I am so sorry for the delay in this month's newsletter. Life definitely refused to take a backseat. Last month we were in the process of finding a great new house up in Illinois. Rod was here and we were making an offer on the cottage. I was starting to "nest"--thinking about the possibilities of being back close to my side of the family. Then on June 17th, my Mother-in-Law, Cora Mack Dudley--Coty, to her friends--passed away. Coty was going to be 94 in November. Her hospital visits were starting to take a little more out of her each time she went in--but she always came out. She was always happy to get back to her beach house for "just one more summer". This time though, there would not be one more time.
The funeral included her three kids and us spouses, a grand child and about three dozen of her church friends. Everyone thought she would make it home again, so even though she was in her nineties, we all thought we would have more time to prepare for this. But, despite the surprise of her not coming home once again, we mostly could remember the good times sitting on the sun porch visiting, going to the ice house to get watermelons, how just running to the grocery store with her could morph into a three hour long reunion with her buddies.
I was lucky to have Coty as a MIL. She was kind, non-judgmental and she raised a mighty nice young man who I was lucky to marry about 30 years ago. Coty will be mourned. She will be missed. And I really wish she could have seen our cute new little cottage. She would have wanted to try to stay up in the loft and she would have loved sitting in the gardens talking.
Show Schedule
I am very sorry to have missed last weekend's show at University of Wisconsin--Parkside for the funeral. I hope you will be able to visit me at one of the following shows:
July
5-6
12-13
19-20 Mt Horeb Wisconsin 39th Annual Art Festival
26-27
16-17 Lake Geneva WI Venetian Art Festival
Industry News
So, this little homemade soap market place is no longer a niche market. It is part of a mega-trend driven by people who strive to live healthy, caring lives. These consumers don't want invasive procedures in an office visit. They want natural products to apply topically that are not synthetic and possibly harmful. As a result, grocery stores and other retailers are making it easier to find quality skin and body care products at affordable prices. That benefits us all.
Please add my new summer Illinois phone number to your address book: (815) 708-7200 and you can still use the old email address (rjturbot@cfl.rr.com) as I am still checking that via webmail. I still have the cell phone, but, I can only use it when I am away from the house as I have no bars at the house. That coverage map LIES! LOL Also note that shipping is running about three (3) days from the time you place your order. That is due to all the products still being at my parent's house. After the show in Mt Horeb, WI, I will move the soap here to the cottage. Please with me until then!
Thanks to so many of you helping with such great product reviews for the website! Remember, you get a free bar of soap for any well written, thoughtful comments you have for a particular soap. It only takes a few sentences to pass my quality control process--so, send me one the next time you have a few minutes. Here is a nice review of my hand-dipped incense so you can see what I am looking for:
Hey Jackie - just wanted to let you know that I received my incense and it is delicious. Exactly as I remembered it from ages ago. Everything that envelope came into contact with smells heavenly. Your home must smell wonderful. Mine used to but my dogs (puppies to
terminally ill) seemed to have taken care of that. Donna P.
Special
I took the easy way out and will continue the same special from June--buy six bars at regular price and get one free--a $5 value! Shipping is only $5.05 for the seven bars anywhere in the USA. There is a button to press on the secret page to make sure you get the freebie--get there by going to the bottom of any page at www.JackieSoap.com and clicking on the green leaf.
OK, Soap Addicts, that is all for July. Give your family members a hug or a squeeze, tell them you love them--life is short, so enjoy every minute of it. If ya'll have any comments, suggestions, or just want to chat--leave a comment on the blog!
Jackie the SoapLady
19-20 Mt Horeb Wisconsin 39th Annual Art Festival
26-27
August 2014
2-3
9-10 Mendota IL Corn Festival 2-3
16-17 Lake Geneva WI Venetian Art Festival
23-24
30-31 Septemberfest Schaumburg IL
Industry News
I was reading a great article in the June 2014 HAPPI (Household and Personal Products Industry) trade publication. It was titled, "From Farm to Face". I thought that was a great way to describe the growing trend of homegrown/homemade products, a market that tallies about $30 BILLION globally! Perhaps what really speaks to me though is the positive spin on the marketing--instead of focusing on the bad ingredients they focus on natural ingredients and benefits. And who doesn't like the idea of things coming from the earth rather from a test tube in a lab!
So, this little homemade soap market place is no longer a niche market. It is part of a mega-trend driven by people who strive to live healthy, caring lives. These consumers don't want invasive procedures in an office visit. They want natural products to apply topically that are not synthetic and possibly harmful. As a result, grocery stores and other retailers are making it easier to find quality skin and body care products at affordable prices. That benefits us all.
Company News
The big news is that I am in the middle of setting up the semi-permanent soap shop and factory in the two outbuildings of the new cottage. I moved everything over from my parents house this weekend--over the Fourth of July. It will probably take a couple weeks to get it all up and running the way I envision, but, it has been a good distraction. I will be back in Florida later this summer to get ready for the Fall and Winter shows down there. The time frame for moving up to Illinois permanently is still when Rod retires at 62 in just over two years. Here's what the exteriors of the soap shops look like so far:
The big news is that I am in the middle of setting up the semi-permanent soap shop and factory in the two outbuildings of the new cottage. I moved everything over from my parents house this weekend--over the Fourth of July. It will probably take a couple weeks to get it all up and running the way I envision, but, it has been a good distraction. I will be back in Florida later this summer to get ready for the Fall and Winter shows down there. The time frame for moving up to Illinois permanently is still when Rod retires at 62 in just over two years. Here's what the exteriors of the soap shops look like so far:
 |
| This will be the soap factory for now...eventually this will be Rod's Man Cave! |
 |
| This building is right at the end of the driveway and will be where the wrapped soaps and my tent and craft show display will be housed. |
Please add my new summer Illinois phone number to your address book: (815) 708-7200 and you can still use the old email address (rjturbot@cfl.rr.com) as I am still checking that via webmail. I still have the cell phone, but, I can only use it when I am away from the house as I have no bars at the house. That coverage map LIES! LOL Also note that shipping is running about three (3) days from the time you place your order. That is due to all the products still being at my parent's house. After the show in Mt Horeb, WI, I will move the soap here to the cottage. Please with me until then!
Thanks to so many of you helping with such great product reviews for the website! Remember, you get a free bar of soap for any well written, thoughtful comments you have for a particular soap. It only takes a few sentences to pass my quality control process--so, send me one the next time you have a few minutes. Here is a nice review of my hand-dipped incense so you can see what I am looking for:
Hey Jackie - just wanted to let you know that I received my incense and it is delicious. Exactly as I remembered it from ages ago. Everything that envelope came into contact with smells heavenly. Your home must smell wonderful. Mine used to but my dogs (puppies to
terminally ill) seemed to have taken care of that. Donna P.
Special
I took the easy way out and will continue the same special from June--buy six bars at regular price and get one free--a $5 value! Shipping is only $5.05 for the seven bars anywhere in the USA. There is a button to press on the secret page to make sure you get the freebie--get there by going to the bottom of any page at www.JackieSoap.com and clicking on the green leaf.
OK, Soap Addicts, that is all for July. Give your family members a hug or a squeeze, tell them you love them--life is short, so enjoy every minute of it. If ya'll have any comments, suggestions, or just want to chat--leave a comment on the blog!
Jackie the SoapLady
No comments:
Post a Comment