shopkeypur’s blog

I'm back in the shop today.  Yesterday was just one of those all around bad days.  

First my sewer line broke.  I ran my dishwasher and went into the basement to get laundry out of the dryer and stepped into a puddle.  Lighting is really bad in our basement so i didn't see the water till i was standing in it.  Then i heard the horrible sound of dripping water.  All i could think is oh crap either the hot water line broke since the water was hot and steamy or the sewer line has a crack and this is water draining from the dishwasher.  Well it was the sewer line.  

I got my flashlight and had to find the leak, discovered it was the sewer line and put a bucket under the leak.  Problem is the entire basement floor was already covered in water.  About an inch all over.  I called our regular plumber but he never called back so i called my FIL and asked him if he was still friends with the plumber and if he could please call him to see if he was busy because this was a pretty big emergency.  Sewage is not something you want in your house.   A few minutes later my FIL called back and said that the regular guy was busy and not even in the area and gave me the name and number of another plumber he has used and said was really good.  So I called Tyler plumbing and they said oh your Dr. Davidsons daughter arent you?  I didnt correct them  and say no daughter in law i just said yes and he gave me your name to call because my sewer line cracked.  She said oh we just replaced his sewer line in his house last month, we'll send someone right out.  Well about 2 hours later no one arrived so i called her back and she said they have a guy who just finished another job who would be right over.  She was extremely nice.  The guy arrived, looked at the pipe and said he could replace just a section but the entire line was rotted and falling apart and i would probably have to call them in a week or 2 to replace the rest of it anyway.  He called the shop and they told him the entire line to be replaced would be $400.  I was shocked! I was thinking this would be a 2 grand job at least.  We're talking over 20 feet of sewer line to be replaced plus joints and bends etc.  So i told the guy to do the entire line then for that amount.   

While he was at my house about to leave after replacing the sewer line we were on the front porch as a bunch of cop cars when racing past and then ambulances and rescue squad trucks etc... more cops and more ambulances.  Then a few minutes later TV crew vans.   We knew this wasn't good.  THen we saw helicopters in the air hoving over our heads.  Not good at all! We both said there must be a massive fire down the street or big accident at the turnpike bridge that goes from PA over to NJ.  THats just up the road from me too.  

I go inside and turn on the TV and see that there was a shooting at the Simon and Shuster warehouse down the street from me.  2 men shot dead and the shooter was arrested.  Unbelievable!! 

The rest of the day we were all out on the side walks talking and trying to find out what was going on.  We could see the lights from the emergency cars down the street blinking and the helicopters still hovering above our heads. 

This morning i read in the paper and saw on the news that the guy they arrested was named Diamond.  Wow thats our neighbor!!  He lives a few doors down from us.  We all knew the guy was not wrapped tight so we all avoided him.  He was parked behind my van the night before my van was hit in the rear and my van had paint transfer that was the same color as his truck but I wasn't about to point the finger at him because we all knew he was out of his mind.  We just wrote it off as a hit and run and left it at that. 

I went outside this morning and there were cops all over our block. They were going door to door asking questions about this guy.  I was asked by one cop if i ever had problems with the guy and i just told them that at one time we suspected he hit the back of my van but no one saw it or had proof other than the paint color on my van matched his truck but we all knew he wasn't right so we just let it go.  No one wanted to set the guy off.  Other than that i only knew him as the guy who walked around talking to himself. 

As i was leaving for the shop i saw the cops going in and out of his apartment with bags of stuff.  I'm guessing it was anything to do with the killings yesterday.  Maybe guns or hate mail or lord only knows what.  I"m guessing its all evidence as to why he did what he did or to show that he wasn't stable. 

In the paper they said that he was a racist.  I never saw or heard him make any racist remarks although that doesn't mean that he he wasn't.   He shot the first 2 people he came in contact with at the warehouse.  I don't think it would have mattered what they looked like he just shot till he ran out of bullets.  The first person he saw was a guy he knew and the 2nd he never saw before in his life but happend to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.  ITs all so sad.  You can feel the somber mood around town as you walk outside.  People who normally say good morning to me every morning on my walk into work all had their heads down and never looked up or said hi today.  2 families lost their fathers yesterday and one man is under arrest.   Some how you have to think if this man would have gone for treatment would this had happened?  Did he have any family at all that could have or tried to help him get treatment?  People at the warehouse are claiming this was racialy motivated but i have to say this man was sick to begin with and the police as well as the DA are saying that he would have shot anyone who he came in contact with.  He told the cops that he went there to get his job back....why he brought his gun we don't know.  If he was sane he wouldn't have brought the gun.  If he was in his right mind he would have realized that a gun is not going to help get your job back.  Clearly he is a sick individual. 

On another note i read some of the interviews and one really struck me as ironic.  THey interviewed this one guy who went to school with my oldest son and he was talking about how this guy Diamond was a bully.  I had to laugh because this came out of the mouth of someone who bullied my son constantly in school and was kicked out of school several times, in and out of alternative schools as well as juvie hall for harrassing, bullying, beating up other students as well as grabbing my son's privates in the locker room and saying disgusting things to him about how he wanted a piece of that!  And here he did an  interview with the papers complaining about this guy and how he was a bully to everyone and they all thought he would do something like that.   Wow how many times was i told by the school that this same kid who did this interview had brought in a knife to school, threatened to burn people with lighters, jumped my kid, I could go on and on.  Just makes me shake my head and think is anyone else reading this thinking the same thing I am?  unbelievable!!!  The pot calling the kettle black...

well that was my day yesterday and today...... so far anyway.

One of my wholesale accounts requested a red that looks like a red sports car or a candied apple.  I think they'll like this one.  I named it Cleopatra.  :)

I just started making some goth and emo makeup for my store and these are the first in the lip care line for goth and emo.  So far my daughters friends love them.  The lipstick and gloss go on very dark with a hint of purple.  the lipstick smudge on white paper wasn't smudged very dark and of course thats a smudge on white.  On lips it comes out darker and deeper almost black but you can see the purple and shine coming through.  Around here goth and emo kids wear dark colors in general and not just black. 

Hopefully the word will get out to the kids into this look and they'll come in for lipsticks rather than buy at spencers in the mall or Hot Topic.  I saw some cheap lipsticks in there and though how gross those were with all of the additives and binding agents and kids were putting that on their lips!!  I remind my daughter that she will be eating a lot of it since its going on her lips.  You really can't avoid it unless you wipe your lips completely clean before ever drinking or eating or licking your lips.  That can make for some pretty sore lips over time.

These also look great on women of color.  I gave a sample to a friend of mine to try out and she called me to tell me how great it looked on her.  Crossing my fingers that mystic midnight sells well. 

Veronica

I made this color lipstick today.  I'm actually hooked on orange lipsticks now.  I've found that if I do my blush the right color that orange lipsticks actually look good one me.  This one is a peachy coral color with a lot of frost. 

The water dept. was working on the water lines and the street was all ripped up so there were very few shoppers out today.  I had some time on my hands so had a ball making lipsticks.  I closed up early because there was no water but tomorrow they promised me the water would be back on.   I sure hope so.  Its not easy working all day and not having any running water.  At home at least i could fill the tub with water before they shut it off so i can have water to flush with but at my shop i don't have a tub.  Couldn't find a bucket either.  So i closed up at 3pm and called it an early day.

Veronica

my old logo on the left and new logo on the right.  I absolutely love the new logo!! 

The one on the left was done up for a soap stamp and had to have lines that were defined and crisp but the new logo is what i'm going to use from now on for my products, labels etc.  I feel its very classy and chic. 

Anyone have any thoughts about it?

Yesterday was an absolutely remarkable day for me and my business.

Not only did i get one new wholesale account but i got 2!!!  One wholesale account is ordering the minimum required because she has a small spa and just wants to carry a few of my lipstick colors to try out right now.  SHe makes her own bath products but not makeup. 

The other wholesale account at first ordered 100 each of 3 different lipsticks and 3 different blushes and 3 different eye shadow sets to sell in their store.  They then placed another order to bring that up to 1000 of each!!!   Their payment cleared and i just placed an order for more containers but this time i'm having them all hot stamped with my company name and logo.  I"m in heaven now!!! 

THen today with this horrible heat wave we're having i'm thinking business will be horrible today.  But just the opposite.  I had people coming in like crazy today.  Turns out they were next door at the theater for the musical and then came in here afterwards to look around.  And EVERYONE who came in bought something.  They all bought lipsticks and lip gloss.  The men all bought several bars of soap each!!  I'm telling you its always a crap shoot when it comes to having a store.  Just when you think you have people all figured out they surprise you and shop.

There were times when it would rain so hard you couldn't see across the street so you would think it would be a dead day.  Nope!! I would get people rushing in out of the rain to wait till it let up a bit and then they would end up buying.  When its really hot people either don't go outside at all or they go out and duck into any place that has air conditioning to cool off.  So heat could work for you or against you. 

Now i have to get my kids to work for me in the shop while i work in the back on these new wholesale orders :)  I'm charged up and ready to go now! LOL

I hope everyone had a happy 4th of July yesterday. 
Its been raining here so I didn't go anywhere or do anything.

With the holiday and bad weather i decided not to open the store today and i'm just sitting home taking it easy.  I have cleaning to do around the house and thought i would spend the day doing things around the house, spend time with the kids, and giving my back a break.

Anyone do anything special for the 4th of july? 

I hate this gloomy weather.  Its so hard to get motivated to do anything when everything is dark and gloomy.  It makes me want to curl up under the covers and sleep.

	VLL Frosted Coral lipstick Lipstick
	Frosted Coral Lipstick

I'm real happy with this coral lipstick.  I have another coral color but its not a frost like tihs one.  My other coral is very glossy but this one is not only a high gloss but has a lot of mica to give a great frost.  You can see the sprakle in the smudge.  Looks great on all skin tones for any time of the day.

I had a little fun the other day coming up with a frosty pink lipstick.  This one i've named frozen raspberries-n-cream. It goes on a light pink shade that depending on the color of your lips will be darker or lighter.  On me it looks like a light pink and on my daughter who has darker lips it looks a bit more of a raspberry cream color.   Loads of frosty shine in this one because i added a lot of mica.