Here's this week's INDIE Business RoundUp, a fun new way to share the super things some of my members are doing. I pull these posts from my INDIE Business Bloggers Network widget, which you can see in my right sidebar. If you are a member of IBN and your blog is not displaying through the widget, leave a note in the comments (FaceBook or Disqus, your choice) so we can add you!
Enjoy this edition of INDIE Business RoundUp, starting off with one of the stores (and cities!) I most want to visit in the wide world! Have fun learning new things and connecting with my members nationwide and in your local area.
- A Party In Santa Barbara!. I visited Santa Barbara once, many years ago. It's one of the most beautiful parts of the California coastline and I need an excuse to return. Here's one, but since I can't make it, I hope you will be there to help Kristin Fraser Cotte celebrate The Grapeseed Company's 7th birthday. Just look at the cute store — you just want to roll your sleeping bag in and never leave.
- Work-Staycation. Emily Caswell, CEO of GCD Spa in Topsham, Maine, has written a thoughtful post about this week's “staycation.” The family photos are nice, and so are the ideas shared by Emily. Is work work? Can you work at home and be on “staycation” at the same time? Hmmm. (This reminds me of my INDIEcation Nation post.)
- Recipe: Cashmere Coconut Perfume Roll-On. Allison over at Bath Body Supply offers a super easy recipe for a personalized roll-on perfume. My daughter is 9 years old. It's time to stock up on stuff like this for rainy day afternoons and mini-projects with her neighborhood pals.
- Clove Leaf Essential Oil. This little post from Essential Wholesale's blog provides insight into the popular oil used a lot during the fall season. You know, stab the orange with the clove buds and scent the house, yum. The post is about clove leaf oil, but close enough. Anyway, I like using close oil in cold process handmade soap. It holds up very well and seems to stabilize any other oils, including citrus ones. If you ‘re not into making your own soap, this post provides useful wellness tips for using clove leaf oil in your everyday life. It's available at most local natural markets too, so you can always have it around.
- A Classic Special Weekend. My local Boston Director, Susan Mann, is celebrating her 7th birthday in business. She's also having a sale, but that's not why I'm including her post. I'm including it because of the cake photo. I want some.
- How to Control Your Growth. My guest post over at Anne-Marie Faiola's Soap Queen (Bramble Berry) blog is drumming up quite a bit of interesting conversation. Yes, you want to grow a business. No, you don't want it to take over your life. Can you have it both ways? I think you can. I originally blogged it here too, but my post didn't drum up nearly the conversation that A-M's is, so head on over there and see what all the chatting is about.
- Garden Spa Using Fresh Goodies For Skin Care. It's gardening season — what does your garden grow? I'm not a gardener, so my garden grows at the local farmer's market. But if you have a garden and you can't eat or give away your produce fast enough, you'll enjoy From Nature With Love's post about all the great things you can do with the stuff you grew too much of.
