The Soap Corner's - Coffee Lovers Giftbag Giveaway

Don't we all love winning something made by someone else? What a treat! I know I thoroughly enjoy trying out different products. The Soap Corner has some fantastic coffee-scented items to tantalize your senses. What a way to get the day going - a cup of coffee and your coffee scented candles, soaps and tarts! You'll be supercharged and ready to accomplish all of the things on your to-do-list. Hey - maybe I need to keep this giftbag for myself...hmmm...I wonder...Nope, can't do it. Okay, I've wrestled with myself and decided that as much as I would love to keep this giveaway for myself; I can't. I will just have to place an order at The Soap Corner. She offers quick shipping and fantastic customer service - my order will be here before I can pout too long!

Now, I'll show you what's in this wonderful gift bag and tell you a little about the products. You will receive a 2 handmade soaps- 1 Cafe Mocha & 1 Coffee; 2 jar candles - 1 Cafe Mocha & 1 Coffee; 1 Coffe Lip Balm and 2 tarts - 1 Coffee & 1 Cafe Mocha.







































You may ask, "Why Coffee Soap"?
Coffee can invigorate and reset your sense of smell.
Neutralizes and absorbs strong odors.
Makes a good astringent,exfoliates, and cleanses.
Revitalizes tired skin.

And besides all of those good reasons....it smells good!

Okay, I've give you all of the information except.....how to be entered! Well, it's simple...here's the easy ways to enter...do as many as you wish to gain extra entries or just leave a comment and take a chance.

. Buy a Snowberry Creek Sample Box.

2. Comment on our blog about a product from The Soap Corner.

3. Post the link to a product from The Soap Corner's website. May be something you've tried or want to try.

4. Make a purchase from The Soap Corner- send me a copy of your order (snowberrycreek@hotmail.com) confirming it was purchased between Oct. 19th and Nov.3rd. You may email this to me at snowberrycreek@hotmail.com.

5. Follow our blog - post that you are a follower.

6. Follow The Soap Corner's blog. Post that you are a follow, we will check it out and enter you. :)

7. Post about our giveway on your blog leaving a link on your blog back to this giveway. Be sure to post that you did this & the link here so we enter you.

8. Follow us on twitter - be sure to post on the blog that you are following us on twitter. We will follow you back. :)

9. Follow The Soap Corner on twitter. Post that you are a follower - we will confirm & enter you.

8. Post on twitter about our giveaway with a link to this blog post in your tweet. Be sure to put @snowberrycreek in your tweet so we will know to enter you.

9. Send in samples for our next box - samples due by Dec. 1st as boxes will go on sale Dec. 7th so people will have a last chance to see your products and Christmas shop with you.



DRAWING NOVEMBER 30th AT 9:00 CST - will notify you and ship out as soon as we have your address. Be sure to leave us your email address so we may contact you.

This great giveaway is open to everyone - including e-tailers...Julie and I are unfortunately excluded.

Be sure to visit The Soap Corner -
The Soap Corner's Christmas Shop is a hot spot with good ideas for gifts and she gift wraps all products for the Holiday Season at no charge. The Soap Corner will be having a Christmas Basket Giveaway valued at $50, starting November 27th and ending on Dec.10th.

Good luck to everyone - and don't forget about the Christmas Basket Giveaway. I'll have to be sure to go by and enter! I love her soap and the hubs really likes the Lymon Beer soap.

Winner Selected for The Soap Corner Drawing!

Today was the day for the drawing of the soap dish & soaps donated by Teresa of The Soap Corner. I wish I was eligible for the drawing! Guess I'll just have to purchase one for myself - the enamelware soap dish is so cute and the soaps...well, they smell sooooo good!

Okay, I've strung you along for long enough...the winner is.....Lara of New York. I will be shipping her prize out to her tomorrow. I know she is going to love the soaps and the dish. Thanks Lara, for choosing Snowberry Creek Sample boxes this month. We hope that you enjoyed your samples and found some new places to shop.

This set will make a great Christmas gift for someone that you would like to remember with something special. That is, if you can part with it.

Thanks to Teresa for continuing to be a Snowberry Creek e-tailer and for sending in your wonderful products for people to try. If you need some soaps, tarts,tart burners, lip balms, massage oils, body bars, jar candles or maybe a gift set - go on by The Soap Corner, she can fix you right up!

I forgot to mention that she often has giveaways on her site, runs many specials and offers a goodie surprise bag. Those goodie surprise bags are a good value with two full-sized bars of soaps and other goodies.

What is Our Goal?

We started Snowberry Creek Sample Boxes to promote our businesess, along with any others who wish to participate. We've had a great time doing it and will continue on. We think we have been successful in reaching our goals. I cannot speak for each of the e-tailers who have participated, but Julie and I each own businesses and we participate each month. We have seen an increase in our sales and the volume of traffic to our sites. Many of the e-tailers have told me they have noticed an increase in sales and traffic volume, too.

Now, I know you are wondering why I am going into all of this. Well, I'll tell you. Today I was thinking about the sample box business and how many people are in that business. That's great...I think there is room for everyone and everyone has there own reasons for doing it. Then, I begin to think about our reasons. It was not to get rich. LOL Good thing, we didn't go into it for that because we have put more time and effort in this business than we will ever make. Not to complain, because it is paying off for both of us in our main businesses and that is our goal. To promote ALL of our e-tailers, along with ourselves.

Here's a list of our goals from the beginning:

1. To promote small independent business owners.
2. To help generate more traffic to their websites.
3. To provide the consumers with products they may never have heard of before.
4. Offer a box full of samples each month.
6. Provide the consumer a low-cost way to try many different products.
5. Try to come up with various ways to help the website owners promote their products without charging them extra money for our efforts.
6. Get our e-tailers more visibility on the internet.

The samples in our boxes do not arrive at your door all fancied up in pretty packaging, bows, bags, etc. Our boxes will arrive as a USPS Flat Rate (11x8-1/2x5-1/2) Postal Box full of fabulous samples (there will be some packaging to help insulate the samples). The price of our box includes the $9.85 for shipping. We charge actual shipping costs and do not have any handling charges. What we do provide is a no cost (except for their samples) way for our e-tailers to get their products seen, heard about and into the hands of consumers. We want everyone to get a chance to try their products.

We do value our time, but we feel this is a worthwhile cause - the promotion of small business owners who are just starting out or struggling to get recognition for their products.

Thanks to all of the e-tailers who have participated and sent in their creative, fabulous, fantastic products. We will continue to promote you to our utmost ability.

I, personally, have found some new places to shop. Hope you will visit some of the e-tailers websites and try out some of their products. I have received great products, excellent customer service and very timely shipping. I have not been disappointed in any of my purchases.

Our goal was never to make a fortune off of other people's samples and we have met that goal.

Our goal is to gain recognition for our e-tailers and their products while ensuring the consumer is receiving the best products available at a great cost.

Looking for a New Product for Your Store

Many of our e-tailers offer wholesale pricing, affiliate marketing or home parties. If you own a gift shop, boutique, gift basket business – online or storefront – you may want to take a look at some of the creative, handmade products. You may want to include some of them in your line of products.

Many times small business owners are faced with the challenge of finding time to search for new products. They do not have the time or resources to go to market or trade shows. And let’s face it, many times you see the same things over and over – they appear in all the stores. Why not look for unique, handmade products to carry in your store.

Maybe you don’t want to invest a lot of money in someone’s products without being able to try them out first. This is where we come in. Our Snowberry Creek Sample Boxes may solve some of your problems. You don’t have to travel, spend a lot of valuable time searching for new products or spend money on items you’ve never tried. Our boxes are full of unique products and delivered right to your door. You will be able to fully indulge yourself with the beautifully, handcrafted products. Some of the items are sample sizes and many are full-sized products including, but not limited to: fragrant, full-lathering handmade soaps; rich, moisturizing lotions and body butters; exfoliating sugar and salt scrubs; bath salts for your soaking pleasure; aromatic candles and tarts; decorative soaps; lip balms-tubes and tins; massage oils; lotion bars; bath teas; herbal teas; suckers; chocolate-covered cookies; shea butters; and many, many other fabulous items. Many times e-tailers send us their new products, the new rage, the newest, latest thing to hit the market....this may be something you are interested in or maybe something you have never heard of before. This could be the one product that will become a Big seller for you.

Just think of the time, energy and money you will save by having potential products arrive at your door. You will receive a box FULL of samples/full-sized items from many e-tailers. I’m sure you will find more than one product that will fit into your shop, boutique, store, or gift basket company. One of the great things about this is the fact that small business owners are supporting small business owners. Not everyone has the time or talent to make all of their own products, but that does not mean that you cannot carry handmade, handcrafted, creative, unique items in your store.

The shipping is included in the price of the box. We do ship internationally. Our boxes ship out monthly. We sincerely hope you will visit the e-tailers and continue to do business with them.

Lotions - Body, Face Hand and Foot

I started out to research the differences in lotions. I found many articles, considered all of the opinions and the general consensus is that you should use a face lotion/cream for your face. The reason for this is that other lotions/creams may contain ingredients that will clog your pores and cause a pimple outbreak. This does make sense to me as the face tends to not be as dry as the hands or feet so it would not require a heavy product that leaves a lasting residue. Face lotions/creams are specially formulated for use on the face. They are thinner than other lotions and creams, although the textures may be similar, the amount of ingredients are different. Face lotion has ingredients that aids in not clogging pores and has properties that tighten the skin as well as moisturize.

Body, hand and foot lotions/creams are thicker and usually leave a lasting residue to continue being absorbed into the dry skin that may be on your hands or other areas. These lotions are formulated to cling to the skin, protecting and nourishing these often overworked, neglected or dry areas. Many of these lotions contain shea butter and cocoa butter. Cocoa butter works well on dry skin, but will clog pores on the face.

Hand lotions are generally thicker and richer than body lotions so you may not want to use it on our back if you have a problem with breakouts in that area. You may want to use a lighter body lotion in that area. Foot and hand lotions are similar but many people prefer to use a lotion labeled for feet. Some foot lotions do have ingredients that you may not want to use on the hands as a matter of preference. Many have a mint ingredient to help eliminate foot order. Foot lotion tends to be thicker than hand lotion, as the feet have thicker skin and tend to be dryer. Many people have calluses, or cracked, dry feet and need the thicker lotion with an exfoliating property.

After my research, I basically found that selecting a lotion or cream is a matter of personal opinion. Some people choose one lotion/cream and use it for all areas as a matter of convenience. Other people believe in having a cream/lotion for each particular area and think that each one is the best in the area it was formulated to be used on.

There are many great lotions and creams available through our e-tailers. If you have a lotion or cream question, I’m sure they are more qualified to answer it than I am. The e-tailers are listed on the side bar, this will take you directly to their websites where you may email your questions to them.

I do not make lotions or creams so this article is just my opinion, so please consider it as such.

How to Be an E-tailer in Snowberry Creek Sample Boxes

So, you want to be an e-tailer in our sample boxes and don’t know where to start. I’ll see if I can answer some of the most asked questions.

Does it cost anything? No, there is not cost to you ever other than the cost of your samples.
Is there a minimum amount? Yes, we have a minimum of 10 samples/or full-sized items for any month you wish to participate. However, we have no maximum so if you wish to send in a large amount and spread it out over a couple of months – that’s fine with us. Just specify how you want it.

When are the samples due? Samples are due by the 15th of any month you wish to participate.

What kind of samples should I send? Send whatever you wish for the consumer to see. Send the product you like the best, what you think is your best item or a new item you wish to promote. Remember to package your item attractively to present it in the most positive light. Sometimes, first impressions are all that you get. You want to catch the consumer’s eye – ensuring they don’t forget about you. Your items should be correctly labeled and prominently display your website and company name. We want the consumer to be able to easily find you.

Can I send full-sized items? Certainly! Everyone loves receiving full-sized items. But, this is not required. You may send in any size sample that you want. Just remember that the consumer will judge your products by your sample. Make sure it is an ample enough size for them to be able to determine if they like the product.

Can I send in business cards, brochures, post cards? Yes, if you send in samples you may send in literature on your products and company. We do not accept just business cards, etc. without samples as no one wants to purchase business cards.

Should I offer a discount coupon with my product? That is entirely up to each individual. Some do, some don’t. We do not require that you do.

Do I need a banner? No. If you have one, we will proudly display it on the website and forum. If you do not, we can make you one for $10 and you can use it in any manner you want. It will be yours. However, if you don’t have one and don’t want one, that’s fine with us.

Do I need to send in some information about my items? Yes. Please send a brief description of your products/and or company. This will be displayed on the website.

Where will I be listed on the internet: You will be listed on the Snowberry Creek E-tailers in the Box page on the website, you will be listed on the past e-tailers page (when you are a past e-tailer) on the website, the Snowberry Creek forum, Snowberry Creek blog, and our myspace page. These are the places that you will have direct links posted to your website. We will advertise Snowberry Creek Sample Boxes in other places and you will benefit from this, also.
If you choose to be in the “e-tailer spotlight” or the “product showcase” on our blog, this will promote your website and products by additional links for the search engines to find. There is no charge for this service. It will be promoted on many forums. You can offer an item for a drawing to get people to visit your website and then leave a comment on the blog about one of your products. This is not required, but does help generate traffic to your site.

Who donates the mystery prize for the month? Any e-tailer that wishes to be the mystery prize donor for the month should let us know. You will be listed as the mystery prize donor – listed on the website as such and promoted on the blog and forum. You should send your “full-sized” item for the mystery prize drawing in at the same time you send your samples. We will pay for the shipping to the winner of the prize. We will announce the winner along with the donor on our forum, blog and myspace, this will add more links for the search engines.

Can I have a page on your website? Yes. We do offer sponsor pages. You may have a sponsor page for $10 per month in additional to sending in a minimum of 50 samples for the month. Business cards do not count as samples.

What can I put on my sponsor page? This is your own personal webpage. You may display anything you want on your page such as: ads, sales, pictures, promotions, etc. You may have up to 5 pictures on your page. This is a way to promote your products and website in any way you wish. The page will remain active for the month you are a sponsor. There can be more than one sponsor per month, as each sponsor will have their own page for promotion showcasing their products and website. No one has to “share” the spotlight on their page with anyone else.

We enclose a flyer asking the consumer to please visit the e-tailer’s website to see all of the products they offer. We ask them to leave feedback about the products they have received so the e-tailers know if they are pleased with the items. They may leave feedback on the forum, myspace, our blog or directly email the e-tailer.

It has never been easier to be an e-tailer. Get your products and website in the spotlight and into the hands of the consumer. We believe that the independent business owner has superior products, excellent customer service and is the backbone of America. We look forward to working with you to promote, advertise and raise the ranking of your website.

If you have any questions, please feel free to email us at snowberrycreek@hotmail.com, leave a post on our blog or visit our website http://www.snowberrycreek.com/. We love hearing from you!

Nov. & Dec. Drawing Winners Announced

I'm a bit behind in posting the winners of our mystery prize and free sample box drawings.

The lucky winners in November are: Mystery prize donated by Candles and Woodcrafts - Susan of ND. The winner of a free Snowberry Creek Sample Box (shipped in Dec.) - LeAnne of FL.

Amber of IL is the lucky recipient of the mystery prize donated by Delightfully Wed. Anna of OK will receive the free sample box to be shipped out Jan. 25.

We will be drawing again after the boxes are sold in January. All customers will automatically be entered into each drawing when purchasing a Snowberry Creek Sample Box. The boxes will go on sale Jan. 25th. The site will be updated once all of the samples are in for the box.

Congratulations, ladies! Thanks for choosing Snowberry Creek Sample boxes and we want to encourage you to visit the e-tailers websites. Many of them are offering specials, discounts and promotions at this time. You may see a list of e-tailers (past and present) in our sidebar. Hope you enjoy your "goodies"!