Hello everyone!
Heavy snowfall and bracing winds in Winnipeg on Friday means that – without a doubt – it is officially winter! I haven’t had much chance to get out there and breathe in the crisp air, but I’m looking forward to embracing winter a little more this year than I have in the past thanks to the magic of a little more time 😉
Actually, scrolling down to review what I’ve written below, reveling in an increased availability of time since hiring in August seems to be a recurring theme in news about limited edition products, exciting shipping changes, and even advance notice regarding a few dates I’ll be away. It seems to be a bonus that keeps on bonusing… or something like that *lol* Please check it out!
Thank you everyone for your support as Just the Goods has shifted from a teeny tiny one person side-project [while I was still focusing on another full-time career, no less!] to what it has become today. I remain forever grateful to all of you over these past 8.5 years. Best wishes for a fabulous winter and happy new year, too!
Warmly,
Milena
Faster Shipping to the USA
Some of you may have already noticed that Just the Goods has been shipping parcels to the US via Runnin’ Red twice per week. We’re doing this on a trial basis throughout the months of November and December and, if all goes smoothly on our end, we’ll continue to do this into the new year. Which is to say that after approximately 3 months of Just the Goods being a two-person project, we’re starting to hit our stride — I’m able to focus on making larger batches and Amanda is packing and shipping and looking after so many other things like a star, whooo!
Some of you in other regions may have also noticed shorter turn around time, as well. This is because — whenever possible — we’re pulling orders forward from future production/shipping cycles into the current cycle, which is of course another benefit of handmaking larger batches. Behind the scenes tweaking and adjusting and rethinking of everything from raw materials procurement to paperwork processes has been a bit of an adventure, but it seems to be working out and I couldn’t be more thrilled. I hope it’s working out nicely for you, too!!
New Seasonal Product: Winter Solstice/Yule Ritual Bath and Lotion Set
The Wheel of the Year is almost finished yet another turn and with it – this – the fourth and final ritual bath and lotion set.
Winter solstice marks the longest night of the year after which the days slowly become longer. Festivities during this time celebrate the rebirth of the sun and honour the horned/antlered god, a symbol of natural wilderness and the cycle of life — when the two are paired in harmony, a bountiful spring will arise. Yule is therefore the perfect time to both indulge in much needed rest and spark new ideas with those closet to you to keep you going through the remaining cold months and to be ready to hop into action when the Earth re-emerges from slumber.
The bath salts and lotion to celebrate this season are both fresh, bright, zesty and invigorating like a deep breath of crisp fresh air.
Yule sea salt soak (270 g) features:
- Cedar tips bring confidence, strength, protection, healing, and purification
- Rose petals and rose otto cultivate love and friendship, and promote domestic peace/happiness, and lasting relationships, all of which are especially helpful as we spend more time together indoors
- White spruce essential oil encourages adaptability, balance, clarity, enlightenment, intuition, and memory
Yule hand/body lotion (118 ml) features:
- Blood orange inspires creativity and imagination as well as courage and strength. Requiring the cool of the night to develop and ripen, they are a perfect metaphor for the way we ourselves can blossom during the winter months
- Juniper attracts healthy energies and love. It is also calming and grounding while fostering strength and transformation through learning, harmony and community
Find it here: https://justthegoods.net/products/winter-solstice-yule-bath-and-lotion-set
New Limited Edition Product: Meditation Enhancing Hair Perfume
Once I’ve established a formula, making new batches of it each week easily becomes part of my routine; however, there are a few things I’ve created for my own use that tend to feel quite personal. This is one case in point – an aromatherapeutic scent to facilitate quiet, generative meditation that helps mark the self-care time I need to manage chronic illness.
I don’t have a diffuser and sometimes want to be enveloped with scent rather than simply place it on my pulse points, so I created a hair perfume to settle my mind and focus my thinking. I also enjoy how it lingers with me in the most lovely way for several hours later – the initial notes are fresh, spicy, and cardamom forward, which then give way to the soft warmth of sweet vanilla-like benzoin. The base of this perfume is rosewater, which doubles as a gentle conditioner cuz you know I love those multi-function creations 😉
Each element in this hair perfume was selected according to their aromatherapeutic values:
- Geranium and lavender are centring
- Cardamom is centring and focusing
- Rosewater and neroli are both centring and uplifting
Beyond this…
- Vetiver helps us connect to our roots so that we may ground and become present
- Benzoin is widely regarded as helpful for meditation, but also encourages dreaming
- Petitgrain clears the mind while also alleviating emotions such as anger, shock, and fear
Each 65 ml / 2.19 fl oz bottle comes in a white organza gift bag with 4 gemstones to hold or ponder as desired:
- Amethyst chevron enhances relaxation to facilitate self-discovery and peace of mind
- rose quartz opens the heart, increases self acceptance and the ability to love others
- Moonstone provides the patience needed for inner work and grows intuition
- Lapis lazuli clears the mind and is said to be a powerful thought amplifier. It furthermore is said to helps access the universal knowledge and cultivate the wisdom needed to understand it
Find it here: https://justthegoods.net/products/limited-edition-hair-perfume-meditation
Renewed Limited Edition Product: Matcha, Lavender + Jasmine Face Mask
Since you asked, yes, I have made some more matcha, lavender and jasmine face mask using organic matcha from AOI Matcha organic lavender from WestPoint Naturals in British Columbia ❤ It’s online now! There were 20 containers available and that the type of typing this newsletter, there were 19 😉 … I think I have enough matcha on hand to make 10 more this year, just in case 😉
Find it here: https://justthegoods.net/products/limited-edition-vegan-matcha-lavender-jasmine-facial-mask-for-most-skin-types
Local Pick Up Continues
Great news! Parcel pick up at Organic Planet Worker’s Co-Op (877 Westminster Avenue – Wolseley, Winnipeg) continues to go well and will be available for the foreseeable future. As a gentle reminder, the pick up start date for you order is noted at check out, so before you complete your order, be sure to put that date into your calendar. The automated message indicating when orders are en route serve people in as many as 45 countries and I have to create a message that serves everyone in all circumstances, so when it says your order is ready to be shipped, locally that means orders will be ready for collection at OP anytime during their open hours within 4 weeks after the pick up date selected at check out. I hope this help =-) Thank you so much!
Upcoming Temporary Closure: December 23 – January 1
Since I’ve recently discovered the joys of evenings and occasional weekends for rest and personal time, I’m happy to announce that Just the Goods will be taking only one week away from the lab at the end of the year instead of the two weeks which as become customary. This will mean shorter turn around time for any orders placed mid-December to early-January.
Just the Goods will be closed Sat Dec 23 – Mon Jan 1
To ensure smooth production, Wednesday, December 13 will be the last day to place orders for shipping by Friday, December 22.
In the case of local orders, December 13 will be the last day to place orders for pick up at Organic Planet beginning on December 23.
In both cases, orders placed December 14 – 29 will be handmade beginning on Jan 2 and ship as quickly as possible thereafter. JTG’s regular production/shipping cycle resumes with orders placed December 30 – January 5 shipping on January 12. Thank you!
We will be unable to check email during this holiday closure and look forward to responding to everyone upon our return. Thank you!
Head’s Up: March 2 – 9
Additionally, please note that I will be away March 2 – 9, 2018 and that, in my absence, Amanda will continue to ship orders involving in-stock items. I will build up extra stock of the most popular items before I leave to facilitate smoothest possible order flow while I’m away and, upon my return, I’ll handmake any items that may have ran out or were otherwise unavailable. This is a completely new and different situation for Just the Goods – Amanda and I are feeling positive about it, and we hope you’ll enjoy the convenience of this, as well =-)
Ooh! I should say – I won’t have WiFi while I’m away, so I’ll look forward to responding to your messages as soon as I get back to work. Thank you!
Keep in Touch!
Don’t forget, the best way to keep in touch for the latest Just the Goods news – especially deadline reminders relating to temporary lab closures – is via social media. Find me on Instagram @just.the.goods or on Facebook @justthegoods 🙂
Final Note
You are receiving this newsletter because — as per the conditions outlined by the Canadian Anti-Spam Legislation that came into effect July 1, 2014 — you’ve been in touch with Just the Goods in the past either by making a purchase or requesting wholesale information within the last two years, or you have chosen to remain subscribed to this quarterly newsletter rather than choosing to click the unsubscribe link at the base of each of each one. With that said, if you would prefer to no longer receive communications from Just the Goods, please let me know and I will remove your email address immediately. And of course, you may also unsubscribe using the link below =-).
As always, thank you for your ongoing support! It is an absolute pleasure to handcraft natural skin and body care products, providing a healthier, small-scale alternative to the corporate “beauty industry”. I wouldn’t be able to do it without you!
With all my best,
Milena
Just the Goods (Winnipeg, MB)
handmade natural + affordable skincare for everyone
http://www.justthegoods.net