Last Chance

Just wanted to post a reminder that the great 15% off & free shipping deal is only good through tomorrow, April 30th.

Want to order, but its too overwhelming & you're not sure what to get? Here's some of my favorites that you might want to try out:

• Homeology (green cleaning) - All Purpose cleaner & Floor Cleaner
• Eco-shopper - re-useable shopping bag
• Candle fragrances like: Orange Mango, Sunrise Tangelo or Fabulous Fudge Brownie
• Emerge foot creme (won't be available all summer long, so stock up now!)

Take advantage of a great promotion for customers who order through my website: http://www.gottahavecandles.com/.

15% off + FREE shipping . . . its a great deal!

This is good through April 30th on orders over $50. All you have to do is shop at my website & enter promotion code: MD15FREENOW

Use the code for yourself & then pass it on to a friend or 10 friends . . . anyone who'd like to take advantage of a great deal! And as always . . . FREE gift with your internet order! Right now, I'm sending a free auto freshener to everyone who places an order on my website!

In need of a fundraiser?

Do you work with an organization or know of an organization that is in need of a fundraiser? Gold Canyon now has a website that is dedicated to sharing our great fundraiser program with you. You can visit the site, but instead of filling out the forms on the site, just send me an e-mail to let me know you're interested in fundraising & I will give you a packet of information along with a free seller packet & free candle so that you can see the quality you can expect from Gold Canyon.

Please pass a link to this post along to any organization you know that does fundraising. Why not try something new & let me help your organization profit from Gold Canyon's great program?

Find out more about our fundraising program, but remember to come to ME with your interest instead of filling out the form on the site which will refer you to a randomly selected demonstrator:

http://www.goldcanyon.com/fundraising/

Great Deals!

Just found out that Gold Canyon is offering a great promotion for customers who order through my website: http://www.gottahavecandles.com/.

15% off + FREE shipping . . . its a great deal!

This is good through April 30th on orders over $50. All you have to do is shop at my website & enter promotion code: MD15FREENOW

Use the code for yourself & then pass it on to a friend or 10 friends . . . anyone who'd like to take advantage of a great deal!

And as always . . . FREE gift with your internet order! Right now, I'm sending a free auto freshener to everyone who places an order on my website!

Celebrate Earth Day with me - tomorrow, Wed. April 22nd!

I'll be giving away 3 of our bright green eco-shoppers (re-usable shopping bags --see above picture of the bag with our all-natural cleaners) on Earth Day! Want to be a winner? I'll be doing a drawing from everyone who places an order on my website: http://www.gottahavecandles.com/ and the 3 names that are drawn will receive one of the eco-shoppers! (cleaning product shown above are not included in the prize, only the ec0-shopper bag)





I have several of these bags myself & just love them!

• I fold them up and take them to the grocery store with me. They hold a ton of stuff so that I have less bags to load into the car and carry into the house and they save me the guilt I feel when I throw away the plastic shopping bags that I used to get on those shopping trips.


• I also use them to cart stuff from one floor to the next (since we live in a 3 story house).


• I fill one up with everything I'll need while I'm out running errands - things to return to the store, mail that needs to go out, product/catalogs I need to drop off to people, etc. - so I don't forget anything as I run out the door.

Last Chance to get these great items!

We're coming up on the end of a catalog & once we hit May 1st, some of your favorites may not be around for a while or may never return again. If you love or have been wanting to try anything on this list, let me know right away so we can get your order placed before the end of April:

13 oz. Sinful Strawberry Truffle

Love Notes - holder

After My Heart - gift set

Hearts D'vine - holder

Chickity, Hoppity - holder set

Hobnail Easter Basket - holder

Embellished Easter - votive/tealight holder

11oz. Marshmallow Confections

11 oz. Jelly Bean

10oz. Daisy

Love You Mom wick dipper

Taper candles --- gone until the fall catalog! 40% discount while supplies last

12oz. Moroccan Amber Vanilla

12oz. Brazillian Rainforest Vanilla

12oz. Thai Lotus Vanilla

12oz. Tahitian Tropics Vanilla

Garden Sparrows - set of 2 tealight holders

Busy Bees Candlehive

Emerge Foot Creme - gone until the fall catalog!

Sweet Cinnaroll - baking line

Pina Colada - all sizes

Sunflower - all sizes

Orange Vanilla - all sizes

Black Cherry - all sizes

Spun Sugar - prayer child candle

Orange Blossoms - all sizes

Orange Mango - all sizes

Creme Brule - baking line

Very Berry Blast - prayer child candle

Strawberry Kiwi - all sizes

Gold Canyon Diffusers . . . do they work?

I was recently asked some questions about our diffusers by a customer & thought I'd share her concerns as well as my answers, in case anyone else was wondering the same thing:

"I had a quick question, are they going to be coming out with a reed diffuser in the aroma golds... especially sensual amber? Also we have a Yankee candle diffuser that we received for Christmas and I was soooo disappointed that it really didn't really fill the room with fragrance like I thought it would. Honestly now, how strong are the reed diffuser oils that you sell, do you have to be right up to the diffuser to smell it or once you enter the room you can smell the fragrance?" from Sarah C. in Maryland

Sarah,
Thanks for asking about our diffusers! I hope I won't bore you with this information, but I think this question needs a little background. Demonstrators & customers have been requesting that Gold Canyon come out with diffusers for quite a while now. When diffusers were finally released in our fall catalog in 2008, we got a little bit of information about why we hadn't had diffusers before that time.

When Gold Canyon started looking in to adding diffusers to our product line, they naturally started by researching the diffusers that were already on the market. What they found was that the diffusers on the market didn't live up to the expectations that Gold Canyon holds itself to in producing a product, including the problem of not enough fragrance.

Gold Canyon went to work & developed a new "stick" to use with diffusers -- its not a reed but is their own design that works to deliver a better quality fragrance. Gold Canyon initially only released 3 fragrances of diffusers because those were the only 3 fragrances that they had found the perfect combination for in order to deliver the desired amount of fragrance.

A Gold Canyon diffuser should fill a room with fragrance. I, personally, have one that I use in my baby's room -- its a very large room & it fills the room with fragrance & keeps it smelling clean & fresh. With a Gold Canyon diffuser, you can remove sticks for less of a fragrance or use all of the sticks for more fragrance (I use about 1/2 the sticks in my diffuser) and you can also turn the sticks upside down when you want to refresh the fragrance. If you were to purchase a diffuser and find that it doesn't fill your room with fragrance, I would be happy to replace it & if you were still unhappy, I would refund your money.

Now, to the question of fragrance. As I said before, the limited number of diffuser fragrances right now is due to making sure we only have the best quality with our diffusers. We do currently have the diffusers available in the aromatherapy fragrance "Awaken". Gold Canyon will continue to release more fragrances & I will definitely suggest that they do one in Sensual & will let you know if they do release that one in the future.

About Me, About You!

As part of the fun with my birthday celebration this month, I thought it would be fun to share some little known facts about myself. I'll go first & then I'd love to hear back from you, either with a comment to the blog or a direct e-mail at kim.milius@goldcanyon.us (send me 5 facts that I don't know about you by April 20, 2009). Everyone who responds will receive either a discount coupon for a future order or a special gift for participating. I look forward to learning more about you. Please pass this on to any of your friends who may be interested as well! Now, here's some things you might not know about me:

1. I was born & raised in Mesa, Arizona.
2. I met my husband in 9th grade, though we didn't date until after high school -- oh, except for the one date to Senior Prom that we were kind of fixed up on.
3. I love to sing & perform; some of my favorite memories took place in high school choir!
4. I have one child & one (possibly 2) on the way -- we just found out! We're very grateful for Invitro (IVF) helping us to have children after 10 years of trying.
5. I'm the oldest of 5 children.
6. I'm a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
7. I used to do cake decorating (for weddings & everything!).
8. I've always dreamed of owning my own business since I was a little girl & had dreams of running a restaurant with all of my cousins & aunts.
9. I have a HUGE, close & supportive extended family -- grew up with cousins that were my best friends; even better, we all lived close together, most of us on the same street!
10. I love Chicken Alfredo Pizza from Olive Garden.
11. I try so hard to be organized, it doesn't come easily, but I am continually working on it.
12. My absolute favorite candle scents are the citrus ones: Cranberry Orange, Citrus Cream, Sunrise Tangelo, etc.
13. I graduated from Arizona State University with a degree in Elementary Education.
14. I was a natural blonde until I turned about 20 -- I've recently given up the dream & accepted my darker shade of hair!
15. My baby is a redhead; he takes after my mom (also a redhead) and many others on her side of the family.
16. My middle name is "Joy".
17. My sisters & sister-in-law & I recorded a cd last year - something we've always talked about doing.
18. The year before I got married, I had the opportunity to do a study abroad trip to Europe & Russia. We went to so many countries & it was such a great experience, especially since I got to be there with 3 of my cousins & we met a new friend who later married one of my cousins!
19. I grew up making many trips to Disneyland for family vacations.
20. My bedroom is done in red & black & I have a purple wall in my kitchen -- the first time I've used color on my walls -- well, other than "the blue room" that was my bedroom as a teenager, it was beautiful done in white with a few different shades of blue.

Gold Canyon Summer Catalog Preview!

Its that time of year again, the time when we're thrilled to welcome a new catalog! Our spring catalog will last through April & then we get to order from the fabulous new Summer Catalog! Check back often to get your sneak peek . . . I'm doing it in segments & here's the first part of the Spirited Summer 2009 Gold Canyon catalog:

https://essentials.goldcanyoncandle.com/GoldCanyon/CMS/Portals/0/09SummerPart1.pdf

Some of my personal favorites include:
ALL of the Fem Fabulous candles -- love the container & the fragrances!
Swanky Cakes votive holders
TONS of scent pods
Black Footed Square Pod Warmer
Crackled Latte Candlestick Pod Warmer
Pretty 'n Posh Pod Warmer

Haven't experienced scent pods & warmers yet?
Check out this post to see what they're all about:
http://gottahavecandles.blogspot.com/2009/03/recyclingre-using-scent-pods.html

Home-made Chocolate Cake

As part of my 10 year birthday celebration with Gold Canyon, I wanted to share with you one of my favorite cake recipes. Wait, I have to take that back; this IS my favorite cake recipe! Not only is it great, but its filled with childhood memories since this was known around our family as "Grandma Johnson's Chocolate Cake". I loved my Great Grandma Johnson & her recipes were always the best! So, now I share her chocolate cake recipe with you:

Grandma's Chocolate Cake
Mix together in a large bowl:
3 cups flour
2 cups sugar
6 Tbs. cocoa
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda

Make 3 holes in the dry mixture and add:
In hole #1: 2 tsp vanilla
In hole #2: 2 Tbs. vinegar
In hole #3: 1/2 cup plus 2 Tbs. oil

Pour 2 cups of water over the above mixture, then stir all ingredients together. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes in a greased & floured 9x13 pan.

This cake is moist enough that it doesn't require frosting; just dust with powdered sugar! Its also great for families where there are egg or milk allergies since it doesn't contain either!

ENJOY!

My Story

It was 10 years ago when I received an invitation that would change my life. I was invited to a candle party for a company that I had never heard of -- Gold Canyon. I wasn't the home party type, but my sweet husband, Jeff, told me to go - he wanted me to overcome some of my shyness and get to know some women in the new neighborhood we had moved into. At the party that night, I didn't really get to know the women in the neighborhood, but I fell in love with Gold Canyon candles. Though I heard nothing about the opportunity of being a demonstrator AT the party, I contacted the demonstrator the next day to ask about it & after talking with my very supportive husband, I immediately signed up as a demonstrator. We thought it would be the perfect stay at home job for me when we started the family that we were hoping for right away.

For the next 4 years, I dabbled with my candle business - selling to family & myself & only holding one formal candle party with a host other than myself. But when we moved to Maryland, I had a decision to make. With Jeff's help, we decided that it was time to turn my candle "hobby" into a real business, even though we were moving across the country & wouldn't know a single person.

It started slow, but with dedication it has turned into a successful business for me. And this business has made a huge difference in my life. A couple of years ago, while living in our high priced apartment in an area of Maryland that is extremely expensive to live in, we decided to live on Jeff's salary & save all the override commission checks that I received from Gold Canyon. The money that was saved has allowed us to afford a down payment on the home that we purchased last year and has paid for thousands of dollars of fertility testing & treatments over the last couple of years. A little over a year ago, our first child was born (a result of Invitro/IVF) and now, I will finally get that chance to use my Gold Canyon business as I had originally intended, so that I can still work, but also get to be a stay at home mom. I love being at home with my sweet little boy while my husband works, but I also love that my business gives me something else to do and gives me some adult interaction and a way to get out of the house from time to time – something that every mom needs!

In addition to the monetary benefits, my life has been enriched & enhanced in so many ways since I decided to really work my business. The friends I have made through party hosts, customers & especially my team members & other demonstrators that I've had a chance to meet, have given me a wonderful support system & feeling of belonging, even living across the country from my entire family. And I have developed leadership & creativity skills that I never thought I had, in addition to overcoming my shyness. My husband and I talk all the time about how much I have grown with the opportunities that I have been given by Gold Canyon.

When it came time to choose a team name, I chose A Brighter Tomorrow for my team. Gold Canyon has given me so much & truly created a brighter future for me and I have seen it do the same thing for other demonstrators & even hosts & customers that I've worked with. As a team, we also work to support the Prayer Child Foundation that Gold Canyon established to help children in need.

To me, A Brighter Tomorrow is what Gold Canyon is all about. What a unique opportunity we have to provide ourselves & our families with A Brighter Tomorrow, but also to reach out to our customers, demonstrators & other people in our communities & help them on their way to A Brighter Tomorrow

.

My main reason for doing what I do!

Shrinking Ice Cream Cartons!

Have you noticed this too? I was just commenting to my husband that the once 2 quart size for ice cream seems to have shrunk, first to 1 3/4 quarts & now to 1 1/2 quarts, while the prices seem to stay the same or even get higher!

Here's a fun article from Gold Canyon on this very topic:
http://www.imakenews.com/gcessentials/e_article001386885.cfm?x=bflyw0q,b6CbBtPN