Heartbeets

Interviews, Shop Interior Photos, and Other Tidbits

I know, I know, I have been a little quiet here on the blog lately. It’s not for not doing anything. I promise! Much of my time has been spent working on the website as well as a few big wedding packages that have been on my plate (I just took them to UPS this morning ~ man, that felt good!). 

But, here are a few things you might be interested in.

My Cafleurebon Profile

I can die happy. Michelyn Camen was kind enough to profile me in their popular American Perfumer series. Other luminaries in the series include Ellen Covey (Olympic Orchids), Amanda Walker (A Perfume Organic), Kim Spadaro, Carlos Huber (Arquiste), and many others – many, in fact, who I learned of because of Michelyn’s blog. So it’s really exciting to be a part of it!

Also, there’s giveaway for 4 10ml Eau de Parfums of your choice that is still going. Go comment on the profile for a chance to enter!

New Shop Photos

My lovely customer Aislinn was in town from Vancouver this weekend so I let her take a peek on Monday even though I was technically closed. She took some seriously cool photos of the shop and posted them to her blog. You can check a few out here: 

I love seeing my shop through someone else’s lens. :)

DIY Perfume Parties

Like I mentioned before, I’ve been making a lot of DIY Perfume Parties lately and shipping them all sorts of places. I finally took some nice photos of a complete one I made before I put it into a shipping box – this one is inspired by a Paris style bridal shower like the one shown on this blog. It’s really fun to customize these because it gives me something new to do every time! 

Lastly, it is so nice outside right now. I’m seriously craving the beach nearby. It may have to happen today during my break!

Enjoy your long weekend!

Summer of Love : Recent Press, Atelier Hours Update

Man, you people sure know how to keep me on my toes. Between bridal showers, working on some wholesale kits, and all the orders that came in during vacation, I have PLENTY to do. We had an amazing time in Sedona, and one of these weeks I will post some photos – but for now, there is lots of perfume to be made.

In the meantime, here’s some groovy press mentions:

• Moms Know Best, Seattle Met
• The Sisterhood of West Coast Perfumery Speaks Out, Ca Fleure Bon
• Interview with Meredith Smith, Beija Flor Naturals

Summer Atelier Hours

And, in other news, we’re changing our hours to accomodate for the later light and all the awesome after-hours things that go on over here in West Seattle. Starting next week, our hours will be:

Wed-Fri: 12-7pm
Sat: 11-6pm

New Website Coming

We are working on a brand new website that will feature all the brands we carry in the shop with a full-service, site-side checkout system. You’ll be able to log in and check your order status and view any pertinent tracking information if you create an account. AND, the most amazing part, is that as it is Shopify, it will integrate with StitchLabs, which means all orders will go into the same queue. No more missing orders in e-mail, Paypal, or anywhere else. Ahhhh, so excited. I’m hoping to have it ready by Summer Sweeps.

And with that, I’ve got to get back in the lab! See you soon.

Mother’s Day, Bridal Services, Spring Shop Vacation

{ Lavender Fields by This Is Glamorous } 

There are a few delivery deadlines and turnaround time updates I keep forgetting to mention. Consider this post a friendly PSA.

Shop Vacation

The atelier will be closed for our Spring Vacation from May 2 - May 6 because we’ll be in sunny Sedona, AZ for a family wedding and to Griswald our way through the Grand Canyon. I’m excited for some sun, I tell you. The Etsy shop will be closed from April 29 to May 6. Any orders placed after Monday May 23 is not guaranteed to ship before we ship out unless we’ve discussed otherwise.

Mother’s Day Deadlines

Don’t forget –- Mother’s Day is May 13! I would suggest getting an order in BEFORE we head out for Sedona to guarantee your delivery.

Bridal Services Booked through May

We are BOOKED for Bridal Services (DIY perfume bars, custom packages, etc.) THROUGH  MAY currently, but we’re happy to schedule delivery of items ordered now for June and beyond. I was not quite expecting the outpouring of interest in our newly-minted wedding services section, but have been just delighted at it all. I started this part of our business only in March of this year, and I’m literally blown away every day (in a good way!). I love helping you brides and bridesmaids execute your dream wedding, though! 

*  *  *

We’ve got some other dates in the summer regarding closures and deadlines and sweeps week, but that’s for another time. For now, enjoy your weekend!

Tru4ia Interview + BelleChic Sale

I wouldn’t say things have been *quiet* around here. Just the opposite. After this weekend’s sale, I’ve been heads down in orders and I also have quite a few DIY Perfume Bars on my plate since wedding season clearly is upon us. It’s even been busy in the shop! I think Spring has made all us Seattlites ecstatic about not being out in the rainy weather for a change.

One thing I did before the busy, though, was answer some questions about Sweet Anthem for Tru4ia magazine, a Tumblr about style and fashion, as well as hosts interviews with crafty professionals such as myself. You can read it the link. 

Also, we’re on BelleChic this week! You can get some pretty good deals on sample sets,  if you happened to miss this past weekend’s sale, for example.

I’m working on implementing an inventory system (what?!) and I think that’s actually helping me keep on top of things. (I guess you can teach old perfumers new tricks.) If you run a crafty business or you do craft shows, you should try out StitchLabs! I highly recommend it and their support staff is very helpful.

Anyway ~ back to work! More soon.

Pinterest Giveaway Winner and a Salebration

First of all, THANK YOU to everyone who made a pin board about their favorite perfumes. I have been really enjoying stalking the sweetanthem tag and watching all the submissions come in. :) Here are all the boards that were submitted officially:

They are all lovely and I highly recommend checking them out! But, there can only be three winners. The winners of the 10ml Perfume Oil of Joan are:

• Gioa
• Cait
• Melissa

Also, I simply couldn’t choose a favorite. They were all too good! Anybody else who posted a Pinterest board for the contest receives a $10 gift voucher to my shop — thank you so much for playing! If I didn’t catch your pin board, please feel free to comment so I know you get a voucher. Please e-mail me to redeem!

Phew. Now, if you thought you weren’t lucky enough to get in on the deal today, don’t fret! I’ve got YOU covered too!

We’re salebrating this weekend with 30% off shop-wide: use code YOURLUCKYDAY on Etsy, and enjoy!

YAY!

Anonymous asked: Which of your fragrances do you wear yourself?

I get asked this alot more than you might think, and I never know how to answer. I usually answer this prefacing it with “lately,” because if you’ve been launching fragrances for 5 years, and creating them for nearly 10, it’s hard to narrow it down to something that is a go-to. I don’t have a signature scent; I was never that girl, as many of my perfumista friends aren’t. It’s a natural hazard of doing what we do — which is, of course, love to smell.

But I suppose, if I had to answer this question, I guess I could tell you what I love to smell most often, and that’s evolved greatly over time. When I began Sweet Anthem, I was very much a no-floral girl. At the time, I thought florals were weak-bodied scents that perfumers made when they were out of ideas. There were just so darned many to weed through, after all. Which probably explains why so many of my early blends — Anita, Emily, Karen — were gourmand or oriental at heart. I was exploring a darker perfume trend, but still nothing quite stuck out as being truly “me”.

But when I challenged myself to work with rose (the first floral fragrance I made, I believe, was Maureen — albeit a floriental; baby steps, and all that), something awakened inside. It was a clear shot right through my heart that I never quite recovered from. Since then, my floral compulsion has grown. More “advanced” florals like osmanthus and edelweiss really stuck to my nostrils, and I was very much OK with that, although it was only last year that I feel as though I have begun to understand and really hone in my floral blending skills.

So, you might know where this is going by now. I don’t like girly things, per se — ALICE, for instance, has enough hemp and smoke to balance the “sweetness”. It’s probably more appropriately a musk perfume, but it’s one of my all-time favorites, and I managed to hoard a bottle for myself thankfully.

ANNABELLE is another stand-out for me, osmanthus being just about the best floral note ever. She has similar qualities as Alice, but is less musky, more floral, and more ozonic.

I don’t necessarily like (for myself) the headier florals I’ve done like Gwendolyn, but softer florals like MARGARET or JOAN are ones that speak to my romantic, sexy side. They make me feel good when I wear them, and that’s really what fragrance is about for me. 

I do also tend to prefer some spice — MIRANDA, JULIET and CORDELIA are some of my long-time favorites as well. Pepper notes are just about the best thing ever.

With the retail store in full swing, sometimes it’s strange to try and figure out what to wear. There are four days out of the week where I feel compelled to wear what is here in the shop — thankfully, there are some pretty amazing scents to choose from, though there are some that I wear several days in row because I just can’t get enough — but on my days off, when it’s just about me, and how I feel, and whatever I feel like doing, the above never seem to steer me wrong.

Anonymous asked: So, I have some samples I love but cannot wear. They just aren't me. Is there a way to find other Sweet Anthem junkies to see if someone wants to trade? I'd love to post a message on your blog or something but didn't want to do so without permission first.

You’re more than welcome to post on my Facebook wall if you’d like to connect with other SA fans for trading; I don’t mind! I don’t have a forum or anything set up, but please feel free to do that!

There is also the Evil Enablers Livejournal community geared toward trading indie perfume samples, which is one of the places that got me hooked eons ago. (Just be sure to read the rules before you post!)

xoxo

A Very Pinteresting Perfumiversary Contest!

As I mentioned on Facebook, we’re celebrating our fifth perfumiversary here at Sweet Anthem this month! On April 13, 2007, I officially created our Etsy storefront and began selling smelly wares to the masses.

Though I’d begun concocting sometime before then, and our atelier is only celebrating its 1st un-birthday, the 13th of April seems to be an auspicious date to celebrate. We’re celebrating and salebrating, but the former comes first! 

I thought it would be fun to host a contest on Pinterest! You’re all on Pinterest, right? RIGHT?* Here’s the gist:

1. Create a board about your favorite Sweet Anthem perfume (past or present) — use images about the inspiration, what it means to you, where you wear it, what’s in it, or anything you can think of! Get creative! 

2. Tag all pins with the perfume’s name (i.e. #joan) and #sweetanthem.

3. Submit a link to your board on our Facebook wall, or by tweeting us about it by April 12th.

Three winners will recieve a 10ml Perfume Oil of our newest fragrance coming to the line-up, Joan. To entice you, I’ll be pinning to a board featuring famous Joans throughout history, as well as dropping hints to the notes within the new perfume there. You can follow my Joan pinboard or all my pinboards.

The deadline to participate is April 12th, 5pm PST! Boards should have at least 5 pins to qualify. The winners will be chosen randomly and my very favorite board may receive something extra awesome.

That’s it! Get pinning, friends!

*If you need a Pinterest invite, please comment or email me!

Coming Up: The NW Vintage Wedding Fair

The last few weeks have been BUSY! Between classes, the flash sale, and general order shipping, I feel like I haven’t had a moment’s rest. I’ve got a LOT on my plate, but I wanted to tell you what we’re up to this weekend in Greenwood Square before I hop to for the day.

I am pleased as punch to be a part of this unique little slice of Seattle: the NW Vintage Wedding Fair. This Saturday, from 1-6pm, find everything you need to plan your intimate throwback gathering all under one roof. I’ll have examples of ALL of my wedding stylist services, as well as a selection of cash and carry perfumes, candles, and the like! My dear friend Tamila Morgan from Urban Farm Naturals will also be there, along with quite a few other unique finds! Check out the list: 

Parisienne Girl Designs * Upper Crust Catering * Frankie Four * Crinoline & Tweed * Goldfinch Press * Urban Farm Naturals * Sugar Plum Spa * Dyan Emery & Izzie Lewis Millinery * ReDeFind * Kimmi Designs * Vain Hair Salon

Pretty awesome, amiright? 

Sadly, this does mean that the atelier in West Seattle is closed THIS FRIDAY AND SATURDAY as I cannot be both places at once! The Etsy shop will also be on vaca this Wednesday through Sunday while I take a workcation to get through production for this event as well as remaining orders. Please accept my apologies if this dampers your plans to visit, but I hope you’ll come see me in Greenwood instead! 

Visit the NW Vintage Wedding Fair site for more info!

Flash Sale is ON!

The flash sale is on! Click the image above for your final buying destination, and enjoy!

xoxo,

Sweet Anthem