling joyful knowing we were doing something bigger than ourselves.

You see, these soaps weren’t the usual. The 800 bars were for Soap for Hope’s fundraising partnership with 22 Tennessee CVS/pharmacy stores in the Cleveland, Chattanooga, and Monteagle areas. CVS raises money each year for the Muscular Dystrophy Association (check them out: www.mda.org). It’s a great cause—and what’s better is that Good Fortune will donate $1 of our profit to Soap for Hope while the remaining funds go toward production costs to pay our wonderful employees. Anything leftover will be used for start-up costs for this summer.

Making soaps for CVS (and MDA) strengthened our bond and gave us even more faith that God has a plan for us all (even the simple soap makers in Tennessee).

Speaking to our local Garden Club

We just returned from AmericasMart Atlanta (an International wholesale trade show), the studio was out of stock, and it was freezing (outside and inside)! Luckily, over 20 local women drove out to my studio in Athens, TN to attend their Garden Beautiful meeting, hear my story, and shop a bit. How grateful am I to have new friends and to be able to share my heart for entrepreneurship, empowering girls, and following your faith. What a lovely way to share my testimony! My granddad's barn has never smelled so sweet from the aroma of essential oils and the fragrant offering to God!

"Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God."—Ephesians 5:1

"Thank you so much for having our Garden Club group last week. We enjoyed it very much and have been spreading the word through Athens about your products. Thanks for all your hard work." —Kathy, President-Garden Beautiful

Coincidence, I think not? Other Garden Clubs and Women Advocate groups have asked me to speak. I love telling my story and raising money for our outreach, Soap for Hope. If you want to visit me, or me visit you, just ask. We'll make arrangements and I'd love to share my story and empower women around the world!

Good Fortune at BlueCross BlueShield

It's our third time back at BlueCross's beautiful new facility on Cameron Hill. They can't get enough Good Fortune! And by now, the men are starting to warm up to us too.

We're stocked up on Valentine's Day specials this time around. While I was snowed in two weeks ago, I got creative and out came these adorable, heart-shaped apple lavender soaps that say "Hugs" and "Be Mine" and "Love." The funky layered glycerin soaps with colored hearts were fun, too! We've got V-Day Goodie Boxes - a luxurious soap, a massage candle, a lip scrub and lip balm - and gift bags with bath soaks or pillow sprays. Happy Valentine's Day, 2010! Treat your special someone to a handcrafted surprise from Good Fortune.

I'd love to say thank you to all the BCBS employees for their excitement every time we visit, their encouragement and support through Facebook, and their online orders. Y'all are awesome!

blogger: WriteMeJ

Soap for Hope Logo Design

You know me. I have a billion other things to do, but I feel to the need to play! I love graphic design! I am inspired by my friend Christy who's designing a new logo for another soap company, a new font I found, and the LOVE for my ministry...Soap for Hope.

Let me know what you think. The current logo is easy to read, understand, and work with. But, it isn't a real logo (according to me). I've been getting flashes of inspiration over the past year, but never have the time to sit and play. In fact, I've been thinking of hiring another designer to do it for me, but I kind of like the new direction. Here is my progress so far.


More swirlys, less swirlys, just right? Tell me if you like it?

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Kiss Me Kit ~ $20 from Good Fortune

The Kiss Me Kit's edible brown sugar vanilla scrub is delicious enough to devour, but even better yet, it's a great cure for dry, chapped lips. The scrub is vegan and gluten-free and has vitamin E and essential oils to moisturize the ol' kisser.

The kit also includes Stolen Kisses, an equally tasty chocolate peppermint lip balm that heals and soothes lips. Good Fortune donates a portion of profits to Soap for Hope, a program to empower young girls.

Day Six (Tuesday – Home Sweat Home)

For being a half-day, Tuesday sure was a long one! Several potential buyers came back and placed good orders, and Jenn got to exchange goods with surrounding vendors.

Wembe hooked her up with amazing organic fair trade soaps, Eco-Dotz shared a really cool soy candle, Gratiae delivered a beautifying nail kit (along with a sweet kiss on cheek), and finally Jen scored some super cute knickers from Bella Il Fiore. Yeah for new friends!

Unfortunately, the show staff lost all Good Fortune’s boxes rather than storing them, and Jenn sat for more than three hours like Orphan Annie watching everyone else pack. “It felt like the longest day of my life!” she said. “I got lost, waited in lines, waited for boxes, and after I finally packed up, drove four hours home.”

The next few weeks will be absolutely jammed with filling orders, replenishing stock, and… yup! packing boxes. Good Fortune is incredibly blessed and growing. Thank you all for your love, support, and patience!

Day Five (Monday – Jenn Flies Solo)

Jenn ended up being late to the show Monday morning – forgot what a big deal Atlanta traffic can be! Oops! Fortunately, she didn’t seem to be the only one getting a slow start – trade show traffic was significantly thinner. However, by the end of the day, she’d written with several big buyers and was ready for a night out. New friends from Wembé and Alliance Packaging Group, neighboring booths, invited her to dinner at Legal Sea Foods in downtown Atlanta – turned out to be a treat!