http://www.tikosoy.com What is happening at TiKo Soy? en-us http://www.tikosoy.com/blog This is your last chance to save. Save 20% until Monday, September 1st by typing "<strong>laborday</strong>" into the coupon code before checkout. Just click the update button to apply your savings. <br><br/> Have a great Labor Day! August 31, 2008 http://www.tikosoy.com/blog I hope everyone has a happy and safe 4th of July. To celebrate, we are having a BOGO sale. Buy any item on our site and get one of the same item in the same scent for free! Just type "<strong>BOGO</strong>" into the coupon code before checkout and click the update button to apply. And don't forget, spend $75 or more and you'll get free shipping! Click here to start shopping. <br><br/> Sale is July 4th from 12 am until 11:59 pm PST. Please note, your free item may not appear in the shopping cart but it will appear on your sales receipt which will be emailed to you before your order ships. Buy one get one does not include sampler boxes or gift boxes. July 4, 2008 http://www.tikosoy.com/blog TiKo Soy will be closed May 13 - May 20. Our shopping cart will continue to take orders during this time. All orders will be processed on a first come first serve basis beginning on Wednesday, May 21. <br><br/> I am happy to say that during this time, I will be going to visit my family in Wisconsin. It's been 6 years since I last went home for a visit and I am looking forward to seeing everyone again. My sister recently had her first child; a little boy named Ethan. This will be the first time I get to see him. He's 2 years old and already able to talk so it should be fun! May 12, 2008 http://www.tikosoy.com/blog Wishing all the mothers out there a happy and peaceful day. May 11, 2008 http://www.tikosoy.com/blog Mother's Day is a special time of the year when we are reminded of all the wonderful things our mother's have done and do for us every day. To celebrate this special occasion, we are offering a 15% discount off your entire purchase from now until May 6, 2008. Just type "<strong>md2008</strong>" into the coupon code before checkout and click the update button to apply your savings. And if you spend $75.00 or more, your order will ship for free! Click <a href=http://www.tikosoy.com>here</a> to start shopping. May 1, 2008 http://www.tikosoy.com/blog I hope everyone is enjoying Earth Day today. As a way to celebrate, we are offering 25% off your entire order today. Just type "<strong>earthday</strong>" into the coupon code before checkout and hit the update button to apply your savings. April 22, 2008 http://www.tikosoy.com/blog I'm sure many of you, like me, are sick to death of all the junk mail that clogs your mailboxes. One great way to help the environment and get rid of all that junk at the same time is to sign up for a service that gets rid of it. <a href=http://www.41pounds.org target=”_blank”>41pounds.org</a> is one such company that does this. For a small fee, they will stop junk mail and catalogs for the next five years and they will also donate a portion of your fee to a charity of your own selection. And, according to the website, by reducing your junk mail for 5 years, you'll conserve 1.7 trees, 700 gallons of water, and prevent 460 pounds of carbon dioxide from being released into the atmosphere. April 16, 2008 http://www.tikosoy.com/blog The amount of plastic bags and plastic bottles that are used in a year is staggering. If you check out <a href=http://www.reusablebags.com target=”_blank”>reusablebags.com</a>, at the top of the page, they have on ongoing tally of how many plastic bags have been used so far this year. As of this post, it is over 1 billion. Most local markets are now selling reusable bags for as little as $0.99. We have a supply of about 10 - 15 bags. This way, we always have some in the car so we don't forget to bring them. <br><br> Thirty million plastic bottles are added to US landfills each day. Using a reusable bottle is not only better for the environment; it's a much cheaper alternative in the long run. Just think of how much money is spent on those 30 million bottles a day that go into the landfills. Reusable bottles like the ones from <a href=http://www.mysigg.com/index.asp target=”_blank”>SIGG</a> are not only stylish, but they're lightweight and easy to carry. April 14, 2008 http://www.tikosoy.com/blog Make sure your tires are properly inflated. According to climatecrisis.net, this can improve gas mileage by 3% and every gallon of gasoline saved keeps 20 pounds of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere. It is recommended to check your tires once a month - more frequently in the winter months. There's no need to go to a gas station and pay for air. A bicycle pump will do the job. I thought my husband was crazy when he decided to try that, but it works just fine. And frankly, I think it's ridiculous that we should be charged for air! <br><br> If you're in the market for a new car, why not check out the latest hybrids. With gas prices skyrocketing, you will save big on your gas bill. We have an older civic hybrid from 1993, but we only have to fill the tank once a month. <br><br> For more tips, click <a href=http://www.climatecrisis.net/takeaction/whatyoucando/index5.html>here</a>. April 7, 2008 http://www.tikosoy.com/blog Here's a new easy way to raise money for your favorite cause. Just start using <a href=http://www.goodsearch.com/default.aspx>GoodSearch.com</a> as your search engine and online shopping mall. Every time you search the Internet or make an online purchase at one of their partner merchants, GoodSearch makes a donation to your favorite nonprofit or school and it's powered by Yahoo! so you get great search results! <br><br> There are many environmental groups as well as other charities you can donate to. All you need to do is download it to your list of search engines. It's simple and easy. Visit their website to get started. You can find a list of participating charities <a href=http://www.goodsearch.com/CharityList.aspx>here</a>. April 5, 2008 http://www.tikosoy.com/blog Our first tip of the month is to purchase recycled paper products. Just recently, we have started buying recycled toilet paper, and tissues. We also bought cloth napkins and stopped using paper towels. Once we started using cloth napkins, I realized just how many paper towels we wasted by barely using them or grabbing one and not using it at all and just throwing them out. According to the Natural Resources Defense Council, if every household in the US replaced just one box of tissues with 100% recycled ones, we could save 163,000 trees, one roll of toilet paper for 100% recycled toilet paper could save 423,900 trees and one package of napkins with 100% recycled napkins could save 1 million trees. <br><br> Just think what each one of us could do by replacing just one of those items. And for those of you that might worry about the feel, yes, recycled products feel a little different than virgin fiber products. However, they aren't that rough on the skin, maybe slightly less soft and the amount of good you will be doing for the trees and the environment is worth it. <br><br> For more information, visit <a href=http://nrdc.org/cities/living/paper/default.asp>www.nrdc.org</a> April 4, 2008 http://www.tikosoy.com/blog It's been awhile since I've posted due to the fact that I had been feeling under the weather. Unfortunately, I was out of commission for a little while. <br><br/> This month, in honor of Earth Day, I will be blogging about tips to save our planet and stop global warming. If any of our readers have any tips to offer, I encourage you to email us at info@tikosoy.com with your tips. April 2, 2008 http://www.tikosoy.com/blog We are now offering our customers the opportunity of having unscented products in our bath & body line. You can find unscented options in our Restorative Hand Cream, Tropical Body Butter and Himalayan Bath Salts. <br><br/> In addition, we have just added tangerine to our lip balm flavors. Sweet, juicy and delicious. You can find our lip balms under <a href=http://www.tikosoy.com/moisturizers>moisturizers</a>. March 11, 2008 http://www.tikosoy.com/blog I am so happy to introduce <img src="images/TiffanyThePig.jpg" width="222" height="148" alt="Tiffany the pig at the Ironwood Pig Sanctuary" align="right" style="margin-left:20px" /> the newest addition of the TiKo Soy family. Tiffany is a pot bellied pig that I am fortunate enough to sponsor. I have loved pigs since I was a little kid and I was so excited to be able to sponsor one. When they told me they had a pig with my name, I just knew she was the one for me. <br><br/> Tiffany lives in Arizona at the <a href=http://www.ironwoodpigsanctuary.org>Ironwood Pig Sanctuary</a>. She is between the ages of 8 & 10. They are not really sure because they acquired her from another shelter. She just had her spay surgery and had to have a mastectomy because she had a tumor in one of her teats. After her surgery she got an infection, but I am happy to say that she is doing well now. She is recovering nicely and is in the process of settling down with her new friends. March 7, 2008 http://www.tikosoy.com/blog Coffee scrubs have become extremely popular lately due to the ability of caffeine to reduce the visible signs of cellulite. I am sure a lot of people are wondering if this really works. Speaking from my own experience, it does. The best way to use it is to scoop out a bit of scrub and rub it for 1-2 minutes directly on the area where the cellulite is. Not only is our coffee scrub good for your problem areas, it is also great for the entire body because it increases circulation while removing dry, flaky skin. Our scrub will leave your skin looking soft and radiant. <br><br/> So you might be asking what makes TiKo Soy's coffee scrub better than the rest? Click <a href=http://www.tikosoy.com/coffee_scrub>here</a> to find out. March 6, 2008 http://www.tikosoy.com/blog We have two great bath & body fragrances added to our list. <br><br/> Island Fusion combines the ethereal scents of sweet tropical flowers with juicy tropical fruits. Topped off with a sprinkle of coconut and a twist of lime, and you'll imagine yourself luxuriating in a Polynesian Spa. This is a very unique fragrance that is more fruity than floral. <br><br/> If you like floral fragrances, I know you will love our next new scent. Fleur de Lune (Moon Flower) is an elegant floral that is reminiscent of a romantic summer night. Imagine taking a moonlit stroll with your loved one while notes of gardenia, jasmine and magnolia gently float in the breeze. This is an exquisite scent and a must have for any floral lover. <br><br/> You can find these fragrances in our <a href=http://www.tikosoy.com/moisturizers>moisturizers</a> and <a href=http://www.tikosoy.com/bath_treats>bath treats</a>. March 4, 2008 http://www.tikosoy.com/blog Today on Indie Business Radio I will be the guest co-host of the show: Stop Procrastinating with guest speaker Kerul Kassel. The show airs at 1:00pm EST. If you’re interested in joining us, you may join the discussion by phoning in at 800-773-0355. February 25, 2008 http://www.tikosoy.com/blog Valentine’s Day is fast approaching. Whether you want to pamper yourself or a give a gift to someone you love, save 20% now off your entire purchase. Just enter code “<strong>VDAY2008</strong>” into the coupon code before checkout and click the update button to apply your savings. <br><br/> If you're a chocolate lover, like me, our <a href=http://www.tikosoy.com/vanilla_chocolate_body_scrub>Vanilla Chocolate Body Scrub</a> and Body Butter are to die for. The sweet smell of chocolate without all the calories! Or if you're in the mood for romance, try our new fragrance Dulcinea in a Body Butter or <a href=http://www.tikosoy.com/hand_cream>Hand Cream</a> (which, by the way, works great for massages). <br><br/> Offer expires February 14, 2008. February 10, 2008 http://www.tikosoy.com/blog On Saturday, January 26, TiKo Soy sponsored the gifting lounge for the 2008 Miss America Pageant. For more details on the products in the gift lounge, check out the <a href=http://www.theswagtimeblog.com/2008/01/miss-michigan-c.html>swagtime blog</a>. <br><br/> The day started off a little slow. We arrived at Planet Hollywood around 11 a.m. to set up our display. The first to arrive were former Miss America winners. We met Miss Americas from as far back as 1943 all the way up to 2006. We even met actress and Miss America 1955 Lee Meriweather (pictured). <img src="images/msam1955.jpg" height="266" width="249" alt="Lee Meriweather" title="Lee Meriweather" align="right" style="margin-left:10px" /> <br><br/> The 2008 contestants were supposed to come in 15 at a time, every hour. What actually happened is that all 52 of them came in at once. It was a bit chaotic. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to get any pictures of the current contestants because it was so hectic. I barely finished talking with one and another one was introducing herself. The ladies were all incredibly nice and very gracious. They thanked us many times for the gifts and were very happy to receive them. <br><br/> Once the rush was over it was time to leave. We got our stuff together and headed for the elevator. As we were waiting to go down an elevator going up opened up and there standing at the front was Clinton Kelly from TLC’s What Not to Wear. My husband calls out “hey, there’s Clinton”. At first I thought he was talking about Bill Clinton and I thought, what on earth would he be doing here. But then I looked in the elevator and saw who he was talking about. Clinton looked up, smiled and waved. <br><br/> And that was the end of our fun. The contestants were gifted with our candle and scrub set seen <a href=http://www.tikosoy.com/candle_scrub_gift_box>here</a>. Candle fragrances were in Blackberry Juniper and Southern Summer and all four scrubs were included. Also in the gift box was our <a href=http://www.tikosoy.com/lip_balm>lip balm</a> in Coconut Lemongrass, Lime Sugar, Mojito, Pink Lemonade and Strawberry. January 28, 2008 http://www.tikosoy.com/blog As you may know, the 2008 Miss America pageant is taking place on Saturday at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas. TiKo Soy is sponsoring the gifting lounge for the pageant and this morning I was on the morning news to talk a little bit about our products. It was a last minute thing – I didn’t find out about it until late in the afternoon yesterday. We had to be at Planet Hollywood at 7:45 this morning. Now, I am not a morning person and we are located about 45 minutes away, so it was not an easy task for me to get there on time but somehow I managed to make. I was a bit nervous at first. When the reporter asked me questions to practice before we went live I froze and my mind went blank. I think everyone got a little nervous that I was going to stand there and not speak. Fortunately, when we did go live, I found my voice. I spoke about our products, I didn’t draw a blank and everything turned out great! Stay tuned for more news on the Miss America pageant. January 25, 2008 http://www.tikosoy.com/blog I am excited to announce that we have reformulated our Coffee Scrub. Our new scrub is now paraben-free as all of our products are. In addition this scrub no longer contains any nut oils. This scrub contains Kokum Butter, which helps regenerate skin cells and restore elasticity, Avocado Oil to keep skin soft and smooth, Meadowfoam Oil to help skin retain moisture and Organic Shea Butter to help dry aging skin and repair cellular degeneration. Organic coffee grounds and coffee butter round out this fantastic scrub. <br><br/> I have been using this scrub nearly everyday for the last week and I just can’t get enough of it. It leaves my skin super soft. The first time I gave it a try I thought it was wonderful. The oils soak into your skin quickly and there is no greasy after feel. When I woke up the next day and felt my skin and it was still silky soft and smooth and I knew this scrub was going to fly off the shelves. <br><br/> To purchase this scrub, click <a href=http://www.tikosoy.com/coffee_body_scrub>here</a>. January 16, 2008 http://www.tikosoy.com/blog I want to wish everyone a happy new year. I hope you all have a great 2008! January 1, 2008 http://www.tikosoy.com/blog Just a reminder that as of January 1, 2008 we will no longer accept PayPal as a form of payment. December 27, 2007 http://www.tikosoy.com/blog Our after Christmas sale starts today. From now until Friday, December 28, save 20% on everything in stock. Just enter "acs07" into the coupon code before checkout and click the update button to save. December 26, 2007 http://www.tikosoy.com/blog So, I started work the other day planning to take most of the day off to go out and have some fun when I got a phone call from a reporter from our local newspaper. To my delight, she wanted to do a story on TiKo Soy. Apparently, she saw my recent press release concerning PETA’s Caring Consumer program and wanted to learn more about my company. I was more than happy to change my plans and I invited her over later that day to do the interview. She came over and we talked about the company and my products and our two little dogs. We have 2 Hairless Terriers as I am allergic to dogs. Our oldest boy, Tucker, cozied right up next to her for most of the interview and fell asleep. <br><br/> In other press related news, we were recently featured in 944 magazine’s gift guide and interviewed by the <a href=http://www.indiebeauty.com/channel-newsletter/arc2007/20071217.asp#candy>Indie Beauty Network</a>. December 23, 2007 http://www.tikosoy.com/blog Today is your last day to get free shipping on orders of $25 or more. Please be aware that orders placed today will not be delivered by Christmas with free shipping. <br><br/> Happy Holidays! December 20, 2007 http://www.tikosoy.com/blog I am proud to announce that we recently became a member of PETA's Caring Consumer Program. The program asks companies to commit in writing to never test their products or ingredients on animals. In the coming weeks, you will begin to see the little rabbit on our products telling you that they are cruelty-free. Also, those products that are vegan will be marked as "cruelty-free and vegan" December 13, 2007 http://www.tikosoy.com/blog To celebrate this holiday season, we are offering you 20% off of your next purchase. Just type in "Holiday" in the coupon code before checkout and click the update button to receive your savings. <br /><br /> Offer expires December 16, 2007. December 10, 2007 http://www.tikosoy.com/blog We just got some great new lip balm flavors in: Lime Sugar, Pink Lemonade and Mint Green Tea. Three fantastic flavors you’re sure to love. If you’d like to see more lip balm flavors or to purchase our lip balm click <a href=http://www.tikosoy.com/lip_balm>here</a>. December 5, 2007 http://www.tikosoy.com/blog Congratulations to Glenda M. of Los Lunas, NM. She was the winner of our November contest and was picked to receive a Blackberry Juniper soy candle and 10% off coupon. December 4, 2007 http://www.tikosoy.com/blog Please be aware that as of January 1, 2008, we will no longer be accepting PayPal as a form of payment. We will continue to accept our current forms of payment: VISA, MasterCard, American Express and Discover. November 27, 2007 http://www.tikosoy.com/blog I hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving! For anyone who missed our Black Friday sale, you still have time to save. For the rest of Thanksgiving weekend, save 15% on all your purchases by using "holiday" in the coupon code before checkout. Remember to hit the update button so your discount will be applied. The sale will end Sunday, November 25th. November 24, 2007 http://www.tikosoy.com/blog We are having a one day sale on Friday, November 23rd. Save 25% on your entire purchase when you enter “BlackFriday” into the coupon code section before checkout. The sale will start Friday at 12am and end at 11:59pm (PST). November 21, 2007 http://www.tikosoy.com/blog Sign up for a TiKo Soy account and start earning cash back. Receive 1 point for each dollar you spend. Once you earn 500 points, you will receive a $25 gift certificate toward a future purchase. A code will be sent via email good for $25 off. <br /><br /> Don't delay, register today for your account by visiting us at: <a href='https://www.tikosoy.com/register'>www.tikosoy.com/register</a>. Customers who currently have an account will start earning points on their next purchase. <br /><br /> *This offer is only valid with registered account users. Purchases made without an account are not eligible for this program. November 11, 2007 http://www.tikosoy.com/blog Receive a free gift with any purchase of $50.00* or more from now until the end of the year. Your gift will include 2 - 2 oz. soy candle tins and 2 - 2oz. body scrubs. There's no need to type in any codes, you will receive your free gift automatically. <br /><br /> And don't forget, our holiday shipping special: free shipping on orders of $25.00 or more (see our October 23rd blog entry for details). <br /><br /> *Please note, all orders must total $50.00 before shipping is applied. Offer expires December 31, 2007. November 6, 2007 http://www.tikosoy.com/blog I finished reading last month’s book on October 31st, which was much sooner than I thought I would, but it was getting so good I just decided to finish it. I figured I’d put a new book up for November because now I am missing having something to read. This month’s book is entitled “The Devil’s Labyrinth” and it’s by my favorite author John Saul. For those that don’t know, John Saul writes horror books. I started reading his books in my first year of college. The first book I bought was “Creature” and I spent Saturday and Sunday in my dorm room doing nothing but reading it because it was so good. Needless to say, I’ve been hooked ever since. Click <a href='http://www.johnsaul.com/PDFs/Prologue.pdf' target='_blank'>here</a> to read an excerpt from the book. November 2, 2007 http://www.tikosoy.com/blog On October 31, we are having a Halloween sale! Save 25% on all of your purchases. Just type “Halloween” in the coupon code section of the shopping cart to enjoy your savings. Hurry, this sale will only last one day! October 30, 2007 http://www.tikosoy.com/blog From now until December 20, 2007, we will be offering free shipping on all orders of $25.00 or more. <br /><br /> Please be aware that we cannot guarantee delivery dates. This offer is good only on ground shipping via UPS or USPS priority mail and is valid in the continental US only. If you need a package delivered by a certain date, please let us know in the comments section during checkout and you will be charged shipping accordingly. October 23, 2007 http://www.tikosoy.com/blog Ok, I admit, I'm a little bit behind the times. On Sunday, I made my first trip ever into a Sephora shop. I was shocked and completely overwhelmed at the size of this store. Now, I've been wearing makeup since I was in the 6^th grade (my mom used to put it on for me), so I'm not new to makeup. I had to take a walk around the store first to soak it all in and relax a bit. This was the first time I've been around makeup and felt completely clueless. I went there in the first place to look for lipstick. I had to stay focused because I could've walked out of there with hundreds of dollars worth of stuff – although, my husband was with me and I'm sure he would've stopped me from doing that. I ended up buying this fantastic lip plumper from Bare Escentuals. It's called <a href='http://www.sephora.com/browse/product.jhtml?id=P174213&categoryId=C12060&shouldPaginate=true' target='_blank'>Buxom Lips</a> in Bambi and I love it! I don't know if it actually plumps my lips any, but the color is gorgeous. I don't think I've ever liked a lipstick so much. October 22, 2007 http://www.tikosoy.com/blog We’ve combined our Tropical Body Butter and Restorative Hand Cream fragrances into one great selection. You can now find all your favorite hand cream fragrances in our body butter and all your favorite body butter fragrances in our hand cream. October 19, 2007 http://www.tikosoy.com/blog Our Featured Fragrance this month is my favorite scent Blackberry Juniper. This sultry fragrance is unlike anything you’ve ever tried before and was a major hit at the gifting lounge for the 2007 MTV VMAs. You can try this scent in a body scrub, body butter, hand cream or a candle. October 18, 2007 http://www.tikosoy.com/blog One of my favorite pastimes is reading, which unfortunately I haven't made time for in many months. I have a stack of books that have been piling up since last Christmas. So, in my effort to make more time for myself to read, I have decided to put up a book of the month. My goal is to take time to read more often since I will have to update it each month. I am also hoping that our readers will not only take some time to enjoy a new book but to recommend some of their favorite books as well. I have my 3 favorite authors that I always read, but they only come out with 4 books a year, so I'm always looking for new and interesting books to read. Since October is almost over, I'm giving myself until the end of November to read this one. <br /><br /> I've decided to start off with <i>The 6^th Target</i> by James Patterson. This is a book in The Women's Murder Club series which just so happens to be a new series on ABC as well. For those who aren't familiar, the book is about 4 women: a cop, a district attorney, a medical examiner, and a reporter who work together to solve crimes. Click <a href="http://jamespatterson.com/excerpts_6thTarget.html" target="_blank">here</a> to read an excerpt and enjoy! October 17, 2007 http://www.tikosoy.com/blog I have decided to kick off our blog with a contest this month. The winner will receive a Blackberry Juniper candle from our Luxury Collection and a coupon for 10% off your next order. All you need to do to enter is sign up for our newsletter at <a href="http://www.tikosoy.com" class="writing">www.tikosoy.com</a>. Current newsletter subscribers, please see our newsletter for how you can enter. Contest ends November 23^th. Winner will be announced November 26^th. October 13, 2007 http://www.tikosoy.com/blog Welcome to TiKo Talk. I am owner, Tiffany Kolbe, and I make soy candles and bath & body products. Please see our <a href="http://www.tikosoy.com/story.php" class="writing">about</a> page for more information on our company and how it got started. I have been trying to get this up and running for a while now, but things just seem to get in the way all the time. I am very excited to say that we now have our blog up and running. If you're new to our company, check out our website at <a href="http://www.tikosoy.com" class="writing">www.tikosoy.com</a>. October 12, 2007