Bittersweet and the little soap company

A Motley of Ephemera

 

Remember the paper products mentioned? My love for vintage ephemera inspired me to create this tin. The tin is filled with hand-picked vintage images from my private collection. The labels are so corresponding savvy stuck on linen paper and used as personal stationary. They range in different sizes and styles. They retail for $12 and 28 labels are included in each tin. If you're interested in ordering the ephemera labels, e-mail me and I'll send you and invoice. Shipping on US orders is $3.75. Thanks..

Enjoy caring and sharing days.

Happily,

Jill 00 (Two hugs are better than one)

 

French Market Hand-Mades..

 

I'll be using this chalk board at the French Market. It reads, "Welcome to Bittersweet."

The studio is full of frocks and sassafras. I am absolutely mad about this fabric from Sandi Henderson, just wild mad! It reminds me of a fabric I remember seeing at my Grandmother's house, I believe on a vintage tablecloth.

 

 

Sorry about the cloudy pictures. The lighting in the studio is about the worst it gets.

Soap wrapping day, all day, whew!

Enjoy caring and sharing days.

Happily,

Jill 00 (Two hugs are better than one)

B & B ~ Blog & Banner

 

I am having a blast designing these blog banners.

I'm hoping to have them shopping cart ready within the next few days, but if you see one you like just drop me a line and I'll send you an invoice. If you need help placing the banner on your blog I'll assist you with that too, for a small fee.

Oh and if you would like me to design a banner just for you, again, drop me a line..

Check out the Cottage Style banners.

Busy making Patchouli Soap and sewing some more flirty frocks in between for computer breaks.

Enjoy caring and sharing days.

Happily,

Jill 00 (Two hugs are better than one)

Vintage Papers

 

A couple of years ago I picked up some very old Kansas City Star papers at a local flea market that  dated back to the 1900's.

I had glanced through the pages hastily at the time knowing they were precious, but not quite sure how I was going to make use of the beautiful vintage tattered print. I placed the papers on a shelf for safe keeping for later use.

Yesterday I dug the vintage newspapers off from the shelf and began taking a closer look at the beautiful old print.

After looking further I began to notice that someone from the past had been particularly fond of the old beauty advise columns written by Lillian Russell  , and their are a cosiderable number of the columns within the stack.

 

She was a beauty, wasn't she? Very talented too!  Kind of reminds me of Gilda Gray, although Gilda came around after Lillian's death. Gilda brought notice to a popular dance during the roaring twenties, the "shimmy."

Back to the newspapers..

 

I can't tell you how chuckled I got looking though these pages in time. The caption above for example, "Importance of the upper lip!" As I read on, a "Tricks of Bad Breeding," and "You cannot pay too much attention to your hands and gloves. They are a telling index of the character of their possessor", Says Lillian Russell.

It will take me days and weeks to read through these wonderful old remnants. I love the wording in each and every paragraph!

What am I going to do with the newspaper's, you ask? Why certainly Mada am & Sirs, I'm going to wrap soap with them of course! Copies only, and then tying them in faded red rope. My main focus though is to re-invent some of the phrases and vintage wording assoiciated with the papers.  Pictures and vintage words coming soon!

  

Continuing my green pledge with packaging and using what I have.

Enjoy caring and sharing Summer days.

Happily,

Jill 00 (Two hugs are better than one, right?)

Color- filled Bittersweet

 

I don't know if you remember this picture of the huge pinkie blossom that one of my customers brought me last summer. I love the color of this flower, kind of a pink peachy coral.

Even though I am fond of biscuit colored neutrals, I'm equally absorbed with splashes of color. I guess that's obvious by the way Bittersweet is packaged.

Most of the time when I am working on designing new product packaging, color is a key component in the design, usually.

    

 

I'm often asked how I design product labels. Honestly, I just go with the mood at the moment.

I guess I'm mostly influenced by vintage old-time toiletry labels, and especially charmed by Art Noveau period designs and fonts. Then I move up a few years to my favorite 1920 period.  I've never known really why the attraction is so strong, but my admiration for that period in time is also apparent with the things I make.

  

I feel fortunate to have available all the wonderful resources available now-a-days with paper manufactures and designers.

Artist's  like Amy Butler whohave successfully brought unique days-gone-by textures and designs back in a fresh new ever inspiring way. Thanks Amy! You've definitely made my packaging fresh and exciting!

    

In the middle of making burlap market bags and ran out of burlap, probably because I used five yards or so to make the back porch curtain. Have I mentioned how much I lovvvve these burlap bags?

Enjoy caring and sharing color-full Summer days.

Happily,

Jill 00 (Two hugs are better than one)

The Burlap "Off to the Market Bag"

 

Without further avail, I introduce you to the new burlap "Off to the Market Bag." I do believe my burlap phase is here to stay. Ordered extra burlap to make a gas grill cover, because I hate looking at the naked grill and oh what a stylish thing to do.

Burlap Market Bags will be previewing on the Bittersweet web site soon, lot's of cutting going on around here. I'm thinking burlap shower curtain, hm-mm, burlap bed skirt, hm-mm, burlap pillows, oh my gosh.

Congratulations to Twyla and Lindsey on winning the Pinnie Apron from the little apron giveaway held  at my little sister blog, Calico Petal's.

I'll be putting it in the mail today sweets.

Enjoy caring and sharing Summer days.

Happily,

Jill 00 (Two hugs are better than one)

French Country

I'll be offering some Bittersweet French Country at the Farm Show next Saturday. A mix of  hand-made olive oil soaps wrapped in tones of creamy white, vintage photographs mixed in with old postcard greetings. Alyssum and lavender  tucked  here and there.

 

One of the things I have been making ,  pillow slips from the vintage linen and trims I've accumulated. I have always loved linen pillow cases, so simple, but timeless and true.

On a recent flea market trip I picked up large quantities of old worn linen for hardly nothing, and although vintage trims are a hot flea market item, most of the time if I look carefully I can still find it a a reasonable price.

I am packaging two of the hand-made cases tying them with vintage grosgrain ribbon, and sticking in the stunning snow berry bundles atop, so very "Bittersweet French Country."

 

 

Moving to flowers..

I picked up these the other day at the nursery. They are an old fashioned favorite flower, stocks, and very cottage. They are an annual so you have to re-plant every season, but love the sun and do quite well all summer.

I always associate stocks with hollyhocks, sweet pea's and roses, all are old-fashioned flowers that will add cottage charm to your garden.

  

They had different shades at the nursery. I chose the light pink and darker pink and planted them in a pot.

Oh too, I made Alicia's "market bag." I plan to give them as gifts to my friends, that is if I can let go of them!

Enjoy caring and sharing Spring days.

A Retro Staple with a perk

 

Don't you wish flour manufacturers still packaged their staple in these bags?

On a recent estate sale Julie picked up a few of these retro flour sack bags label intact on most of the bags and so retro sweet. Thank's Julie, you are so very sweet for always thinking of me.  The fabrics used for these bags is original shabby indeed!

Working on even more displays and packing everything for the show.

 

Lot's of Spring Colored journals,  and soaps packaged in shiny new papers.

Enjoy a caring and sharing Spring day.

Happily,

Jill 00 (Two hugs are better than one)

Friendship Soap

 

For quite awhile I've been pondering the thought of a special soap, packaging designed specifically for a  friend.

Yesterday while wrapping bars I came up with this.

You know those times you want to give a friend a little something to show your gratitude and sentiments toward their kind generous nature, a little life reward, a token of friendship gift. 

For me a bar of hand-made soap has always been an affordable luxurious gift.

I'll be testing the prototype at the upcoming shows.

Enjoy a caring and sharing Spring day.

Happily,

Jill 00 (Two hugs are better than one)

Pinnie Tree, Paquets, and Special Packaging

 

The Saturday Studio is filling up with new pinnies, bundles of soap, and pretty Spring packages of soap.

Several people have contacted me wanting to know it the Vintage Wallpaper Paquets will be available on the web site, yes, hopefully by next week, I'm waiting on shipping tubes. The VW Paquets are $7.99 a bundle and I will let everyone know once they become available on line @ Calico Petals. 

Some new Spring packaging on the Savon Paquets. I used rice paper to wrap the soaps bundles.

Aren't they bright and cheery? Three different kinds of savon wrapped in individual papers. I set these these out for overnight guests, or use to fill hostess baskets.

 

Oat's & Goat's Soap is one of Bittersweet's best selling soaps. It's actually a complexion bar filled with ground oat's, spring water, and goat's milk, very rich and moisturizing. No fragrance, making it ideal for soft delicate facial tissue.

 

This is a shot of the studio as you're heading in the door. The shelves are beginning to fill with new Spring.

Enjoy a caring and sharing Spring day.

Happily,

Jill 00 (Two hugs are better than one)