"Love u more" Mondays.

NOTE: all Facebook giveaways have been postponed until further notice.

Love it or hate it, the Monday is here! Life is back to normal and we all have have 5 days of hard work ahead of us before we can come out and play or just regroup and concentrate on things that have been put off for far too long. So I decided to create a fun and very unselfish tradition to cheer up a special person in your life who, in your opinion, needs and deserves a “little break” or a “treat”. It will be called “Love u more” Mondays and it will be held every Monday. The process is extremely simple: first “Like” us on Facebook and than look for a post every Monday asking for a quick story about your friend who in your opinion deserves a little cheer. Leave your comment under the post by 11:59 pm EST on that same Monday and let me know which one of your friends and why he/she needs our pat on a shoulder and a virtual hug.
I will use www.Random.org to pick a winner. Winner picks the prize from our store and he/she will be contacted via Facebook messaging for shipping and special note information. The package will be carefully prepared, include a note … and maybe a little something unexpected :)

Lets make it fun and invite friends to participate! Remember, what goes around comes around!

Till next time,
Liana.

Carry on with a smile.

I took this picture yesterday night when the house was quiet and calm, during those precious two hours when kids go to bed and all noises subside. Just like any other busy family houses, most of the time our house is filled with toys, all kinds of school projects, dirty dishes, loads of laundry and kids laughing, fighting, crying or playing in the background. You wake up in the morning and it starts all over again. Sounds familiar? I bet it does! Today is a start of a new week, new round of chores and endless projects, so I want to pass around a few thoughts to keep in mind: #1 – Optimists get the last laugh, according to a new study that shows their hearts stay healthy longer than those of grumps. The recent study says, pessimistic people may be more prone to developing habits and problems that cut life short, such as smoking, obesity and hypertension.
#2 – Numerous studies over the decades have shown that responsibility strengthens the immune system (check out Chapter 10, Stress, in Matt Ridley's "Genome")

Wake up, smile and say "Hello" to Monday :)

Can you hear wedding bells?

Wedding is one of the most important moments in persons' life: memorable, beautiful and happy. It is a very special day that you share with very special people in your life and thoughtful token of appreciation to your guests is always a great idea to have. Allow us to introduce Marmalade Hills' most popular wedding favor item: massage/spa candle. Elegant, pampering and practical, it is a perfect gift for anyone with skin. Made with soy wax, creamy shea and mango butter, nourishing jojoba oil and extra vitamin E, to moisturize and provide extra slip during massage. Like how it sounds? Just wait till you try it!

Show feedback

Yesterday I was at one of the most exciting shows I have ever been to so far. It is an annual Boutique Show that has been organized and hosted by the sisterhood of Shaarey Zedek congregation in Southfield, MI. It is definitely a five star show on my list, right after the Renegade Craft Fair in Chicago. Two shows are very different though and required different amount of time and money to participate. Renegade Chicago was absolutely crazy, we had barely enough time to have a snack. We had an amazing crowd and a ton of sales but we had to pay for the hotel, the quite expensive booth fee, gas and had to pack and unpack every night and morning (this part was pretty exhausting). The Boutique Show at Shaarey Zedek was in a beautifully set up hall with lots of natural light, beautiful architecture, high quality vendors, and a celebrity speaker. The very fair booth fee included 8’ tables and linens, breakfast and yummy lunch. The fact that I didn’t have to drive far, nor pay for the hotel was another great bonus. But the best thing about this show was making great local connections: meeting people who teach at my school district, who shop at the same grocery stores, and who have already heard of us and had purchased Marmalade Hills products before from our local retail locations. Oh yeah, and listening to Patty Stanger speak was a blast - she cracked me up!
Here are a few highlights of that day:

It was a beautiful day outside and lots of women came to shop! The sea of cars was spilling over onto the neighboring streets.

Bottom line: I had great time, met new people and spread the word about Marmalade Hills. Hoping to be back next year!


Till next time,
Liana.

What is your favorite facial moisturizer and why do you love it?

I have always wanted to formulate a natural facial care line and even though MH already offers many wonderful skin care essentials, I am working on some new formulations for facial moisturizer, gentle wash, make up remover and an eye creme. I love playing with new ingredients, researching various studies and tweaking my formulas. However, I am a wrong person when it comes to moisturizers. I have been using MH Glow facial serum for a few years now and I am not used to anything else, especially oil-water emulsions (that's what creams and lotions are), they just have a different feel.
For the past few weeks I have made quite a few trial batches of facial products and tried multiple products from leading natural facial care brands. So far I didn't like any of the above. I am still looking for that perfect one. So I was hoping that maybe you can give me some clues.

Please got to our discussion board and lets solve this important world problem!

Leave a comment and I will send you a surprise gift ♥ :)

Liana.

Get to know us a little better

A few weeks ago I had a pleasure talking to Robin - freelance business writer for one of our industry's leading suppliers and role model, Debbie Mae from Wholesale Supplies Plus. It was one of those Sundays with my kids screaming on background and Robin having difficulties with her computer. But the interview came out great and I couldn't have sum everything up better myself!



Thank you Debbie and Robin for an amazing article!

Liana.

New year. New fear. New life.

My long overdue and accordingly lengthy blog post is finally here. Where to begin? Well, if you have been following our Facebook page you probably know that after 6 long years of half-time college, work and raising kids, my husband (and all our family, for that matter) have finally graduated Summa Cum Laude back in October. That is exactly when we have decided to participate in our first major Midwest trade show. We have been accepted and began the preparations.
Very quickly I came to realize that I will never be able to meet my own expectations by doing everything on my own. My good friend Sofia, who some of you have met at the shows, had started her carrier as a psychologist and had moved to another side of the town. Coincidentally or not, a few months earlier I have met a local talented MI beading artist who also had a great vibe about her. I had purchased some very beautiful pieces from her, she had bought from me and, long story short, I felt comfortable enough to invite her to my humble studio and offer her to be a part of Marmalade Hills small but very passionate team of my mom and I :) Christine is an amazing person and a very dedicated Marketing Director at Marmalade Hills. Before I get into many details of my recent life experiences, I have to say that I am forever grateful to these girls, Sofia and Christine, for helping Marmalade Hills succeed this past year and doing it with such enthusiasm! You are the best!! XO
It was still pre-Christmas time when I spotted a small spot on my torso that would just not go away. After a month of observation I mentioned it to my dermatologist who offered to wait another three weeks for it to go away and come and see her if it didn’t. We have completed all our Christmas shows with Sofia, but the spot was still there... Now, let me take a brisk step back in time: 6.5 years earlier, four days before our older daughter was born, my dad passed away from melanoma. Those were very, very dark times, thinking of which still bring chills on a warm day.
So, a month and a half after first noticing the spot, and I was back at my dermatologist’s office, bright and early in the morning few days before Christmas. My doctor was casual and showed no concern; she just said that we will take “it” out because “it” was there for too long. “I’ll call you in a week if there is something to report,” she said. I was pretty sure it was nothing. Why would it be? I’m just 30. My body is strong, I don’t have fair skin, I don’t have many moles (like my dad)… Less than a week later we got a phone call from the nurse, it was basal cell carcinoma (BCC): non-melanoma skin cancer. Even though it is a very slow growing and non-invasive, non-life threatening type of cancer that some people don’t even consider as cancer, that word put me in a complete shock. After losing my dad and hearing so many stories about people’s feelings when finding out about their diagnosis, I had NO idea how scary it could be.
If you know me and my husband personally, you probably know that we follow every interest of ours with great passion. Same was for cancer. We got on Google, we got anti-cancer books from the library and just spent hours of talking about science. The only way to fight fear is knowledge. And getting more knowledgeable in cancer mechanics did help. Although all those vibrant pictures on the Internet did raise nerve-wracking suspicions about melanoma and my certain moles.
And there I was: first week of 2011 at my dermatologist’s office, once again. We had to do a re-treatment for the BCC and also a MUCH closer full-body check. When I went in, I knew that I had one spot that I was concerned about the most (I saw a similar one on Google image search). Doctor said: we should take a closer look at it. One week later I got a call: it was dysplastic mole. For some doctors it means nothing, and for others – early stage of melanoma. A very, very early stage (if it is). It takes 5 to 20 years for cancer to develop into melanoma as we know it, and only 1 in 10,000 cell will turn into cancerous.
Even though it was a very scary time for us and there are still many full-body exams to come, we will come out on top in the long run. You can turn almost any situation into an opportunity or into a disaster and we are going to make the best out of our situation. As of January 2011 our family have adapted an anti-cancer diet and life style that will help our kids to develop right habits for life and that will make us healthier and happier people overall. Anti-cancer life style includes many good ol’ practices like exercising, meditation and healthy diet that are important for every person who wants to live a long and healthy life. If you wish to understand on cellular level why it was always important to live a healthy life style, I strongly recommend you read or listen to this book: “Anticancer: a new way of life.” by David Servan-Schreiber, MD, Ph.D. It explains so many things in a very comprehensive style and points out major flaws in present western diet and life style. This book is full of precise scientific references that make it even more fascinating.

Thank you for making it to the end of this post! And I hope I was able to refuel your New Year resolutions ;)

Health and happiness all!
Liana.