Bittersweet and the little soap company

Nouveau

We're moving briskly into Spring at Bittersweet! Our designs and prototypes are completed and we're putting the finishing touches on all new packaging and products. 

During the winter months I take baths which by the way, I love taking baths! Our 1921 Home was furnished with an old oversized bathtub that over the years has indulged me and offered many days and nights of good old fashioned relaxation. I've had some of my best ideas pop-up while soaking in that tub! 

While bathing in that old tub the other day I reached for the Coconut Sugar Scrub and as I scooped out a generous amount on my hand I said to myself how wonderful it felt on my skin. I then realized that I would love to have small cubes to toss in the bathtub so that my entire body could soak up all that lovely coconut moisture! I thought about how I'd made Bath Melts before, but I was never really happy with the formulation or the packaging. So I spun some fresh ideas around and came up with a simple but Oh So Yummy Bath Melt! I've gone back and forth on the packaging, but I believe that we finally have a winner! Great feeling by the way, when you finalize the packaging. We'll begin making and packaging the Bath Melts this week and offer them at our Door Store, and eventually on-line. 

Yesterday I was visited by the most adorable girls at the store. One of the girls mentioned how she had used an Herbal Bath Spray in her shower and she absolutely loved it. I believe the added herbs were eucalyptus. I love the idea of having a spray to spritz in the shower. Especially when pungent herbs are incorporated like Peppermint and Eucalyptus. Another great idea that popped up like magic! I'll begin working on the formulation this week. I researched several formulations and most of them contained witch hazel. I'm a fan of pure non-alcohol witch hazel, but believe there's a secret ingredient that would serve better. Have I got you wondering? When we get everything in order, I'll share my secret ingredient. 

 A shiny new soap cutter arrived last week. We use it at the store to cut Grandma Lucy's Dish Soap. The new cutter slices one bar at a time and offers a guide for sizing the bars. I remember the day when we cut each bar one by one. Those soulful memories will always put a smile on my face. When I'm at the store and I use the one bar cutter the memories come back. We have a more productive soap cutter at the studio. They cut numerous bars at once and save an enormous amount of time. For a small business, time is your most valuable commodity. You really can't put a price on your small business time.  

 We've expanded our Perfumery! We're blending some amazing new scents and anxious to begin creating Spring Florals!

I'm also excited to welcome a new Gentlemens Department at our Door Store! The new department will offer a variety of natural men's skincare products similar to our lady's lines.  

With so many fresh ideas streaming it's hard not to be excited!

Our Fig Trees are flourishing! I'm actually going to need to cut them back because they're both touching the ceiling. They remind me of the book Jack and the Beanstalk! I need to study up on propagating their stems so that I can start a new baby fig. They love this southern exposure, but I have two at home that enjoy the western sun so I believe the Fiddle Leaf Fig to be a hardy and happy plant! Now that sounds easy enough!

Keep the faith.

Jill 

 

 

In the groove

Simply said, but the phrase holds true. You will encounter creative blocks every now and then, but just as with anything else, you rally on and discover your creations evolve just like you do, not without failures and inconsistencies. It's also a metaphor for life!

We're in the deepness of winter. Having lived in the midwest most of my life I've learned to embrace it. I love the coziness and solitude that winter brings. 

It felt amazing to be back at the store on Saturday! Little did I envision the clusters of folks that would welcome me back after our long winter's nap. The soulful memories of Saturday are still ever-present and rushing through my mind. My heart is once again filled with gratitude and joy.   Our Soap Sale lasted but a few hours before we sold out.  The Cowboy Cookies didn't last long! Of all the cookie recipes this one is atop my cookie favorite! Folks could also refer to this dense cookie as "a kitchen sink cookie", simply because it has a number of ingredients. If you haven't made a Cowboy Cookie, I think you should. 

In keeping with my Great Grandmother Lucy's approval, I'm launching a line that's centered around items that, well, she'd approve. Chunky blocks of dish soap, (zero waste), natural bristle dish soap brushes, and the most adorable Irish linen looking aprons that you simply slip over your head. Wool dryer balls with an assortment of essential oils, lavender laundry soap, and cotton dish towels combine to create the soulful Bittersweet line. 

I mentioned in my last post about how it's an honor to be recognizing the talented and resourceful women in my life that have guided me in ways that I'd never imagined. My sweet soft-spoken mom is included in my appreciation. I have a fragrance named after her and every time I make an Alice bracelet I'm reminded of her gentleness and gracefulness. 

The sign guy dropped by on Thursday and delivered two new signs. 

I'm thrilled with both and always happy when something turns out better than imagined. We've talked about expectations many times. It's best not to have any, but it's sure hard not to!

 Fresh Gardenias arrived on Thursday! Their aromatic perfume filled the store! When I was a young girl my mom and dad dined at a Polynesian restaurant that served fresh gardenia on a cocktail. My mom would always save the gardenia and bring it home. I was in awe over this beautiful and enchanting flower. One sniff transforms you to a happy place! The memories that associate with this beautiful creamy flower are grand!

We're braiding some amazing scent combinations and believe it or not pondering new fragrances for spring. I'm still relishing in winter, but it won't be long before I begin dreaming of spring and all of her bounty. 

Keep the faith. 

Jill  

 

A Lineage of love

We're winding down the final odds and ends at our door store. We're still awaiting our signage, but everything else is upon completion. 

New formulations have been transferred from paper into an actual hold in your hand. 

The aesthetics of design are what make it stand out first. Looks really are everything when it comes to products. For me, the most important part of a product is the actual product, but I can't deny that its appearance is what guides me to want it!

I've always loved body oils! That affection is probably because I've always had extremely dry skin and a more concentrated oil helps to combat the dryness. Since most lotions are formulated with mostly water, and it does matter the oil, it is easier absorbed and penetrated into the skin which offers a more concentrated and soothing relief. 

While I was on the idea of creating a body oil I also thought it helpful to build a Nourishing Hair Oil. 

Through my research, I discovered the importance of Cardamom and Sesame Oil in helping restore hair loss. I figured, why not include it in the Nourishing Hair Serum. 

I'm intrigued by how one tiny change in a package can transform it! We've upgraded in an ingredient in our sugar polish and I absolutely love the golden bronze hues! 

Labels of all kinds are getting makeovers and I'm cultivating the Bittersweets. 

Grandma Lucy's line is expanding and I'm thrilled to stretch out the Great-Grandma love!

My great grandmother was the first soap maker in my family. Her simple living has inspired me three-fold in recreating her zero-waste philosophy. 

The Wool Dryer Balls are the next best thing to bread and butter, and I feel that Great Grandma Lucy would approve. 

Great Grandma Lucy used her soap for everything! She used it to clean her body and her home. Her dishes were squeaky clean and her home sweet home smelled fresh! To think that she accomplished the tasks with one essential excites me!

I'm excited to share the new Grandma Lucy Line at both our door store and webshop.  

The entire collection was inspired by my Great Grandmother!

On Saturday, January 18 we'll be celebrating at our door store with a Grand Re-Opening! Our winter break has been productive and I believe the many changes that we've made are going to be appealing not only aesthetically but also fire up your senses. We love doing that at Bittersweet!

We're super excited to reveal to you not only our new products but a new vibe!

Our Huge Soap Sale launches on our Grand Re-Opening! This sale allows you to stock up on your favorite soap. In fact, during past Soap Sales, we've had customers fill their soap bags with up to five pounds of soap! For this reason, we usually have a line form outside our shop door. Last winter the line formed during a snow storm! The soap sale consists of the end pieces of our molds that we stockpile during the entire year so that we can offer it to you. 

Aunt Vivian is coming to visit in February! My aunt encouraged me to make soap twenty-two years ago! If not for her enthusiastic soap making love I'd not be where I'm at today! 

In February we'll be celebrating both my Great-Grandma Lucy and my Aunt Vivian at our brick and mortar. Both women have had a dramatic impact on my life and business. 

These soulful pioneers have led a path of creativity for me in a way that cannot be put into words. They've captured my heart and in turn, have inspired me in each and every turn. 

Keep the faith. 

Jill  

 

 

fresh

This soap maker has been working at her store all week and she's happy to say that the tweaking is winding down!

I'm loving the wide-open space and the re-do stood up to my expectations I know not to ponder expectations because you can sometimes set yourself up for disappointment, but it seems that I often calculate an image in my mind on how things should finish out. I guess it's just my make-up and that's okay. In all honesty, I'm seldom disappointed or disenchanted with the grand finale. When it does happen it's a letdown. You know what I mean.

Vision is good...

Change is even better...

I've never been one to want to escape from change. In fact, I sometimes run towards it full speed ahead. After all, each day is filled with variation and you probably don't really look at that way, but if you stop and do, it helps to ease the stress of change if you don't like it. 

Change promotes growth. 

Our windows are covered with kraft paper and our logo signs have been removed to make room for new ones. I've sent the ideas to the sign guy and he's working on some creative signs. He always does a great job. When he dropped by the shop a few weeks ago and chatted about our signs it was as though he read my mind on what I wanted. One of the store signs will hang from a rope inside the store. Who knew that there were so many choices when it comes to choosing rope? I finally decided on a cream-colored one that will blend nicely with the sign. It might be to thick though, so I have a rope backup!  A fresh new look is arriving in 2020!

I am in love with these wool hats! They are handmade and available in an array of colors. One of the new winter essentials we're offering. I wear one when Elle and I walk and it's toasty warm. 

We're already working on Spring products and just received our inventory of spring scents! It's refreshing to create new spring lines during the winter months. Every year the aroma blends get better and better and I get excited to make new soaps. 

Grandma Lucy's Dish Soap is proudly displayed in our new kitchen department. We're working on creating scents to accompany wool dryer balls. I love these things! Ditch the fabric softener and toss a few balls in your dryer. You control the scent or maybe you prefer unscented. Either way, they're great for controlling static especially during the dry winter months. 

In a few weeks, we'll be adding our new items to our web store!

We're proud to introduce two new specialty cremes. One is an ultra-rich moisturizer for eyes and lips and the other is a creamy anti-aging facial serum. 

I've been using both on my face at night and absolutely love them! Each one contains hyaluronic acid. I'll never stop using our Rose Hip Oil because I am seeing amazing results with this pure vitamin-rich oil. Some people prefer a creme instead of oil and this was the reasoning behind these two new cremes. 

We also have a new Denim Department. I'm a faithful denim girl and will never grow tired of wearing denim jackets and jeans. That was my inspiration for creating a dedicated nook in the store. 

Speaking of dedicated spaces, you spoke and I listened! We're happy to announce the return of both Shower Bombs and Bath Bombs! I also have some nifty packaging for the bath seltzers. You're going to love it!

I've also created a yummy Hair Oil and Body Oil that contains jojoba and sesame oil. So body delicious and the scent will take your breath away. 

Winter fills the air with aromatic blends that enhance bath time and transform it into dreamy delicious!. 

We're also introducing a new soap appropriately named, Winter Dreams. 

This busy soap girl is going to rest up and binge on this lovely little series. 

I also shared a post ago my other binge-worthy series that I'll anxiously await the next season with excitement.  

 Winter draws you in and keeps you safe. 

Keep the faith. 

Jill