Running Back Home...The Little Farm

Have you ever thought about running away from home? Just leaving and trying a different lifestyle? I had this gift given to me two years ago when we decided to move forward with The Brown Barn Company retail stores and marketing. At the time I didn't realize that Brown Barn would take me so far from home for so long and it certainly was not my intent, but away it did take me.

I call this time away a gift because I truly did not appreciate my life on the Little Farm before I was called away. I felt I was slowly spinning my wheels, that no matter how hard I worked, I just could not get the Brown Barn brand and products out to enough people fast enough using the Internet alone. I had procrastinated the decision to really jump in with Brown Barn as long as I possibly could but a turning point had occurred, it was either shut it down or ramp it up. I chose to ramp it up and have not regretted one single moment of the time and effort it took to do this.

Most people would not choose to leave their home to "go out in the big world" and spread the message of their business in the manner we did. And I certainly do not recommend it as a choice for everyone - it was the right choice from me though. I needed to throw my hat in the ring and Brown Barn deserved the effort to become a "real" business in the greater market-place. I also knew that the only way the Little Farm would be productive as the Brown Barn Company was for us to establish the Brown Barn business first, then come back to the farm. It seems backwards - but this was the only way we could make things happen. We'd tried other avenues and all had come to dead-ends. So out into the world went the Brown Barn Company, taking a break from the farm.

Now that the Brown Barn Company has taken another turn in its life, going over to primarily Wholesaling and Internet sales, I have suddenly found myself at home again on the Little Farm - back where I started and joyful to be here.

I am loving being home again but this time with a more focused purpose. The farm will be the location of our second lab, where we will be producing bar soap, candles and infusing herbal oils to be sold individually and used in the popular Brown Barn lotions, sugar scrubs and massage bars. I will also be conducting the business portion of the wholesaling, updating the web-sites and more from there. By leaving I was able to learn and come back with a fresh, new purpose for myself, Brown Barn and the Little Farm and will hopefully breathe a new, more focused and productive life into the place and my own world.

Like all home-comings, mine is filled with joy, exclamation and raised eyebrows. When I left to start and supervise the retail stores my yard had been my pride and joy. After running the greenhouse as a business for many years I'd accumulated an expansive variety of perennials and had spread wood mulch around every bed, tree, shrub and building in approximately a five acre area. We'd built a "micro-climate" fenced garden for lavender and roses and had put a few years into dedicated organic herb production. Our small orchard was just beginning to produce fruit and I had neat rows of canned fruit spreads, jams and garnishes on my kitchen shelves. Whole whiskey barrels overflowing with flowers decorated the landscape.

The fenced "micro-climate" garden for Lavender and Roses.

The retail stores had unexpectedly taken up so much of my time so quickly and unexpectedly that I literally was here one day and gone the next, never feeling I could take a moment to come back to the farm. We were left with no choice but to abandon the farm for awhile in favor of pushing the Brown Barn brand name forward with the plan of eventually coming back to the farm and implementing greater production from it. While I was gone the Little Farm became a "work space" for my husband's Wastewater business (for those of you who do not know what this is - it is spreading manure, whey or liquid waste from large manure/waste lagoons pits at the large Wisconsin farms and cheese factories - a dirty but important process for dairy agriculture).

I thought, okay, he's one man, alone in the house and on the farm for awhile, how much damage could he do? Oh Boy!! While my husband did his best, he is uber-focused on his business and business is all he is focused on. The lawns were minimally mowed by hired hands, the greenhouse is now weedy and the house - always in a state of half-renovation is worse than ever. I have so many projects going on right at home I am not even sure where to begin or when I'll be able to leave guilt-free again!

Yesterday I did the first of what will be many "mows" of the large yard, gardens and orchard. I found left to go wild, Mother Nature has made a big step forward in reclaiming the little farm. All of the trees and shrubs are in need of trimming, weeds are rampant - grown into the flower beds so tight I fear giving up and mowing off is the only way to deal with them, "weed trees" have grown up among the shrubs and a "gift" from a neighbor of wild bamboo has invaded the entire front yard. My beloved fenced garden is so tight with grass and weeds I cannot imagine how to even begin to proceed in that area and my lovely whiskey barrels have been used as garbage cans for some of our employees! I also realize I will need to focus more on the business of the Little Farm/Brown Barn than on the decorations (and like most women, I do love to decorate!)

But as bad as things have been let go there are still some beauties fighting their way thru the weeds and the farm is still pretty in its state of wild disrepair. Here are some pics from yesterday's first Spring mow on the Little Farm.

Plum trees in bloom this week.

I watched these Fritallarias grow almost overnight!

Pictures do not do justice to how very large these tulips are, I was pleasantly surprised to find that even without proper mulching and feeding they are happily growing and multiplying right thru the weeds.

Weeds weeds weeds in the background of this "Peony" tulip.

I'm not sure how to approach the weed issue, I might have to actually dig out all of the bulbs and replant.

Lola, our son's Border Collie has come to live on the little farm with us as our son has joined my husband in his business. She's like having a child on the farm again and loves to jump in my garden pond.  

The barn is slowly being re-claimed by Mother Nature - just like all of us!

Today is calling for rain and candle-making is calling my name. I hope your Sunday is productive, lazy and restful all at once. If any readers have suggestions for how to deal with the weeds in my garden please share them...I need every ounce of help I can get!!

~Chris Untiedt, Owner, The Brown Barn Company llc

Infused Oils

As I mentioned in last week’s blog, Brown Barn is so excited to begin production of a new line of herbal oil infusions. These oils will be used in our new All Natural spa product line, in our soap production, a line of Mommy and Me products and sold individually. We have been away from the farm for too long and cannot wait to get back to growing and drying our own herbs and using them in our products.

Rosemary bundles drying in the Brown Barn.

What is an Herbal Oil Infusion?

Herbal oils have been used for a variety of purposes for hundreds of years.  This is a type of oil in which whole dried or fresh herbs have been “soaked” in an oil base for a period of time. This process draws the “power” of the herbs into the oil, creating a fusion.  It’s different than using essential oils, the oil infusion process binds herbs to a “host” oil where essential oils are oils derived entirely from the herb plant. To begin we will primarily use Soybean or Apricot Kernel oil in our infusions.

How are they made?

Brown Barn will use organic herbs that are either purchased from reliable USA growers or organically grow its own herbs in our greenhouse on our Wisconsin farm.  There are several different approaches that can be used in creating an oil infusion but the main process involves allowing herbs to “steep” in oil for a period of time. Once the oil has been infused it must be carefully drained off the plant material, bottled and either sold directly as oil or used in the making of our other products and soaps.

Calendula Flowers Steeping in oil during our trials.

Herb Liners waiting to be potted up in our Greenhouse.

Why is this good to use?

Herbal oil is a rich blend that brings to the body the therapeutic benefits of the chosen oil and herbs. Brown Barn’s goal is to eventually grow all of the herbs used in its oils on its own farm. We believe that each plant is the product of its environment and being able to participate in the growing process including selection of the soil, fertilizer and cultivar will allow us to develop unique and more highly effective formulations.

What will they be used in?

We have been using our own Trauma oil blend in our popular Rejuvenating Lotion Bar for the past year to great success.  It was the many customer testimonials about the powerful effects of this bar that have resulted in our researching this process further and taking it to the next level. Our new All Natural Spa line uses infused oil in several of its products. This line will be introduced soon. We also plan to incorporate the oil into our soap bars and into a line of Mommy and Me products coming soon.  The oils will also be sold individually for use as a massage oil, bath oil or body oil. 

We will soon be posting these new items on our web-site as they become available.  We hope you try them out and let us know what you think!

Have a wonderful week.  On Monday we will be launching our Mother's Day gift boxes!

Chris Untiedt

Founder

The Brown Barn Company llc
www.brownbarnbath.com

Changing

"To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often."

- Winston Churchill

If Winston Churchill is correct in this quote then The Brown Barn Company has to be nearly perfect. 

Since opening our flagship store in Holcombe, Wisconsin in the summer of 2011, Brown Barn has undergone nothing short of a metamorphosis as it grew from a home-made, hand-made company into its more professional and larger shoes. This has been a journey of ups and downs, successes and disappointments, gain and loss.  I cannot count how many formulations, employee names, label designs, product scents, marketing ideas and renditions of the Brown Barn have passed across my desk this year. 

When Alyssa (my business partner and daughter) and I sat down to sketch our initial vision for the company we had specific goals in mind.  We wanted to be eco-friendly, to offer a safe haven for our customers, offer a safe and uniquely fabulous product line, and to provide a calm and relaxing workplace for ourselves and employees. We wanted to make a difference, to educate, to share ideas.  We wanted to develop a company that would allow us to grow as individuals and would positively enhance our lives, the lives of those around us and those of our customers.  We wanted to contribute at home, in our community and to the world.

We opted to start out with our own retail stores.  One thing we did not realize in starting retail stores was how very demanding they are as a whole.  Even our quietest location requires constant vigilance to maintain the required cleanliness and “look” that Brown Barn demands.  Add to that the hustle and bustle of employees and customer sales and a store becomes all-consuming in and of itself, leaving little time for important product research and development.

In running the stores we realized we have been pulled far from our first love and the very reason we started this company – making great bath and body products.  After a lot of reflection and analysis we have come to the conclusion that the only effective way for us to build the life we want, not only for ourselves but for our company, employees and products is to downsize our retail stores and devote ourselves fully to product development, Internet/web-site sales, national marketing and wholesaling.

In this way we will be able to bring forward better and more interesting product lines; introduce Brown Barn to many more locations faster and we’ll be able to reach the goals we cherish – supporting ecology, providing funding donations to causes we believe in and bringing nature to customers through our products.

The challenge now is how do we accomplish our hefty goals when we are so busy with the daily running of retail stores?  How do we survive as a business without this growth?  How do we accomplish these goals without the cash flow of retail stores?

After much reflection we came to the following conclusions:

-  We must ramp back the company in order to apply what we learned, make needed changes and grow our future.

- We must make changes that will allow us to move to the next level in terms of product sophistication, offerings and marketing.

- Our mental and physical health must be of high importance in order to allow us to focus and accomplish these goals. We must form a business environment that allows room for us to nurture ourselves so that we may give to others.

- We want to bring the Brown Barn and Honest Balance product lines to people everywhere, not just in a few select places.  The Internet and Wholesaling is the most efficient way to do this.  We need to focus our energies on developing these areas.

- The Retail Stores are drawing all of our energies and focus far from our ideals and company goals.  While we absolutely LOVE chatting with our customers, seeing their lovely faces and spending time in our adorable stores, the stores have actually become a weight on the company, distracting us from our goals.  (A lovely distraction, but a distraction all the same.) 

- In order to provide much needed time for development we need to close our Steamboat Springs, Colorado store but we will always continue to have our “outlet” store at our “home” location in Holcombe, Wisconsin.

- So our customers will be able to purchase Brown Barn products closer to home, we will work to develop wholesale relationships in areas throughout the United States.

- Because education is so important to our vision, this year our customers will be able to enjoy a much larger and user friendly web-site with more information available.  More time will be spent sharing information with our customers thru our blogs, e-mail and social media.

- We value our farming heritage and feel we can only provide the very best products if we grow them ourselves.  An additional lab will be added to Brown Barn at our “farm”.  Brown Barn will be back to growing its own herbs and making oil infusions which in turn will be added to our products, making uniquely beneficial formulas that can only be found in Brown Barn products.

We understand that some of you are accustomed to shopping at our stores and will not be happy that your store has been closed. We hope you understand that growth and change is necessary to us as a business.  We thank you for trying us out, your input has been invaluable to us.  We consider every customer a unique part of Brown Barn and hope you will continue to visit our web-site and blogs.

Thank you for cheering us on and giving us the courage to continue to grow!

Christine Untiedt

Founder

The Brown Barn Company llc

Shea Butter Basics

Shea Butter is used in a variety of Brown Barn products and products made using Shea butter are often requested by our customers. But what is Shea Butter and why is it so popular?

What is it?

Shea Butter is made from the fat of the nut of the African Shea tree (Vitellaria paradoxa).  Shea Butter is noted in ingredient lists by its botanical name: Butyrospermum Parkii. This is a great example of not following the adage of “only use body products whose names you can pronounce”. This is definitely one product you want to use!

Why is it good to use?

The traditional use of the butter is to reduce the appearance of fine lines, scars and stretch marks, and to ease a variety of skin irritations, such as psoriasis, eczema and sunburn. Shea butter possesses several fatty acids and plant sterols, namely oleic, stearic, palmitic and linolenic acids that allow it to produce these amazing results.

Antioxidant Content

Shea butter contains vitamins A and E, as well as catechins, plant antioxidants also found in green tea. While it is unclear how well vitamins A and E in raw Shea butter are absorbed, there is evidence to suggest that cinnamic acid esters in Shea fat help to prevent skin damage from ultraviolet radiation.

Other Uses

Shea butter softens and conditions leather and wood, so musicians use it to improve the flexibility of leather tuning straps, and the pitch and timbre of animal skin drums and other percussion instruments. Africans use Shea butter in cooking. In other parts of the world, manufacturers add Shea butter to margarine.

Precautions

If you have a known allergy to other tree nuts, you may experience a reaction to Shea butter. Consult your physician or allergist before using this product, if this is the case.

Brown Barn Products using Shea Butter:

· Shea and Aloe body crème

· Super Shea bar soap

· Selected other bar soap

· Lip Balms

· Sugar Scrub

· Massage Bars

· Selected Facial Items

For a complete list go to our web-site at www.brownbarnbath.com and “search” the word Shea. 

What's coming using Shea Butter? For Spring: Whipped Shea Butter body butters with added botanical extracts.

Have a great weekend!  

Christine Untiedt

Founder

The Brown Barn Company llc

Sugar Scrubs 101

Our Brown Barn Sugar Scrubs have become one of our most popular selling items.  Winter or Summer, these scrubs help dry skin become fresh and new again but did you know there are a host of other benefits gained when using a Sugar Scrub?

• Sugar scrubs are user-friendly for all skin types because they leave no side effects in their wake. 

• They work wonders in preventing skin ailments like eczema and psoriasis because they hydrate skin so effectively.

• Sugar scrubs are a great way to fight cellulite in the body.

• Sugar scrubs can be used on your face are used not only for skin exfoliation, but also for cleansing and massaging it. The advantage of which is that they do not clog the pores and are easily absorbed into the skin. Using a sugar scrub on the face will leave it smooth and healthy and will prevent the onset of acne.We recommend using the Brown Barn sugar scrubs that contain essential oils rather than fragrance oil for facial applications.

• They are packed with the goodness of alpha-hydroxy which is essential for glowing skin.

• Repeated use of sugar scrubs will help one to have healthier, glowing, uniformly textured and colored skin.

• They are a much better choice than salt scrubs because they aren't as harsh as salt scrubs and are much smoother than them.

• Sugar scrubs can be used by children without any side effects.

• Sugar scrub can be used to circulate and stimulate the lymph nodes. Always apply in circular motions from fingers and toes toward the heart to stimulate circulation.

• Everyday use will also help to formulate a protective layer for the skin and prevent areas like the knees, elbow, etc. from becoming dark.

• Sugar scrubs can be used on the lips as well. Sugar scrubs work wonders for lips because they help in preventing chapped lips and skin. If one already has chapped lips, a single or probably two uses of sugar scrubs can soften the skin.  Again, we recommend using Sugar Scrubs containing essential oil rather than fragrance oil for this application.

• Sugar scrubs also help to absorb the oils and dirt from the skin and balance the natural oils.

Lastly, Sugar Scrubs just feel ooooh so goooood.  The Brown Barn Sugar Scrubs are "dry scrubs" meaning that we use solid oils rather than liquid oils in our scrubs. This helps to avoid leaking and the dreaded accidental tipping of the jar oil loss we've all experience in our tub!  Look for expanded and new blends and scents in this line with our Spring scents and available by popular demand on-line and in our Steamboat store today is Black Raspberry Vanilla with added seeds.

Visit our web-site for more information.

Have a super scrubby day!

Chris Untiedt
Founder

8 Ways to Save at The Brown Barn Company

I am often surprised at how few people take advantage of the many ways there are to save at The Brown Barn Company. Read up here so you don't miss out!

1.  Like us on Facebook!  This is the easiest and most effective way to get an immediate notice on sales and free shipping.  We often offer “Facebook Code Word” sales that you can use at check-out or on-line to get discounts.  (And we have the funnest Facebook group EVER!)  Did you know you can get a Facebook code word right now for 25% off your in-store purchase or 10% off a web-site purchase thru the 14th?  https://www.facebook.com/BrownBarnBath

2. Shop the Item of the Week.  Each week we offer one selected product or line for savings.  Watch for your favorite products and stock up when we offer these items on sale. 

3.   Coupons – Use your coupons in conjunction with Item of the Week for an even bigger savings or use anytime for savings on the items you want.

4.    Ask to be placed on our e-mail list.  Even if you already like us on Facebook it is worth your while to also be on our E-mail list so you can receive even more Brown Barn coupons and specials.  We are just beginning to get in the habit of sending weekly e-mail notices and specials out and hope to get better at this over the next couple months.

5.    Free Shipping – Here is a Brown Barn secret – we offer Free Shipping for all purchases for a few days approximately every 6 weeks!  We ALWAYS offer free shipping on orders of $50 or more.  Personally, I find this the best way to shop Brown Barn for those items your local store tends to run out of such as facial products and the most popular soap scents. http://www.brownbarnbath.com

6.   Traveling to Steamboat Springs, CO from Wisconsin or from Colorado to Holcombe, Wisconsin?  Ask for the travel coupon at your local store or by e-mailing me at thebrownbarn@gmail.com.  You can get 30% off by visiting one of our stores!

7.    If you are not fussy about seasonal scents, shop the discount area of your local store.  We often offer sales on items that are running on short date or scents that don’t match the season (such as Lilac in December).

8.    Save Brown Barn Bucks – Brown Barn Bucks are handed out ($1 for every $10 spent) at key times in the year.  They work just like cash for up to 70% off purchases in the months of March and October.  This helps you as new items are often introduced then and helps us as those are slower times of the year for Brown Barn.

Happy Shopping! Don't forget to take time to relax and enjoy the season.

Chris Untiedt
Founder, The Brown Barn Company llc

 

A Good Night's Sleep with Lavender

Sometimes I have trouble sleeping.  It doesn’t seem to be linked to stress or problems; happy, sad, it doesn’t matter.  Sometimes I just can’t sleep.  

I have Fibromyalgia so sleep is very important to me.  A few bad nights can trigger painful episodes of tense muscles and even muscle tics.  When I was first diagnosed with Fibromyalgia my doctor gave me powerful sleep aides that left me groggy all day.  This was when I realized the power of Lavender as a sleep aide. Lavender has been used for centuries to speed relaxation and induce restful sleep.

If I were a more creative person I would write an ode to Lavender. I love Lavender for what it brings to us as humans, it is my best friend in the plant world.  Alas, I am not creative enough to write an ode so you are stuck with simply my version of what I consider to be the best, sure-fire (at least for me!) sleep inducing routine I can come up with.   

First, for this routine to work you must be sure to use Lavender Essential Oil, not Lavender Fragrance Oil. Check your product labels to make sure the ingredient listed is not fragrance oil. Only essential oil will give you the benefits of the actual plant DNA which will work with your body to create a therapeutic result.

I believe what makes this routine fail safe for me is that the lavender is layered throughout and that it is a ritual - first this, then that - so that I have trained myself to associate this routine with sleep.  

I need to add a disclaimer here as well.  I have been exposed to lavender most of my life and never have had an adverse reaction. Before trying any routine this intense you should test the waters by using a combination of a few of these products at a time before diving in all the way.

When I am desperate for a good night’s sleep I….

Draw a hot bath. Sometimes I opt for some Lavender scented soy candles or a beeswax candle to create a positive atmosphere. Put on quiet relaxing music or grab a relaxing novel.

Dry brush myself to stimulate my skin and remove dead skin cells (dry brushes are available in our stores or other quality bath shops). You can call us at 715-595-4570 to inquire about telephone ordering a dry brush from Brown Barn.

I drop a Lavender Essential Oil bath bomb into the bath water. Sometimes I even include some Lavender infused bath salts.

I climb into the tub, being careful not to slip.

After soaking for a few minutes I wash myself with any of the following: Lavender essential oil based bar soap, Lavender Essential Oil foaming bath butter, or Lavender Essential Oil liquid body wash (my personal favorite).

Then I use our famous Lavender essential oil sugar scrub or the Brown Burl White Pines Sugar Scrub. I am careful to scrub in circular motion from my outer extremities toward my heart to stimulate circulation. I scrub until all of the sugar has dissolved so as not to waste a drop.  Our sugar scrubs start out dry but boy when they hit water watch out, they are just packed with fabulous oil.

I soak some more, maybe adding a little more hot water to the tub. Read, relax, close my eyes. I might choose to use my Lavender eye pillow.

When I exit the tub I am VERY CAREFUL as there is a lot of oil in that tub after using all these great Brown Barn products. I pat dry (never rub – you don’t want to remove all that great oil you just invested in).  

I use either the Brown Barn Lavender Body Lotion or any of the Brown Burl White Pines line liberally even though I’m already covered in oil from the bath.  My purpose now is to layer on more Lavender essential oil.

I then get in my pj’s and relax a little longer by watching tv or reading until the oil has sunk fully into my skin. At this time I heat and use my Lavender infused neck pillow. If I really want to go all out with my theme I give myself a mini-facial using my Lavender & Lime clay facial mask.

When I’m ready for bed I spritz my pillow and bedroom with Lavender Peaceful Sleep Pillow Mist. I also add another layer of lotion or salve to my hands so I can breathe in the lavender scent while I sleep.

I then use either the Brown Barn Lavender Aromatherapy Roll-on or Lavender salve around my nostrils so I am inhaling luscious Lavender as I drift off to sleep.

I turn on my electric blanket so my bed is warm when I enter.

I drift off to peaceful sleep – medication free!

Wishing you a great night's rest...

Chris Untiedt, Owner, The Brown Barn Company llc