Posted by Bill on April 9, 2017
Look for the S
Look for the S for security. I am either joining the 20th century, or I have been paying attention to the security guys I work with during my full time job. Either way, I am “locking down” my online shop to use the https for security reasons.
Some of the log files I have been reading have been yielding some very questionable results. Not so much of a breach, but just some things that are being sniffed out (sniffers are looking for graphics that are not there, trying to browse to links that do not exist) and looking for a POSSIBLE security breaches, which I do not have. My site and my web provider are very good when it comes to keeping the site patched and updated. With this in mind, I have decided to add another layer of security for the shop my the next step.
I am also working on a cost-saving measure. Square (Point of Sale) has an interface I can use with my online shopping cart (called an API). The processor I am currently using charges me about $25 a month for use, even if I don’t use it (no purchases made by my online store that month). In addition, if there is a purchase on my online store, I get a nice bill for use of their gateway (per transaction), plus a percentage of the transaction fees. Some years ago, I shopped around, and it was actually cheaper than my previous processor and I am currently paying about $300 per year for use… if there are not any purchases online. Now, there are more options available and I can feel free to shop around. The only caveat is that I need to have the httpS enabled which is in the works. Square currently charges me 2.75% per transaction, and it can “sit” there for months without being used, and I do not get charged for it sitting there.
Now the other side of this is putting it into place. As I use OS Commerce for my shop’s program, I’ll have to get with both programs to smoosh something together to get them both to work together. This should be fun!
(by the way, thank everyone for letting me know there was a problem with my shopping cart… it’s working now)
Posted by Bill on March 22, 2017
Events
I really need to post more often… seriously. 🙂 The last time I posted was at the end of November and the next time I look up, it is already past mid-March.
There is some good news… my husband and I moved into a house in late January and we are still in the process of making the house a home. We are getting tired of the corrugated look (cardboard) and we are going through boxes to see if we can find everything we know we moved!
Looking forward to the future… I have trimmed out some of my outdoor events from my calendar. Most of them had been in the summer and while I do like the summer events, the summer is hard of my equipment and hard on me.
Normally during my indoor events, it takes me two hours to set up; outdoors, in the heat, it takes me three hours to set up and three hours to tear down. It isn’t that there is any more work, but more like setup setup setup, rest rest rest, hydrate hydrate hydrate… then back to setting up. It is very exhausting, not to mention my equipment looks like I had been camping with them. In some cases, I had been camping with them in the same setup.
Some days during the summer, I set myself up for the seasonal cloudburst and gust of wind. You know the kind… the cloud burst that comes up out of the middle of nowhere, lasts for 2-3 minutes with blowing winds and then disappears as fast as it had appeared, blew everything around to hell and back and while it was enough rain to cool it down for a hot minute, it was enough rain the make the temperature even hotter.
Soap Drying Racks
You can see my event calendar here. And, while my calendar may be sparse in some places, I have been productive in my own setup, prepping for a retail outlet of sorts. I am located at the Mellwood Art Center at 1860 Mellwood Avenue; Studio 241.
Before you start knocking on my door, because I still have a full time job and open By Appointment. I am not there all the time… yet.
This is a large space, part workshop, part retail… and I really enjoy being in this creative space. I had someone walk in asking about soap saying, “It feels good in here” which is 100% of my intention. It is just right.
Looking forward to the future!
Posted by Bill on November 18, 2016
Holiday Sale
Hi, everyone! Earth Circle Creations has a small sale!
I have a handful of soaps that we have had for quite some time. There is nothing wrong with them other than I have had them for a while, and I want them to go to a home before the fragrance runs out.
More news… I have a small space at the Mellwood Arts Center in Louisville that I will be using for a by-appointment shop. Please click here to support my Go Fund Me. While I have some items of my usual sundry that can be used to fill this space, I would like to have additional things that I can use to fill the shop. Clicking and donating a few bucks here and there can help that ball rolling! I plan to be open the first week in December. I am busy painting up the space and arranging things now.
I still have the Soap of the Month Club going on! Each month, we will send you two soaps from a soap genre your choice. Soap of the Month club subscription members get TWO of our bars of soap each month.
Join, and you will receive a collection of luxurious handcrafted soaps delivered to your door each and every month. A wonderful way to indulge and pamper yourself all year round, or send as a gift to let someone know they are cherished all year round. As they pamper themselves each and every month, they’ll be thanking you over and over again.
Posted by Bill on May 24, 2016
Workspace.
It is not hard to believe that while I have been busy with my event schedule, that it has been since February since I have contributed a post.
I have settled in nicely into the workshop and, while if you go into the space today, it would look like some kind of organized chaos. Oils here, boxes there, slips of paper here and there, projects over there, unfinished things over here, and nearly every vertical surface occupied. I even got a dishwasher and made it “portable” by putting some hardware on it, putting it on wheels and getting it up and running. I wanted to be able to wash things while I was at the location instead of lugging pots and pans home.
I am also considering a larger space. Particularly as I am almost outgrowing what space I have now. 🙂 I would not trade it for anything (other than a larger space) as I have an enjoyment of utilizing a . I took much of that stuff out of my home… and cleared up the space here and the only thing I had purchased was a workbench and some additional shelves for soaps and supplies. It was hard to believe that my home housed so many things. Boxes here, soap molds with pots and pans in the kitchen, and then some.
My event schedule has me wonderfully occupied with just a weekend of a “vacation” and then I start all over again starting the first of June until the middle of July. Then starting again the first weekend of September and all the way into the middle of November.
What do I do in my spare time? I breathe! 🙂
All information in this web site are provided for educational purposes only. The ideas expressed here are not intended to and cannot be used to diagnose, prescribe, treat, cure or prevent any disease. The information contained on this web site is not meant to be used for diagnosing, prescribing, treating, curing or preventing any disease or illness. The information contained on this web site has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) but is presented for informational purposes only for use in helping to maintain and promote health in cooperation with a physician. Nothing found anywhere on this web site should be construed as an attempt to diagnose, prescribe or recommend in any manner a treatment, cure or preventative for any health ailment or condition.