Bittersweet and the little soap company

Feeling a little winter antsy

Antsy, a word you really don't hear too often. Maybe in reference to a childs mood right before Christmas. That word  best describes how I feel right now, at this moment. Did that word originate from the phrase "ants in the pants"? H'm,,, I would think so.

Snowy out, extreme cold moving in and I'm attempting to re-arrange my thoughts towards creating and reading and focusing, really focusing. Not sure what the deal is, but I am having some issues with the latter.

I suppose the days after Christmas are always like that. Kind of unsettled from all the excitement and goings on, don't you imagine? Do you get like that too?

I haven't walked for over a week, and I believe that is a big part of why I'm feeling that antsy feeling. When I walk I release stress and think about all the ideas that are floating around in my head, sometime feeling overwhelmed by them, but walking always settles those thoughts down and seems to keep me in a happy medium. Walking  is my form of meditation and it seems my body rebells if I don't allow it to meditate. 

As I gaze out my dining room window I see the deep piles of snow here and there along the sidewalk. I am walking today! No more looking out this window. Put on those warm wraps, (my grandma used to call them that),  and  snow boots and get those ants out of my pants! Shew ants, get out of here!!

This came in the mail the other day.

I love this old time looking seed catalog. I would imagine this is what a seed catalog from the early nineteen hundreds would have looked like. Possibly minus the colored front cover.

After looking through the paper catalog, I'm pondering those winter thoughts of planning my little garden. Not quite ready to make those plans yet,  those  blooming feelings usually don't appear until February. Kind of like a built in detector in my head. 

I would imagine if I lived in the country my feelings of uneasiness would be less severe. 

For then, I would be feeding the chickens, milking the cow, and chopping extra wood for the long winter ahead. My days would be filled with countless hours of chores just to maintain the farm. 

I like those thoughts...

Enjoy caring and sharing winter days.

Happily,

Jill 00 (Two hugs are better than one) 

Postal Bound

Just jumping in to say the Calico Cookbooks will be shipping tomorrow! Each one is signed and personalized to each of you. Let me know when you try a recipe and what you make.

You know how it is this time of year, and I know it's busy for you too. Planning on a big crowd this weekend for Bittersweets open house. Taking some of those favorite cookie recipes out of the Calico Cookbook.

I recently saw in the BHG Mag,  brownies cut into long strips and I really liked the way the looked. Going to do that! I've never made sandwich cookies, but thought those looked really good too. So going to make Vanilla Santa's Sandwich cookies, also courtesy of  BHG Mag, December issue.

Really like this as a gift to someone!

Enjoy caring and sharing holidays.

Happily,

Jill 00 (Two hugs are better than one)

Merry Christmas!

 
Did you think I had forgotten about the cookbook giveaway? Certainly not! I've kept the winners names tucked away in a safe spot awaiting this holiday moment.

Black Friday is a perfect day to announce the lucky ladies, I believe.

If your name is listed below, don't forget to keep an eye out next week for the postal carrier.

1. Kelly, Deniably Domestic
2. Tam, Apple Creek Cottage
3. Robin, Linton Cottage
4. Dru
5. Clarice, Story Book Woods
6. Crystal, Fairiebees
7. Twyla, Two Crazy Crafters

I believe I have addresses for most of you, but there are a couple I do not. I will be e-mailing the request so that I box up your Merry Christmas gift. 

On a different note...

Remember those cornish hens I  was planning on  preparing at Christmas Eve for my family?

I mentioned to my Dad  that I was serving the petite birds, and he said he didn't know whether he could eat the tiny sized hen or not!  He also told me my brother and his wife would not like such a tiny little bird sitting on their plate. After he told me this, I couldn't help but giggle and laugh. I envisioned sitting the small birds on a platter and seeing my family's expressions.  Gotta change that menu now! Any suggestions????? Do you have a family food tradition? Just curious...

I hope you have fun with the cookbook. I'm already getting ready to  make cookies and  brownies for Bittersweet's open house next Saturday.

Enjoy caring and sharing holidays.

Happily,

Jill 00 (Two hugs are better than one)

Show Ready..

 
Do you like the postcard? A Bittersweet Cottage Design. I love the lady! You can get a preview of the "Company's Coming" event at the Vintage Market blog. Isn't that window stunning? It looks like a picture out of a magazine! Window decked out by ReDeux and Pink Chandelier Boutique.

I'm so excited about this Market!!! I love the holidays, my favorite time of year. I plan on spreading tons of good cheer!

Getting prepared for a show takes so much work and time. For those of you that showcase your wares in that manner well know. I believe the connections made and the exposure out way all the mess involved to prepare.

Since the show is next weekend, I'm down to last minute preparations. Bittersweet will offer our holiday collection exclusively. Unique soulful hand-made's that are designed to make your Christmas Merry & Bright, skin too!

This market I'll be offering our famous custom blend of coffee. I'll show you how I set up the coffee display later next week. You should see the little espresso cups I have to serve the samples, they are so cute!

 This is our coffee label. The blend is custom, a bit of this, a touch of that. It is so good! The coffee manufacture mixes it fresh and bags it for us. Bittersweet gets oodles of requests for the special coffee this time of year. Customers enjoy serving the tasty blend to their guests during the holidays. I even barter with my dentist, he loves it too! Isn't that bananas? I love the fact Rachael Zoe has brought back the popular seventies phrase, don't you?

Continuing with "Show Ready.."

Since it's gift giving time, I thought it would be nice to do a few giveaways during the special event. Maybe a pound of  Bittersweet Blend Coffee, or a few bars of Velvet Spice, or a Soothing Heat Pillow, yeah.

I'm working on last minute changes in the Vintage Market Magazine. The holiday edition is going to be golden, if I might say so myself! It's filled with holiday ideas and news about upcoming Vintage Markets. There might even be a few surprise announcement's too. Eventually the Vintage Market magazine will be offered on-line. A project that's waiting until after the New Year, because I'm so busy.

Speaking of busy.. Bittersweet orders have shipped and should be arriving soon!

Cookbooks are going fast, so if you haven't got your hands on one, well, you know. I'll be signing the cookbooks at the Market, and plan to sell out!

Enjoy caring and sharing Holidays.

Happily,

Jill 00 (Two hugs are better than one)
 

Anticipation, a favorite feeling..

I hope I'm not getting on your nerves with all the Christmas stuff? Just trying to get you closer in the mood, cause you know, it will be here soon!

Some great news!!

The cookbook is on its way!!!!!!!!

That's why the cookie shot from last years  cookie platter assembly line work. All those cookie recipes are listed in the Calico Petals Cookbook, even the pralines, love those!

Enjoy caring and sharing days.

Happily,

Jill 00 (Two hugs are better than one)

Soon to be, that favorite A word..

 

At the moment, I have more than several projects sitting awaiting completion. This time of the year I'm always in anticipation, anxiously looking forward to warmer days, flea market jaunts, and creating new Spring Bittersweet's.

This Spring, in April I am participating in an art show. It has been many years probably at least 8 or 9 since Bittersweet has been a part of any showing. The "shows", I found were not my cup of tea,  I believed there were better ways to market my products. I'll leave it at that.

However, a couple of years ago while waiting for a hair cut at my hairdressers, I struck up a conversation with another lady waiting. We began to talk, and she started telling me about an arts show she was organizing. The show she said, is in the country. It's located on a large hill, we place a large tent high above the hill.

H'm I thought to myself, I like the sound of that!

That year I did not participate, it coincided with the annual flea market trip Julie and I attend. 

 This year when asked if I wanted to join, I looked at my calendar and seeing that their were no conflicts I said yes!

I'm excited about the show. My displays will be simple, a less is more mind thought.  It's a one day show, which by the way the only kind to do as far as I'm concerned. I'll be focusing on only three or four Bittersweet creations.  

By the way, the other blog, Calico Petals, I'm testing the waters at Go ogle. So far, I am impressed with their blog service. Especially the fact it's free, and you do get quite a bit for the bang. What do you think? Do you have a blogger account? I'd like to know. I can see but just a few minor issues, nothing to detour me from leaving. In fact, the same issues all of the blog services seem to have. You know that saying, "you get what you pay for?" I'm not sure this applies at blogger.

Just like all business's now a days,  I'm trying to find ways to cut back. I pay for so many different services. Stuff like, merchant services, web hosting, domain, insurance, Bittersweet phone line, bank fee's, blog fee's, news letter monthly charges,   it's all adding up, and if I can cut my costs here and there it will help to compensate the higher cost of supplies and I won't have to raise my prices any more.   

Gearing up for a busy Saturday. Last Saturday was the first day open after the New Year and quite busy. This Saturday Studio thing has caught on pretty well, I'm quite pleased. 

Using Cathy's recommendation of dying the muslin strips with tea rather than coffee. Great results Cathy! Thanks for pointing me in that direction. 

 

This is my new fabric waiting for me to transform into Pinnies.

 

    Enjoy caring and sharing winter days.

Happily,

Jill 00 (Two hugs are better than one)

In the garden

If I were a flower I'd be a Shasta Daisy.

I've always loved it's simple daisy beauty. I am especially fond of a bouquet filled with nothing but white roses and Shasta's.

Now that I seem to have the pesky squirrels under control with the peppermint, and from digging up my flower pots, it seems some new little creatures have moved into the neighborhood.

RABBITS.

Now please don't misunderstand me, I think these furry little animals are the cutest thing, and I'm a Bunnie loving girl,but when you have a garden, bunnies beware!

I have to admit when I saw the herd of bunnies frolicking and playing tag throughout my back yard I admired their playfulness and couldn't help but remember the bunny stories I grew up with as a kid, and I bet you even think I'm exaggerating when I refer to their numbers.

I counted eight bunnies in the yard, just inches away from both me, and the garden. Let's see, eight bunnies, one eggplant, one cucumber, three tomatoes, three peppers, alright, you surely get it!

First the squirrels and now the bunnies! What's a garden loving girl to do?

Well, over the weekend I visited with an old timer, and mentioned my little rabbit situation to him. He was quick with a solution, and assured me the cottontails would stay clear of the garden providing I followed his bunny no more instructions.

Are you curious as to what he told me to do? Yes, I was too!

He instructed me to place doggy hair clippings throughout the garden. "Really", I said. He replied, "I guarantee, no more bunnies!"  Well, I thought to myself, it will soon be summer, and Lily could use her summer haircut a bit earlier this year, and I have never been more excited about picking my first egg plant and peppers, so doggy hair I will give it a try.

I'll let you know.

I'm taking this week off from Bittersweet. We're entertaining friends this weekend, and I'm prepping for an outdoor party.

Last week I received the June issue of this magazine, and was taken by one of the features. One of the pictures showed lanterns throughout a beautiful back yard, and I really liked the way it looked, so I'm on the hunt for lanterns. No biggie if I don't find what I'm looking for, as I'm considering using tin cans with holes punched throughout. I can insert some wire and hang them from the tree branches too. That would be the green thing go do now wouldn't it?

Enjoy caring and sharing Spring May Days.

Happily,

Jill 00 (Two hugs are better than one)

Merci

Thanks girls for posting your constructive ideas about my web site. I am sending you each a little gift in appreciation for helping me. The inevitable was there, I just needed a push.

I began building a new web site yesterday. It hasn't been that long since I built Vintage Two, and somehow I had already forgotten what a long drawn out process it is.

There are so many options to building a web site nowadays. Now you can have your blog match your web site, and have flash, where everything moves, and shopping cart systems, and on and on. The only bad thing about all of that flashy stuff, is it can run into a large amount of money.

I've been there done that. I'm a little old fashioned when it comes to building my web site. I like things simple. Not to mention the fact that I'm very stubborn. I'm trying to avoid changing hosts, and mail, and all the other trickle down stuff that can happen.  

Anyway, Bittersweet has so many products listed, it will take me awhile to list everything on the new site. I'm starting out small, and working my way up.

Enjoy a caring and sharing day.

Happily,

Jill 00 (Two hugs are better than one)

Busy as a baby bee

Yes, busy again with shop stuff. I started working on the baby room today and am thrilled with the beginning stages. It is a cozy little room with the vintage easy breezy blue chair! I look forward to sharing pictures soon, so stay tuned..

We are finally getting some rain and cooler temps. Tomorrow will be much more pleasant:)

When changing and adding new things at the boutique it's always a challenge to find the proper placement of the new things and a bigger one finding a place for old.

By moving just  one thing , it's like a domino effect, at least three more things also call out to be re-located and on and on. So I've learned that if I decide to change a piece , chances are I will also be changing a few others as well. Today I moved big furniture, and tomorrow more. Scoot, scoot , push, ahh.

The next two weeks will be even busier. Back to school, events at the boutique, and:)

There are some big flea market weekends coming up too. I can't wait! I found such extraordinary treasures last trip that the anticipation is killing me. I'll keep you posted, and also pictures.

More soap of course, lot's of soap. Just can't make enough lately. Hopefully soon, I will get caught up a bit.

Early morning tomorrow, so I can get a jump on things.

Have a great day!

Happily,

Jill 00 (Two hugs are better than one)

 

GONE FISHING

Spring...... Definitely my favorite season!

I noticed the magnolia trees are blooming and the daffodil's are popping their little heads out.

It's Saturday and I left the boutique early today to enjoy the sunshine and warm weather.

If you've been by the boutique when the weather is like today you might happen to see this little note  on the door.. GONE FISHING

Let me explain..... First, I am a one woman show. Second, while making over one-hundred items and running the boutique and the web site, I also have a family.

Family life is very important to me. Today was one of those slow days at the boutique. So I put up the sign and scurried off to spend some quality time with the ones I love... 

Happily, Jill 00