Holiday Special for Customers of Dogwood Square

Dear Friends,

We, at Dogwood Square know that money is tight this year, but with the holidays coming, everyone wants their house to look pretty and smell wonderful when those friends and family come to visit. So with the help of the Claire Burke Company, Dogwood Square is offering a holiday special with every order of Claire Burke products or Vitabath products.

The special is a full 14 oz. Claire Burke pillar candle which normally retails for $14.00, but during the 2009 holiday season it will only cost $3.00. The fragrance of these candles is Pomegranate Plum and it is a shimmer candle. The burn time of these candles is 70 hours.

Like a sugar plum fairy, this illuminating pillar candle twinkles with gold speckles and is sure to captivate. Enjoy the rousing aroma of Pomegranate, plum, papaya and vanilla.

Dogwood Square has been lucky enough to secure quite a number of these so there should be plenty for everyone. However, when they are gone, the holiday special will be over.

If you haven't decided on a gift yet for Aunt Sue or your secret pal, this is a wonderful and luxurious gift which you can get "for a song." And isn't that what we are looking for during this time when finances are in short supply. I think most folks can save $3.00 and buy that friend or family member something they will really enjoy. I don't know many folks who don't like candles.

So consider a purchase of time-honored Claire Burke Home Fragrances or luxurious Vitabath bath and body products and get that extra $3.00 gift to finish out your holiday shopping. You won't regret it!

Until next time...
Della

Thinking About Gifts for the Holidays Yet???

Dear Friends,

The chill is beginning to be in the air and if you are thinking about gifts for the holidays, then you should stop by Dogwood Square.  We have some of the MOST wonderful soy candles ever.  We have just added several lines of soy candles to the site which you can see on the soy candles page.  Not only are there a lot of fragrances to choose from (over 400), the prices are so so reasonable.

Then there are the gift sets by Vitabath.  I will remind you that our prices are THE LOWEST on the Internet for Vitabath products.  Go to the Vitabath page for information about these products.

And, of course our Claire Burke time-honored home fragrances.  It's time to put out that great smelling potpourri and stock up on the electric home fragrance refills in scents like:

• Apple Jack & Peel
• Pumpkin Spice
• Pomegranate Plum
• Christmas Memories
• Oh Christmas Tree
• Slice of Spice - new this fall

Our prices are great and also remember our every day FREE shipping for orders of $50 or more.

Come in and begin your holiday shopping with us today!!!

Until next time...

Della

Natural Soy Candles - The Right Thing to Do!

Dear Friends,

I have been carrying soy and soy blend candles now for several years. I like the whole idea of candles made of wax produced from soy beans. Why, well there are many reasons. Soy wax burns cleaner (no soot), it washes off with soap and water if it gets on something, the candles made of it last longer, it holds fragrance better, and best of all it is "green".

I consider myself to be a patriotic person. The thoughts of using, selling and promoting soy wax candles really appeals to my patriotic nature. This wax is made from soybeans which are grown in the USA by American farmers. Regular candles made of petroleum based wax is made from oil and I bet that oil doesn't come from America. And in this down economy, helping Americans and especially American farmers just seems like the right thing to do.

Another thing I like is finding candles made by "the little guy or gal". Those small, family-owned shops who have their own formulas and hand pour their own candles. I have found that these kinds of candles are unique in shape, fragrance, container or some other way which just sets them apart from the "big company" type of candles. Again, buying candles from them makes me feel like I'm helping them out. And again, it's just the right thing to do!

I have gone out and found several of these small shops who sell wonderful, lovingly created, hand-poured, soy candles in so many fragrance it blows my mind. I have put a bit about each company on my Soy Candles Page with links to other pages which gives all their fragrance descriptions and where you can purchase them.

I am sure you will love these new candles just as I do. The picture above gives you a representation of one of these soy candles. It is an 8 oz. Cracklin' Wooden Wick Candle. This one is Candy Corn and is scented with candy corn fragrance a warm vanilla candy with top notes of butter with a hint of almond. These candles are just like the other company's famous candles, except they are hand made and don't cost as much.

I hope you will help me support these small shops by buying one or more of their candles.

It's just the right thing to do!

Until next time...


Della

We Might as Well Dance!

Dear Friends,

I received an e-mail from one of my friends yesterday which has a very profound message and I thought I would share it with you:

Too many people put off something that brings them joy just because they haven't thought about it, don't have it on their schedule, didn't know it was coming or are too rigid to depart from their routine.

I got to thinking one day about all those women on the Titanic who passed up dessert at dinner that fateful night in an effort to cut back. From then on, I've tried to be a little more flexible.

How many women out there will eat at home because their husband didn't suggest going out to dinner until after something had been thawed? Does the word 'refrigeration' mean nothing to you?

How often have your kids dropped in to talk and sat in silence while you watched 'Jeopardy' on television?

I cannot count the times I called my sister and said, 'How about going to lunch in a half hour?' She would gasp and stammer, 'I can't. I have clothes on the line.. My hair is dirty. I wish I had known yesterday, I had a late breakfast. It looks like rain.' And my personal favorite: 'It's Monday.' She died a few years ago. We never did have lunch together.

Because Americans cram so much into their lives, we tend to schedule our headaches. We live on a sparse diet of promises we make to ourselves when all the conditions are perfect!

We'll go back and visit the grandparents when we get Steve toilet-trained. We'll entertain when we replace the living-room carpet. We'll go on a second honeymoon when we get two more kids out of college.

Life has a way of accelerating as we get older. The days get shorter, and the list of promises to ourselves gets longer. One morning, we awaken, and all we have to show for our lives is a litany of 'I'm going to,' 'I plan on,' and 'Someday, when things are settled down a bit.'

When anyone calls my 'seize the moment' friend, she is open to adventure and available for trips. She keeps an open mind on new ideas. Her enthusiasm for life is contagious. You talk with her for five minutes, and you're ready to trade your bad feet for a pair of roller blades and skip an elevator for a bungee cord.

My lips have not touched ice cream in 10 years. I love ice cream. It's just that I might as well apply it directly to my stomach with a spatula and eliminate the digestive process. The other day, I stopped the car and bought a triple-decker. If my car had hit an iceberg on the way home, I would have died happy.

Now...go on and have a nice day. Do something you WANT to......not something on your SHOULD DO list. If you were going to die soon and had only one phone call you could make, who would you call and what would you say? And why are you waiting?

Have you ever watched kids playing on a merry go round or listened to the rain lapping on the ground? Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight or gazed at the sun into the fading night? Do you run through each day on the fly? When you ask 'How are you?' Do you hear the reply?

When the day is done, do you lie in your bed with the next hundred chores running through your head? Ever told your child, 'We'll do it tomorrow.' And in your haste, not seen his sorrow? Ever lost touch? Let a good friendship die? Just call to say 'Hi?

When you worry and hurry through your day, it is like an unopened gift....thrown away..... Life is not a race. Take it slower. Hear the music before the song is over. 'Life may not be the party we hoped for... but while we are here we might as well dance!

Well, that's it...I hope you enjoyed this as much as I did are go out and have a GREAT weekend!!!

Until next time...
Della

P.S. I'm working on something new I will be introducing next week.

May We Never Forget...

Dear Friends,

I think I have mentioned at some point that my son is a Firefighter/Paramedic. My husband and I are so proud of him and all firefighters. Today, especially as we are reminded of that terrible day 8 years ago. The sights of those two towers coming down and all the pictures of Ground Zero still make me teary eyed.

Let us never forget all those people who died that day: the people in the towers, those in the planes, and those brave firefighters who went in to help them. Also, please don't forget their families and all the people who because they helped are sick or disabled today.

May We Never Forget...

Until next time

Della

Rocky Top!!!

Dear Friends,

Well my Tennessee Volunteers really put the hurt on Western Kentucky this afternoon. The debut of Coach Lane Kiffin was eagerly awaited and he and the Vols didn't disappoint. The first quarter was a little shaky, but after that it was all Tennessee. Quarterback Johnathan Crompton leading the team to touchdown after touchdown with three of the receivers being true freshmen. The game ended with Tennessee on top 63 to 7.

I for one am glad to see Tennessee back on top where they should be!

GO VOLS!!!

Until next time...

Della

Mini Gift Sets in Claire Burke Original, AppleJack & Peel and New Fragrances

Dear Friends,

If you have not looked at the home page of Dogwood Square in a while, you are missing a new product I want to tell you about. It is from Claire Burke and I personally love them. Yes, I said them. They are the Mini Gift Sets.

They came out several months ago and are just right for giving because they include a candle, a fragrance diffuser and a vapourri all packaged in an attractive box ready for giving. And get this price - $20. That's all!

They are available in Original, AppleJack & Peel, and the two new Claire Burke fragrances - Wild Cotton and Vanilla Bean.

These mini gift sets are just perfect to give to someone for a birthday, a secret pal, a gift for a Mom or Mom-in-Law, a house warming gift, for someone who has everything, or for yourself, especially if you just want to test a new fragrance in your home.

We have plenty of these mini gift sets in stock as well as other great fragrance products from Claire Burke. Please stop by Dogwood Square for a visit soon!

Until next time...

Della

Is Everybody Pregnant???

Dear Friends,

I know when I was pregnant (a number of years ago) and when my daughter-in-law was pregnant it seemed that everywhere I looked there was another bulging tummy. I think pregnant ladies are just "in tune" with other pregnant ladies.

Well if you are "in the family way" as they used to say back in the day...or if you are a friend or relation of someone who is and you are thinking of having a baby shower or tea for that special person, then I have a suggestion for favors which will be just perfect for the event.

Look at this site: Kate Aspen Favors

These baby shower favors are so cute and unique that I know you will have a hard time choosing the one favor to use. There are so many to choose from and if you are trying to choose a theme for your shower, looking over all of these favors is sure to give you many ideas.

Once you make your decision about which one(s) of these oh so cute favors you want, then send me an e-mail at DWS-email@dogwoodsquare.com and I will be happy to give you pricing and delivery information.

We love to help with event planning by offering you cute and reasonably priced favors. And remember our FREE shipping pledge for any orders of $50 or more and also you do NOT pay sales tax if you are outside the State of Alabama.

Until next time...

Della

Why Scrapbook??

Dear Friends,

I have been surfing the Internet today as I do on occasion and I have to tell you about a site I found and an article I read on that site. The site is The Angel Company™ . The Angel Company™ was founded in Salina, Kansas in 1997 by Mischelle Smith.

The article she wrote is entitled "Why Scrapbook?" Here it is:

"Why Scrapbook?

I’ve always considered myself a die-hard stamper–not a scrapbooker! Everything I’ve stamped, I’ve given away, keeping only a handful of items. I was happy knowing that I was sharing my stamping "creations" with family and friends.

But. . . something happened a few years back that I have never forgotten. We were celebrating Christmas with my husband's family and it came time to open the presents. Like most people, I like to think that I'm giving really GREAT gifts.

I mean ... I really think about the gifts I give. I want them to be perfect! I spend a lot of time trying to find that something special.

As we went around the room opening up gifts, my mother-in-law opened the gift from my sister-in-law. It was an album ... I believe a 6x6. This little album was filled with highlights of my niece's year. And that was her gift. At that moment, I knew the answer to "Why Scrapbook?"

As perfect as the gifts I bought were, they were just "things" without emotion, without memories. That little album represented bits and pieces in my niece's life that will now never be forgotten.

That Christmas, I realized I had NOTHING recorded about my children, their lives, my husband, our life together, our families. . . NOTHING! NOTHING to pass on to my children. NOTHING like that little 6x6 album! That album was truly a gift from the heart! That moment has been engraved in my mind ever since, and it has changed my life!

Since that day, I've changed. I bought my first digital camera and I'm snap happy! I successfully completed my first album last fall. I take pictures like there's no tomorrow, and I create with the pictures I take!

What I have discovered is that through scrapbooking , I am becoming a better person. When I scrap, I'm usually thinking about what I want people to remember about this day or this moment years from now. I'm reflecting on what matters most, and I'm learning how to celebrate life!

The time I spend reflecting on my children, my husband, my family, my friends ... it makes me cherish them even more. I want to be a blessing to them. I want to make a difference in their lives. I want to be a dream maker. And I can. I am truly living. And I'm having fun doing it!

I now realize that I HAVE to scrapbook so I can leave behind bits and pieces of myself, my life, my emotions, my memories, my hopes and dreams that would otherwise be forgotten. In my pages, I hope to touch the hearts and lives of my children, my family, and my friends; and of their children, their family, and their friends for generations to come."

I would like to highly recommend this site to you and if you haven't started scrapbooking yet, that is something you really need to consider especially if you have small children or like me, grandchildren.

As Mischelle said, this is a way to perserve those wonderful moments in your life on paper and in a central location (the scrapbook) so your children and ultimately, your grandchildren will have this record when you are not with them any longer.

With the many wonderful ideas on Mischelle's site and the Cricut Expression®, you should be able to create any number of terrific pages.

Until next time...

Della

Calling all Scrapbookers

Dear Friends,

I have always been a person who loves crafts. I love cross stitching, quilting and other types of crafts.

One night I couldn't sleep and was watching TV and happened onto one of those Infomercials. It was about the Cricut® Expression. Well, I just fell in love with it. It is perfect for folks who are scapbookers or for those of you who make those cute invitations for baby showers or wedding teas. This machine will even cut vinyl. You can use these pieces of vinyl to create stencils to do glass etching.

You will not believe how many things this machine will do.

Well, I just thought that I would like to take Dogwood Square into another area. So I contacted the company who manufactures the Cricut® Expression, ProvoCraft, and became one of their retailers.

So now you can buy the Cricut® Expression from Dogwood Square. I'm really excited about this new area of interest.

Until next time...

Della

You'll be Over the Mooon ...

Dear Friends,

It's a new year with a new President and even though the economy is "in the dumps", there is reason for hope!

I received an e-mail the other day from one of my vendors (Baby Aspen) with some precious baby gifts which I want to share with you.



This one is cute 17" lovie blanket with a plush cow's head in the center. It comes in the crescent moon shaped gift box you see in the picture. It won't be available until the first week in February, but I think it is just precious. It sells for $25.00 and the link to it is:
"The Cow Jumped Over the Moon"

This next one I'm absolutely in love with. It's a squeezable, cuddly chenille lamb—just the right size for baby’s tiny hands. The set also includes a matching 13 ½”-square lovie blanket , embroidered with “Everywhere that baby went, the lamb was sure to go” on the satin trim. How cute is that!

This precious set sells for $28.00 and the link to it is:
"Love Ewe".

Oh, I almost forgot, it comes in a Organza and Satin Drawstring Bag, just perfect for giving.

I want to show you one more I think is quite unique and will last into the toddler years. This gift has 7 pieces including the main piece "Mother Goose" and also a set of 3 plus Nursery Rhyme Buddies each with their own plus books.


When the little one becomes a toddler and starts walking, this Mother Goose gift set becomes not only an interactive teaching tool, but a terrific Tag-along buddy for the toddler’s happy travels around the house.

This 7-piece gift sells for $40.00 and can be seen at this link:
"Mother Goose."

We have 22 delightful gifts for babies from Baby Aspen. Please come and see them. I think you will love them as much as I do.

Until next time...

Della