News from the Cottage

August 2008		Vol 3: Issue 4
We're still here! Calls still come in occasionally wondering where we are. While we may not currently have a storefront, we are still here for you! Our website is open 24 hours a day for your shopping ease, and we do offer local delivery and pickup if you're in or around the Crestview, Florida area. Read on for more news! More shipping options! Shipping costs have risen along with everything else. We understand this and have been working to find ways to bring you lower-cost alternatives. We only charge actual shipping; we use recycled and free shipping products whenever possible, and refund any difference in shipping to you. We have also added UPS shipping; for orders over 3 pounds, this is a huge savings! This will enable those of you who would love to own one of our beautiful salt lamps to order one. How to Find Us http://amethystcottage.com thequeen@amethystcottage.com 850.225.0987		Home Parties! We now offer home parties and fundraisers! You choose the product lines you're interested in, invite your friends, and we do the rest! All we ask is some floor space and an electrical outlet. There will be hostess benefits and fun for all! Interested? Contact us for more information. Reward Points! We now have a rewards program just for our web customers! Each dollar you spend (not including shipping) earns 1 point. At 100 points, the rewards begin – and we've started current customers off with 50 points. Each point is worth .10 and there is no limit to the points you can earn. Bonus! Did you read this far? If you did, have a little extra on us - here's 10% off your order - no minimum purchase required! Good during August 2008 only, and you still earn rewards points! Just put AUG08NL in the coupon section at checkout.

Summer is here in the US, and it's too hot to go shopping. Gas (petrol for our UK customers) is expensive. So we're bringing the sale to you!

For two weeks only, ending July 17th, our entire site is 20% off! Everything (except clearance merchandise, which is already a whopping 35% off) is on sale, and early shoppers will get the best selection.

Shipping is generally done within 3 business days at most (including Saturdays). If the website should overcharge you for shipping, we will refund the difference - we do not charge a handling fee, only the amount the Post Office charges us.

Come visit Amethyst Cottage and see what goodies we have for you. Remember - this sale is for a limited time only, so don't wait!

Dear Friends,

Yesterday, March 12th, our dreams of having Amethyst Cottage at 902 N. Pearl Street in Crestview came to an end.

Despite all we were doing to come into zoning compliance, one single neighbor (who never chose to meet or get to know us) filed a formal complaint, and our doors were officially closed. There are options, but they are extremely cost- and time-prohibitive. We have worked on this for the better part of a year, and at this point we simply have neither the finances nor the stamina to continue what is basically a fight between us and a few neighbors who clearly, for whatever reason, do not want us there.

For now, the website will continue, and we will vend at local shows and festivals. Whether we will try again to open a brick and mortar location is undecided at this time. We hope that you will continue to shop with us; while we appreciate that in-person shopping is more fun and satisfying, we hope that you will utilize the website and allow us to meet with you and deliver your purchases. We do not want to go out of business – we want to find a way to continue, in whatever way Spirit shows us. We hope that you will continue this journey with us, as you always have, for nearly 3 years.

We also hope that you will aid us as we support Jamielle and Rusty, the owners of the house at 902 N. Pearl Street, to renovate and rent the beautiful cottage in a timely manner. We ask for volunteers to help with labor, and for anyone who needs a house to rent, or knows someone who does, to please let us know as soon as possible.

Thank you again for your continued support.

With love and appreciation – and sorrow,
Melissa, Jamielle and Leslie

February 2008		Vol 3: Issue 2
Hours of Operation: Wednesday: 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Thursday: 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Friday: 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Saturday: 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Please note: We will be closed March 1st - come see our beautiful booth at the Pensacola Renaissance Festival!</b></b> Community Healing Circle Please join Paula and Daniel Eddington in Healing Circles at Amethyst Cottage the first and third Tuesday of each month at 6:30 p.m. Love offerings are appreciated, but not required - all are welcome! February's dates are the 5th and the 19th. February's Featured Product We're proud to introduce selections from West Wind Flags! Exerpted from their website: France Robinson created West Wind Prayer Flags in 2000. Original designs include prayer flags in English, peace flags, rainbow flags and healing flags. Firmly grounded in 'Fair Trade', West Wind is happy to be working with a family of Tibetan Buddhist prayer flag makers in Kathmandu, Nepal who make our high quality flags from 100% fine cotton. West Wind Prayer Flags™ with blessings in English, are created in the spirit of the ancient Tibetan Buddhist tradition...where it is customary to give and display prayer flags for special occasions, new beginnings and always for the New Year. For over a thousand years the Tibetans have been displaying Prayer Flags to benefit all beings. Natural Awakenings Magazine Beginning this month, we'll be the newest Crestview location carrying Natural Awakenings Magazine! Come in and pick up your copy each month - we'll be advertising with them as well as including our calendar events.		New Products In addition to our products from West Wind Flags we now have sage, mini candles, magic eggs, tarot pouches, wishing bowls, a larger selection of sterling jewelry, gorgeous ceramic mugs, bookmarks, affirmation decals, medicine pouches, moon calendars and more! Attention Knitters and Crocheters! Join us for a monthly "Sit 'n Knit" group! On the third Thursday of every month (February's is the 21st), grab your current project, a comfy pillow to sit on, and share techniques, tips, and the company of others who understand your passion! Beginners welcome. No cost (a love offering is appreciated). Bellydance Come and dance with us Monday evenings from 6:30 to 8 p.m. The cost is $40/month and there's no extra charge for months with 5 Mondays. Amethyst Cottage Vending Schedule February 9-10 6th Annual Emerald Coast Metaphysical Festival Navarre Conference Center — Comfort Inn 8700 Navarre Parkway (U.S. 98), Navarre March 1-2 Gulf Coast Renaissance Faire Pensacola Interstate Fairgrounds, 6655 Mobile Hwy., Pensacola Florida How to Find Us 902 N. Pearl Street Crestview, FL 32536 850.423.0993 thequeen@amethystcottage.com http://amethystcottage.com

January 2008		Vol 3: Issue 1
Yes, we are OPEN!!!!! Beginning Wednesday, January 16th, our Crestview brick and mortar storefront is open for business! The website will remain the same, and you are always free to place an order for later pickup if you like. Hours of Operation: Wednesday: 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Thursday: 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Friday: 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Saturday: 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. We may consider one Sunday a month, if needed. Please let us know if that's something that would be helpful for you! Attention Knitters, Crocheters, and other Hand-crafters! Starting Thursday, January 17th at 6:00, join us for a monthly "Sit 'n Knit" group! On the third Thursday of every month, grab your current project, a comfy pillow to sit on, and share techniques, tips, and the company of others who understand your passion! Beginners welcome — "old timers" are happy to share their knowledge. No cost (a love offering is appreciated). I'd be glad to schedule a daytime group if there are interested participants.		New Products! We have several new products on the way including both White and Shasta sage, beautiful peace flags, full-color ceramic mugs, new VooDoo Babies, and more! Bellydance Come and dance with us Monday evenings from 6:30 to 8 p.m. The cost is $40/month and there's no extra charge for months with 5 Mondays. Bellydance is a great way to have fun and get a bit of, dare I say it, exercise! Amethyst Cottage Vending Schedule February 9-10 6th Annual Emerald Coast Metaphysical Festival Navarre Conference Center — Comfort Inn 8700 Navarre Parkway (U.S. 98), Navarre March 1-2 Gulf Coast Renaissance Faire Pensacola Interstate Fairgrounds, 6655 Mobile Hwy., Pensacola Florida How to Find Us 902 N. Pearl Street Crestview, FL 32536 850.423.0993 thequeen@amethystcottage.com http://amethystcottage.com

Happy Holidays to all our wonderful customers!

If you live in or near Crestview, Florida, please join us TOMORROW, Saturday, December 1st for our very first Open House! 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. CST, we'll be open for your holiday shopping!

We'll also be open the following three Saturdays: December 8th, 15th, and 22nd, as well as shopping by appointment! Anytime you see the Amethyst Cottage van, feel free to stop in, or call us at 850-423-0993.

Finding us is easy: from Highway 85 going north, make a left onto 90 W, then an immediate right onto N. Pearl. We are three blocks down, on the corner of Cypress and N. Pearl, at 902 N. Pearl. Look for the purple and the Amethyst Cottage van!

Those of you who are not local or prefer to shop via Web, no worries - our Website is fixed, up and running! We had an unknown shipping problem that was causing the only option for US customers to be a very expensive Express mail! It's fixed, and we invite you to come back and shop again now that it's working properly.

--
Namaste'
Melissa
Amethyst Cottage: a bit of magic in a mundane world
"If it does not bring you joy... why are you doing it?"

Are you planning to spend Black Friday shopping from the comfort of home? Amethyst Cottage would like to make it a little easier for you. We're having a 24-hour Black Friday sale!

From midnight EST Thursday, November 22nd, through midnight EST Friday, November 23rd:

Spend $25 and receive 10% off your total order (before shipping). The coupon code is 4ccd2c329a

Spend $50 and receive 15% off your total order (before shipping). The coupon code is 15a9c0099e.

Spend $75 and receive FREE SHIPPING on your entire order! The coupon code is 2b7d6e37c2.

Spend $100 and receive the above offer AND a gift from us! For this offer, use the $75 coupon code. The gift will come automatically with your order.

You can redeem your coupon during checkout. Just enter the code in the box provided, and click on the redeem button.

As always, thank you for shopping at Amethyst Cottage. Our customers' support means the world to us. Have a wonderful holiday season!

Visit us at Amethyst Cottage

Namaste,
Melissa, Jamielle, Leslie and the entire Amethyst Cottage crew

November 2007	Vol 2: Issue 4
Coming Soon!!!!! While we wait for our Zoning changes, we've decided to get creative for our customers. Very soon, we'll start having "Cottage Party" open-houses for you to do your holiday shopping, as well as shopping by appointment. If you know there's something you want, or a time you'll be in our area, call or email and let us know so we can meet you at the Cottage and help you select your new treasures. Look for more news - very soon! Ongoing Classes Did you know that we have bellydance classes? Come and dance with us Monday evenings from 6:30 to 8 p.m. The cost is $40/month and there's no extra cost for months with 5 Mondays. Bellydance is a great way to have fun and get a bit of, dare I say it, exercise! What other classes would you like to see? We have offers from teachers, but must know that we'll have students for them - write us with your suggestions and times, and we'll enter you into our gift drawing! FREE (yes, I said FREE) Seminars Along with the ability to visit and shop by appointment at our beautiful store in Crestview, we will begin offering some free seminars. In the works so far we have De-stressing for the Holidays and Personal Gift-Giving, and many others. What would YOU like to see? Please let us know - and be entered into the drawing! How to Find Us 902 N. Pearl Street Crestview, FL 32536 850.423.0993 thequeen@amethystcottage.com http://amethystcottage.com	November Promotions Did you find this newsletter on MySpace, LiveJournal, or through a friend? Why not sign up? ALL new signups will be entered into a drawing for a terrific gift package, to be shipped, FREE, in time for the holidays! If you are already signed up, refer a friend and be sure they give us your name as their referral, and you will BOTH be entered into the drawing! Attention Knitters, Crocheters, and other Hand-crafters! Would you like to have a place to come and hang out while you work on your holiday gifts? Look no further - we have your space! The Cottage is now (yes, before we even start opening for shoppers) equipped with the room for you! I would love to have folks come out - weekly, monthly, whatever time we all agree on - and work together on our projects or holiday gifts. The more experienced among us can teach the beginners, and we can all learn together. Maybe after the holidays we could learn a new skill together! These "sessions" will be at no cost to you - so come on out! Drop me an email and let me know what day(s) and time(s) work for you - I'll go with the majority, or schedule more than one, and let everyone know! Amethyst Cottage Vending Schedule November 17-18 Mobile Renaissance Festival Greater Gulf State Fairgrounds 1035 Cody Road N December 17-23 Eglin AFB Base Exchange Extended hours: 9 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. At this time we do not know whether we'll be on Eglin at all after December - so please come see us!

If you can and are interested in helping, we still need volunteers for renovations! We generally go up on Saturdays, but I can be available during the week with a few days' notice.

We need both skilled and unskilled - windows need scraping/caulking, a few walls and baseboards need to be redone, bathroom fixtures will need to be installed, a lot of painting, yardwork, and more. We are still working on rezoning, but things are moving along again and we don't want to be caught short on time.

We can't pay with actual money - but we will feed and hydrate, and offer tunes and great company as always!

If you can help please message me, or contact me through the website at http://amethystcottage.com

Thanks,
Melissa

After a long hiatus, I'm once again selling some of my own work! Come see... http://hyenacart.com/thewhimsicalmarket/index.php

I'm under "Twisted Sisters" but everyone in this little store of ours has awesome stuff! We are in preview mode now, and go live TODAY at 4:01 EDT!

I'm so excited - please come and see!

June 2007	Vol 2: Issue 2
A Real Cottage! After two years in business, we are in the process of renovating a beautiful 1940's cottage in Crestview, Florida! By the end of the Summer, we expect to open as a full fledged, brick-and-mortar store, something our customers have been asking us for since we first started Amethyst Cottage two years ago! Please sign up for our newsletter if you haven't already; we'll be using it to inform you once we know the exact opening date. Not only will we greatly expand our product offerings, but we will also begin holding classes, workshops, and other events soon after we open! Help Wanted! If you live in or near Crestview, Florida, we could use your help! We're looking for volunteers to come out and do all sorts of things - paint, redo flooring, garden, and more. We'll feed and hydrate you and offer you great company! We are also looking for leftover materials - paint, wood, even a working fridge! Can you help? Please contact us and let us know! Thank you from the bottom of our hearts as we embark on this journey together... Melissa, Leslie and Jamielle New Products! We continually strive to keep our products fresh and fun. Come and see what's brand-new!	We Need a New Slogan! Along with our move to a brick-and-mortar store, we've decided it's time to change our slogan. Of course the faeries still come to play, but we will have much more to offer than we ever have, and we'd like our slogan to reflect that. We want our customers to be involved, so here's where you come in! Using the contact us form, send us a note with some suggestions for our new slogan. If we use yours, you'll receive a $25 Amethyst Cottage gift certificate! It's that easy! New Look For Our Website! If you haven't seen our website lately, this is a great time to come take a look! We've given it a face-lift, and reorganized all the categories. Things are much easier to find now, and we believe that you'll find shopping more enjoyable. June Specials Try our Bath & Body Care products! All items in the category are 25% off for the month of June. We have lotions and potions designed to pamper and please even the most discriminating Fae! Amethyst Cottage Vending Schedule (Not much on the schedule - we're busy renovating!) July 2-8 Eglin AFB Base Exchange Hours: 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. August 4 Kasba Dancers Hafla Pasarda Square Dance Hall 17 NW Industrial St Ft. Walton Beach FL 10:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. $8.00 donation at the door Please note: July 2-8 may be our last week vending at Eglin Air Force Base, so please come out and see us there!

Yesterday we closed on our loan, so the Cottage is officially OURS! Today we celebrated the Blue Moon there with some friends - it was awesome. She is ours! It's hard to believe it's real. Saturday we begin renovations! Here is some news about that: http://amethystcottage.com/shop/index.php?main_page=page&id=3&chapter=0

And - we are running a CONTEST! Read how YOU could be the winner of a $25 Amethyst Cottage gift certificate! http://amethystcottage.com/shop/index.php?main_page=page&id=2&chapter=0

It's TRUE... Amethyst Cottage has found a real cottage to become our new home in Crestview, Florida! The official offer was made Tuesday; if things go as we hope, then we should be opening around the end of the Summer. We'll expand our current offerings as well as bring in lots of new stuff. We also have a classroom and will be offering lots of wonderful events.

The request - okay two, actually. First, if there are things you would like to see us carry or classes you would be interested in, please email me at thequeen@amethystcottage.com (the store's account). Second, please send energy and thoughts to the folks who have the reins just now, that they want to accept our offer. And the zoning people want to expedite our request, too. We are so excited to make this happen - though there is much to do first, including renovations to this beautiful cottage that we have fallen in love with. Your loving thoughts are most appreciated!

We'll be at Earth Day Pensacola on Saturday the 21st of this month, booths 93/94. We're bringing Woodbabies, Braja clothing, Voodoo Babies, elf/faery ear prosthetics, beautiful handmade sun-catchers, and more. Please come by and sign up for the mailing list to be notified when the store is opening - or you can do it on the website by creating an account.

Thank you so much for all your support of the Cottage!

Dear Friends,

It's time for the newest edition of Amethyst Cottage's newsletter!

We respect that our customers lead busy lives, so the newsletter is something you can read quickly to get information on new products and current specials. We hope you'll take a moment to visit the link: http://amethystcottage.com/newsletters/feb_2007.html

Namaste,
Melissa
thequeen@amethystcottage.com

~*~ Faery Fest ~*~
Thursday November 16th and Friday November 17th
11:00 AM - 8:00 PM CST
http://paganpacks.com/chat.php

Flutter on by and see what enchantments our vendors are sharing!

Melissa Thorner ~*~ Amethyst Cottage
Jill Dixson ~*~ Lavender Love
Lisa Bell-Huddle ~*~ Healing Pixie
Kristine Cherry ~* EarthDaughter Arts
Rebecca Coleman ~*~ The Polka Dot Dragon
Jessie Matthews ~*~ Raven Moon
Jessie Matthews ~*~ Moonshadow Apothecary
Dana Callahan ~*~ Magick Moon SoapWurks
Caer Flanagan ~*~ Pixie Path Products
Jodi Plume ~*~ Usborne Books at Home
Tami Richings ~*~ The Ishkabibble Shop
Kelli Houptley ~*~ Charmed Stores
Patty Woods ~*~ Claydybug Creations
Christine Kingery ~*~ Christine's Cauldron
Suzanne Burgess ~*~ Fairyanna's
Hawkfire ~*~ SpellBound Secrets
Suzy Sawkins ~*~ The Dragon's Chest
Gypsy Rose ~*~ Gypsy Rose Treasures
Melanie McClendon ~*~ Bee Gift Emporium
Serenity ~*~ Purposeful Magicks
Lisa Wingo ~*~ The Peagun Path
Lady Athena ~*~ Waterrose Creations
Lisa ~*~ Art Glass by Lisa
Missy Molski ~*~ Charms And Such

Bewitching bargains and delightful deals will abound!

Be sure to take a look in the Broom Closet! http://paganpacks.com/prizes.php

You will have many chances to win these spellbinding prizes all through out each day of the faire and towards the end of each faire day!

See you there!

Just letting everyone know that my site seems to be fixed. Please forgive the downtime - hopefully it's all worked out now!

I have 16 new Woodbabies on my site... they will be in-house and ready for adopting this coming Thursday! Come and take a look - and if you see anyone who calls to you, please feel free to order/start the adoption process. I will send them out to you the second they arrive to me!

Direct link to the 'babies: http://amethystcottage.com/shop/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=13

Please let me know if you have any questions!

Namaste,
Melissa

Ok folks, this is it! The LOWEST they can go... sales are now at 35% off! Come and get 'em while they're still here - they're going fast!

http://amethystcottage.com/shop/index.php?main_page=specials&zenid=5a2dba63bb50da08df0cb67b1b695fb3

http://amethystcottage.com

10% off Summer Braja clothing - the most beautiful and comfortable clothing you'll ever have on your body!
10% off Celestial and Faery hanging garden sculptures, hand made by Matthew Kent
25% off over 100 other items - many one of a kind!
See all our specials here: http://amethystcottage.com/shop/index.php?main_page=specials&zenid=5a2dba63bb50da08df0cb67b1b695fb3

And... our faery calendars have arrived!

They're here! Collectors know these sell out FAST!

Nene Thomas: Faeries & Fantasy, 2007 calendar... http://amethystcottage.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=1552

Imagine: The Faery Realm of Amy Brown 2007 Calendar...
http://amethystcottage.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=1553

Many more faery stickers are here, and we now carry bumper stickers! Give me a few days to get them on the site...

Most orders are currently shipping same-day!

Well, I stink at keeping this updated...

The CLEARANCE has begun! Right now the remaining faerie and celestial garden sculptures are 10% off, as is the Summer Braja clothing. Starting Tuesday the 1st, over 100 more items will go on clearance at 25% off! We need to make room for some wonderful new treasures, so please come over and shop the sale and help us free up some room!