The Rayalight Blog

1st Day at the Market

2009-05-19T15:45:00.000-07:00

The sun came out and so did the crowds. I guess after a rough winter everyone was just excited to get back out to the market and enjoy it for the new season it represents. It was nice to see some of our friends from last year. We're back in the same spot next to Cedar Ridge Winery and our friend Richard. If you haven't tried his wine you are missing out! I plan to be there every week, even though I'm pregnant (due end of August!). I'm testing out new blends and different options this year along with some of the proven winners like jasmine, lemongrass and pomegranate.

18th Season of Snohomish Farmers Market

2009-04-16T17:28:00.000-07:00

I've been fairly quiet on my blog lately but have stayed busy planning for the 2009 Farmers Market, working on the Rayalight website (http://www.rayalight.com/), setting up in home candle parties and basically getting ready for a new season. It's just right around the corner starting May 14th. Here's a link for more info http://www.snohomishmarkets.com/#Snohomish
The market this year is starting up their own blog as well with general info; it's a great resource to stay up to date on the latest news. Here's their link: http://snohomishfarmersmarket.blogspot.com/
After one full market season under my belt I'm confident I have some ideas and an approach that will be easy for me and Rayalight clients to do business together, interact and share ideas.
I'll be offering weekly specials and changing my display format a bit to make it easier to find the candles people may be looking for, while having a sign up sheet for candle parties on site.
I look forward to your feedback and if you get a chance come down and visit me at the market!

We're back!

2009-01-21T18:29:00.001-08:00

After massive local flooding, snow and ice and a web site that has been down Rayalight.com is back.
As you can see we've added in a shopping feature, but still making adjustments to it. I have to make some edits to the fragrances but it's a start. If you are having problems with the site you can actually email me now to request any info or order.
I do plan to host a Valentines candle party in February so stay in touch.

It's been awhile and Winter is coming!

2008-11-22T15:57:00.000-08:00

After a long season of farmers markets I took some time off (at least from the blog) and have been working on some fall/winter season selections and planning for bazaars and candle parties. By the way if you are interested in hosting a party please email me and I can send over some info; it's fun to do especially this time of year.
I've also been working on the web site and finally making some updates to the shopping system by installing OScommerce. It should give me the opportunity to add and remove candles and give you all better shopping options.
Please check it out and more to come later . . . .

Great Weather & New Scents

2008-09-12T15:35:00.000-07:00

The weather this last Thursday was perfect; probably the best we've seen all season at the Snohomish Market. Though the crowds have dwindled down a bit (most likely with everyone back to school) Rayalight has continued to stay steady.
I introduced a new scent this week "black licorice". The picture above showcases a box of black licorice tea lights. The feedback I've received so far is very positive and it's a great fall scent.
There's only 2 more weeks in the local Farmers Market season, then we get into seasonal parties and shows.
Hope to see you soon.

The First Rayalight Candle Party!

2008-08-30T07:55:00.001-07:00

The first ever Rayalight Candle party was hosted in Snohomish last week. We had about 30 attendees and the event featured wine from Cedar Ridge Winery, finger foods and a selection of our candles. As you can see in the pictures we posted some balloons and a Rayalight banner out front for our guests. The pictures of the candles on the tables are remnants of what was left after friends and family made their purchases. The cats even got into the festivities out front in the lawn. It was just a fun time and great to see everyone come out.
If you are ever interested in hosting a candle party just let me know.

We've entered the Monroe Farmers Market!

2008-08-13T13:07:00.001-07:00

Last night we featured our candles at the Monroe Farmers Market. It was our first showing there of the season. Though it had a slower start it ended quite well for us and we will be there again next Tuesday 2-7. It is their first season in Monroe but they are off to a great start and heavily promoting it. Over time this could be a very big market. We met some great new vendors and really enjoyed the environment with a DJ and great music, a kids chalk area, caricature drawings (see the small picture in my post?) and more.
Come visit us next week!

Rayalight and Cedar Ridge Winery

2008-08-13T12:57:00.000-07:00

Over the past few months at the Snohomish Farmers Market, we've had the privilege of boothing next to Richard Fairfield of Cedar Ridge Winery. Richard is a partially retired engineer that's also a successful winemaker out of his basement windery near Macchias, WA. Richard will be featuring a selection of his fine wines at our upcoming Rayalight Candle party on August 23rd in Snohomish. Cedar Ridge wines can be purchased at the following Farmers Markets through Septmeber: Monroe (Tuesdays), Snohomish (Thursdays) and Mukilteo (Wednesdays). If you'd like more info on the party or Cedar Ridge wines please email me or post your comments. Cheers Richard!

The rain falls but the lights still shine

2008-08-03T14:31:00.000-07:00

We had our first rains last Thursday at the Farmers Market but that didn't dissuade our new friends Twin Sisters Design from adding to their candle collection and illuminating their booth with some Rayalight candles. Twin Sisters is a new start up business at the market featuring sweet heat body wraps, specialty pillows and cool comfort chillies! Check them out at the market next Thursday or you can email Connie or Leslie at laconettra@mac.com or blt2726@hotmail.com respectively. As you can see in the picture Connie is featured in front of their booth with the glow of a few Rayalight candles. Thanks for your support ladies!
See you all next week.
By the way I'm excited to announce we now make soy body lotion candles. How it works is you light the candle for 30 minutes and then blow out. After blowing out you pour the melted wax on your body as a pleasing lotion. Email me for details if you want to try out.

Blog delay-but we've been busy and the weather has been hot!

2008-07-12T14:17:00.000-07:00

It's been a few weeks since I've added to the Rayalight blog so I wanted to let you know I've been busy adding more candle stock and introducing scents while keeping busy with the Farmers Market every Thursday. Some of the popular new scents featured include: honeysuckle, mulberry, citronella lavender and even patchouli!

People are starting to ask too about candle parties and yes we will be hosting our first one soon; please stand by for more details.

Lastly, I've been working on getting the candles featured in some select a few local shops. I'm happy to report two stores will be selling Rayalight candles, and once the details are worked out, I'll let everyone know where.

Moving forward there's a lot to do on the web site and finishing strong the next few months for the local farmers market. This last week we even had some guest sellers help us out at the booth-friends and Rayalight faithfuls Ryan and CT, thanks guys! :)

Farmers Market III

2008-05-23T10:18:00.000-07:00

It was one of the colder and darker days of the Snohomish Farmers Market last night and though it seemed at any time it would rain. . . it didn't! People still showed up and our candles were still sold. I was able to make more of some of Rayalight requested favorites (lemon grass, farmers market) while featuring a new scent-watermelon!

In case you didn't know I also grow plant and tomato starts in our greenhouse and sell our chicken eggs (yes we have chickens too). At only $3 a dozen for our farm fresh eggs I'm sure you can see why we sold out. Those same store bought eggs would run on average $3.89-$5.00+.

I've included a few shots of the booth and our products (candles, plants, eggs).

I still hope to get some comments on candle scent descriptions to add to the site when we make some overall site updates and improvements. Love to get your comments.

See you next week!

Farmers market, the sun and favorite scents!

2008-05-16T11:25:00.000-07:00

We just finished our 3rd Snohomish Farmers Market http://www.snohomishmarkets.com/with 70 degree weather and a nice crowd. Each week as more of the local community hear about the market the crowds have been growing. It should get even busier as the farmers arrive (June should be a big month) with all the fresh produce.
The exposure has been great for us as Rayalight works to build a positive local reputation as the premier hand made soy candle company :).
We're starting to notice familiar faces and selling candles to repeat buyers (if you are one of them thank you!). The feedback we have heard is the candles smell and burn great! It's been fun to hear how people describe the different scents. I'm thinking of asking anyone who buys a Rayalight candle to describe how the scents smell to them. From there we may take some of our favorites and add them to the web site. If you have purchased a candle and want to take a shot at describing what the scent smells like to you please do so right here on our blog! If you haven't tried one of our candles . . .why not!?
In the mean time here's the scents we've been selling the most of: Lemon Grass, Farmers Market, Pomegranate and Hot Buttery Vanilla.
Next week's market (Thursday, 3-8 PST), I'll be featuring a new scent, Watermelon!
Love to get your feedback.

Snohomish Farmers Market

2008-05-03T13:56:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday I introduced Rayalight candles (and some plants I have grown including tomato starts, hosta and vinka) to the Snohomish Farmers Market . This was the first market I have ever done so I didn't know what to expect. Overall, I think it went very well and we sold a lot of candles!

Everyone who stopped by the booth enjoyed sampling the different scents and most people left buying a candle or sample pack of votives (I put together a 3 pack of votives for people to try out a certain scent without having to buy a bigger candle or pack if they are unsure). The packs sold for only $2.50 each; and with a burn time of 12 hours, I think they will be happy.

The most popular scents seemed to be: Blueberry, Odor eliminator, Green Tea and Orange spice and Coffee Vanilla.

Next week I plan to have even more candles to display and if the weather holds up, it should be another successful event.
The Market is every Thursday until September from 3-8.

If you are in the city of Snohomish, please stop by!

Site improvements, shipping and more

2008-03-09T13:48:00.000-07:00

We haven't done a lot to advertise the site yet (www.rayalight.com) as we are making some enhancements to it including updating the Products order section to a more inclusive e-commerce area that will allow for more than 10 fragrances and be much easier to use. You may notice too that shipping is now free but won't be for long as we are adding that in with the new e-commerce solution.
There's been a few more questions we've had from local candle buyers so we'll be updating the FAQ's including the question: "how long does it take from order to production and shipping?". Quick answer is 5-8 days from order to shipment.
The email community will also be active so you can sign up for our updates, promos and more.
Lastly, our new labels are in and we'll post those soon.

Our site just went live

2008-01-26T20:58:00.001-08:00

Rayalight.com is live! It took awhile longer than we thought, but we're up and running.
I expect some bugs to be worked out but appreciate all your feedback.
We'll have the email community working soon.
Let me know what you think!

Welcome

2007-12-18T20:05:00.000-08:00

Welcome to Rayalight and the Rayalight blog stay tuned for info on our company, my candles and why hand made soy candles are so great!