The Birth of The Balm Shoppe

This year(2008) is my year to "go for it". I have thought long and hard about what I want to do. I mean REALLY want to do. I didnt want to pick something that I would be bored with after awhile. I am almost 32 years old and up until recently hadnt really found "the passion". I LIKE doing lots of things. I LOVE doing a few things. But I have no TRUE PASSION. I have blueboygifts.com, which is a store that I sell jewelry and pendants and crochet items on. I like it, and it has been fairly successful, but I dont have THE PASSION. I like it, and I do it. Its fun and ETSY is a great site for all things handmade, but Ijust didnt feel it was my true calling.

I had to stop and ask myself:

• what do I want out of a career
  
• Do I want a 9-5? Or do I want flexibility
  
• Can I REALLY be my own boss?
  
• What am I really good at that I love to do??

Well after looking into Nursing I decided I didnt want to spend the next 2 years fighting the neatural tendency of my brain to shut off any time the words "Chemistry" and "biology" were mentioned. I would like to be a nurse. Long hours, getting pooped and barfed on, not so much.

I Looked into Beauty School. But every time I though "Yes, I can do this", unbidden "Beauty School Dropout" from grease runs through my head. (Beauty school dropout, no graduation day for you.) I am good at doing hair, but do I want to stick my hands in other peoples hair?? Do I want to be on my feet all day? What happens if I dye someones hair and they hate it? I have to live on tips, which means I actually have to make conversation with people, and make them like me.

Well about 6 years ago I started making my own bath products. It started with bath salts. Then I added bath oils, lip balms and belly balms. I started more and more. I studied up on aromatherapy, herbs, recipes and more. I have notebooks and notebooks of recipes, ideas, suppliers, ingredients, properties etc. AND I AM NOT SICK OF IT YET!! I LOVE doing it. I LOVE each and every lip balm I produce. I LOVE finding new ingredients and perfecting recipes and blending herbs and aromatherapy essential oils. I have found THE PASSION.

Well this year my New Years Resolution was to Go outside the box and go for my dream.

So I opened my newest shop: http://www.thebalmshoppe.com/ It is all natural lip balms, foaming bath butter, soap, bath salts and herbal bath teas, cuticle and foot balms, bath bombs and fizzies, body butters and more. Vegan friendly, animal friendly(no animal testing) and all natural.

I am loving the passion. I love waking up and being excited to get to my kitchen and whipping up a brand new batch of all natural goodness.

My Goals?? To be able to share my love for bath and body products with others. To get my merchandise into at least 2 gift shops.

May 2008 be the year you go for YOUR dreams.