Monday, June 27, 2011

The move! Dun dun duuuuun......

FINALLY this past weekend we started getting our boxes hauled over to the new place. Wait wait. Not the new place per say....

Those who have been following me on twitter for the past year know that we have been trying to buy a house. We found one last September and have been saving every last freaking penny we have for this place. Rory found a second job just to put his entire check into savings. Luxury Lane Soap has been paying the bills and feeding us. Team work FTW.

Fast forward through many bank appointments and a lot of learning and question asking, going through excitement as we were approved for everything, about to sign for the loan and then sadness when lenders decided they weren't comfortable with the property. Rinse and repeat many, many times and this is where we are.

Thank goodness the sellers of our future home are SO AMAZING and they are willing to wait until we find a bank that works for everyone. The thing is, this property is like non other in our entire county. It is almost 100 years old and a brick fortress. The land around the house could be used to build two or three new homes, which would be much more profitable for the banks and city, tax wise. Regardless, we are $35,000 short and we need to sell our house in Primghar...fast.

My point....In order to get the house sold we need to be out of it. So were do we live? We are moving to the apartment above the garage in the back yard of our future house. Did you get all of that? This will not be easy. The space is very tiny. (I will post a video of it later this week.) It will be cramped, claustrophobic and stressful. And, it embarrasses me.

And then it embarrasses me that I am embarrassed.

The next two months are going to be the hardest I think we have ever had to endure. I am not going to sit here and make a list of how frustrating this all is. Instead, I am going to redirect his blog while we move and keep recored of how this all pans out. For two reasons...

1. Nothing worth having comes easy. I am at the point where most people stop. The comfort level has been surpassed. If I can do this YOU can do this. I hope to inspire at least one of you to go that extra mile and achieve whatever it is you are trying to reach.

2. I want a personal record of this moment. This is something pivotal. It isn't just buying a house anymore. As a family, we are becoming something more.

It may sound overly cliche'...but this just feels like one of those things you want some sort of record of, you know?

I am working on getting a wordpress blog all figured out so I can keep everyone updated about what is going on personally, and with the business. I love you Blogger, but I have outgrown you.

And on that note, I want to let everyone know that if I seem a little bit gone this week it is because I will be making/shipping orders during the day and packing/moving at night. ♥

Stay tuned as I get my ideas in better form and keep your eyes open for a new blog layout this week. :D I really just wanted to give you all a heads up and thank you SO very much for being a part of this. Like I have said a bazillion times before this, my business has become a success because of YOUR support. You shower me in an abundance of love. Seriously. Thank you.

This is where I make some grand exit.That works. ♥

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Summer is Here!

Summer is usually when cute and clever take over Luxury Lane Soap, as apposed to the ever ruling intricate and exclusive. Why? Well, with my kids out of school for the summer, I get a lot of pressure from these two to make "FUN!" kid friendly soaps for tub time. This works in my favor as they will hang out in the bath for literally HOURS "testing" soap for me. It is SO hot right now in the Midwest that the bathtub has just become the swimming pool...Oh to be young again...

Also, we have switched formulas over here and now ALL Of our Gentle Glycerin Soaps are organic!
Previous ingredients:
Olive Oil, Palm Oil, Coconut Oil, Safflower Oil, Glycerin, Aloe Vera, Purified Water, Sodium Hydroxide, Sorbitol, Sorbitan Oleate, Soybean Protein, Certified Pure Essential Oils, Non-Phthalate Fragrance & Color.

New Ingredients:
Organic Coconut Oil, Organic Palm Oil, Glycerin (vegetable origin), Purified Water, Sorbitol (from berries, moisturizer), Sorbitan Oleate (botanically sourced emulsifier), Soybean Protein, Certified Pure Essential Oils and Non-Phthalate Fragrance.

With ingredients like Olive and Safflower oil cut out and the organic ingredients bumped up, the result is a completely pure and gentle soap. I can not bring myself to just through away my already printed labels (I don't have that many, just a few) so you many receive a soap with the previous ingredients. I have linked all of the products to the new ingredients on the site, so know, you are getting the organic formulas. Do not hesitate to shoot me an email if any of that doesn't make sense. ♥

So, on to the bribe! Win a Summer Prize Pack from LuxuryLaneSoap.com which includes our new Caffeinated Night Owl AND a Bubble Bear, plus many more surprises!

All you need to do is visit LuxuryLaneSoap.com and post your favorite ice cream flavor as a comment on the Luxury Lane Soap FB fan page.

That's it! Really! :D While you you are over there, feel free to give Luxury Lane Soap a quick "like" and I will be your best friend forever, but it is not required to win.

Terms & Conditions: Giveaway open to USA residents only. Prize(s) must be claimed within 10 days. Fun starts today: Wednesday June 8th 2011 and ends Monday June 13th. Winner randomly selected (as always) by random.org

Monday, June 6, 2011

Monday Mini Feature

IPhone 4 Microscope Lens

Product Features

  • The lens measures approx 3.7 cm x 4 cm x 1.7 cm
  • Includes a special LED light designed for hallmark verification and a regular LED light
  • The Mini Microscope for iPhone 4 is a lens adapter for your phone that magnifies 60x!
  • Lights are powered by 3 x cell batteries (included)
And I want it. Thanks to @Geekleestist for finding more awesome that I have to have...

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Giveaway Time! (aka...Sorry I have been gone for so long...)

Giveaway is closed. Congratulations to our winners ♥


As we get ready to move into our new studio and now that the kids are finally out of school, the Come Clean blog has been seriously neglected. Really, the only way to apologize for this is to do a giveaway. That and I am SERIOUSLY thankful for all of the support you have given me while I run around trying to get things in order for all of the big changes ahead.

I have FIVE super sweet Soapstache soaps scented Olden Times Lemonade all wrapped and ready for new homes. Be the very first to have that glorious mustache feeling, without paying for it.

All you need to do is visit LuxuryLaneSoap.com and pick out your favorite TWO products and post your choices as a comment on the Luxury Lane Soap FB fan page.

That's it! Really! :D Do feel free to give Luxury Lane Soap a quick "like" as I am still pretty new over there, but it is not required to win.

I am clearing out a couple of designs to make way for a plethora of awesome and I want to be sure your favorites are locked in tight.

And...you want to watch this RIGHT NOW....Yes, it is very possible I made a mustache soap simply to be able to reference my most favorite episode of The Tick for the rest of my life.

Terms & Conditions: Giveaway open to USA residents only. Prize(s) must be claimed within 10 days. Fun starts today: Wednesday June 1st 2011 and ends Friday June 3rd. Winner randomly selected (as always) by random.org