Cruelty Free | That's How I Roll

Hey Y'all!!

I hope this post finds you having a wonderful day. Those of you that are familiar with Cactus & Ivy know our products are cruelty free.

We have never tested our products on animals and we never will. We also will not purchase raw ingredients from suppliers who don't adhere to the same standard. Willing family members and friends have happily stepped up to the plate to test drive Cactus & Ivy natural bath and body products.

As the CEO of Cactus & Ivy, I have signed PETA's Statement of Assurance which states I do not test our ingredients, formulations or finished products on animals. I am proud to be a part of the Caring Consumer program and proudly use the logo above on our labels, website and literature.


The Coalition for Consumer Information on Cosmetics’ (CCIC) Leaping Bunny Program is another organization I am proud to be a part of. Every year, I recommit to the Corporate Standard of Compassion for Animals, as well as my raw material suppliers do.

Being cruelty free also means something else to me. Anyone who knows me, knows I have a very soft spot for the fuzzy, cuddly and sweet. Especially when they are lost, abandoned or abused. If I can't take them in, I make it my life's mission to find them a loving place to live with plenty of food, water and love for the nourishment of their body and soul.

Wednesday, this cute little puppy was caught under the chain link fence at Prevo's office. One of the guys rescued her and brought her to Prevo's office. Naturally, my lover gene of all things fuzzy, cuddly and sweet took over. They gave me a box and Prevo found a towel. I put her in the box and told everyone to keep an eye on her. She appeared dehydrated and looked like she hadn't eaten in weeks. I rushed over to the nearest store and picked her up puppy food and a water/food dish combo.

I returned to hubs office and placed her in front of the food and water. She wouldn't eat or drink. So, I scooped her up and wiped her down with a damp wash cloth and then held her in my lap. After an hour, I placed her in the box with a few nibbles of food and walked away. When I returned a few minutes later, she had eaten. YAY!! I continued to place more nibbles in front of her and she gobbled them down. Prevo cut the bottom off a styrofoam cup and filled it with water. I placed it in front of her and she drank it all. Awe, I was so happy for the little gal my heart felt like it would explode.

Next on the to do was to find her a loving home. Our dogs died years ago and we weren't equipped for a dog. Luckily, I was connected with Denise Holcomb, Founder of All Gods Creatures Pet Rescue and Adoption in Johnston, SC. AGC is registered as a public charity 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization which depends on in-kind support from donations, special event fundraisers, grants and rescue/adoption related contributions. I took the sweet pup to Denise Wednesday evening, supplied her with a donation to help for the care of the cuddly pup and also gave her the bag of puppy food and dish combo. I gave Denise a hug and thanked her for what she was doing for the creatures without a voice. As I headed back home, tears filled my eyes from knowing the sweet black puppy that captured my heart earlier in the day would be well taken care of.

So there ya have it. Cruelty free is how I roll, both in my personal and professional life and I wouldn't have it any other way! There is nothing sweeter in this world than the love you receive from an animal. Their love is unconditional. The next time you want a dog or a cat, please consider an animal shelter or pet rescue. You will find an abundance of animals ready to give and receive love.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day y'all! Hope your weekend ROCKS!


Creator Extraordinaire
Cactus & Ivy

Valentines Day Goodness

Hey Y'all!

I hope this post finds you have a fabulous Friday! This is a quick note to let you know the products we are releasing for Valentines Day are now available for a limited time.




Red Hot Chai Tea Body Rub and Chocolate Strawberry Body Souffle are available now until February 8, 2010.

Red Hot Chai Tea Body Rub - Crushed red hots provide gentle exfoliation while apricot kernel and abyssinian oils moisturize dry skin. High in unsaturated fatty acids and vitamin E, this blend is sure to awaken your skin with a vibrant aroma and light, non-greasy feel.

Chocolate Strawberry Body Souffle - Oh so creamy, dreamy and whipped to perfection with the sweet aroma of mint chocolate and strawberries. Shea butter contains a wealth of healing ingredients while passion fruit oil has high levels of fatty acids to nourish the skin. A moisture rich and intense emollient to soften, soothe and hydrate dry skin. A little goes a long way!

Thanks for stopping by and I hope y'all have a fabulous weekend!


Creator Extraordinaire
Cactus & Ivy

Wordless Wednesday | Kitty calls Uncle!

{photo care of istockphoto.com}

Soap is a Necessity

Hey Y'all!

I hope this post finds you having a fabulous Friday. My apologies for being a slacker, yet again in the posting department.

Yesterday I received an email asking all soapmakers to answer the call by sending any soap they could spare to help with the devastation in Haiti. Naturally, I went right to work on it!



Clean the World, a fabulous organization founded in 2009 by Shawn Seipler and Paul Till. Taken from their website, their mission is: "Through the collection, recycling and distribution of soap and shampoo products discarded by hotels every day, Clean the World is dedicated to preventing millions of deaths caused by acute respiratory infection and diarrheal disease."

Cactus & Ivy is shipping the remainder of its soap inventory today to help with the relief efforts in Haiti. My life and the lives of my family and friends are truly blessed compared to the people of Haiti. Prevo and I have already donated money and sending soap was a no-brainer for me.

If you would like to donate, there are several options that come to mind:

- $10 donation via your cell phone to the Red Cross by texting "Haiti" to 90999 or make a donation via their website.

- $5 donation via your cell phone to the Yele Earthquake Fund by texting "YELE" to 501501 or make a donation via their website.

- A monetary donation to Clean the World. "Every $1 donation will recycle two hotel rooms for an entire month. That equates to 40 bars of soap and 40 bottles of shampoo that will not hit our landfills and water systems, but instead supply 5 needy families with a life saving necessity for ONE MONTH."

- Unicef (United Nations Children's Fund) - "was created with this purpose in mind – to work with others to overcome the obstacles that poverty, violence, disease and discrimination place in a child’s path. We believe that we can, together, advance the cause of humanity."

- Doctors Without Borders - "Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is an international medical humanitarian organization created by doctors and journalists in France in 1971." You can donate via their website.

Since I have decided to donate the remainder of our soap inventory, that means there is none left for you, my fabulous customers. I will be working all weekend making soap and they will all be ready for purchase in approximately 4 weeks. I apologize for any inconvenience this delay may cause. The people of Haiti need all the help they can get and sending our soap inventory was something I had to do.

Thanks for stopping by y'all and have a fantabulous weekend!


Creator Extraordinaire
Cactus & Ivy

Hello 2010!

Hey Y'all!!

Woo-hoo.....Happy New Year! Can you believe another year has begun? I'll be lucky if I write the year correctly by the end of January!


Here's to another fabulous year! Cactus & Ivy is blessed with fantabulous customers and I look forward to another year of discounts, giveaways, new product launches and more!! Let's start right now! Receive 15% off all orders through January 31, 2010 with customer code NY2010.

Wishing you and yours a very Happy New Year!



Creator Extraordinaire
Cactus & Ivy