The soap mounds are beginning to form around the Bittersweet Studio. Preparing for the Vintage Market in a couple of weeks and Bittersweet's annual Holiday Open House.
Reminiscing on the first Bittersweet open house I hosted back in 1997. It was a time of excitement as well as nervousness with Bittersweet being fresh and new.
I jumped in head first, quit my job, worked non-stop, ate, lived and breathed about it, and focused most on making a successful little business. There have been challenging moments while other's soulfully heart felt rewarding, all of those, cherished moments I would never exchange for others.
My Aunt Viv had sent me homemade soap she made as a Christmas gift. I remember anxiously opening the package as though it was yesterday, removing the tissue she had tenderly wrapped around the soap. As I rubbed my hand over the silky soap bar and took in its soft delicate scent, I knew immediately I would soon be making my own soap!
Back then, there were not too many books on the subject, in fact I found only one small book about making the modern version of Great Grandmother's soap. I purchased the book and read through eager to begin. Purchased the items needed, most available at my local market at the time, that has since changed.
After gathering all the ingredients I began to make soap. I remember using shoe boxes to pour the soap in and sitting the boxes under the bed, covering them with several old quilts. I could barely handle not peeking under the blankets to check the soaps progress. I didn't though, I waited until the next morning.
The next morning I anxiously uncovered the blankets and gazed into the boxes filled with soap! I rubbed my hand over the box of soap thinking how exciting it was! Having always been a flower girl and fragrance girl I knew I had finally discovered my niche. Thank you GOD.
I still have those very first bars of soap in my cupboard! They are reminders on how far Bittersweet has come.
Today, things really haven't changed too much on how Bittersweet is made. I continue to make soap in my kitchen just as I did back then. Although I don't use shoe boxes and no longer place them under the bed. Lennis built soap molds. The soap is covered with the same vintage quilts though.
There have been times Bittersweet needed to lease a warehouse, hire employees to make the soap, and have space for storing the bars, but I was always turned off by those thoughts, and my instincts always lead the way. I really feel that over the years I have made the right business decision by not going big.
It's hard for me to imagine how many bars of soap I've, we've poured, cut, wrapped and tied! I'm estimating somewhere over 100 thousand bars. Now that's a lot of soap!
I have learned that without the help from family and friends, the entire process of operating one's own company would be bitter rather than sweet. My family has always been supportive and encouraging along the wavering path, and I'm thankful they are filled with so much love and have eagerly shared that love with me!
I was thinking the other day on how when I get older, like in my eighties, just how am I going to pour that very heavy liquid soap into the molds. I'ts always been challenging to do even for Miss Arm Wrestling Champ, yeah, I'll tell you about that someday!
Anyway, those are thoughts I'll continue to ponder...
Enjoy caring and sharing hand-made days.
Happily,
Jill 00 (Two hugs are better than one)
