Bittersweet and the little soap company

Carrot Dumplings

The final touches have been placed and added to our holiday 22 collections. It feels as though I'm tackling projects one at a time ever so slowly. Today marked the first day in a long time that I felt accomplishments were accomplished! Ha! Redundancy is sometimes good! During my recent fall home cleanse I came across a few good books that were tucked away in baskets. I don't feel like enough is said about natural medicine and remedies. I'm a firm believer in both. I'm not opposed to modern medicine by any means, but I'm sure open to any natural alternatives. As I get older this rings true even more. I feel blessed to not have to take medications and my body is strong and healthy. Thank you, God. 

I'm bringing back a couple of holiday favorites! We've added some changes to some packaging past that I felt needed to happen. 

I'm introducing a new herbal hair repair that will start hitting the store shelves in a couple of weeks. That's the plan, anyway. This was a handpicked product essential as I felt my hair needed some deep conditioning and cleansing of products and heating elements. 

I'm working on Taste and Eat as time allows and in between soap-making and prototype design. I mentioned that today was a productive day earlier. I added quite a few recipes to the cookbook. Since I love to cook and bake it's a challenge to make sure that I include all of my favorite recipes in this cookbook. It's easy to leave favorite recipes out if I get into too much of a hurry. I'd rather move up the publishing date than find out later that I forgot some of my favorites. The gingerbread cake is a favorite. It is so yummy! Serve with a dollop of fresh whipped cream while still warm and the cream runs down the rich spice cake as though it's meant to. Kind of sexy! Laughing. 

I started moving furniture at the shop to make more room for holiday shoppers. I can't help but think that this will be our busiest season ever. Just a notion. They're usually spot-on. Having said that, I'm making every attempt to get a jump on things before it gets crazy. 

At home, I'm preparing a nest. The thought of old man winter arriving soon encourages me to stockpile quilts and blankets. When I was adding new recipes my mind traveled toward stews and puddings and that gingerbread cake. I was digging through some super old cookbooks and came across a recipe for Chicken stew and it had carrot dumplings. Have you ever heard of carrot dumplings? I hadn't but thought that they would enhance the flavor of comfort food like a chicken stew. Yeah!

Now more than ever I'm focused on the many blessings that surround me each and every day. The opportunities that pop up and the winding roads that seem to always end while meeting. 

Jill  

 

 

Glowing

The quiet busy behind the scenes is seldom seen, but it's always running alongside everyday life and brings balance. Learning to have a well-balanced life is key to living a happy life. At least this is what I believe to be true. It doesn't just happen, it takes practice. It takes lots of practice!

We had a great story published this week. Brynn captured our story beautifully. Thanks, Brynn! You are an exceptional journalist! 

Bittersweet has been blessed to have our story told many times, but I can't help but believe that Brynn dug deep and collected the soulful part of the story. xo

We have a new soap called Sweater Weather releasing today! The packaging or wrapping that we're using really adds a special touch to this moisture-rich bar. It might be a good idea to start stocking up on some of these seasonal soaps for the holidays as they will not return any time soon. We will also usher in our unique collection of holiday soaps. They will begin hitting the shelves on November 17. That is the week before Thanksgiving. We're excited beyond excited to bring to the table a brand-new variety of yummy holiday scents all of which smell amazing! 

As we approach the holidays we're thrilled to announce that in addition to the holiday collections we're bringing along an assortment of other seasonal scents that, to be honest, are blowing my socks off!

The headache sticks are back! Marshmallow lip balm is back too! Not to sound redundant, but it might not be a bad idea to stock up on those as well. 

The denim jackets happily take you into all seasons. Those boots! 

Freshly made jars of both marula face cream and vitamin c line the store shelf. 

We've been burning some of our candles in the store. I'm particularly fond of that one. 

The table that my husband built always reminds me of him and his life here on earth. 

Fallen leaves were released last week. 

We had a cold spell come through this week, but it's warming up nicely for the latter part. Yes. I'm not ready for cold quite yet. I know that others aren't either. I'm not alone. 

I took a day off from manufacturing yesterday and spent my time doing some deep cleaning. When it got so cold my nesting instincts kicked in and I found myself washing curtains, gathering all of my quilts, and tidying up. 

I'm often asked what my home looks like. I always answer that it's simple and neutral. While I spend so much time at my shop surrounded by things that I love, my home is a bit toned down and I surround myself with select pieces that are usually put to use in some way or other. There was a time when I had nicknacks and items sitting around. Nowadays I have items that are used and practical. I have very few pieces that I don't use. I'm also attracted to things like match keepers. I burn a lot of candles in the winter months and the handy match holders have a strike pad on the bottom. They're practical while also being aesthetically easy on the eye. We'll offer those at the shop, but I can't help but feel that they're going to go quickly. Available in black and white. I'm trying to find a source for bulk matches in white and black. I'll keep you posted. It's the attention to detail that makes anything stand out. I'm a freak about the detail. Not in a bad way, but in what I'd call a productive functional kind of way. 

Jill 

 

 

 

 

 

passing through

I'm just passing through. Things are moving fast around here, and I relish the downtime to post a few lines. I've been working on books and after doing a major clearing and cleaning of the homestead, my nourishing nesting motives are paying off as I look around and it's clutter-free. I'm a firm believer in if you have too much clutter in your home, you will also have clutter in your mind. This is a challenge for some to part with things. I get it. The reward is coming home and walking through my door to see empty spaces and organized corners. 

We have freshly made jars of face creams and serums. Next week I'll be switching out a few lip balms with different flavors. Hello, Marshmallow! One of your favorites. We've been burning one of our herbal candles at the shop and everyone has been asking if that is what they smell when they walk in. That's a challenging question to answer, because of all the different fragrances that we blend daily. Some of the time the dominant aroma in the air is the Cleanse that we use to clean our shop. I love that stuff! Not only does it clean and disinfect it smells amazing!

That tweed jacket is the cutest!

Building boxes and getting ready for a non-stop holiday season.

Peace

Jill  

 

 

Smell this!

The new Vetiver line has arrived but will only be available through the month of October. I did list the soap on the website along with a few other new flavors. Since this is a limited October addition, we will only offer the other body essentials at our shop. 

The scent must be something special for me to expand its loveliness in other skin-pampering essentials. Just saying.

As we approach the holiday season I'm pondering thoughts of low inventory and empty shelves. It's hard to put into words without sounding like a snob just how much work goes into designing and making our Holiday Soaps and Gift Assortments. I never want to sound ungrateful or unappreciative of the popularity of Bittersweet, but there's also the nature of handmade and the art of soap making that simply takes this craft to a league of its own.  I've increased soap manufacturing threefold this year! Having said that, we can't list our Holiday Soaps on our website because they sell out so darn fast. The backup assortment of fall-into-winter blended soaps smells scrumptious!  I'm excited to offer this exclusive assortment of spices, berries, and forest scents to the soap menu. The papers that are used to wrap our winter soaps were planned months ago, and this year I've decided to switch up the paper love by choosing several different paper artists. All of which brings a unique offering to the holiday table and the gift-giving season. 

Now more than ever my focus is centered on quality and aesthetics. In that order.  It's a good thing! Bittersweet designs are meant to stand out from the crowd in both of those categories. 

Fresh pours of Rosehip Oil and Marula Smoothie are available. Orders for smoothie always increase once the weather cools. This skincare essential is well-rounded and effective in battling dry skin. 

Our popular Shampoo bars are back, but I can't say for how long. This time of year particularly it's important to stay on the soap manufacturing schedule. A list of upcoming soaps that have yet to be made, but that are going to be added along with the tried and true essences that we offer usually offer to require a manufacturing calendar so that we can ensure that the new soaps get made. Since I've tripled the soap manufacturing amount this year it's important that we stay true to our list. Thankful. 

The warm and Wooley poncho came in this week! I'm not sure how many we have left, but I know that we sold a few yesterday at the shop.

Our cool fall-like weather inspired has inspired me to light candles and dig out my favorite jackets! 

When I released Vetiver last week I thought that the Tree Flower fit in with the new line. The woody sculpture-looking thing. Ha! I'm trying to find the source for you. I've had it for a few years, and I can't remember what its official name is. I'll have to work on that and share it later. It's kind of cool! I love real nature souvenirs.  Pinecones, wood flowers, turtle shells, dried flowers, etc. 

By the way, the wicker pumpkins that I fell in love with last season are going strong this season. Styling a space requires a little added texture. The ratan pumpkins bring that to the decorating table. I've been seeing them a lot when I'm out and about. 

We had our first frost overnight. That means the fields will be abundant with an assortment of dried flowers. I'll share that in the next post. That is kind of cool too!

It's crunch time with book content, soap manufacturing, and home projects. The process of book writing and soap manufacturing as well as nesting preparations are required to be rewarding and fun at the same time. The moment that I begin to feel rushed or hurried I know that it's time to switch up my priorities. Change the narrative so to speak. Blend in some outdoor time along with slow-down time. 

Blessings.

Jill 

 

 

 

 

   

 

 

The Scents of the season

 

If you travel back in time you'll see how we were excited about this new scent. I was so in love with it that it seemed proper to design an entire body line using the lovely fragrance. I'm fastidious when it comes to scent. After all, I've been a soap maker for twenty-five years! In fact, my nose is so snobby that you could line up one hundred different scents in front of my nose and she would shy away from all except maybe one. That's a good thing. It's like a superpower. 

I've completed the fall/winter soap menu. This means these are the new soaps that will be approaching the next few months ahead. I've also added a dozen or so more to the menu since I published the menu. Just when I think that it can't possibly get any better, it always does. The new soaps and fragrances have already been utilized in our Scent Your Own Station, and we've completed most of our manufacturing from the list. Good feeling!

We've stocked some flairs, but I would say that this flair is a more modern version of its sister. I'm always amazed how one little detail in a garment can have such an impact. For example, this flair has a wide hem. The wide hem sets the jean apart from most flairs. I believe it gives it a sense of style and savviness. Don't you?

We received our shipment of dried stems. We've always been partial to real flowers at Bittersweet. We love dried arrangements. If you add a couple of stems of dried fall leaves or tall cat tails to this bundle you're going to love the look!

In my last post, I received several comments regarding the busy topic. It's comforting to know that some of you feel the same as I do about being busy. 

The scents of the season are beginning to trickle in. 

Enjoy.

Jill