Bittersweet and the little soap company

Christmas Past...

I find it interesting how every holiday season feels different to me, and how those feelings are reflected in my designs and holiday decorating. My design preference seems to change from year to year. It becomes more refined and seasoned.

 This year I have only been compelled to have a  light dusting of Christmas both in the studio and through our home. However...Having said that...

I  find it to be exciting knowing each Christmas is going to be a somewhat different design. In fact, most of the excitement I experience comes from creating a new  theme or  idea and incorporating those thoughts into the actual design. Usually and most always, using what I have or gathering items from nature.

  Oh of course, it's a  soul satisfying moment, when I climb into the attic remove the boxes filled with Christmas past and spread them here and there. Like Mr. Braun's Santa's. 

Remembering that all the decorations in the world don't hold a candle to my  memories of caring and sharing during the CHRIST-MAS SEASON.

I thought I'd share with you some Christmas past caring and sharing moments as well as some studio pictures from holidays before.

The little room...Caring and sharing story,

Looking Out...Caring and sharing story, 2006

The Window... Caring and sharing, 2009

A word about these caring and sharing moments...

They come from my heart and my soul and the love that I have for my fellow human. . They are not intended to make me feel better or offer me a ticket to heaven. Although when you do good things for others, you know how it makes your heart sing, and without thought,  does make you  feel extraordinarily fantastic. Those feelings are unlike any other happy  feeling I've ever had and ever will have!

Christmas past pictures @ the Bittersweet Studio

   

Enjoy caring and sharing holidays.

Happily,

Jill 00 (Two hugs are better than one)

 









 

  

Paper Flower Spring

When I was a kid I remember making gobs of paper flowers. Having always been a fragrance girl and flower girl, making the paper blooms made me happy. 

During my shop owner days, and being on a limited shop owner budget, I made huge pink tissue flowers and stuck them throughout my boutique. Everyone loved them and some commented on how they remembered making the accordion folded tissue flowers when they were growing up, but had forgotten about making them until then. A huge smile would appear on their face as they were instantly taken back when they saw the flowers.  

My fondness for folding paper, pretty paper, and paper in general continues today.

I thought the little tent cards needed a splash of "paper flower Spring."

When I was growing up my Dad and my family went through our CB Radio phase after "Smoky and the Bandit" came out. My handle, that's CB talk, was "Paper Tiger." I never talked too much on the CB, always felt weird talking to people I didn't know, but enjoyed listening to the other people talking. I guess today I would be called a lurker, huh.

The soap I made yesterday, "Pink Grapefruit & Geranium" is heavenly. I haven't looked at it, it's still sitting under the blankets, but I can smell the fresh citrus and geranium blend, it's almost more than I can take, it's smells so nice. I'm hoping its hues are light pink, but as I poured the grapefruit into the pre-soap mixture I couldn't help but notice the orange grapefruit color. I believe it will be a light shade of pink, but I have been surprised so many times when making a soap for the first time, so we will see. I guess that's part of the fun part, not knowing, and that chemistry stuff is so cool!  Also, my plan was to make this soap round, but again, the first time around is always a tester batch. The round molds are finicky and I did not want the aromatic soap to be stuck inside the round molds, hate that!

Enjoy caring and sharing Spring days.

Happily,

Jill 00 (Two hugs are better than none)

Be My Valentine

      

As a child, I loved Valentine's Day and still  carry  fond memories of the day.

 I remember my Mother helping me to construct the prettiest pink or red Valentine box usually made out of an old shoe box. Then I'd proudly carry it to school anxiously awaiting the moment when it would sit upon the school room shelf among all the children's boxes. As I looked up at the line of boxes I always thought my box stood out from the crowd. Not because it was better than anyone elses box, but because my Mom helped  to make it and  had put so much of her love into the  box. I felt the Mom's love all over that box!

To this day,  my fondness for pretty boxes still remains.

Later in the school day afternoon, the teacher would tell everyone to get the box and sit it on the corner of their desk. That moment was one of my most delightful  moments at school. I can still feel the excitement I felt when grabbing my pretty pink Valentine box and returning it to my little corner of my desk.

Then the teacher would instruct us to pass out our Valentines from inside our box. Sometimes a friend or fellow classmate would give me a Valentine with candy hearts that said things like, "Hug Me" or "Be Mine." I loved getting those candy hearts. I wasn't to fond of their taste, but amazingly adored those small  words printed on the candy. 

I was surprised when Patrick came home yesterday and said he needed a Valentine Box. Being a boy and sixteen I believe he thought it to be a silly thing to participate in. However he did purchase some boy looking Valentines and sat at the table last night addressing the cards for his classmates. He stuck candy in each one and I made cookies for him to take to school. He said they were having a pizza party too.

I'm pleased as a pea and it's comforting to know that some things never change!  

Enjoy a caring and sharing Valentine's Day.

Happily,

Jill 00 (Two hugs are better than one)

 

 

Winter Blossoms Inspired by my Friend..

     

You might remember me talking about my friend Gayle.  She was a dear sweet friend and I miss her very much.

Remember Gayle's little company "Thief River?" She created blank pattern tissue cleverly designed to fit in a pattern size envelope.

I have a stash of my friend Gayle's tissue and use it very sparingly, usually when I think about her, I dig into my stash drawer and utilize the precious tissue while creating, but not often, because I don't want to use it all.

I have been wanting to make "Winter Blossoms" for awhile, they're is something magical about the tissue flowers when I made them with my friends tissue.

I dyed natural excelsior in a sink of Pink RIT dye, allowed it to dry, and then inserted the light pink stems inside the paper flower. 

This is Bittersweets busy designing time of year. A time to create new soul satisfying objects of affection. 

I'm excited about the New Year and the opportunity to continue my passion, creating. It seems the longer I make things,the more passionate I become with each design and idea. 

I hope you are able to follow your passion too. I believe creating is beneficial to the soul and makes you a happy human. 

Love to all and Happy Soulful Creating to you in the  New Year to come..

Don't forget to enjoy caring and sharing days.

Happily,

Jill 00 (Two hugs are better than one)

 

 

 

Crochet 101, well maybe not..

I promised I'd share the crocheted hats I make.

Firstly I have to explain how the hats even came about. That is if you're interested in hearing.

All right here goes..

When I was twelve or so my Aunt Charla and Uncle Richard came to visit us. I was fascinated by my Uncle's wife, Charla. She was a hip kind of girl. She wore the neatest hippest clothes. She talked the hippest kind of talk, and she wore "Prince Matchabelli" Perfume. Here is a picture of her back then, so that you can see for yourself how hip this Seattle girl really was. 

One day while on her visit, Aunt Charla pulled out a ball of yarn and a crochet needle, two things I had never really paid much mind to, really. Until that day. I asked her what she was doing and she began to explain how she was making a hat. I was totally in awe thinking, Wow, making your own hat, amazing, and thinking Aunt Charla was not only hip, but resourceful too. 

After that conversation, I asked her, "would you show me how to make a hat?" She politely and softly said in her Aunt Charla kind of voice, "yes."

I remember like yesterday sitting with my Aunt and her patiently instructing me on the construction of my hat. I was so excited and happy after I finished the hat, navy blue, I remember. I also remember that Autumn day walking to church for choir practice wearing that hat, smiling,  thinking, I made this hat!

I guess I should have warned you that this was a long story.

When I opened the shop downtown, I was sitting there one Winter day thinking, I should try to crochet again.

What really got me excited was I had seen some vintage crochet patterns from the twenty's that I thought would be cool to make.The pattern was similar to the one my Aunt and I made back in the sixty's.  So with that in thought, I purchased some yarn and a new crochet hook and began crocheting concentrating and trying to remember how to,once again. 

I was amazed how quickly I remembered my Aunts crochet lesson, 101.  I soon with trial and error came up with this, and was quite pleased with the end results. 

  Every winter day practically I would sit at my check out table at the shop and create these hats. I soon had hats in every color merchandised in the shop. Customers began purchasing the hats and they became one of the most popular hand-made items that I offered in my little boutique.  

It would be quite odd I thought, when ever I was out and about shopping people would walk up to me and ask, "where did you get that hat?" I proudly answered, "I made it!"

I began to feel the hat was some how magical. Not in an arrogant kind of way, but rather, a soulful kind of way. That possibly somehow people  picked up on the positive nature of the creation of the hat, not knowing exactly why, but that good karma was somehow intertwined within the stitches and that an invisible happy aura floated around my head while wearing the hat.

Since that Winter day, I have made lot's of hats. 

If you ask me what pattern I use I'm afraid I can not answer. I could show you if you were here to watch, but not give you instructions on re-producing it. I simply can't remember my 101 lesson on what the stitches are called.  

It's truly a one-of-a kind creation. 

Enjoy caring and sharing holidays. 

Happily,

Jill 00 (Two hugs are better than one) 

 

 

Autumn Ride

  As I was doing some Fall cleaning around the sweet home I stumbled upon this picture taken of Patrick and I, below. You should read the story before looking at the picture.

I believe Patrick was around 7 or so and  like most boys, had a fascination with trains.

I chuckled when I saw this photograph and the memories came rushing back as though it was only yesterday.

I'll tell you the story..

In honor of Patrick's love for trains, Lennis and I planned a getaway to ride a train and to experience a train first hand so that Patrick could see what riding a train really felt like.

Look no further than Branson Missouri to experience a train ride through the Ozark mountains! That's where we headed for our train ride excursion.

As we enter the gates to board the train, Patrick is overjoyed with excitement, as well as Lennis and I. I don't recall ever riding a train, although I know I did when I was very small.

There are three cars on this train, we chose number three, the last car, to sit.

The train itself was really cool. It was like stepping back in retro time, and before we began our train journey I knew I was going to enjoy each and every moment. The engineer started the engine and off we headed down the tracks.

The views were spectacular and I felt as though we had a private path cut deep into the dense Ozark mountains and we're seeing things we would never see riding in a car. We went through a dark tunnel, spooky.

As we're traveling along the winding train tracks and back towards the station we suddenly hear the engineer announcing that there has been a small electrical fire in car number two. Immediately people from train number two began pushing there way back to our car to escape the fire. Everyone from our car had no clue whatsoever there was any problems and we all sat calmly in our seats as the train continued back to the station. The people from car number two however, were standing in panic stricken mode and I do believe there were a few woman that were thinking about jumping off, as they were standing as close to the door as they possibly could.

Lennis, Patrick and I continued to sit, and although concerned, we never saw fire of any kind and personally I never felt danger and the excitement was adding to my scenic train ride.

As we pull into the station I notice the ambulance and fire rescue truck is parked waiting for the train. We continued to sit until they gave us the go ahead to exit. They explained there had been a small electrical fire in car number two, but everything was alright and there was no need to worry and that they had gotten the fire out.

What an exciting train ride that was, and one I'm sure Patrick will never forget as well as myself.

I had Lennis snap this shot of Patrick and I after we got off the train.

  Enjoy caring and sharing Autumn days.

Happily,

Jill 00 (Two hugs are better than one)

Don't forget your wrap.

I remember my grandmother telling me, "don't forget your wrap", when it was cold outside, and I was leaving to go outdoors.

Have you ever heard that expression? I had not, until the day my grandmother Lola said it, and I remember thinking, that must be how they referred to outdoor gear back in the olden days.

I've never heard anyone call it that since my grandmother, and probably won't. It's also comforting that the reference came from her exclusively.

Funny how these thoughts come to mind at certain times.

Thinking about that word today, and I think about soap wrappings. I think about the variety of ideas, and the assortment of soap wrapping packages I've had over the past ten years, gobs!

It reminds me a bit of when I was a little girl dressing my Barbie dolls in one outfit and another, then another, always feeling the anticipation of what she would look like wearing that special new dress or pant suit!

I feel the same way when I wrap my soap, except the fact that I'm a big girl now, but still like to play dress up with the bars of soap. Who would have thought! Dress up with soap, not I, not I at all. I always say, "whatever floats your boat", that's what you should do, whenever all possible!

Wait until you see our new Spring outdoor project! Can you feel my excitement? Lennis, bless his heart, built the coolest brick walkway leading down our huge hill. The hill has always been a challenge, and a thorn in our yard, as it was difficult to travel down the hill to get to our back yard. I can't count the number of times I have fallen down the hill.

Not any more! We now have a large brick walkway leading the way. I can't wait to set planters along the bricks, and plant my flower seeds.

We're late bloomers in the Midwest, and it seems as though Spring is never going to arrive.

Old timers always say, "don't plant flowers until Mother's day", in my little part of the country. That always seems like forever, but I am often glad I listened to them when planting new seedlings and plants!

I can't help but be a tad bit envious of my fellow bloggers that are experiencing the budding and sprouting of cherry blossoms and wild violets flourishing throughout.

Yesterday I spent some time carefully picking and choosing the flower seeds that I'm planting in our yard. I am planting seeds, and starting the plants indoors, rather than purchasing plants, as I feel it will help with the anticipation of waiting until Mother's day to plant. At least I'll have the excitement of watching the little seedlings sprout inside, if I can't watch outside.

Nigella, Purple Coneflower's, Sweet Peas, Calendula, Lemon Grass, Phlox, Nasturtium's, are but a few of the seeds I ordered from the seed catalog. I had fun ordering the seeds out of the seed catalog. I couldn't help but feel nostalgic, as I knew while I was browsing the catalog, that's the way they did it in the olden days, before there were nursery's.

It's a wrap!

 

Enjoy caring and sharing Spring days.

and, another shot of my kitchen, a cozy corner, after I moved the Chinese pot holders...

Happily,

Jill 00 (two hugs are better than one)

   

First Day of Quiet.

About this same time last year Patrick left for California to spend some of his Easter break with his two Aunts.

He is traveling to Big Bear Lake in California, as one of his Aunts has moved from Brent wood to Big Bear, and now has a cabin in the California mountains.

Last year after he left I wrote a post about how I felt after he had gone. I'm sure I'll feel the same this time too.

After he left last year I threw myself into cleaning and fixing up the sweet home, but this time I am feeling more like creating and taking in the time to do nothing.

Nothing, is usually a difficult thing for me to do, but I force myself every once in awhile, because I know it's healthy for my soul, and offers me the opportunity to take a vacation from my little business, and my busy lifestyle.

I have a new book , and I've already drooled over the pages. While grazing the pages inside this book, I felt as though I had traveled to the land of pretty crafting! This is by far one of the best books I've seen in some time and has some wonderful ideas for creating. I picked it up here.

   

The Bittersweet Giveaway has been extended through March, scroll down a bit to see the info and links.

Enjoy caring and sharing SPRING DAYS!

Happily,

Jill 00 (Two hugs are better than one)

Inspired by vintage naturally and some sweet memories

My recent yearning to use what I have to make stuff has been utilized and put to work pretty darn good, if I don't say so myself!

I have purchased a couple of things, like the French stamps and this fabric and yarn, but all in all, I have to say, Good Job Jill! I pat myself on the back, if I could pat myself on the back!

I've been into natural fabrics lately. Not that I wasn't before, I've always been a natural kind of girl, but I fancy the clean crisp cottons and the white on white aura, especially in the vintage night dress , and the simple but elegant look it presents.

The fabric pictured, a hemp summer cloth linen, and the yarn too, a blend of cotton and hemp. I purchased both here. I'm incorporating the natural fabric into Bittersweet creations, and plan to continue, my inspiration coming from this sweet night dress.

In the Midwest during the mid to late eighteen hundreds, hemp was a popular crop cultivated and sold by many a farmer, as it was ideal for making rope, and other items used during this period.

I remember as a kid, there was a huge old dilapidating plantation style house a few miles in the country, from the town I grew up in. It was known as the Lincoln house. A stately house in its day, as the tattered remnants left behind show hints of its glory days with its fallen pillars and grand staircases.

The owners of the house, the Lincoln's, made their fortune from hemp grown on their large acreage. As a kid, the house was rumored to be very haunted. I remember many a summer days after school gathering with girl friends, "hey, let's go to the Lincoln house, I dare you to to inside!"

I still remember the first time I entered the old house, and the eery feeling I got as I stood in the doorway, afraid to go any further, as I was scared to death!

The house has long been gone. I'm saddened to say, as it was such a beautiful home in its day, and I hated to see it die from neglect and lack of interest in its preservation.

I do however, have the memories of spending summer days walking through the huge flowered field to get to the house, and the anticipation building with each step, as I came closer to the old mansion entrance, and the fun we had as kids daring each other to see how long we could stay inside by ourselves.

I had intended to blog about natural textiles, but sweet memories pulled me into another direction this morning, and I'm glad they did!

Enjoy caring and sharing days.

Happily,

Jill 00 (Two hugs are better than one)

 

   

 

*Birth-Day*

Is it true that with age comes wisdom? I would like to think this is true! I believe that the mistakes we make help us to become wiser. I have made my share of mistakes, but as a whole, have learned from the majority of most, and it seems those that I don't attempt to learn are conveniently repeated so as to make sure that I do. 

After all, what would life be without mistakes?

I am fortunate in thinking that I have and continue to learn from my past, present, and of course, current mistakes. Even though I don't like to make mistakes, it's nice to admit that I do.

Today is my birthday and I am turning 49. I remember as a kid I used to think that forty-nine was really old. Now that I've reached it though I don't think that way at all!

I plan to live to be an old woman, so I figure I'm at my half-way point in life!

Another interesting thing... I become more passionate about life as I get older, and am thankful for the blessings I have gathered over the years and filled in my basket. Other than the occasional menopause goings on, I'm a happy human.

Yes, I had to say that dreaded word! It comes with the forty-nine territory!

As I reflect on my life and today, I can't help but be thankful and happy. I'm blessed with good health, a beautiful family, and trust in the one above. It doesn't get any better than that!

It will be a usual Jill day, on the exception of spending some much needed time with family and friends this evening. I am packing last minute orders, preparing for the long Happy Christmas weekend, and joyfully looking forward to spending time with the one's I love.

Enjoy caring and sharing holidays.

Happily,

Jill 00 (Two holiday hugs are better than one)