Thursday, December 31, 2009

Working Mechanism CVT At Low Rpm

 
In reandah speed, the force on spring driven movable larger than centrifugal force acting on the weight roller. After the movable driven face narrows then pressed v-belt drive toward the outside so that the radius of v-belt drive to be great. While in the movable drive face, v-belt drive radius to be reduced.

Working Mechanism CVT At high Rpm

 
At high speeds, centrifugal force on the weight roller to work so that the movable drive face narrowed. At the same time, the movable drive face narrowed then pressing the v-belt drive towards the outside so the radius v-belt drive be big. While on the movable driven face radius v-belt drive is reduced.

Working Mechanism kickdown On CVT

 
On the face there are working mechanisms driven mechanism called kickdown mechanism, this mechanism automatically increases when the acceleration reduction ratio arrived - arrived (driving uphill). When acceleration arrived - arrived to work at the face through the torque cam driven, torque-driven cam face pressed into the appropriate parts of the arrow (1), the radius increases driven face in the direction of the arrow (2), reduction ratio increases so that the thrust force add too.

Monday, December 28, 2009

Batty's Face: Past and Present

I have a confession. I've always had problem skin. I know a lot of other people can relate. When I was a teenager my breakouts were so bad that I saw a dermatologist that had me on half a dozen different creams and two prescriptions to try to tame my break outs. Thankfully, in my twenties, my breakouts aren't anywhere near that bad anymore but my skin is still very picky about how I treat it. For the longest time I've been washing it with commercial facial cleansers, exfoliating EVERYDAY with a commercial body scrub because of the amount of flaking from my scars and dry skin on my face, and then topping it off with a commercial moisturizer. This was my method to keep my breakouts under control.. but if I missed one day of exfoliating, putting foundation on was out of the question. There was no way for it to go on nice and smooth with all that dry skin... and of course, that's when I need the make up the most because of another breakout due to dry skin.

Since starting my soap making adventure I've been determined to find something that will treat my face right and keep any break outs at bay. I'm happy to say I've found the answer for my poor, fussy face! I've created a facial soap with loads of shea butter and soy butter. The combo cleans my skin without stripping it of its natural oils. This is extremely important because when my skin is dried out, it breaks out more. Also, the more dried out it is, the more my scars flake - YUCK! I've been using the my handmade facial soap for the past 3 weeks and I'm super excited about the results! I haven't had to exfoliate ONCE! My scars aren't flaking, my skin isn't dried out, my previous breakouts have cleared up and I haven't had a new breakout since! I couldn't be happier! For a moisturizer I'm still using a teeny tiny bit of my handmade body butter. Since my body butter is SO moisturizing I only need the smallest amount for my face.

If only I had got into making handmade bath and body products in my teens I might have saved my face from some of the acne scars that are there now. Oh well, what's done is done and my face and only look forward to good days to come.

I know other people will find clear, soft, smooth, skin days when I officially open Batty's Bath. I wanted to let you all know that my projected grand opening date has been moved up again! Isn't that exciting? I'm so excited for the grand opening and to offer the products that are helping me so much to others! I don't want to make any of you wait any longer than you have to for the opening. We all need to be pampered and the sooner the better! I can't give you an exact date yet, but stay tuned.


FYI: The picture above is a picture from Christmas day. I did my make up in a "winter wonderland" theme. :)

Saturday, December 26, 2009

Another Productive Week!

The holiday break has been great! We've spent lots of time with family, got lots of super (fun and practical) gifts, relaxed and I've also had another productive week for Batty's Bath.


Here's some of the highlights from another productive week:



1. Sending all those Health Canada forms out!
Look at that stack of forms! A lot of work went into them and I'm so glad to have them totally completed and on their way to Health Canada :)




2. Organizing the Studio!
We brought two additional bookcases up from the basement AND I got new awesome shelves for Christmas from Drew. The studio is packed with all the She's Batty Designs stuff so we needed to bring up the additional bookcases and figure out some more shelving options to make room for the Batty's Bath stuff! Hopefully within the next week or so the new shelves will up on the wall and not blocking those red drawers :) For more pictures of the studio, have a look here.





3. I'm continuing to get stellar reviews from friends and family!
Over the holidays I let my friends and family try out my body butter and they are totally in love with it! They are already asking me when they can buy it! Things seem to be off to a really good start and hopefully this is a sign of things to come :)


Monday, December 21, 2009

Batty's Bath on Facebook!


I've got exciting news! Batty's Bath is now on facebook! There isn't much set up yet but at least it's a start!

I continue to be amazed at how productive I can be when I can't sleep :)

I'd greatly appreciate it if you became a fan of Batty's Bath. All you need to do is head over to the fan page and press "become a fan". I have something very special in store for the first few fans of Batty's Bath on facebook so make sure you're one of the first few to fan the page. Trust me, it will be worth it ;)

Saturday, December 19, 2009

Batty's Hair is Happy! Oh, and so is her skin :)


I've been using some new scent/soap combos and I've totally fallen in love with what we've got in the shower right now. Coconut Shampoo and Conditioner, and Buttercream Shea Butter Soap! Don't they both sound divine? I feel like I'm taking a Hawaiian vacation every time I wash my hair and a trip to a delicious smelling bakery when I use the soap! I'm feeling totally pampered!

I'm also super happy about how the shampoo and conditioner are treating my hair! I usually have dry hair - and a lot of it! Before I started using the shampoo and conditioner I made, I had to deep condition my hair at least once a week! It also looked horrible if I let it air dry. It would never dry looking soft and silky without the help of my blow dryer and straightener. Well not anymore! I can let it air dry with perfect results.... which will make my mom super happy because she loves the natural curl/wave my hair has so I've been even letting it "do it's natural thing" without worry of it poofing up like something out of a bad 70's movie! Don't get me wrong, I do blow dry it sometimes still, but I love that I don't have to :)



The Buttercream Shea Butter Soap has been working wonders on my skin as well! Not only does
the buttercream scent smell sooooo yummy (just like a cupcake without the calories), the shea butter has been leaving my skin nourished. I have had dry skin forever - especially on my face - but my skin is really reacting well to all the pampering it's getting with my handmade soap! I usually exfoliate everyday with a heavy scrub because my face always feels so dry and causes havoc when I would put on foundation - trust me, if I didn't exfoliate that day it was not a pretty site! My skin has been breathing a sigh of relief since I started using the shea butter soap because I haven't had the need to exfoliate as much! I went from exfoliating every day to once a week! My face hasn't felt dry or tight or itchy at all! I really should have started making soap years ago!


Thursday, December 17, 2009

Marketing Strategies Interview with Dennis of Anderson Soap Company

This was originally posted on HMN back in September, but I was found this interview with one of the top soapers on Etsy inspiring so I'm posting it again :)

d.jpgCan you wrap your head around the thought of having over 19,940 sales?! Well, Dennis of Anderson Soap Company has! Making soap is his full time job and he has had great success with it! He loves what he does and is so thankful that he can do something he loves as a full time job. Today, Dennis shares the marketing strategies he's used that have resulted in so many sales!

What “online” marketing strategies are you currently using?
The top online marketing strategy I use is my mailing list. I feel that a
mailing list is the fastest, easiest way to get specific information regarding sales or upcoming news and events out there to a base market who specifically signed up for it out of general interest. Twitter and Facebook are pretty good as well to use, just to post here and there when you are having a sale or just to chat it up with buddies.

dd.jpgWhat “offline” marketing strategies are you currently using?
Right now I dont have too much offline time due to a high volume of online and wholesale orders. I try to participate and be involved with local craft fairs and to hand out my business cards to alot of people. I also offer coupons and discounts to the people I meet at craft shows to purchase from me in person the next time or online.

What do you find (on or offline) to be the most effective?
I think its a combination of alot of factors that will make a marketing strategy effective. Being present at craft fairs, sending mailing lists out monthly, getting out there in forums or social networks....they all can bring customers to you or your website. The best promotion is word of month because people trust other people and its a free way to brand yourself and your company.

ddd.jpgAre there strategies that you have found didn’t work well for your business?
I have tried many different places to advertise. Some worked, some didn't. I am the type of person that doesn't base decisions on what I see right in front of me, I try to read between the lines. Its a process of elimination, but I have found some places that are not for me and didn't work after trying a few months and some that work fantastically.

How do you figure out what’s working and what’s not?
I guess you just have to wait and see. What is good for one business is not good for another. Some businesses whats good for one is good for the other. I keep a deatiled record of when and where I advertise, how many referrals generate traffic to me, and then determine if it will work or not.

dddd.jpgHow do you decide what marketing strategies to try and when to try them?
I am open to try just about anything as long as its feesible to do so. I come up with alot of ideas.... so much that I have to keep a journal so I wont forget them all.

Do you have a few marketing initiatives in mind that you would like to implement in the future?
I actually just started one a few months ago. I changed all of my olive oil soaps to start using some organic oils, eventually my plan is to have my soaps USDA Certified Organic.

For someone who is just starting their “at-home craft business”, where would you recommend they start in terms of marketing?
I would try to research as much information that you can about your trade and how things are dealt with online or specifically on an online market place like Etsy or Artfire. The forums are worth their weight in gold with the wealth of information in them, and for the most part, people are very friendly and willing to help. If you plan to sell online, I would make sure you have a pretty good camera that can take clear pictures and only need a little editing to make them perfect.


ddddd.jpgAnything else you would like to add?
When I started selling online, I didn't have a great job... it was decent paying and hard work but I had dreams of being a small business owner to be my own boss. I had 50 dollars to start out with supplies to get me started and have turned that 50 dollars into over 20,000 dollars in inventory and supplies after my salary. All I can say is keep working at it, keep promoting yourself(even if your better half thinks the promotion is getting a bit obnoxious) keep doing it. The only way to get yourself out there is to promote and market your products. Then after that, word of mouth spreads and you get known.

Image Credits: dennisanderson.etsy.com


Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Forms and Legal Stuff

I've had another productive few days! I'm trying to do at least one thing every day to push Batty's Bath closer to being able to officially open. The past few days I've been creating more new formulas (I'm really happy with the shea butter one we're currently testing), and have started tackling some of the legal and declaration type forms that need to be done. I'm happy to say that my official application for a new business registration has been completed and I've made a lot of head way with the Health Canada cosmetic notification forms. All this and studying for psychological stats too! My stats mid-year exam is on Monday and I'm totally confused with all the content! At least Batty's Bath is coming along smoothly! I wish I could say the same for stats. Unfortunately stats is beyond my level of mathematical thinking which could make it tricky to pull of a pass! Eep! Wish my luck!




Saturday, December 12, 2009

Batty's Bath on Etsy

More exciting news! I've officially set up my "Batty's Bath" shop (but put it on vacation mode) on Etsy! It feels like Batty's Bath is getting closer and closer to being a full reality! Now you can go to Batty's Bath on Etsy and sign up to be notified when it comes out of vacation mode. This will be when I start listing items for sale.


I've also started completing the Health Canada forms required for my products before I can sell them. So far so good! I'm feeling really productive!

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Some Exciting News


A few exciting things have happened this week!

1) Samples are already to send out to my "testers". I can't wait to get their feedback. We've been "testers" at my place and so far so good with the shampoo, conditioner, body butter, body wash and glycerin soap. As those run out we'll be testing new formulas and tweaking as we go. I love being about to tweak the bath and beauty products we're using now!

2) I designed the "Batty's Bath" logo! You'll see I added it to the blog banner! I still plan on prettying up the blog but I'm so happy to have the logo designed. What do you think?

3) I registered "BattysBath.com" last night! Woohoo! Right now it directs to my profile under battysbath.etsy.com.


Monday, December 7, 2009

January Beginnings

From Etsy's Merchandising Desk: January:
"New Beginnings: Handmade resolutions, learning a new skill or hobby (for example, learning a new instrument, recipes, crafting, journaling, etc.), self-reflection and appreciation, active-wear, spa, bath and beauty, organization (home, studio, office, etc.)."

I was delighted to see "new beginnings" highlighted in Etsy's latest Merchandising Desk report because I had already decided that my new years resolution was to plunge myself head first into soap making after receiving some handmade soap and scrub from Becky at Craft off the Lot (see my previous blog post). I love that (almost) everything in the new beginnings trend is something I'll be incorporating into my new years resolution - it's a handmade resolution, I'm learning new skills and a new hobby, I'll be taking time for self-reflection about what my body needs and doesn't need, I'll be appreciating something that's made by my hands and appreciating the process to get me there, I'll be setting up a new organizational system for my new hobby, etc. The only thing listed in the new beginnings that I'm leaving out is active-wear. Perhaps my sweats that are covered in glue will also become my "active-soap-making-wear", lol.



Sunday, December 6, 2009

Motorcycle Models

Here is just a taste of what we’ve got coming for you from Jack McIntyre, Den, Biker Pics and The Death Riders! Prepare to be impressed. Today, we have six lovely ladies to tantalize your tactile “tensions”… mmm, and I do mean dynamic tensions…





Motorcycle Models

Tuesday, December 1, 2009