What Is Prismatic Skies?
Prismatic Skies is the predecessor to my first fragrance business, Magpie Designs, that was started in my kitchen in 2019, as an experiment that lasted a couple of days. Then again, in my kitchen, when I got sick with COVID in 2020, and needed something to do, and from there, it became a business...something I initially didn't intend on.
I first started dabbling in home fragrances while sick and whacked out of my skull from COVID by ordering a cheap ass beginners candle making kit from Amazon (this was the son-of-a-bitch kit that started it all and that occasionally annoys the shit outta my husband...glitter. I like glitter. Sue me.)
The beginners kit actually wasn't bad. The wax, for it being 100% soy (I cannot stand 100% soy now that I'm an expert, blah blah blah), for 10lbs at $33.99 (at the time of purchase) was pretty decent quality. The tins weren't bad, typical small candle tins with lids. The wicks were okay, the stickers for them were a bitch though, I had to put my whole weight down to get the damn thing to stick AND STAY. The oils, okay...if you know me, you know my blends are STRONG - triple scented, knock you on your ass if you're a wimp, blends, and even though I never made a damn candle in my life, I already knew the amount that was provided was NOT enough. And they were cheap, not great quality fragrance oils. So there was hardly any fragrance let alone a cold and hot throw. I liked the little metal thing that held the wick and kept it upright. And that pitcher. LOVED IT. I still have it actually. I shamefully own 15 pitchers. I obsess and hoard. Whatever.
I used the tins right away. And it took me less than an hour and I was bummed because I was like....okay...now what? I can't go out because of this COVID bullshit and I'm wanting to create. So I had misc. random glassware that I used and even though I had no more fragrance oils, I still practiced making candles.
Dude. I sucked. LOL. It took me a looooooooooooong time to really nail it accurately. My loving husband who is forever supportive of me and the weird shit I get myself into, especially when it comes to creating (poor guy...I've got my supplies everywhere...), was like, "you should sell them." I did...people were nice and sweet about it, even though I sucked a massive one.
But the main selling point was the fact that I made necklaces, put them in baggies, wrapped them in aluminum foil and tossed them bitches in my candles as hidden gifts, and then dubbed them Magpie Treasures Candles. And everyone would post photos of the necklaces that they got!
Oh...I should probably start by saying I named my business Magpie Designs because magpies are my #1 favorite bird. They're hoarders. They love shiny things. They're easily distracted by them. And they're kind of assholes. Like me.
I was known as: Magpie Designs / Magpie Designs by Vanessa Moylan-Theodore / Magpie Designs by VMT.
Good lawd, I didn't do my homework. There are SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO MANY GOD DAMN BUSINESSES NAMED MAGPIE DESIGNS that I needed something that would put me on page 1 of Google. I had a bigger digital footprint than the other Magpie Designs, after adding a paragraph to my business name. TADA!!!
Before I got comfortable making my own blends, I did do one bottle pours. I read what amount I was supposed to put in, and I was like no I can't smell shit, it needs more. Ugh. I learned hard and quick that you cannot go ham on fragrance oils with 100% soy wax and some of my first candles were utter failures, even if my early customers won't admit it to me, I knew they were. But they were kind, and supporting me in this new adventure.
At this time, I actually stopped buying candles because I really hated them after a while, even before making them. Because I would dish out megabucks on a Yankee Candle and the damn thing barely had a fragrance. So I stopped buying them. I was buying those ridiculous Air Wick things because I had those dispensers all over my house. Legit, everytime I walked by one anywhere in my house, the damn thing sprayed on me, and I decided Air Wick was out to get me and my asthma and said FUCK YA'LL, I had it with you! I was already fully aware of what wax melts were and I liked them, because the ones I bought were from Walmart and them cheap things actually had hot fragrance throw for $2 a pop! And they had a great variety, still do. Even though I'm a wax vendor, I still buy from Walmart and I buy from other vendors. I'm not cocky, I just want my damn house to smell good. Anyhoo, and of course, I was obsessed. This was a few years before making them. But I became even more obsessed with wax melts as I was working with wax.
Then I was finding FB groups of vendors making wax melts and was like oh shit, I can do this. Then I was ordering clamshells wholesale out the ass and realized what I was great at. And maybe within two or three months of making wax melts as a one bottle pourer, I was like...hmmm, I wanna mess around and I created some mountain rain blend with tropical flowers and was immediately hooked. I don't even remember what it was, but I think I have photos...if I find them, I'll post it here.
And with everything that I do, I cannot do the same thing as everyone else. If I'm going to do something, spend the money, and spend a lot of time doing this, then I have to do something different. And, at the time, vendors were not really adding embellishments like charms and they weren't getting crystals and precious stones and adding them to their product, I maybe saw one person on Etsy that added dried florals and botanicals, but I didn't see charms, stones etc., and I certainly didn't see horror, goth, occult stuff. I don't want to say I was the first because I don't know for a fact, but I didn't see it and if I didn't see it, which is rare that I'm not aware of art and design etc, then it's not done or not well marketed.
As time went on, and I gained a name for myself, I have started seeing not only my designs being stolen, but even the names/themes, and yes... poor attempts at trying to create my fragrances.
I didn't do live videos. I don't like the way I sound on video, I've got that raspy Brooklyn tone to my voice and dude, my accent is brutal with some words. So being the artist that I am, I created artsy videos to market my stuff.
Not only did I have a full time career working 40+ hours a week, sometimes 60 hours, I was putting in an additional 8-10 hours AFTER work working on Magpie. People do not understand the amount of time being an artist, a small business, an indie vendor takes. And the kicker is, I didn't, and still don't, do this for the money. I do it because I have to create. And if people buy what I make...fucking bonus! You have to have a real passion if you're going to do something like this. It's no joke. Sure, I could make simple shit, but then I'm drowning in vast sea of other vendors. If you're going to do this, and really mean it, you have to stick out. You have to do something different. Like...why the hell should Karen buy from me, when she can buy from Walmart, Target, Sue, Barbara, Debra at a cheaper price? Because my shits authentic. You're sure as shit not going to see sweet church going Dottie create a wax melt bar that is covered in fake wax melt blood with a plastic toy chainsaw right smack in the middle smelling like leather, fear, and regret and calling it The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. No. You'll get Dottie's American Apple Pie...because....'Merica.
I'm talking you're ear off, and I apologize. I should probably stop rambling and just get to the point, right?
Magpie Designs was the beginning. I had to take a break because of my health. And I was able to come back, and I wanted a fresh start, but still keeping somewhat to theme (sky...birds...ya know...), I called my business Prismatic Skies.
Prismatic Skies is predominately wax melts. Everything is original, unless it's the best sellers since day one of maybe three one-bottle pours, that I eventually changed and made my own. I also do bath bombs, shower steamers, hand soap, perfume, car fragrances, and sometimes, candles.
You will find everything PRISMATIC SKIES in my Etsy shop under the section, PRISMATIC SKIES, which can be easily found to the left of your screen, from the shop's homepage.
I will also be creating pages for each business of all the creations for those businesses, as a sort of collection/photo album.
BACK TO THE HUB DIRECTORY
TAKE A LOOK AT SOME OF MY EARLY CREATIONS
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