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.
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| 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
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.
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| 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)
