Review - Preview

Thank you to all the brides with whom I've worked the last few months.  You are all great and I wish you all the best!

Some recent reviews of the Sudstress wedding favor experience:

"Everything about working with Kat was wonderful. She was quick to respond, very helpful with ideas and sent a ton of samples for me to pick the perfect favor. The soaps themselves are so unique and super cute as a favor. They come in cute packaging ready to give to your guests. As an added bonus she gave me a "soap cake" for me to try some of my soap also! I would recommend her to anyone who is looking for a cute favor that you can be confident is going to wow your guests!" ~ Lenita ~ marrying David on December 7, 2012 ~

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"Kat is simply amazing! I saw her work way back before we were ever engaged and I decided then I wanted her to do my favors if I got married. Once he proposed, one of the first things I did was ask her to create soap favors for us!

Our wedding is going to be outdoors and rustic and casual, and her soaps are PERFECT! She created something new just for us (we are using our initials in a heart as a theme for several items) and it turned out beautifully. The value was great for handmade, custom soaps and she even printed an awesome label with our information that matched our colors and theme. Plus, she packages them in these cute boxes with color coordinated tissue paper and bows and everything.

I could not be more happy about what she created for us and I'm so excited to see how much people love them when they get them as favors on our wedding day. Thanks SO MUCH Kat!!"  ~ Allison ~ marrying Charles on October 28, 2012 ~

Read all of our Party Favors Reviews at

And on that note...   I will be out of sight for a while, but hopefully not out of mind.  I am packing up and moving to Denver.  There will be some back and forth between Atlanta and Denver as I look for a place to live and sneak in some travel before the big replant.  I anticipate mid-late October to be up and running again, making soap.  My inventory will take a little longer to build back up, with the goal of being well stocked for Christmas sales.  If you are in Atlanta, you can find a fairly decent stock at Young Blood Gallery & Boutique on N. Highland Avenue.

I will be beginning my adventure in just four days, beginning with a visit with this li'l one....

See you in a couple of months from the mile high city!

I'm back on my feet.

Hello my friends.  As you may or may not know, I recently had surgery and am recovering nicely.  I am starting to get back into the swing of things and what better way to do that than with several inquiries into my cutie pie wedding favors for some upcoming autumn weddings.

A big congratulations to Allison B., a lovely lady who recently got engaged and has multiple bulk Sudstress purchases under her belt.  She'll be getting married this September and I'm super excited to get back on the horse, starting with her wedding favor project! 

On the topic of weddings, I'd like to give a shout out to a very talented photographer Kelley Klein of Kelley Klein Photography in Atlanta, GA.  Not only have we been friends for a decade, but she puts out supremely beautiful work.  If you're in the market for a wedding photographer (or just a photographer for whatever reason) you can find her here:

http://www.kelleyklein.com/

That's all for now.  Short and sweet.  I have a batch of soap with the working title of Choco-nilla that is probably ready for sale that I will list soon and will be churning out more as I continue to heal.  No matter what happens in life, I always come back to soap.  That's true love.

You can learn more about my experience with Graves' Disease and my Total Thyroidectomy here:

http://alumpinmythroat.wordpress.com/ 

Until next time, thanks for sticking with me!  As a token of my thanks, I'd like to leave you with a few happy pictures of springtime around here:

Wedding Favor Samples ...duh, can't believe I didn't think of it sooner.

I know wedding season doesn't start until May, but I make stuff that has to be thought of ahead of time.  I got a late jump on the Christmas season, so I'm getting an early one on the wedding planning season.  If all those radio ads are true, there will be a bunch of ladies walking around with some new jewelry, ready to make one of the biggest promises of their lives. 

The result of this, weddings!  The result of weddings...   wedding favors!

I feel like such a dummy for not offering this publicly before.  Anytime someone has contacted me regarding wedding favors, I describe them to the best of my ability, but I know they sound small to some people.  Granted they're favors and are supposed to be small, but it's also soap and people think twice about tiny soap.  That's when I offer to send a sample so they can actually see what they're giving their guests.  I've never had a future bride not sign on as a client once they hold it in their hands.  So, I've set up a listing on etsy - my commerce site - for ordering a sample.  Easy peasy.  No email necessary, no long description, just a sample in your hand. 

The sample costs $0.20 because that is the minimum listing value on the site.  Just pay shipping and it's all set.  I can't guarantee the color / scent combination since they are previously made, but that won't really matter too much.  Each sample will come packaged to give you the total effect.  Here are a few examples:  You can order one by clicking here.

Finally, I blog about soap...

I've been extremely busy the last few months.  I've worked hard to find balance in my life and include time for my relationships, my soap, meditation and exercise on top of full-time work and school.  I haven't had as much time to soap as I would like, but I still was chosen to create some wonderful gifts for the guests and wedding party of a few brides to be who have a wonderful appreciation for unique, handmade gifts.

Eric & Tangela ~ married August 19, 2010

"Words can't express my gratitude enough!  These favors bring my wedding full circle.  I had a vision in the very beginning and you made the vision a reality!  I also got my extra gift, thank you so much.  I was going to take a favor from a guest for a souvenir, but you prevented that by being so gracious.  I am going to tell all my friends who may be getting married where to go!  Thanks again!"  

~ Tangela P., New Jersey

Ahmad & Andrea ~ to be married sometime in 2010

Maggie & Joey ~ to be wed March 5, 2011

"I just wanted to tell you THANK YOU SO MUCH for the wonderful favors, cake slices and cutie pies!  They are ADORABLE in person!  When I brought them home Joe carried the box in and remarked how they smelled just like chocolate.  He loves them and thinks they are so neat.  He said the cutie pies look like he could take a bite out of them.

They are delightful and I think they will be a big hit at the wedding.   

Everything exceeded our expectations and the colors match the linens I have been looking at for the tables - woot!  Again, thank you."

~ Marguerite D., Atlanta 

 

 

 

 

Lisa & Josh ~ to be married September 22, 2010 

on with the awards and accolades!

sweet! Check it out :)


Atlanta, GA – January 19, 2010 - WeddingWire, the nation’s leading wedding technology company, just announced Sudstress has been selected to receive the 2010 Bride’s Choice Awards™ for favors and gifts!

The annual Bride’s Choice Awards™ recognizes and celebrates excellence in quality and service within the wedding industry, as determined by recent reviews and extensive surveys from over 500,000 newlyweds.

Sudstress is among the top five percent of all vendors in the WeddingWire community, which includes over 100,000 wedding professionals across the US and Canada. Awards were given to winners across 19 different service categories, from wedding venues to wedding photographers.

“We are excited to recognize and honor the success of the top wedding professionals within the WeddingWire Community” said Timothy Chi, WeddingWire’s Chief Executive Officer. “The annual Bride’s Choice Awards™ program has given us the unique opportunity to highlight the best wedding professionals in each region as reviewed by brides and grooms who have utilized their services in the past year.”

We are happy to announce that Sudstress is among the very best favors and gifts within the WeddingWire Network, which includes WeddingWire and Martha Stewart Weddings. We would like to thank our past newlyweds for nominating us for the 2010 Bride’s Choice Awards™.

For more information, please visit our WeddingWire Storefront today.

About WeddingWire, Inc.

WeddingWire is the only online wedding planning resource designed to empower both engaged couples and wedding vendors. WeddingWire enables engaged couples to search, compare and book over 100,000 reviewed wedding vendors nationwide, from wedding photographers to wedding cakes. WeddingWire also offers an online community and a suite of cutting-edge planning tools, including wedding websites and wedding checklists, all at no charge. For wedding vendors, WeddingWire provides free online management tools creating the only market opportunity that gives businesses control over their clients, reviews, leads and performance. In addition, WeddingWire has partnered with Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc. (NYSE: MSO) to provide its network of local vendors and online wedding-planning tools in the Weddings section of www.MarthaStewartWeddings.com. For additional information, please visit www.WeddingWire.com.

two of three, which is now four (sweet!)

A little over a month ago, I wrote this blog post talking about some exciting possibilities that have come my way recently. Well, since then, a fourth press opportunity has popped up, but I'm not going to blab that one either! However, I am now ready to tell you about number two! (hee hee, number two...) *ahem* sorry.

I was approached a while back by the Atlanta editor of Daily Candy about my soap cakes. She originally asked me about the large soap cakes and floating cupcakes which are cool and beautiful, but out of production with good reason. So, I told her about my cutie pies which are an evolution of the soap cake, but with a more specific purpose; wedding favors. Of course I've sold them since as...

baby shower favors

bridal shower hostess gifts

li'l gift sets

After a couple of weeks without a yes showing up in my inbox, I thought maybe they had decided not to use me (yet, hopefully). But today I received word that they'd like to use my cutie pie favors in their wedding guide. Woo! I'm not exactly sure when it comes out, but past 'issues' have come out in the end of October.

presenting...

custom cutie pie soap slices

I've finally come up with the perfect wedding favor soap. I was on the verge of this idea when this contest surfaced. Please view and comment on my entry. Mark is my brother and Melissa is his wife. They're such a positive example for me that it seemed only fitting to use their names.

Each slice weighs approximately one ounce and will be available presented in either an organza bag or white box with affixed label. Presentation and packaging photos still to come..

I will make available several versions of this. I will be offering whole cutie pies (pre-sliced if desired) for under $15, including gift packaging. Also, I will offer 4 slice gift packs for about $6.50 - pictures coming soon.