Christmas 2010 I made this decadent body butter to give away as presents. It’s made of shea and cocoa butters, calendula-infused jojoba oil, and hemp oil. It’s not really good for overall moisture, but it’s perfect for rough patches, like elbows. Only problem was I made so much that I couldn’t give it all away. Now, over a year later, I still have ten whole pots left and no idea what to do with them. The butter seem to be perfectly good for having sat on the shelf, but I doubt it would last forever, or even till I could use the whole supply.
I thought about selling it online, but where would I do that? Could I make an Etsy shop or something similar for only ten pots? Seems like overkill. Also, I’d have to charge six bucks a pot, before shipping, just to break even. I don’t know if they’re worth that much, and I’d like to make a profit. There’s also the question of packaging. Those nifty little tins don’t take glue very well, so I’d have to buy sticker labels. Sounds like a fun project, but for ten pots? I don’t know.
Another unfinished project is the wooden knitting needles I tried to make. Well, I did make them, but they turned out looking, smelling, and feeling like crap. Walmart doesn’t carry the size I need, and the internet said it would be simple to make my own, but it’s been a lot of work and I still can’t use them. If I want to continue this project, I’ll have to start fresh with a new dowel, but it’s so much work I doubt I will. I’ll just find the needles online, I guess.
And then there’s the hat I knitted my youngest. I made it, it was wonderful, then we washed it and the stitches loosened up, which made it too big. I expect things to shrink in the wash, not stretch. We unraveled it, and the ball is waiting for those damned knitting needles to be finished. So is my son’s ball of yarn. Meanwhile, I’ll work on my older daughter’s shawl.
You know, it seems like last year was all about letting go, in many different areas of my life. And 2012 seems set up for me to start tying up the loose ends letting go created. This is fine with me. I need forward motion.
If you have any ideas what I can do with this damn body butter, let me know. And happy new year.
Happy New Year. Etsy may not be a solution, but what about eBay?
ReplyDeleteToo bad about the knitting needles; that sounded like a good idea. I bet if you could turn your own on a lathe it'd be a different story. You could use your own wood, find the perfect width for your purposes, and burnish then finish them all before they have to come off the spindles. Ah well. They don't give lathes away, last I checked.
Still, don't feel bad about unfinished projects. I have several of them. I just keep calling them "WsIP" so I don't feel so guilty. ;)
Old folks often have issues with dry, cracked skin. You might consider donating it to a local nursing home/board and care?
ReplyDeleteFantastic idea, Sarah. My MIL said it was great, and she's old.
ReplyDeleteYeah, that wood is terrible. It's fine along the shaft, but where I sanded down the points the grain is really porous. BUT, I did use the needles, slowly and carefully, in their first raw incarnation to make Maggie's hat. So they would work, if I could just get them smooth.
ReplyDeleteAnd this is another reason to sell the body butter, because I need money to buy needles. lol I sound like a junkie.
Is it possible to make the 10 pots into 20 or 30 smaller pots so you have more to sell?
ReplyDeleteAlthough, the nursing home idea is a good one too. :)
Have you tried michaels.com or joann.com for needles in more sizes? I have to admire your determination - I'd never attempt making knitting needles! You're braver than I would be! LOL I'd be splinter city by the time I was done.
Letting go and tying up - all seems like part of the cycle of things. :) Good luck with figuring out the one that's right for you. :)
Happy new year!
Thanks, happy New Year to you, too!
ReplyDeleteI thought I sent you some of this body butter, did I not? I meant to. I could probably divide it up into 20, but I really think the amount I have in each tin is good. Oh, and not to mention, I'd have to buy different (or at least additional) containers. Another use that occurred to me after I wrote this post is putting it in soap. Shea and cocoa butters are DAMN FREAKIN HELLACIOUS expensive, but they're wonderful in soap. I guess I'll figure it out.