Nature’s Gift “Once in a Blue Moon” Newsletter
This newsletter contains:
Once in a Blue Moon
Friday, August 31st we will be treated to a “blue moon” – the second full moon this month. (The next month with two full moons is July 2015… so, yes, they are rare!) To honor the “Blue Moon” on Friday August 31st enter the promotional code “blue moon” (without the quotation marks) in the box marked “Promo Code” at checkout and save 15% on any/all of our essential oils, CO2 extracts and Absolutes. Press “apply” and you will see your discount reflected on screen. Please don’t submit your order if you do not see the discount; we will not be able to apply it retroactively.
Monday, September 3rd marks Labor Day in the US, a federal holiday established to celebrate the contributions of workers to our national wellbeing. (It also marks the unofficial end of summer…when I was growing up I was taught that “NO LADY” wears white shoes after Labor Day.) To celebrate Labor Day, on September 3rd we will be offering a discount on all of our regularly discountable products. Retail sizes of all oils, carriers, hydrosols, blends, almost everything. Kits, Clearance items, bulk products…anything marked “may not be discounted” will not be discounted. Simply enter the promo code “labor”, press apply, and see the discount. The discount will be 10% for most of the day, will occasionally go up to 12% for random periods of time.
Yes, that’s two sales over the course of 4 days. We won’t be shipping until Tuesday, Sept. 3rd. PLEASE don’t ask us to combine orders. We won’t be able to. If you place two separate orders you WILL incur two shipping fees. We will not make any adjustments. changes, combine orders. Because of the scale of these two sales please do not ask us to make any changes at all. We will not be able to add items or change sizes, etc. Please make very sure that you use the correct billing and shipping addresses. We will NOT be able to make any changes or corrections.
September Specials Page
A LONG list of new and back in stock products: From the UK, Melissa and German Chamomile oils, from Bulgarian, Rosa Alba and Linden Blossom CO2 extracts, Zdravetz essential oil, from France, rare Inula graveolens, from India, Jasmine Sambac and Tuberose.
New and Back in stock Organic Hydrosols: Cistus, antibacterial Lemon Thyme, Clary Sage, German Chamomile.
Back in Stock: a handful of copies of my out of print book “Essential Oils and Aromatics”
Back to School Sale: Keep them well with our KleenHandz Gel, help them study with our Focus Synergy. Both at at least 10% off.
Celebrate Autumn with our Autumn Sunshine sale. Ward off Autumn’s allergies with our SineEase.
Indulge yourself with our luxurious “Mystery Rose” blend.
Clearance continues on Elderberry and Spearmint Hydrosols.
All of the above may be seen on our New And Specials page.
CUSTOMS DELAYS:
We had planned on several new CO2 extracts on our “new and special page.” By the time this newsletter is released they will have sat in customs clearance for 7 days. I’m told the Food and Drug Admin. held them from Friday morning until midday Wednesday. Then, I’ve been told, they were sent “to Agriculture for inspection.” Excuse me?? These are not plants, or seeds. Why is the Department of Agriculture inspecting them? No one seems to know. When they finally arrive they will be added to the “new and special” page, and announced on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, all the places that we can announce them.
CLEARANCE:
We’ve found a LOT of fancy packaging – various shapes, sizes and colors of organza and velour bags. As we sort them out, they are being added to our Clearance page.. We have a LOT of different colors and sizes, each are sold in one group of however many. Great for gift giving or for the crafty folks among us.
Blog Updates:
Since our last newsletter we blogged about:
- Going to the Dogs: an article in the Whole Dog Journal about using Rose Oil, Rose Hip Seed Oil, and Rose Hydrosols with our canine friends. (Rose Hydrosol as a tick repellant? I had never heard of that!)
- Christi wrote about treating her wee Lexi’s allergic dermatitis with Virgin Coconut Oil. (Internally, not applied to her fur!)
- The genesis of our Mystery Rose Oil. (Just another Nature’s Gift mystery!)
- Christi wrote about treating her injured knee with Kunzea, and the amazing pain relief she experienced.
- Christi wrote about treating her dog’s eye infection with Monarda Hydrosol – a gentler substitute for Tea Tree Hydrosol.
- An emailed conversation prompted musing on flavoring teas (or coffee or cocoa) with the oils.
(Yes, our blog has definitely gone to the dogs this summer!)
Our Clients Say:
More on Kunzea:
As a followup to Christi’s article about Kunzea, Gale Lane Smith wrote: “Marge, I made a combo of Lavender, Helichrysum, and Kunzea with grape seed oil, only about 2 tbls of carrier oil and then a few drops of heli, kunzea and several drops of lavender for pain relief. I’m not crazy about the smell of heli, and kunzea which is why I used more lavender, but I’m here to tell you it relieved the pain i had in my leg this morning, i rubbed it once and then about 10 mins. later I rubbed it again with the oil and since the second rubbing the pain is gone. I have also used it on my arm, which I have been having a lot of pain in since I had a nerve test done on it. My husband was complaining about his back this morning and I rubbed the same oil on him and within 5 mins he had relief. Looks like I will be making another order soon.”
Amber-Gris
Chelsea Mulroney has been one of our clients for as far back as I can remember. She sometimes sends me long musing emails about the oils because she has no one local to discuss them with. Recently she wrote:
Well anyway, after I received my ambergris oil [my note, real ocean Ambergris from a European source.], I remembered that I had a little sample of ambergris scent from you! I pulled it out, and put a tiny drop on my aromastone. My goodness! That stuff scents my room for days! It’s crazy. Even when I walk past my bedroom window, outside, I can catch a whiff of the stuff. While it doesn’t smell exactly like the ambergris oil I got from xxxxxxx, it is a close call… and it lasts a lot longer! My little sample bottle is nearly depleted, and I must have more! Every time I go into my bedroom (which is often, as that’s where I do my writing; on my bed, next to my aromastone!), I close my eyes briefly and just breathe in.
I’ve always wanted a “special scent” for my bedroom, and I think I’ve found it! Hooray! Now I’m debating if I should just order the Ambergris scent you already have made up, or if I should order benzoin and some rose (absolute?) and try to fabricate my own? I already have the clary sage, vetiver, and vanilla. Hmm… dilemmas!: )
Because she mentioned having an OLD sample of our AmberGris Synergy, and we know it’s been remade since then and might not be what she remembers (because formulas tend to morph as we get in new and different shipments of oils…tis the nature of natural products!) we sent her a sample of our current batch of Amber-gris. Fairly recently blended and not well aged as is her older sample.
She wrote:
Thank you so much for sending me the Amber-gris samples. I received them nearly a week ago, as we were heading out of town for camping near Crater Lake. I got to enjoy the scent during our trip; our truck smelled lovely: )
Since we’ve been home, I’ve tried it out in my aroma stone, and I think it smells just as nice as the last batch! My bedroom is heavenly, and it’s a treat for my nose every time I enter! I’m excited to try to make some of my own. As much as I love essential oils, I really do very little blending (only a bit for massage and if I have cramps). I tend to like my oils straight up. BUT this scent of yours has really gotten me interested in trying my hand at mixing! Oh, and the Amber-gris smells amazing with a little of the new Indonesian sandalwood… not that much of a surprise really: )
Thank you! Chelsea
If you are intrigued by her description of our AmberGris either request a sample of it with your next order (you do know that if you request samples in the comments section at checkout we will do our best to try to honor your request, don’t you?) Read about it on our Natural Perfumes page. (It’s at the very bottom of the page.)
Cost Cutting Skin Care Oils:
A suggestion Ginger gave me for the thrifty among us, is to use rice bran oil to blend with one of the more expensive carrier oils like Argan, to cut it a bit. she did that & loved the results. it is a good tip, gives the advantages of the “luxury” facial oils at a much more affordable cost…
FACEBOOK GLEANINGS:
Jennifer Chase shared: A few weeks ago there was a short string on plantar fasciitis and just so you know ~~ I used Arnica oil and Helichrysum that I got from your online store and it made a huge difference. I massaged the mix I made onto top of feet, bottom of feet,and heels a bit up the leg. It took a few days to really kick in and I continued to use for a few days after the pain was pretty much gone. I have gone over a week now with ZERO pain. When I asked if we could share her comment she replied, “ Please do share! PF is terribly painful and whatever we can do to help people is a great thing.”
I LOVE how generous spirited our Facebook Friends are!!!
Danelle Baldwin wrote: I found a fabulous new use for the Sunburn Soother. It has been immensely helpful and soothing for my receding poison ivy rash. Cool and calming for both the itch and the healing. Thanks again for all that you do to make our lives better with your products!! My family and I are immeasurably grateful.:-)
Marge turned 70 and we had a party at work…pictures of the celebrants were posted, thanks to Beverly’s trusty camera.
I love playing with numbers. On our Toner Survey, the toner with the highest AVERAGE rating is our new Cool as a Cucumber. Glad I didn’t wait for the results put it online. (For those who participated, it was Sample C—a steady row of 4’s, one 2.)
We shared a link to Amy Kreydin’s blog article about Cape Chamomile and the other Chamomile oils.
Pictures of the PRETTIEST essential oil…Inula graveolens.
A study shows that a spoonful of honey can help a child with a cough sleep better through the night. (Helps mom sleep, too!)
Marge was interviewed by Donna Maria Coles-Johnson of Indie Business. The interview is online here. Those who listened in that day received a really NICE one day only promo code. Lots of folks saved LOTS of money.
Phthalates can lead to higher risk of Type 2 Diabetes?
I asked for ideas for a Blue Moon blend, and my friend Kate Rogers blogged HER Blue Moon blend.
That’s some of what has been talked about on the Nature’s Gift Facebook page since our last newsletter.
Are you on Pinterest? come join us at http://pinterest.com/naturesgift/
Are you on Linked In??? Ccome join us there.
Charity of the Quarter:
Midwives on Missions of Service travel to the poorest parts of the world to share information on safer pregnancies and birthing methods, to help improve the lives of women and children.
from their website:
MOMS is a non-profit, non-denominational organization whose purpose is to improve maternal health through education and service.
How we fulfill our mission:
Prepare women to educate and support their communities, especially the pregnant women in those communities
Train women in the skills and knowledge they need to support local women in normal birth
Promote effective maternity care to all women
Our Philosophy of Mission:
We serve marginalized women. We have a vision of improving women’s and children’s lives by helping provide excellent maternity care. We stay focused on serving women and preparing them to support their communities skillfully. With our experience in effective management, we also think creatively. We act responsibly with the trust our donors and clients have given us. We like to have fun, not taking ourselves too seriously, while taking MOMS’ work very seriously.
Aromatic Quotes of the Month
Blue Moon: At the end of the day faith is a funny thing. It turns up when you don’t really expect it. It’s like one day you realize that the fairy tale may be slightly different than you dreamed. The castle, well, it may not be a castle. And it’s not so important happy ever after, just that its happy right now. See once in a while, once in a blue moon, people will surprise you, and once in a while people may even take your breath away.
Summer’s End:
“When summer gathers up her robes of glory,
And, like a dream, glides away.
—Sarah Helen Whitman
Nothing is more memorable than a smell. One scent can be unexpected, momentary and fleeting, yet conjure up a childhood summer beside a lake in the mountains.
—Diane Ackerman
Have a safe Labor Day weekend, everyone!
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