I'm starting a club for the coolest people there are, lip balm lovers!  Members of the Kustom Kissers Lip Balm of the Month Club will receive not one, not two, but THREE LIP BALMS EACH MONTH!

The lip balms will be custom labeled appropriately for that month.  For example, the lip balms for May might be labeled with photos of flowers, the American Flag and a beach scene.  Each one will be different.  It's always a surprise!

Lip balm tubes may be white, clear or black with more colors being added.  Each tube of lip balm will arrive packaged in a white box perfect for giving as a gift or keeping for yourself.

As always, the lip balm itself is smooth and moisturizing with a touch of shine.  Ingredients include organic soybean oil, palm oil, olive oil, avocado oil, beeswax, cocoa butter, shea butter, vitamin e, flavor, fd&c colors and SPF 15.

Packages are shipped on the 5th of each month in a variety of lip balm flavors including (but not limited to) Vanilla, Cherry, Raspberry, Mint and Original.

Order now for the introductory price of $50 (72 cents per tube!).  That's over half off the retail value of $108!  If you're in the United States, that includes shipping.  Options for shipping to Canada and everywhere else in the world are also available.  This offer is only valid until Saturday, May 19th, so go get it!

The most asked questions I receive are "What's the lip balm like?" or "Is it quality lip balm?"  People are particular about their lip balm.  I totally get it.  You see, this business was born out of my lip balm addiction dating back to elementary school.  I can't tell you how many times I've purchased a lip balm at the store, used it once and threw it away becuase it was sticky, smelled too strongly, didn't stay on, tasted gross, etc.  I'm pickier than all of you combined.  Trust me when I say that Kustom Kissers lip balm is amazeballs.  It goes on smooth, not sticky, has just the right amount of scent and stays on for hours.  Promise.  I wouldn't lie to you.  Bonus - it's organic AND has your photo on it!  How cool is that? 

Now what other questions can I answer for you?

This weekend was pretty awesome.  I went to the Arizona Cardinals Ribs and Music Festival to stuff my face and see KC & The Sunshine Band.  Don't know who they are?  According to KC, he is your mom's N*SYNC.

Next I attend the Arizona Blogger Conference hosted by The Phoenix Style Collective.  Over 100 bloggers attended, and I had only met one prior.  Phoenix bloggers represent!  The swag and new friends were totally worth it.  Follow these folks for info on future events.

Sunday morning was perfect for wandering around the zoo with my parents, and that evening my mom and I saw Green Day's American Idiot the musical.  If you're a Green Day fan or child of the 90's, it's worth seeing.  Otherwise, I wouldn't recommend it.

What?  You're distracted by all these photos of raspberry colored cowboy boot prettiness?  Ya, that happened this weekend too.  They were a thrift store score, they fit, and they're pink! (Thanks Mom and Dad!)

I also mowed the lawn for the first time ever and fixed a toilet (for the first time ever).  Girl power.  How was your weekend?  Happy Monday!

Taking the leap from full time 9-5er to self employment wasn’t just a career change.  It was a lifestyle change.  Over the last three months my schedule has changed dramatically along with my wardrobe and attitude.  Here’s what I’ve learned:

1.        I like working weekends.

When I worked Monday through Friday at the dreadful office job, I refused to work on weekends no matter what kind of deadline I was under.  I effectively managed my time, so it was never an issue.  Now, however, I work through the weekend because the rest of the world isn’t.  While the malls and movie theaters are packed on Saturdays and Sundays, I stay home to diligently fill orders and write blog posts.  Why?  The mall and movies are so much more fun on Monday!  I don’t have to fight for a parking space or wait in lines, and I always get the best seat at the movies including putting my feet on the chair in front of me.  Also, hiking trails are clear, there’s never a wait at restaurants, and grocery stores are nearly empty.  Now that’s what I call efficient time management!

2.       I’m a night owl.

These days the only time I set an alarm clock is for a flight.  I decided I would let my body tell me when it’s ready to go to sleep and wake up on its own.  Apparently it likes to go to bed at 1:00am and wake up at 9:00am.  I’m most productive from 8:30pm (after working out) to 12:00am.  Then I start winding down and finally fall asleep.  I try to stay away from naps during the day, but I do enjoy them.  A lot.

3.       Human interaction is important.

Much of my time is spent on social media outlets such as Twitter, instagram, Facebook, wedding forums and this blog.  I don’t feel guilty about surfing those sites for hours every day because it’s part of my job.  It’s possibly the best part of my job because you all gush over the lip balm and tell me how awesome I am (Thanks!).  However, face-to-face interaction with real live human beings is important for my sanity (and reputation).  I don’t want to be alone in my house 24/7 labeling lip balm while tweeting icons depicting faces I’ve never met.  To prevent this, I force myself to venture into the big world out there every day.  Sometimes it’s scheduled in advance such as a networking event, a concert or lunch/happyhour/dinner with friends/family.  Other times I grab my iPad and head to a local restaurant that offers free wifi.  Someone ALWAYS talks to me.  I guess I have one of those faces.  Working at the park and taking a walk or a yoga class are some other go-to activities.  I also like to go to Target and TJ Maxx/Homegoods.  On Mondays.  This is bad.  Very, very bad.

4.       The term ‘networking’ is open to interpretation.

In Phoenix’s Valley of the Sun, you could attend a networking event every hour of every day.  Seriously.  There is a whole lot of networking going on in this town!  The subjects covered by the events vary widely, so I’ve been testing the waters  with multiple groups in several areas.  I’ve learned that the structure of networking events also varies.  Here are some examples:

·         Be quiet and listen to me talk.

·         Stand up and give the entire group your elevator pitch.

·         Eat the free food and leave.

·         Mingle amongst yourselves.

·         Put your business card in the pile.

I’ve also learned that any networking event taking place in Scottsdale is actually speed dating.  Hey, at least I left the house and talked to people in real life.

5.       Pink is the new black.

I’m a girly girl (shocker), and have always liked the color pink and wearing frilly dresses and statement jewelry.  I knew that wouldn’t change when I quit my day job because it’s the core of who I am.  What I didn’t know was that my entire wardrobe would evolve around my brand.  Pink, black and white are taking over my closet.  Lips are taking over my jewelry box, and I like it.  I intentionally wear items representing my brand to business related events so that people remember me.  It works too.  I’m often referred to as ‘the girl with the lips’.  Ha!  Even my yoga pants have lips around the band.  I should take a photo of every wearable item I have with lips on it.  How many do you think there would be?  I smell a new blog post…

Overall, life is good.  I’m healthy, bills are being paid, pets are getting fed, the sun is shining and new endeavors await.

Did you hear that Facebook purchased instagram?  I'm not sure how I feel about that.  I love instagram and don't want it to change.  It's one of the few platforms that hasn't been inundated with spam.  Hopefully it stays that way.  Here are a few of the instagrams I've shared recently.  My username is KustomKissers if you want to follow me.

Surprise mail from Stephanie of Sand and Starfish.  We met at Creative Estates, and she gave me a sewing machine (!!!).  She said she needed room in her luggage.  Ha!  Problem is, I don't know how to sew.  This kit is to get me started.  What should I make first?

I bought a Happy Meal at McDonalds because I saw the little girl in front of me get this bear covered in pink hearts in hers.

A new bone for Harvey!

My cowboy boots after seeing Clay Walker.  It was a rough night!

Having dessert first.

Am I the only nerd who gets excited about shopping for office supplies?

My shoes on the first day of teaching fitness boot camp in the park.  It's totally awesome!

Lips chip clips.  Say that three times fast!

Crafting with Goodwill finds in the Arizona sunshine.

Another treat from Sand and Starfish.  Here I'm showing how the garland matched my furniture (and cat).

Accessorizing for a networking event.  Branding is key.

One of my personal lip balm stashes.  There are eight on my computer desk alone.

Trying to remember everything I've wished for.

Showing off my booth at the Bright Ideas Expo.  Tell me your instagram username, so I can follow your photo snapping adventures too.

Are you trying to decide what to put on your custom lip balm for wedding favors, a baby shower, birthday party or other gift?  Take a look at this video for some ideas that might help you out.

Still need help?  Just ask!  E-mail me at Heather@KustomKissers.com

At the beginning of March over 30 ladies descended on Flagstaff, Arizona for a crafty getaway called Creative Estates.  There were new crafts to learn and lots of down time to work on your own craft.  Prior to the event, I donated two Design Your Own Lip Balm Kits to the raffle, and the ladies wanted them.  No, they NEEDED them.  The kits were on display and covered in drool by the time they were finally raffled.  Unlucky heads hit the table, feet were stomped and there were many sighs of disappointment.  I may have met people more addicted to lip balm than I am!  Don't worry, ladies.  I brought more!

Andrea decorated her lip balm to say "Heather is the Bomb".  Lip balm = Friends in this crowd.

I can't remember what Jules' said, but she's so cute that I had to post her photo.  (These are instagrams, by the way, which explains the poor quality.)

I refer to this clan at "The Utah Girls".  The hair can be explained by the rock start theme going on that night.  Visit them here and here.

Tricia.  She traveled all the way from Washington D.C. for crafts.  That's dedication!

Nikki with her preppy chevron lip balm.  She lives in Arizona too, so we can be BFFs.  I keep in contact with all these ladies and the rest of the Creative Estates gang on Twitter.  They're all awesome.  Reunion plans are in the works.  I know to bring more lip balm.  Lots and lots of lip balm.

Temperatures have been in the 80's for the past week or so.  I already broke out the flip flops and got sun burned.  Living in a desert, I really should know better.

Dresses are definitely the way to go when it's hot outside.  This particular one is from Francesca's, one of my faves.

I didn't realize my hair was so short until I saw this photo.  It has a retro vibe.  I dig it.

This outfit was for an afternoon of thrifting and a Straight No Chaser concert.  Ever heard of them?  They are an a capella group of 10 men who sing popular hits from today and yesterday.  Go see them.  Highly recommend it.  They dance too.

The polka dot sunglasses are from a beach vendor in Mexico.  I knew you would ask.  Happy Monday!

On March 1st I attended The Glitter Academy in Chandler, AZ for a night of crafts, sugar and smiles.  For only $20 and an hour drive, this event delivered!

Kim Stoegbauer of The TomKat Studio was the guest speaker and creator of the super cute (and tasty) dessert table.  Did you know she has styled sets for Pottery Barn and Martha Stewart?  Yet she was as sweet as pie.

There were A TON of awesome raffle items given away throughout the evening.  I didn't win anything, but the crafty lady sitting next to me won FOUR!  Not fair.

You could purchase a craft to kit, bring your own craft to work on, or both.  I purchased the yarn wreath kit which took the entire four hours to complete.  Not. Kidding.  I added a bow and more flowers since this photo was taken at the event.  It's pretty cute hanging on my studio door.  I really enjoyed this event and hope they have more in the future.  What are you crafting up?

It's no secret that Blissdom was packed with inspirational speakers, impressive women, sweet swag, celebrities and surprises.  Lots of blog posts and photos have been posted about those over here.  I'm going to use my little corner of the internet to write about the impact those three days in Nashville, TN had on me and my business.

#1.  Holly Hamann, co-founder of BlogFrog, was the speaker who had the greatest impact on me.  She spoke about thinking like an entrepreneur by listing 10 skills one must build in order to be successful.  Ability to make decisions.  Check.  Ability to focus.  Check.  Ability to gather and process information.  Check.  I nodded along until she got to the slide pictured above - ability to tolerate risk.  Uh oh.  I'm not so good at this one.  You see, I'm a planner by nature.  I set goals and diligently work toward them in a step-by-step methodical manner.  That's how I was able to quit my day job (a year after setting the goal).  Kustom Kissers has technically been a business for over five years now, and it could be so much more if I had taken greater risks sooner.  I tell myself that I wasn't ready or it wasn't the right time, but will I ever be ready at the right time?  Probably not.  After examining the goals I set forth for 2012, I threw them away.  It's time to think and act BIGGER, and take some risks.

#2. Prior to the conference, each registrant received a Bliss Box in the mail containing items to prepare for the adventure to come, such as a business card holder, packing list and agenda.  It also included a page for connections.  I assumed this page was to write notes about the people I met during the conference, a way to keep all the names straight until adding them to my Google Reader when I got home.  In reality, people used this page to write down the names and information of bloggers they knew virtually and wished to meet in person.  Guess what?  My name was on a lot of lists.

People would tweet me and trek all over the Gaylord Opryland Hotel map to see my pretty face.  Some folks only wanted a lip balm sample, which I was happy to provide.  Others wanted to tell me that they never miss a blog post, that they wish they had the guts to quit their job like I did, that I am their inspiration.  Wow.  I know by my sales figures that Kustom Kissers is successful, but I had no idea my writing was having such a profound impact.  Writing helps me pay more attention, organize my thoughts, develop rewarding relationships.  Call me selfish, but I do it mostly for me.  Maybe only bloggers can understand that.  At any rate, Blissdom made me come to the realization that the mentee has become the mentor, and I'm flattered.  I accept the role and responsibility.  In the future you can expect more posts (and hopefully speaking engagements) about starting and operating a business, living the life you want right now, and embracing your talents.

Oh, hi Gary LeVox of Rascal Flatts.  He doesn't have anything to do with this post, but there is no way I could leave this photo out.  I didn't even zoom!  See you next year, Blissdom.  You rocked!