Bittersweet and the little soap company

sparks...

Shop owners are always moving one pace ahead of everyone else. The seasons change almost with a blink of the eye! I'm always required to slow down and take some time to enjoy the present. I'm getting better at doing that. A soap maker is always thinking ahead too. Since cold process, soap needs time to mellow and cure, a two-month jump on manufacturing is a constant demand. I'm accustomed to this method because I've been doing it for over two decades. I'm still so very passionate about my soap makers life and every now and then a little pinch on the arm reminds me of my many blessings. 

The beautiful green hydrangea never ceases to capture my admiration. It is graceful pure and simple. The blooms are hardy and created for summer. 

I am digging our latest "farm to skin" line of soaps! The fresh goat milk arrives direct from the farm and then it's quickly added to a big batch of Bittersweet. 

The Kansas City Star featured a great article about Bittersweet. I'm honored and thrilled to share my story with local folks. The writer captured the story, perfectly. 

I'm eager to begin frosting the shop with autumn. Once August rolls around the urge nugs even more. We have fall jackets and denim, plaid shirts and leggings, chunky jewelry and an assortment of pre-fall arrivals that get me even more excited about the yummy season. 

I'm not sure what's going on but earlier today when I visited the fabric store the plaid fabrics were screaming at me. Typically I'm not a serious plaid type of girl, but lately, that's changed. While I was standing there the cream and brown plaid spoke to me. It said, why don't you offer a series of plaid wrapped autumn soap! Then I saw a display in my mind with blends of creamy plume grass and shades of copper. More creamy than rust, but the perfect blend mixed with the plaids that just looked beautiful in my mind. You see, this is how it begins. Inspiration blossoms from something simple and true. Love it!

The Fall line will be called "The Tartan Collection". I love that word! A somewhat mysterious word, I believe. 

 

Where does the word tartan come from?

In North America the term plaid is commonly used to describe tartan. The word plaid,derived from the Scottish Gaelic plaide, meaning "blanket", was first used of any rectangular garment, sometimes made up of tartan, particularly that which preceded the modern kilt (see: belted plaid).

 

As we begin to turn into fall I've introduced a new product. The aromatic herbal cubes are pungent with eucalyptus and peppermint. The perfect addition to warm showers as the weather begins to cool. When you open the jar the peppermint fills the air. 

This fall I'm planning on an offering and series of bath products infused with our signature Pumpkin Spice! I'm envisioning not just cleansing bars, but too, body scrubs, room sprays, and an assortment of skincare products that will not only delight your senses but tickle your craving for the spicy scent. 

The changing of the seasons is an exciting time for Bittersweet. 

Keep the faith. 

Jill 

 

 

kitchen sink

I've been slowly plucking out small organization project ideas to place in and around our home. When I saw this picture on Pinterest, it was love at first sight. The area under our kitchen sink has always been nomads land. This picture feeds me with kitchen sink inspiration. This is where I spotted it. I love it when folks share their sources! 

From home organization to fresh flowers. It's so much fun to have fresh flowers delivered to the shop every week! This weeks flower was Purple Iris. Aren't they stunning?

Summer Meals...

Spaghetti aglio, olio & spring greens

Yummy! Here's the link to the recipe. I've been binging Jamie Oliver! His simple five-ingredient recipes make for the perfect summer dinners. 

We had angel food cake sprinkled with fresh peaches and whipped cream. Yummy, too!

The shop is blooming!

 

We're thinking about cutting the cable cord. I ordered Fire Sticks for our televisions, and have been gradually easing into a change in the way that we watch television. I get frustrated with our cable because it always seems that there's nothing worthwhile to watch. With a stick. you have access to movies galore! We also have Netflix. I'm still in research mode when finding a channel provider. It seems these companies are not all created equal. If you're thinking of switching, I'd recommend writing down the channels you watch and then search for the provider that offers those channels. Each one is totally different. Just something I'm learning as I go along. This fall and winter it will be lovely to have access to a large library of movies, especially ones that you can handpick. The entire cable industry is changing daily and the sky is the limit when searching for a provider. No more monopolies! Always a great thing for the consumer. 

 

Keep the faith. 

Jill 

grazing

I'm trying to slow down and take in some summer because she always seems to blaze by so fast! 

I'm pondering thoughts of fresh new ideas for the shop. It' feels good to graze and slow down so that my brain has time to examine those new ideas. That's the way it works you know. I believe that theory to be true with writers, artists and other's that create. It's kind of a cool process when you stop and think about it. 

I just noticed before starting this post that Typepad featured the soap maker's blog! Thank you, Typepad. What a pleasant surprise to see Bittersweet be your featured post. It's hard to believe that it's been thirteen years since that first post in 2006. Along the way, I've met some amazing folks and encountered some even more amazing experiences through my blog. Blogging is recreational downtime for this maker and I still enjoy it as much as I did thirteen years ago. I've noticed my writing has improved along with my grammar. Neither are my strong suits, but nevertheless something I have always enjoyed. 

I'm super excited about our latest offering of facial oil! Rosehip is gaining ground in the skincare industry and if you take a moment to research this amazing oil, you'll quickly discover why. 

Not only does Dr. Axe recommend this oil, but there are numerous clinical studies that talk about the skin benefits of rosehip oil. I'm convinced, as I've been applying the oil to my face and have noticed noticeable improvement. 

Moving away from skin oils and sliding into a conversation about lightboxes. I was curious to know if a lightbox would improve the image quality of product shots. The picture above was taken with a lightbox. It definitely brightens it up. I really didn't spend much time taking this photo so I can see how this tool will be productive when capturing small images. My camera is fairly large and I have a tendency to shake it so I believe with a tripod and time this exact photo will be much improved. I haven't had a chance to get that far, but it's fun to experiment. The lightbox was inexpensive, under twenty dollars. I purchased it here. 

The top picture is my favorite only because I love Zinnias! The old fashioned candy-colored blooms fit in with our Lake House Collection of soap. Don't you think?

We had a Soap Sale last week at the shop. I'm pleased to announce that we sold out within an hour and a half! Wow!  Our next Soap Sale will be in January after Winter Break. Congratulations to you lucky girls and boys that came early and filled your bag with a stockpile of Bittersweet. The only bad news is that I probably won't see you for a while because you have months worth of soap. 

That philodendron that sits atop the soap cabinet continues to thrive. I dare not move it, ever. 

I've been doing some soul searching and concluded that my happy place is when the Lemon Nail Creme hangs out with the Facial Serum, Marula Oil, Cardomom Creme, and all the other skincare products that we make. It's especially helpful for the maker to quickly see what she needs to make more of. The process of keeping track has become a challenge since we sell out so fast. I guess this means folks are loving Bittersweets! Thank you. 

Keep the faith. 

Jill 

 

Peachy

We're hot into summer at the modern apothecary shop! Shipments of pre-fall apparel will be beginning to surface soon. 

This Friday we'll be doing something we've never done. We typically only have one soap sale and that's after we come back from winter break, but I'm finding that with an increase in manufacturing excess bars are taking over the soap studio. With that in mind, Friday we'll offer a variety of unwrapped bars of Bittersweet at a discounted price. Last winter and during a snow storm we had lines of folks waiting to stock up and take advantage of our winter soap sale.  The soap sale is brief.  The sale soap is usually gone within two days! Oversized muslin bags are ready to be filled with seven or eight pounds of soap. Unfortunately, we're not able to list the sale soap on our webshop because it sells out so fast. May the force be with you!

It's hard to put into words the amazing scent of this soap! I'll just leave it at that. A new soap that arrived last week, but won't be around for long. Just say'in. 

Artisan Wood Jewelry. Alice Bracelet by Bittersweet and lightweight wooden teardrops. ♥ , and since we don't reorder duplicate merchandise at the shop, once they're gone...

 New stretchy headbands are back! I spent an afternoon making a fresh batch, and they're another object of attraction at the shop. We currently offer four different prints, but I have a stash of fabric that I'm dying to use to make more. 

We have a new Lip Balm coming on Wednesday. I'm being hush-hush and not revealing the new flavor. A Summer Surprise!

We now have ten varieties of Bittersweet Lip Balm! There's a flavor for everyone. If the flavor isn't your thing, we even offer an unscented Lip Balm. 

We're making grilled pizzas for dinner and I started juicing celery this morning. I will admit celery juice on its own isn't very tasty. I'm thinking of adding an apple or two to the green concoction. Then I believe it will be much tastier. 

The flower of the week, last week...Larkspur

This week the flower truck delivers fresh lavender and feverfew.  Bundles of both available to take home. 

My zinnias are finally blooming! 

Bachelor Buttons and Phlox follow their lead. 

Keep the faith.

Jill 

 

 

 

 

summer down

We finally finished our mini bathroom remodel! I don't know if you remember or not, but I refinished the dresser last summer in anticipation of the new bathroom. The wooden dresser houses our bath towels and sundries. I'm really happy with the end results on this piece. I did not stain the wood and only rubbed tung oil to protect the wood in a natural way. I applied three to four coats because I wanted it to be protected from the moisture that is in the bathroom. 

We added new flooring and subway tile around the sink and tub. A shiny new toilet that I love, which by the way, in my wildest dreams I'd not imagine getting excited about a toilet, but I am!

The entire project was under one-thousand dollars because we did all the work. We're also going to have both our sink and tub refinished. Right now we're happy with the new space. 

I'm working on other home projects. I just finished a complete furniture makeover in our living room. 

Window cleaning, painting, and summer clearing in steady sequence. 

I'm taking a little summer down from the shop during the holiday week. Won't be back until Friday. 

It feels good to catch up on home. 

My gardens are slow to produce this summer because of all the spring rain we received. 

The purple coneflower garden is starting to share their blooms. I also have whites but they haven't started to bloom yet. 

Friday I got up early before there were any people and captured our beautiful downtown. 

The feverfew is blooming as well. 

I could take flower pictures all day!

Those pictures should be missing Japanese beetles! They're back. I plucked eight of the destructive bugs off of my zinnia leaves! I also have been researching how to get rid of them.  + this natural bug removal method.  I had never heard of Milky Spore and it seems that the process is ongoing for about two years in preventing the pesky beetles from invading our gardens. 

Wishing you a Happy Summer Holiday!

Once again, July 4th has snuck up on me. 

Keep the faith. 

Jill