Nature's Emporium Soap Co. LOVES Autumn. It is our favorite season of the entire year! Make sure and keep an eye on our The Seasons page on our website. If anything new gets cooked up ~ that's where we put it! Yesterday, it was 85 degrees in Taos, New Mexico. Now that may seem cool to a lot of you, but we are 6700 feet closer to the Sun on this big mountain and 85 is HOT! I made my first round of Autumn soaps. I turned on the fan and the entire north side of Taos smelled like Autumn! Lemon & Green Chile ~ Harvest Moon (Sweet Pumpkin Spice), Hocus Pocus (Vanilla, Patchouli,Pumpkin), Apple Jack Pie (Apple, Spice & Zip) and Taos Autumn Soap (Cinnamon, Vanilla & Honey) The Sugar Bar (Pure Sugar! Mm.)! What fun we had ~ it seemed cooler...we started to dream of roasted green chiles and pumpkin pie....oh and Apple Cider!
If you have not tried our products ~ please do. All natural, made with Soy, Coconut, Olive, Shea, Cocoa & Castor oils. You will be glad you did!
We are very much looking forward to the cool weather, the chance to wear fun clothes, hay rides and harvest...and the change of the leaves ~ if you are too, just check out our website
There is a sale going on ~ the best of the year ~ 15% off everything as long as you put the discount code "Thank You" in the discount code box on the last page of check out. This sale ends August 31st.
Now, where can I get a Pumpkin Chai Latte around here??
TAKE A BATH!
Michelle Lewis
Nature's Emporium Soap Co. ~ Taos, New Mexico
www.CherokeeSoap.com
Nature's Emporium Soap Company
Taos, New Mexico
www.CherokeeSoap.com
WHAT A SUMMER!YOU TOOK A LOT OF BATHS!!
We had the biggest Summer since moving to Taos! We just want to thank you for spreading the word and making this the best Summer ever! Your discount code is THANK YOU! In celebration of such a great Summer we are offering 15% off every purchase. For Wholesalers we will automatically throw in 4 extra bars of soap into each order ~ BECAUSE WE APPRECIATE YOU!! We are excited to start heading into the Autumn scents and enjoying the bounty of the season ~ but for now your discount code is THANK YOU. Wholesale account discount code is WHOLESALE. THIS OFFER ENDS AUGUST 31st. http://www.facebook.com/NaturesEmporiumSoapCompany Please Follow us on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/NaturesEmporiumSoapCompany) https://www.twitter.com/TaosSoap/ Follow us onTwitter (https://www.twitter.com/TaosSoap/) http://www.CherokeeSoap.com CherokeeSoap.com (http://www.CherokeeSoap.com) mailto:SoapQueen@CherokeeSoap.com Contact us by Email (mailto:SoapQueen@CherokeeSoap.com)
When I first moved back to New Mexico ~ I kept seeing all these little skeletons dressed in funny clothes and some of the art and I'll be honest, I thought it was dark and kinda creepy. A friend visited and she said, "I love all the Los Muertos art!", she went on to explain in old Mexican culture that the skeletons were Ancestors. It was celebrating the Ancestors (ears perked) and that the families would dress them up for special occasions and birthdays and seat them at the table with them. I began to see the appeal. I started to go to locals houses and there were the ancestors sitting by the front door or in a chair in the living room, dressed and beautiful. Then came the 1st of November and I went to a Dia De Los Muertos gathering and there was an alter, with prayer candles, marigolds, pictures of ancestors, and jewelry and trinkets all over the alter. It was the most beautiful alter ~ with 250 people honoring their ancestors! I looked around the room and almost everyone in the room were painted with white faces and black stitches and red hearts, etc all over ~ I fell in love with the tradition. Later, I walked into a gallery, Dan Enger Studio and it was bright and the most beautiful colors I had ever seen! I told him I make soap and would love to feature his art on a label...he smiled politely...lol. Here we are 7 years later ~ and I made this fabulous soap with Strawberries, Sugar & Roses, I wanted the label to be fantastic. I flipped on Facebook and there was "Blue Frida" ~ I commented that I bet she smells like Strawberries, Sugar, & Roses ~ he agreed! So this week, spontaneously, as always ~ We created the soap and a beautiful tribute to Frida Kahlo. Frida is an iconic artist from the early 20th century. Her life was a struggle, she had nearly every bone in her body broken and survived. Married to the famous Diego Rivera ~ she was progressive and way ahead of her time. She is a feminist icon, because of her strength ~ she wandered through Taos once, so the legend goes ~ and I imagine she smelled like heaven, much like our soap. I made lotion to test the public, ran into one of my favorite characters in town and told him I am testing a new fragrance and asked if he could tell what it smelled like. He smiled big, through the gap in his gorgeous smile and said, "HEAVEN" ~ ha! I knew I had a new big hit! Matched with Dan's incredible art ~ WOO HOO!!! There are more to come!
Dan's Truck can be seen driving him around Taos
These were the "Blue Fridas" that captured my attention of Facebook
Please check out Dan Enger on Facebook and google his images ~ embrace Los Muertos and see it as love and honoring the ancestors ~ Dan has a wonderful sense of humor and is a wonderful human being! Enjoy his work, purchase it, do all you can to support this colorful fun famous artist. He can be contacted via email at DanEngerStudio@yahoo.com
The Legend
We hope you are having a fabulous Summer ~ we are doing our best! If you read all of this Newsletter ~ you get the discount code. Apply the word JUNE to the discount code box on check out and save significantly!
As always, with Love, Hope & Gratitude,
Michelle Lewis ~ Nature's Emporium Soap Co.
Ahhhh, good old January, start, stop, start, stop.....the dance between turtle & bear medicine....slow and sleepy...lol
Am I the only person who goes flying into the new year with hope and motivation to be AMAZING, only to be met with the reminder of, "Oh yeah, it's January...I'll just sit here and watch it snow" ? Our suppliers took time off, the kids were out of school, then come the snow storms, oh oh oh, the snow storms, and then out comes the sun...I AM SO MOTIVATED!! Another snow storm...Oh, we have Martin Luther King, Jr. day ~ and I always close to celebrate the life of our great civil rights leader, with pride...oh, another snow storm, oh, school is closing early, oh my Indin truck has bald back tires more than an inch is a detriment to my driving, oh it's a 2 hour delay...WHAT DO YOU MEAN WE DON'T HAVE ANY WATER!?! Grooooaaaan, the pipes froze...lol...I feel like I have done nothing but slide through January accomplishing little! I had to have done something, the lights are still on!
I did have the privilege of meeting the most adorable hippy couple, one evening in our shop! They were in their early 20s, had bought a giant bus and were making their way across the country to seek adventure. I loved them, I envied them, I gave them soap, told them how to find the hot springs that were in the movie Easy Rider, bid them good bye and wished them luck on their future. They both had degrees, I reminded them that while the life of being free has it's romance and fantasy, being poor isn't that fun...seek balance. lol I have so many people I hardly know who call me, MOM. It's an illness, I have. ha ha
Our greatest news coming into the new year is the fact that Taos News did a wonderful story about our company ~ I am so very pleased with the very sweet article that Theresa wrote about us! You can read it here, if you would like! Article about Nature's Emporium Soap Co. & CherokeeSoap.com
I have been developing new products for 2015 ~ Cocoa Flower and Vetiver Vanilla are in the works ~ This takes a lot of smelling and development ~ I am such a nosey gal ~ once the fragrance is developed, it then has to pass several tests, do I cold process it? hot process? will it hold up in candles? How does it feel on my skin? Each new product costs me about $500...lol ~ It may be a little while...I am thinking of making some detox soaps ~ Charcoal soap is great for pulling impurities out of the skin ~ Matcha Green Tea could do nothing but good for the skin...should I combine them? Hrmmm
The favorite soap of January was The Cold Bar ~ Eucalyptus, Mint, Tea Tree, Rosemary...I think a lot of people couldn't breathe, I hope it helped.
My New Years resolution is always the same, to just do better than I did the year before ~ we are put on this Earth to learn, that's all we can do is learn some more, love some more, laugh some more & cook better...lol
I wish you all a wonderful day, tolerance for snow and cold, to feel loved & respected, motivation to reach for your dreams and clear thoughts to do it with. I feel like 2015 is going to be a REALLY good year ~ Thank you for making our 2014 so grand!
There ya go, Bob ~ I updated my blog so you aren't still reading about Christmas. SMILES!
Christmas is here! It's like the Season just crept upon us and now it's in full swing! We love all the magic of the Season, rather it be Santa, the Lights, the Snow, the Love ~ oh the Love!
Our America is in crisis ~ riots, protests and anger ~ and I try to always see the upside of everything ~ and what I do see, while there is hatred ~ there are thousands of us who wish for a better world for our children and great grandchildren ~ and we believe in equality, love & happiness ~ and we are together as one to understand each other, understand our past and how that affects our future ~ we want happiness for all. K2 and Josh are Black, Anglo & Cherokee ~ I have to walk a very sacred line of the high road always ~ for they are several races combined in one. It is my responsibility to give these boys (men) pride in themselves as a whole ~ to not be prejudiced towards anyone, as my Sons encompass us all. and I want them to love every single drop of DNA in themselves as they also turn that Love towards the World. We are open to all people, rich or poor, crazy or sane (still looking for the sane. lol) homeless or owns several houses, hate and love, ~ for we are all related ~ I urge you to open your hearts to all people in your Life, seek to understand their path or at least understand ~ you have no I idea how you would react to life if you had walked in their path.... we just don't know ~ but with understanding and an open heart, I do believe we can all feel the magic of Christmas, The Holidays, The Season.......
Above all this is The Season for Loving ~ spread that stuff everywhere!
We thank you so much for a successful 2014 and your support as I raised these boys (men, I keep forgetting) by making soap for the past 15 years, in turn ~ I have done my best to turn two beautiful men towards society, with hope to make this world a better place. They really didn't need me for that ~ they were just born with beautiful hearts. I know, I'm sappy today....lol
So! Candy Cane, Cookies For Santa, Decadence, Lavender Honey Elixir, Gift of The Magi and A Christmas Soap have been wildly popular, right along with the candles and lotions ~ Your Discount Code is: Christmas and we are putting Christmas rubber duckies in all of the orders!
We will be able to get your package to any place in America ~ by Christmas ~ we appreciate you ~ we love you and we are grateful for whomever reads this as you care ~ and we care right back.
Now, get that Hot Cocoa, pile it full of Whipped Cream and throw the family in the car and drive around and look at Christmas lights while you all get that warm glow of the Season ~ and don't forget to TAKE A BATH!
Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays
This Is The Season For Loving,
Michelle
There has been a lot of talk in the last decade of Gratitude & Abundance, and we bought the talk and try to be positive and speak and behave in a manner that draws what we need to us. We are so grateful for our company and the life it has given us, now if some of you saw our house or car, I'm pretty sure you wouldn't be impressed ~ but we are abundant with good friends and clients we have met throughout the years. We are grateful that we work hard and while making your products we walk out after work smelling better than anyone else in town! We are grateful for the people we haven't met but have a beautiful relationship with them because of soap. I've always said the soap isn't our purpose in life, but it has very much been the vehicle to self healing and hopefully healing others. It's not just soap, it's a philosophy for us. Do good every day in hopes that our soap picks up on our genuine love for life and goes like ripples into the world and spreads a little happiness and love. What I have seen in these past few years of insane economy, is we survived, because we are abundant with beautiful people, who happen to use our soaps!
I have many well meaning business people tell me how I should run the business ~ and I should only present a professional front. We should be here from 8am to 8pm if we are ever going to be anything in life. We just kinda smile at them and try hard to be polite, as they don't see how rich we are....and probably have never taken a patched innertube down the Rio Grande river, or gone camping to sing around the campfire and gorge on marshmellows, or walked a long a shady trail up a mountain listening to nature. We are pretty sure they have never been to a Dave Matthews Band concert or sit with people like My Graveyard Jaw (a New Orleans band we picked up like puppys several years ago and took home with us) and listened to them play their incredible ballads on a cello & guitar & violin in the yard while the sound wraps us in a hug and goes out over the cows. THAT'S THE RICH PART OF OUR LIVES!! I'm pretty sure real business people have not had the pleasure of lovingly making a product while listening to music and smiling and laughing and dancing when it hits them. Abundance............ We are blessed.
My latest EPIC FAIL was to turn down one more corporate offer. Don't get me wrong, we could use the money! However, it is our friends who own very small businesses who have built this company. They have grown right along with us, some of them have lost their business because corporate businesses like theirs have moved in and put them out of business. Our commitment is to people like us. Who are grateful for their life and grateful for a good honest product. Our commitment in wholesale is to the small businesses of America, for I believe we are the backbone, the strong and the mighty. WE CARE!
My Grandparents on their Kansas farm grew every vegetable, fruit, herb & nut they could. They had a huge farm they worked with their own two hands. They had a little shop on their drive way that many surrounding neighbors come to trade goods. They would spend hot afternoons sitting in those metal chairs that rock, surrounded by friends and family, just sitting in the shade, sometimes talking sometimes just looking at the day.....with the smell of Grandma's flowers always drifting on the breeze. They were the richest people I've ever known. They taught me how to seize the day. Grandpa would suddenly say, "Let's go to Dairy King and get some ice cream!" and Grandma would run to get her purse ~ and we would ride in a 1950s pick up truck and shake to town. I am grateful for them, for they taught me The Good Life!
Anyway, I ramble a lot ~ but I wanted to tell each and every one of you ~ We are so very grateful for the friendship and abundance you bring to our lives. I hope it comes back to you ten fold and more. As long as somebody is taking a bath, we are here to be your personal soap makers! When you tell others about your beautiful skin, you have my permission to tell them, you have a personal soap maker and who I am!
May your day be filled with Gratitude & Abundance and may you feel how rich you are!
Dan's Truck can be seen driving him around Taos
The Legend