Bittersweet and the little soap company

birds and the bees and the flowers and the trees

Have I ever told you how much I love bee balm? Oh, I'm sure that I have. Have you ever bent down and taken a whiff of its honey blossom?  It's a unique looking plant too with fuzzy tentacles and sea urchin looking blooms. It's no wonder the bees are attracted to the plant.

Window sill terracotta herbs filled with thyme and lavender. Thai basil, a favorite basil around here. Has a unique almost cinnamon flavor in addition to the pungent basil.

I've told you how I gather summer blooms to dry and use for seed haven't I? Brown Eye Susan's, Bachelor Buttons, Cone Flowers, and especially Zinnia, all grow wonderfully from seed. You can dry the blooms too. The Peony I harvested in upside down bundles of four in the dark closet have dried to perfection.

Soon the zinnia's will be filling the garden with their candy colored blooms. Once they begin getting tattered, I'll snap off the blooms and allow them to dry. I dry them in a old wooden bowl. 

Big, fat chunky zinnia blooms, plucked and assembled, tossed like a summer salad. One of my favorite things in the world. Less is more... Next year's blooms and a soulful story wrapped. My mom was an Elvis fan and once told me about how Mrs. Presley, once poor and frugal, harvested her marigold blooms so that she would have flowers the following season. Now every time I snap a zinnia, I think of Mrs. Presley.

While summer has opened her door and ushered in some hot sultry sunny days I've been working outside early in the morning to beat the heat and then I come inside where it's cool and have one of these frosty beverages that will leave your taste buds oh so summer happy!

 

I noticed several variations of the recipe, but this one only needs two ingredients and trust me, you're not going to miss anything. I'm really digging fresh frozen pineapple, coconut milk and a tablespoon of raw honey. I prepare the summer treat in my juicer.

1 cup of fresh frozen pineapple

1 cup of organic coconut milk

1 Tablespoon of raw honey

The kids will freak out over and over!

Enjoy caring and sharing summer days.

With all good wishes,

Jill 00

 

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black & white

The shop is stuffed full with fresh artisan goods. I'm in love with the aroma of the new coffee soap!

Still re-working details on new packaging. I love the black and white botanical paper! It's fitting in nicely with bittersweet designs. A wholesale company provides the paper. 

I'm also in paper love with this owl print. 

Creating a few web banners too. Again, black and white have my summer attention. I'm not sure why, but I am preferring less is more while creating designs.

I collect hob nail milk glass. Only the hob nail. I'm attracted to that too! Snow berries and button flowers, everlasting blooms. They're always in season, and they last forever! I'm guessing that's why I'm in love with them. Flower Power! 

Hoping your summer is filled with color.

With all good wishes, 

Jill 00

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Lavender, Coffee Soap & Butterfly Bags making a summer appearance at the soap shop on water street. 
Vintage Heirlooms and lace kind of fit together like two pea's in a pod. 
Mounds and new logo's. Summer's crossing.

Paper butterflies and coffee filter flowers. A hand made shop dressed in summer.

 I hope your summer is filled with favorite things.

With all good wishes, 

Jill 00

 

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#Downtown Liberty

Since it's hot, I thought it might be a good time to touch on a hot topic and if I might be as bold as to say, shop downtown Liberty! The unique selection of hand made and artisan is amazing! I know, I know, I have a shop downtown! Yes, it's true, and I'm of course bias in my thoughts since I do operate an apothecary shoppe downtown.   

As I walked around the Liberty square today on this sultry hot day I was instantly reminded of how important it is for folks to shop small. Downtown was dead as were most of the shops as I gazed into the windows and doors on my way to my favorite boutique. Here's the kicker folks... If you've never shopped your downtown before, you are in for a treat. If you've never dined downtown, ditto.

I know there's some discovery bones in your body! Unleash your inner wild child and be bold friends. Think happy thoughts while you stroll Historic Downtown Liberty. Take a dog for a walk downtown. Ride your bike around the square six times, that's a mile. Actually, I just made that up, so I don't know the distance. It doesn't matter, does it? 

Here's a list of what you take in downtown...

Cool clothes, accessories, jewelry, Scout gear, Royals gear, Liberty high school gear, antiques, vintage, apothecary, coffee and tea, amazing food, beer, wine and spirits, chocolate, cinnamon rolls, strawberry cake, children's specialty items, hand made, home decor, candles, old fashioned soda, candy, frames, intimate apparel, swim suits, musical entertainment, museums and walking tours, and of course, merchants that greet you with a smile.

I dropped by my one of my favorite shops, Bea's Design. Bea makes most of her jewelry that she carries in her boutique. She also has clothing and accessories. 

Enjoy caring and sharing summer days. 

With all good wishes, 

Jill 00

  

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just whistle

every now and then---

Every now and then I'm compelled to change things. After all, the same old, same old, would get boring after awhile, wouldn't it? 

I'm always in awe about how a design takes shape. Sometimes they move me. Sometimes they don't. After all these years of creating product, labels, web sites, etc., I've learned that there's a common denominator with each. Simplicity. Or maybe you prefer to it as less is more. No matter what you wish to name it, it's true. 

I've been working on, yes you guessed it, new label designs for various products. Every now and then change is needed to not just perk up this soap maker, but also, to improve on improvement. Make sense?

I'll keep you posted on how things progress.

Enjoy caring and sharing days.

With all good wishes,

Jill 00 

 

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Summer has a way of arriving unnoticed, sometime. The flowers always offer a gauge into how far we are into summer here in the Midwest. If the zinnia's and bachelor buttons are blooming, chances are, summer has officially began. A Midwest summer also hosts a number of sticky, humid, hot, sunny days. Not my favorite part of summer, but I've learned to appreciate it, somewhat.

I love making lavender sachets from vintage trims and embroidery pieces. I inserted a little cotton binding so that the sachets can hang. 

Crisp white and natural hues seem to be taking center stage.  It's summers way @ the apothecary shoppe. 

Even summer lends her aroma's of lavender and lemon grass, lemon and rosemary so that all can witness and share in her bounty. 

Gardens are being weeded and folks are awaiting big, fat, juicy tomatoes. A sure plant sign that summer has officially arrived. 

The farmers market has peaches. An abundant crop of the fuzzy fruits since we've had so much rain. 

I hope your summer has kicked in nicely.

Enjoy caring and sharing days.

With all good wishes, 

Jill 00

 

hello caller!

It went pretty well. Some dead air in between callers and ironic because I have this phobia about the phone lines. Next time should be easier, each show I do. We need a call screen-er.  It feels right as though I am Goldilocks and I just flopped into baby bear's bed. 

Enjoy caring and sharing days.

With all good wishes, 

Jill 00

 

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I've had a twenty minute briefing about how to run a radio show board. This computer does this and this one does that and that button needs to be here and not beyond here. 
Tomorrow I'll be running our show behind and in front of the scenes. It could get interesting. Possibly dead air, or maybe even, we won't go there!

I'm excited and nervous at the same time. I love learning new things so that part is exciting. Being live on while hosting a radio show has never made me nervous, but operating the equipment that makes it a radio show is somewhat intimidating. I'm jump'in in head first! I will podcast the show so that you can listen back if you so dare.

Probably won't get a wink of sleep tonight. Whenever I close my eyes, little buttons appear and words like product and mic 1, and hot line, phone line, etc. etc.

Enjoy caring and sharing days.

With all good wishes,

Jill 00 

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in bloom

Cone flowers and Shasta daisy's in bloom at the bittersweet home sweet home. I can't believe how the echinacea are taking root throughout the rock garden! It generally takes the plant a few years go get established. Wide open blooms and little unopened purple ones soon to be. 

I could quite easily spend my summer shooting flowers. 

Maybe soap too. The apothecary cabinets are beginning to fill. 

New soaps curing and more soap ready to be cut. 

I love my new jewelry holder. It's so nice to have my jewelry in one place. You can order your very own here. 

An anniversary coming up in a few days. Maybe a candlelight dinner and slow moving restful day would be nice. We both work so very hard, it's nice to simply do nothing and eat!

Summer solstice arriving on Sunday, anniversary and father's day too! How did that happen? I better get to making some mini plans. 

Enjoy caring and sharing days. 

With all good wishes, 

Jill 00

 

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Snow berries mixed with brown kraft, floral and chippy wood at the brick and mortar. Summer merchandising along with new fresh olive soap. The new coffee soap will fit right in. 

It was a bittersweet weekend. I drove over the hill and through the winding country roads to my little hometown of Plattsburg. My mind traveled too and far along the journey. Then like a shot gun blasting, I hear the sound of these. The really big sound of these! My oh my, double my or my! Those little creatures have some powerful vocal chords! Or is it their legs or wings? No matter, but I do know if I lived in the woods, I'd need to wear ear plugs!

The trip to Plattsburg created a melancholy mood. When I arrived in town I took a left to drive my my old house. The neighborhood looked different, but yet looked the same. Do you know what I mean? The small town has deteriorated some after the economic fall a few years back. A common aftermath when the economy grows weak, I believe. The rise in gas prices and home repair costs factor in too. At any rate, as I drove through I put my rose colored glasses on. It continued to be the sweet perfect little Norman Rockwell hometown it was when I was a kid. The tree I used to climb in the city park, gone, but a new planted in the exact same spot! That made me happy. I carved my name at the very top branch when I was kid. Somehow thinking, it would be there forever. 

My trip...

A caring and sharing friend from school has hosted a  high-school get together for the past few years. She rents a b&b and gathers my classmates, plans activities and dinner. A feat, the planning, and an amazing labor of love! Thank you Cindy! This year, and only a couple of days before the event, a classmate passed. She had been living in Plattsburg and died suddenly without warning. The family decided not to have any service. Cindy thought it would be nice to have a memorial. We all agreed.

Blue sky's and puffy cotton clouds prevailed as the yellow balloons flew towards heaven. A place I'm sure my friend Valerie now resides. A few tears fell, myself included, but I also felt a sense of security and comfort from my sweet childhood friends standing beside me. A lovely tribute it was. It will forever stay in my mind and touch my soul each time I'm reminded. God bless.

Enjoy caring and sharing days, because my friend, I have learned that's really all that matters. 

With all good wishes,

Jill 00   
   

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