December 2014 Soap News and Special

Hi Everybody--

What an exciting month we had in November.  To start off I had three shows.  Some of you met my painter friend Eve at Lake Eola for Fiesta in the Park.  I was up in Micanopy for the Fall Festival.  Both shows had nice cold/cool temperatures very fitting for a Fall show--and we both saw a ton of customers--thank you!  The next weekend I went to New Smyrna Beach for Flamingo Follies.  The exciting thing was coming to open my tent on Sunday and finding about $400 worth of missing soap, soap dishes, soap bags, lipbalms, yada, yada, yada!  Turns out that about a dozen artists had things missing.  The worst was a mosaic artist who had over $500 worth of products stolen.  Bummer...and probably not even worth turning in to my insurance company.  I took photos and filed a police report "in case", and the City sent a refund of 50% of the show fee. Someone is getting a lump of coal in their stocking!  Coincidentally, someone stole one of our Disney salvage bikes off our carport last week, too.  Double Bummer!

After I finished restocking a ton of soap, I made a quick trip up to Illinois to finish the winterizing of the cottage. The temperatures did not cooperate with me getting out in the yard, but, I was able to get a full van load unpacked, get two window air conditioners put away and then spent a couple days enjoying a beautiful snowfall.  I had left the old Mercury mini-van up there to use in the winter, but, we are rethinking that plan!  The first day it fired up, but, I had no lights on the dash board.  And the oil light was on.  I checked the oil and it was fine so I drove it.  The next day I had to scrape ice off the windows and once it started the lights were still off the dash AND the radio and heater stopped working.  This was not good!  I have lived in Florida 30 YEARS and this girl needs a heater to work when the temperature goes under 50 degrees.  I  added a bunch of pictures to the blog a week ago, so take a look if you are interested.

I tried to convince my Mom to come back to Florida for a couple weeks.  I knew she would love the Tallahassee Market Days show and she could spend Thanksgiving with us! But we decided that was too long for her to be away from home and Dad.  After much discussion, she decided to come for a week.  So, we spent three days on the road and had a wonderful trip full of great Mom/Daughter conversations.  Then, a day after being in Orlando, she started having back pain.  Bad pain, so bad that she started walking hunched over.  I thought it was just achy pain from her new stretching exercises and walking.  But when I say her walking like that the day before her plane trip back to Illinois, I knew it was a very bad problem.  We got her into a massage therapist, which loosened her up enough to get on the plane.  That and some great wheelchair assists on both ends of the flight!  The doctor appointment the day after Thanksgiving shows a disc problem so she is on pain meds, a steroid and muscle relaxers.    

I want to thank you all for another year of successful business--it is over 15 years--thanks to all of YOU!  I am in the process of booking shows for 2015, so, please be sure to go to the Show Schedule at www.JackieSoap.com  to see where I will be next year.  I have already had one major show problem.  Turns out the folks at the Deerfield Festival of the Arts have brought on a promoter to run the show and they decided last minute during the jury process to concentrate on ART only.  So, as a c
rafter, I was not invited back to the show.  This one hurts as I have done the show for almost 14 years.  My friend Lynn Upson, the Spice Lady, was not invited back either and she was the first craftsman invited to do the show almost 20 years ago.  So, I really need any suggestions you might have for art and craft shows in South Florida.  Which shows do you go to?

Oh, don't forget the Cyber Week special is up on the website--10% off all orders, plus the December Special and Free Shipping if you spend $50 after the discount!

Show Schedule
January 2015 
3-4 
10-11 Jensen Beach Arts and Crafts Festival 
17-18 
25-26 
31-Feb 1 


February 2015 
7-8 Lake Placid Country Fair 
13-15 Lakeridge Winefest, Clermont, FL 
21-22 
28- Mar 1 Dacie FL Orange Blossom Fest 

Industry News

Industry icon, Paul Mitchell, has a new directive this year encouraging their fans to take part in the Pay it Forward movement Check out the website at  #GIVINGISMYSTYLE  In the spirit of the season, the brand is donating up to $200,000 to it's partner charities for people taking part in the gallery  at the website.  

In an update to a post a few months ago, China has now abolished the requirement for animal testing for most cosmetics manufactured in the country.  That means shampoos, makeup, many skin care products and perfumes will be exempt from animal testing.  For imported products, the ban is in effect as long as the product's final finishing--packaging, for example--is done in China. 

Here in the states, the California Legislature adopted Resolution 22, another Cruelty Free International initiative. The hope is to get the US Congress and the President to support uniform restrictions on animal testing of cosmetics for the nation.

Company News  

The big news is the continuing Black Friday/Cyber Week specials up on the website.  CYBERWEEK - good for 10% off your shopping cart total through midnight December 7, 2014.  After that we will resort to the special as described below. 

I also talked above about the 2015 Show Schedule, so stay tuned for any and all changes that may be coming down the pike!  I really try to do shows around the state and I am always looking for more great ones.

After 15 years of doing a traditional Men's Bayrum scent for the shaving round, I decided it was time to mix it up.  What took me so long??  So, for 2015 the Pirates Booty Bar is now scented with a 100% natural essential oil blend of Lime and Pine.  

SPECIAL

For the month of December, every soap order will receive a free bar of Everything but the Kitchen Sink Soap with every three soaps ordered.  I have an abundance of these in stock right now and they are very popular with new and old customers!  And remember if you need to stock up, all orders of $50 or more receive FREE SHIPPING!  This time of the year is a great time to take advantage of this deal!

What you ask is an Ugly Soap--this would be one example!!

I have a couple bags of endpieces that have been around for a long while.  IF you are a shaving soap user or a Lavender Oatmeal lover--go to the Specials page NOW and get a great deal on the Ugly Soaps.  The Lavender soaps I just put up are what happens when I take an important phone call instead of getting the soap in the mold quickly.  It ain't pretty...but you benefit by getting a great deal on these bars.  Hey, and there are just a few bars of Split Personality 100% Natural on there too.  Really, you need to go take a look at these specials!!

The Specials can always be ordered by going to my website, scrolling down to the bottom of the page and clicking on the big green leaf. This will take you to the "secret" members’ only page so you can place your order. List members' pay actual shipping and tax if applicable, so disregard the shipping charge my shopping cart will show on your receipt. A correct invoice will be mailed with your order. Please put the words DECEMBER SPECIAL in the comments area of your order. You may also call or email, but be sure to mention the DECEMBER SPECIAL; otherwise, you may not get the special price.

With Warm Holiday Regards to you ALL, 

Jackie the SoapLady

Website:www.JackieSoap.com

P.S.  Dear Santa, please bring me the SixThreeZero Paisley Bike this year
--er, right after peace and joy to the WORLD!

The Keys in October

This just screams FLORIDA!  It was just a perfect day with the most incredible blue sky...

This was at the back of the resort we stayed at one night in Key Largo.  We supposedly made a note of the place to come back to, but, I can't pull it out of my memory banks right now.  

Same place in Key Largo--so inviting!

Rod on the beach at Key West.  They have done a bit of improving...but...alas...it is still not very pretty here.  Spend you time at the north end of Bahia Honda Key instead!

Using the underwater camera case...not anything impressive...but it was fun!

Keys style lattice!!  Love it!

This is a garage converted into a business.  I took the picture because I like the look
of the doors for the IL cottage when we do put up a garage!

Rod and I spent just a few days down here in October.  Our usual place in Key West, Eden House, was booked with a wedding so we stayed at the Old Custom House right on Duval.  We would do it again, but, it was definitely a different kind of trip.  Pickles the Parrot made the stay memorable!  We also discovered the Fast Buck Freddies Furniture outlet on the north end of the island.  As always we spent a couple hours in the bookstore on Fleming St. too--just off Duval.  But they were in the middle of downsizing from two spaces to one--so it was too crowded to really shop and browse.  I still came away with two wonderful books, both had excerpts from diaries--one a newspaperwoman from Arizona and the other a book of letters from one of the presidents to his mother.

Bonnie and I brought a load of "stuff" to Illinois after the New Smyrna Beach show.  I was there to winterize.  What that means, I am not 100% sure, but, I did the best I could given the snowfall.  I got the air conditioners out of the two windows and put away.  I was supposed to do a lot more yard work, but, now that I see these pictures--I really like how everything looks with snow piled on top.  

So, in addition to the first snow shoveling in A VERY LONG TIME, I also got to scrape my van windows--with a credit card since my scraper was locked in the Mercury with the frozen shut doors.  I also caught a mouse in a sticky trap I had put out this summer for spiders.  Poor dear was trying to drag the trap through the hole in the bathroom wall.  He must have had a heart attack when I put him in a grocery bag and threw him out the back door.  I hope he did anyway.  

Blue Moon Cottage after the first snowfall,  November 2014

The Zebra Grass with a dusting of snow!

The view out the backdoor when I discovered it was SNOWING!!!!

The next morning this is the view I woke up to!  What a winter wonderland!

The front yard--Bonnie and I trounced through the little bit of snow to get this picture.

And one picture from Orlando on Tuesday, November 25, 2015:  This hawk was just sitting at the top of the roof gable.  I got really close and took a bunch of pictures and he just sat there looking at me, the ground, the sky, whatever.  I wondered if he was keeping an eye out for a rodent or snake in the grass to eat!  I also wondered if he was the hawk who ate one of the mockingbird babies a couple years ago.  Regardless, he was a stately, handsome guy, don't ya think?

2014 Black Friday and Cyber Week Special Codes

                                

Here are the coupon codes to use in your shopping cart at www.JackieSoap.com for the 2015 Black Friday and Cyber Week sales!

BLACKFRIDAY - good for 20% off your shopping cart total through midnight Friday Nov 28th

CYBERWEEK - good for 10% off your shopping cart total through midnight December 7, 2014

FREESHIP - off a $50 order

Those specials can be combined, but, you can only put one coupon code per order.  If I see the shopping cart total is over $50 for the discounted merchandise, I will pay the shipping on your order!  This will be done manually--so the shopping cart and the emailed receipt will not be correct.  Your receipt with the order will reflect both discounts!

If you have any questions, give me a holler at (407) 363-1494!  Thanks so much for your business. 

Jackie the SoapLady 

November 2014 Soap News and Special

Hi Everybody!
I am putting the newsletter out a few days early to let you know about two shows THIS weekend.  See the show calender below for details.  

October went by in a whirl of activity.  Rod and I took a few days off and spent some time at our favorite place, Key West.  We weren't able to stay at our favorite place, Eden House, because it was booked with a wedding.  So we ended up staying in The Old Customs House Inn right on Duval.  The reviews were pretty dicey, but, in reality it was a pretty good spot for a quick trip.  There is no front desk service to speak of, you had to find your own parking, the shower was teeny tiny and the TV only had one channel that worked.  BUT, that was all doable...especially when you throw in a cute parrot named Pickles who greeted us every time we came and went from the room.  

Back in Orlando, we have the whole "moving to Illinois" thing on our minds, so Rod and I got a head start on things by cleaning out the shed and the attic a week ago.  We had enough stuff to have a one day garage sale.  We got rid of lots of Christmas stuff, a couple dressers, under-used kitchen applicances and some home decor and pictures--everything big except the Nordic Track and a bunch of books.  The books and a couple small boxes of leftovers went to the Salvation Army and the Nordic Track got posted on Craigs List.  So, now we can actually stack up the next bunch of things to go up to Illinois in the big van.  I will go up for a week right after the New Smyrna Beach show.

We had a cardiologist appointment at the beginning of the month.  Rod was able to come off his blood thinner and the doc suggested cutting his statin in half and changing up his blood pressure pill for another medicine that handles BP and two other things he was concerned about.  It should help to even out his heart rate so there are fewer missed beats and the resulting BIG beat that occurs after a missed beat.  All in all we feel very good about how all this is going--he is eating to our plan and doing his walking, so, what we can control, we are--the rest we are putting in bigger hands than ours!

P.S.  We are going to get down to temps in the 50's and possibly lower this weekend!  FALL IS HERE!

  

SHOW SCHEDULE

November 2014 

1-2          Fiesta in the Park, Lake Eola Park, Orlando FL  AND

1-2          Micanopy Fall Festival (my friend Eve will be doing Orlando and I will be in Micanopy--thanks for the help Eve!!)
8-9          Flamingo Follies, New Smyrna Beach, FL--Booth #106
15-16         

22-23    

29-30

December 2014 

6-7          Tallahassee Market Days
13-14      Holiday in the Garden, Washington Oaks Garden State

               Park, Palm Coast, Florida--sorry, it looks like they will not be doing a craft show this year.

20-21      Merry Christmas!
27-28      Happy New Year!

INDUSTRY NEWS

You know, I am all about SCENT.  And what is more irresistible than "New Baby Smell"!  Turns out that the scent and the phenomenon are being studied.  Blogger and Real Simple Associate Editor, Julia Edelstein, reported on the findings in this article.  What I found fascinating is that they identified the scent as being made up of roughly 250 chemicals.   The combination of these chemicals lights up the rewards center part of the brain.  The same area that would recognize you were partaking of a piece of Godiva chocolate!  I wonder how long it will take the perfumers and formulators to come up with this wonderful scent?  And speaking of scent, check out my third quarter bestsellers, below.

My Great Niece when she was little!

COMPANY NEWS

So this is a big weekend for shea butter soap in Central Florida.  My artist friend, Eve Silverbach, who you may recognize from the picture below, will be manning my booth at Fiesta in the Park at Lake Eola this weekend.  I will be up in Micanopy doing the Fall Festival in my usual spot across from the Herlong Mansion.  Eve will have the incense rack with her in Orlando along with the soap, soapdishes and other bath accessories.  I will have the bath accessories,  eye pillows and giftbag stuffers with me.  We both will have guest soap samplers and oils.  IF THERE IS SOMETHING YOU NEED, PLEASE LET ME KNOW ASAP SO I CAN MAKE SURE IT WILL BE AVAILABLE.  We think we have the credit card situation worked out--cross fingers, please!  

Nautical Painter, Eve Silverbach

The best sellers for the third quarter are as follows:

1.  Lavender Oatmeal 100% Natural

2.  Oatmeal Milk & Honey Goatmilk

3.  Jasmine Goatmilk

4.  Lilac Goatmilk

5.  Beach

6.  Sweet Earth

7.  Lemongrass Scrubby 100% Natural

8.  Gardenia Goatmilk

9.  Sandalwood Vanilla

10.  Black Raspberry Vanilla Goatmilk

Congratulations to Crystal M. of Illinois who won last month's Facebook Special--a free log of Everything but the Kitchen Sink.  Head over to Facebook and chat with us on the wall for your chance to win our great yearend specials.  Every order in November and December will be in the Facebook contest--even if you haven't had time to friend us there!  I love chatting with everyone, but, it is those of you who continue to order that pay the bills.  A HUGE thank you to you all!

SPECIAL

For the month of November, every soap order will receive a free bar of Everything but the Kitchen Sink Soap with every three soaps ordered.  I have an abundance of these in stock right now and they are very popular with new and old customers!  And remember if you need to stock up, all orders of $50 or more receive FREE SHIPPING!  This time of the year is a great time to take advantage of this deal!

I have a couple bags of endpieces that have been around for a long while.  IF you are a shaving soap user, a Patchouli lover or a Lavender Oatmeal lover--go to the Specials page NOW and get a great deal on the ugly soaps.  The Lavender soaps I just put up are what happens when I take an important phone call instead of getting the soap in the mold quickly.  It ain't pretty...but you benefit by getting a great deal on these bars.  Hey, and there are just a few bars of Split Personality 100% Natural on there too.  Really, you need to go take a look at these specials!!

The Specials can always be ordered by going to my website, scrolling down to the bottom of the page and clicking on the big green leaf. This will take you to the "secret" members’ only page so you can place your order. List members' pay actual shipping and tax if applicable, so disregard the shipping charge my shopping cart will show on your receipt. A correct invoice will be mailed with your order. Please put the words NOVEMBER SPECIAL in the comments area of your order. You may also call or email, but be sure to mention the NOVEMBER SPECIAL; otherwise, you may not get the special price.

With Regards to you ALL, 

Jackie the SoapLady

Website:
www.JackieSoap.com

Facebook:  Become a fan by liking “Handcrafted by Jackie Turbot”.   Post on the wall for chances to win a free goodie monthly.

October 2014 Soap News and Special

Traditional Harvest Festival

OCTOBER!  Oh yes, Fall is here!  Even in the heat of Florida we have the orange, red and brown decorations up in the stores, the pumpkin patches are open and we start to believe that night temperatures now lingering at 70 or above, might soon bring cooler days...sometime, soon hopefully.

Florida's version of Fall...see the leaf colors in the back!!!

This weekend I was at the Deland Craft Show, mainly helping my artist friend, Nautical Painter, Eve Silverbach, who had double booked shows.  So, I was set up with half of the booth filled with painted switchplates and photography and the other half with my soap trays.  Here's a heads-up for you Central Floridians:   Eve will be doing the Orlando show at Lake Eola the first weekend in November.  I will be setup in Micanopy.  I will not have the incense with me...Eve will have it in Orlando.  So, if you need incense at Micanopy, please call me no later than Wednesday  October 29th, and I will pull what you need and bring it with me.

I made it back to Orlando in my new-to-me Ford 3/4 ton 2006 cargo van.  So, for those of you wondering about the poor Mercury, it is now the Illinois back up vehicle.  Not sure how it will weather the Illinois cold winter, but, hopefully it will start if we fly up sometime in December or January.   We had so much room in the van, we didn't even reach the halfway mark...which left Bonnie-Dog plenty of room to roam.  She happened to roam through my box of ripening tomatoes, BAD BONNIE, but I still had plenty to make Rod  BLT's, a couple Mexican dishes and a few plates of fresh tomatoes to enjoy. 

I ended up staying an extra week in Illinois as my Aunt Patricia was very ill and in hospice care.  She ended up passing after a very hard 10 days for my uncle and cousins.  I stayed to be with my Mom and attend the funeral.  You will be missed Aunt Pat...

Next up for us is a quick four night trip to Key West.  After that we will begin to get the Halloween decorations out of the attic and get ready for the trick or treaters at the end of the month.  Rod suggested we also use that time to sort through what we have up in the attic and start clearing it out now.  That will help out a lot when we do make the final move to Illinois in 2016.  The Fall shows are detailed below.  I hope to see you all out there!

Show Schedule 

October 2014 

4-5          11-12    Coconut Creek--the Promenade on Lyons Road

18-19

25-26       

         

November 2014 

1-2          Fiesta in the Park, Lake Eola Park, Orlando FL  AND

1-2          Micanopy Fall Festival (my friend Eve will be doing Orlando and I will be in Micanopy--thanks for the help Eve!!)
8-9          Flamingo Follies, New Smyrna Beach, FL--Booth #106
15-16         

22-23    

29-30

December 2014 

6-7          Tallahassee Market Days
13-14      Holiday in the Garden, Washington Oaks Garden State

               Park, Palm Coast, Florida--tentative

20-21      Merry Christmas!
27-28      Happy New Year!

Industry News

Hats off to Dr. Bronner's soap who sometime in the last 10 years finally decided to list ALL of their ingredients on the Peppermint liquid soap.  Some of you may remember when I "outed" them for only listing the vegetable oils, not the full ingredient list.  I know I had used their soap a lot in my early days as I hiked and camped.  So, I am happy to announce with full authority that they are NOT using SLS's in the production of their pure castille soaps!   So what's actually it there?  Here ya go (in English):  Coconut, Olive, Hemp and Jojoba Organic veggie Oils, Potassium Hydroxide (the lye in liquid soaps), Organic Peppermint Essential Oil, Citric Acid and Vitamin E.   Way to go!!

Company News

I made this year's Christmas soap last week and this year it will be a fruity, wine scent called Christmas Cabernet and it will be marbeled with red and orange.  I am still working on a name, but, for now I am calling it Wassail.  It will be available starting at the Coconut Creek show and some wholesale accounts are already starting to stock it!  So, look for it at the next show you are able to attend.  

I also stocked up on the wood soap decks and the netty soap-on-a-rope bags for the giftbags.  There will be plenty available at shows for those of you needing giftbags.  I will also be doing a limited number of special $50 giftbags with the more expensive soap dishes, herbal eye pillows and the other goodies usually found in the $20 bag.  

I just did a batch of Simply Shea soap for the waitlist and since it was gone really fast, I will do another batch if there is any demand.  Those are $10 a bar, but, you get the whole bar with the bumpy top so it is actually close to 7 ounces in size.  I will be catching up on the Pet, Bug and Hunter soap waitlists over the coming few weeks...if you know you want a few bars, please email me here.  

Special

This month the special is just that--special!  For every six bar order, you will be able to pick out a free soap (the scent is your choice) and you will receive a half-guest soap size sample of the Christmas soap to go along with it.  You might also take advantage of the $50 free shipping special, details are on the secret page on the website.  Follow the green leaf to get there!  And always check on down that page a bit.  I will be putting up a bag of Patchouli soap endpieces at a discounted price!  

Have a great month, Everybody!

Jackie the SoapLady

P.S. the overhang over the back door of the new cottage is from an Mazda RX7 automobile!  No one guessed correctly!!  Any guesses for what heats the water in the outdoor shower?  A free soap to the first correct answer!

September 2014 Soap News and Special

 

HAPPY FALL!
Can you feel it in the air...the evenings cool off a bit and mornings up here have been heaven for a week or so.  I just bought a pumpkin/harvest sign tonight to hang on the gate--it is that kind of weather in Illinois right now.  Trouble is that I will be moving back into Summer very soon.  I should be back on the road to Rod and Florida by the end of the week.  Keep calling on the Illinois phone number for a bit longer (815-708-7200) if you need help with an order or if you want to stop by the soap shop.  Once I am back in Florida you will get a disconnected message on the Illinois phone.

The birds and bees have been busy here--literally.  The picture at the top of the page was on the day the birds--lots of Orioles and such perching on the face of the sunflowers, then leaning over to chow down on the seeds.  It was amazing to see dozens of them all feeding in the same area at one time.  The bees have been busy too--they are in the sedums now, but, they shared the sunflowers with all the birds.  Unfortunately they have found the hummingbird feeder too--but I think the hummers have the upper hand for now.

 

 

We had a good August up here starting with Rod's visit.  He brought a load here in his new-to-him minivan and got to acclimate to the new house.  We did a few projects at the house, met some neighbors, went to the fair and even went to downtown Rockford for a Thursday night, "Dinner on the Dock" with my sister and her hubby, Garry.   There, we met up with some longtime friends, the Blume's and were asked to join them on their very nice (BIG understatement!!!) party boat.   We also had a birthday party for Rod's 60th while he was here--check out the Pinterest inspired candle decorations--see the picture somewhere below.

 

 

 

The Schaumburg Septemberfest last weekend was a success--thank you all for coming out.  We had bad forecasts as usual.  The weather guys thought it was going to be rainy and stormy--it only ended up raining on Saturday at 7 a.m., the rest of the weekend was great.  Never believe the weather guys!  So many of you heard about my van trouble.  Miss Myrtle the van with over 306,000 miles made it to the hotel Friday night, but, just barely.  I had a battery warning light on that I ignored for too long.  So, we ended up borrowing a cube truck--a large cube truck--from my brother-in-law-the-contractor (thank you Larson and Larson Builders!).  My sister did all the hard work getting it to Schaumburg in one piece though and then we didn't end up needing it.  When we went to tow the sick van back to Rockford, the tow driver offered to take it to his garage, do the repair on Labor Day and then deliver it to the show--all in time for us to load up and head back to Rockford--and it was a good deal on top of that. 

 

The "Koi Pond"--before I added the ceramic fish I bought at Schaumburg...stay tuned...more later!

Please accept my apologies for the late (again) newsletter.  My sweet Aunt Patricia died after a long illness and 10 horrible days of Hospice care with her family and my Mom trying to help her transition from pain to peace. 

 



SHOW SCHEDULE

 

September 2014 First few weeks--working on yard work in IL and then traveling back to FL   

13-14     

20-21

27-28  Deland River Fest--doing the show for my friend Eve the nautical painter.  BUT, I will bring limited soap

 

October 2014 

4-5         We are going to the Keys!!! 11-12    Coconut Creek--the Promenade on Lyons Road

18-19

25-26       

         

November 2014 

1-2          Fiesta in the Park, Lake Eola Park, Orlando FL  AND

1-2          Micanopy Fall Festival (my friend Eve will be doing Orlando and I will be in Micanopy--thanks for the help Eve!!)
8-9          Flamingo Follies, New Smyrna Beach, FL--Booth #106
15-16         

22-23    

29-30

 

 

 

INDUSTRY NEWS

You have heard me talk about my LOVE of the OPI nail polish names.  Earlier this year they rolled out 8 new polishes inspired by Disney's "Muppets Most Wanted".  With names like "Chillin' Like a Villian", "Kermit Me to Speak" and "Miss Piggy's Big Number"--you know I am loving them!

OK, this will probably not shock you, but, it will certainly make you wonder about our obsession with looks--or at least looking younger.  The American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery reported that one in three plastic surgeons have seen an increase in requests for procedures due to patients being more self-aware of how they look in social media.  SELFIES are contributing to a 10% rise in nose jobs, a 7% rise in hair transplants and 6% rise in eyelid surgery.  These increases were for both cosmetic surgery and injectibles--with 75% of the increase attributed to minimally invasive procedures.  Young women and men are contributing to the increase--women looking to prevent visible signs of aging and men seeking nose jobs, chin implants, acne scar reduction and neck liposuction. 

My Heirloom purple tomato--first one harvested!

COMPANY NEWS

I wrote down a ton of name possibilities this past weekend while at the show.  Be looking for some great LOL new soaps in the future--but for now I really don't have anything to report.  I will be running low on some scents before I get back to soapmaking in Florida.  AND, my apologies to you incense lovers--I am out or low on a couple scents that won't be redipped until possibly next month.  SO SORRY!!  Oh, and I would love some suggestions again for the Christmas soap.  For some reason I am thinking about doing some cinnamon ornaments again...maybe.  What do you think?  Leave your comments on the blog!

SPECIAL

Click here for this month's SPECIAL.  OK, the special that is up is what I have been offering those of you who ordered already in the month...so let's go with that.  A free bar of soap for every 6 bar purchase at the 3 for $12 price.  Be sure to put your free scent in the comments area of the shopping cart.   You can always get the special online, by clicking through the green leaf at the bottom of every page where you will be whisked to the Specials page.  Spend a minute there--I also listed some shaving soap endpieces and a VERY limited supply of 100% Natural Split Personality soaps.  Be sure to click on the button of whatever specials you are trying to take advantage of...I can't read your mind...if it's not clicked I can't do the special.  But, if you forget something, you can always email me or call.  Enjoy!!

 

Oh, and don't forget if you really need to stock up or want to split an order with a friend, you get free shipping to one address if you spend $50.  Click here to go to the Specials page, click on the free shipping button and you are good to go!

Want a free bar of Split Personality with your next order (in addition to any other freebies above)?  Identify the overhang over the cottage back door.  Put your guess in the comments area of the shopping cart. (Free Soap Guesses limited to on hand supply of Split Personality)

 

August 2014 Soap News and Special

Hi Soap Lovers!

August finds me gardening.  I was going to say weeding, but, it is so much more than that here at the new Cottage.  I am a stone mason, an irrigation specialist, a landscape designer and more--only I am not expert at any of those things.  I am at best a beginner--but I am learning every minute I am out in the yard. And best yet, I am loving every moment!  Rod arrives with the first load from Florida tomorrow.  I wonder how much of what I packed to come up here a month ago I will now find that I can live without!?! 

A couple notes, one very, very sad.  My mold and soap cutter maker, Willard Larson, died at age 94 last week.  He was my sister's father-in-law--but that only tells you a fraction of the story of who this wonderful man was.  Known as the Cross Man, a master carpenter who was in the union for 70 years, a founding member of his church here in Rockford, Illinois and a navy vet who served in WWII and Korea--he was the kindest, most faithful man.  Being able to attend his funeral was a life affirming event.  A few of his grandkids and a son-in-law memorialized him...and many tears were shed.  Godspeed, Willard!  More about Willard here.

Also, for any of you having trouble reaching me on my cellphone, I apologize.  The stone cottage is not allowing me to use the cell in the house and my text messages are being delivered only when I leave the house.  (This means when I remember to take it with me as I am getting in the car--and since I am in Illinois and I can't use the phone in the car without a hand's free device--which is in he house on the counter usually--or not charged up--anyhow, you see where this is going!!!)   Please use the house number and leave a message if I am not here.  That number is (815) 708-7200.  It rings in the house, the soap factory and the shop--and I can hear it if I am in the back yard, too! 

Be sure to look around the blog if you want to see what else I have been up to last month!  I have lots of pictures to post.

 

 

Show Schedule

 

 

August /September 2014
2-3       

9-10     Mendota IL Corn Festival    

16-17  Lake Geneva WI Venetian Art Festival       

23-24

30- Sept 1    Septemberfest Schaumburg IL

 



Industry News

Have you heard how professional tasters categorize things?  There are hundreds of categories, but, basically you can set them into five basic tastes:  Sweet, Sour, Salty, Bitter and Umami (a Japanese word that means savory).  So now neuroscientists are doing the same thing for scent.  They have settled all scents into TEN basic categories--keep in mind these odors are not all intended to be used in person care products:

1.  Fragrant--like lavender, soapy, cologne
2.  Woody/resinous--for example:   cut grass, mushrooms
3.  Minty/Peppermint--eucalyptus, camphor, tea leaves fall in here
4.  Sweet
5.  Chemical
6.  Popcorn--has it's own category...LOL--but it includes butter, fried chicken like scents too.
7.  Lemon
8.  Fruity--non-citrus
9.  Pungent--garlic, sour milk
10.  Decayed--rotten meat, manure

I think we would have some interesting conversations about where in this spectrum things actually fall.  You know my distaste for Patchouli which I would put in the last category--decayed.  My sister would certainly put it in the Woody category.  What do you think about these categories?

Company News
At the Mount Horeb Art Fair  a couple weeks ago, I again ran across Sue Koehler one of my favorite potters.  I stocked up on a few of her gorgeous and functional soap dishes.  If you are looking for a great gift--for yourself or a friend--think about one of these dishes with a great bar of shea butter soap sitting on top!  I also have a green/blue/tan glaze and a tan/brown glaze dishes available.  You can get them on the soap page here--above the page footer.

 

 

I had a batch of the Salt Detox soap go bonkers on me last week.  I will be redoing that batch this weekend, hopefully, to get it ready for the shows coming up.  I am not sure how it will do with the humidity in the new curing building.  Cross fingers!

 

Soap Specials

 

Click here to get this month's special--a FREE soap with every six bar purchase of regular priced soaps.  You can always get the special online, by clicking through the green leaf at the bottom of every page where you will be whisked to the Specials page.  Spend a minute there--I also listed some shaving soap endpieces and a VERY limited supply of both the Split Personality and 100% Natural Split Personality soaps.  Be sure to click on the button of whatever specials you are trying to take advantage of...I can't read your mind...if it's not clicked I can't do the special.  But, if you forget something, you can always email me or call.  Enjoy!!

 

Oh, and don't forget if you really need to stock up or want to split an order with a friend, you get free shipping to one address if you spend $50.  Click here to go to the Specials page, click on the free shipping button and you are good to go!

This Week's Cottage Projects and MORE Pictures

 

 

I was at a jewelry party last night, chatting with a group of women I didn't know very well.  Isn't it funny how one topic will get everyone talking.  My friend Robin introduced me as Jackie, her friend from Florida who just bought a TINY HOUSE in town!  Well, those words, TINY HOUSE, ignited the room.  Laura, Robin's best friend had all kinds of questions.  Her daughter, Cassie, said she had been looking at the Pinterest Tiny House boards and was in love with them.  Everyone was either horrified or excited by the fact the new house was only 530 square feet. 

This week I spent hours in the yard, many of them accompanied by my Mom who spent a couple mornings with me helping me to cut back ground covers in the front yard where the English ivy was growing over the boulders and covering them up.  I love the look of the boulders, so the ivy had to go!  Then I refreshed the pea gravel on that side of the driveway.  Too bad it was tiny--more sand like than pinkie nail size--compared to the last batch of gravel from Menards.  I hate when that happens--especially when I was hauling 20 bags of it in my 20 year old minivan along with the last of the edging blocks for the Koi Pond. 

 

 

Now don't get too excited.  The Koi Pond is just the previous owner's nickname for the planting bed to the left as you pull in the driveway.  The "pond" is an area of pea gravel sitting in the middle of a mulched berm.  She had always wanted to put some painted wood koi in here to "swim".  I loved that idea, so, I finished off the pond with some Menards's edging along with some rocks and bricks to keep the mulch out of the pond.  I moved the round lily pads (stepping stones) from the front path that I worked on too!  Now, I need about a dozen of these to go in the pond along with some cute turtles and frogs sitting on the lily pads.  Just look at the shipping on those fish to see why I will have to come up with another idea!!!!

The last big project this week was on the two black stone pathways--you can see them in the picture above.  This is going to be a trouble spot as the supplier of that black aggregate is now out of business in town and the only other product I can find that comes close is the fish aquarium gravel you get at the pet store.  (Plus, the size is not the same and the fish stuff is shiny and what I have is more of a flat black.)  That will be a very expensive way to refresh the walks.  I have it in two areas in the back yard too!

So, what I did to help was the put a better separation in the lower path--putting those five square pavers across the path to separate the pea gravel from the black stone.  On the upper path, I had to cut the black plastic tube edging that goes under the driveway, lift it up an inch or so and then backfill it to hold the pea gravel out a bit better.  I also cut back the ivy and other ground covers in this planting bed so show the boulders and the other edging.  This planting bed may become known as my Creeping William/Charlie bed.  Jan, the previous owner said she always reached a point in the summer where she just threw up her hands.   Since I just started the battle, I may make it to the Fall with that war!

This week's yard waste haul was two 30 pound cans and five 50 pound bags.  Yes, not all of that was really yard waste--much of it could have gone on my compost pile.  BUT, that is full already!!

The lilies are about done, but, the Russian Sage is still gorgeous!