Bittersweet and the little soap company

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 

 

Mixology and More...

We've been mixing and blending some amazing new perfumes and scents at the shop! I love it when a customer carefully chooses an oil blend that I'm reluctant to believe it will spin out into a lovely aroma and it does. As it often does...

Pouches...

I have no idea what or why, but I've always loved pouches! Maybe simply because they make a great stashing spot. In love with these simple black and white ones that arrived this week. 

Here are a few of my favorite things... The new Cardamom Face & Body Creme is nothing short of being an amazing healing balm. If you don't mind me saying. You don't hear too much about cardamom, do you? Please allow me to explain. 

  Besides being anti-inflammatory, (key for fighting pimples), it’s high in vitamin C, and it stimulates circulation (which improves your complexion). It also offers many great properties when ingested. I am always in awe to learn how herbs and spices promote healing and offer health benefits. 

While I'm on the subject of green things. I have been craving this salad dressing. 

Changing the color to blue...

The new denim line is here! This brand makes some of the best denim! The craftsmanship and quality are evident in many ways. Bittersweet is proud to carry this line and planning to expand the collections in the fall. What is it about colored denim? I'm in love with it! Planning on making a colored denim switch this fall. 

There are soaps that offer refined perfume scent. White Flower is one of these soaps. We introduced it as our new soap of the week last week. Hurry, it's already almost gone!

We're in love with this Kellie Montana line of jewelry! We love introducing you to new up and coming designers. 

We have oodles of new items arriving and we're excited to introduce fun new flavors of soap. We're bringing back a favorite next week. Orange Vanilla will hit the shelves on May 17!

The shop is moving at warp speed. Items don't last long so if you see something that you really love, please grab it while it's available. We don't believe in ordering the same thing more than once. We love to shake up our inventory with new things!

Happy Mother's Day!

It's been a quiet, but rewarding day. We're preparing salmon and salad with Green Goddess dressing. We visited the big box store last night and stocked our pantry with lots of organic foods. 

Keep the faith. 

Jill 

P.S. New powder room progress to come!

 

 

Snowy Sunday

So many kind folks come out for this special day. 

I'm always in awe over the people their passion for shopping small and the strong smiles. 

We've been wrapping soap day and night!

Items we've needed have been hijacked by shipping companies. I won't name names, but it seems to happen every year. One of the items that are in the no-mans land is a new seasonal Favorite Thing. It happens. I've ordered the packaging item again in hopes this shipment won't get detained like the other one. 

We're up to number 8!

I never ever can predict which Bittersweet is a favorite with consumers. It changes every year. Keeps me on my Christmas Toes!

We were the first people in Liberty Missouri to purchase a live Christmas Tree! That's what the salesman told us. In fact, we picked out two live Christmas trees. One for the shop, and one for home sweet home. 

We have a snow-topped tundra too!

I love Sundays!

Especially Snowy Sundays...

Keep the faith. 

Jill 

Pumpkin Face

Above Photos Courtesy of A J S Photography-KC

 

With the Fashion Show under our belts, we're focusing now on the beautiful holiday season. 

We're working on new gift packaging and on the home front we're scrambling to get prepared for winter.

I'm finding a winter home for the ferns and plants. 

We've also been working on some home projects in between carpenter and shop life. 

Soap production is still in overload in amongst all the other chores and everyday life, and I'm thankful for each and everything. 

I've been experimenting with wool soap wraps. The wool wrap idea has been floating around for some time. It's an interesting concept to wrap wool around a bar of soap. The method of doing so offers an exfoliating, sudsy, longer lasting, bar. I'm intrigued.  I'll share some pics later. I'm waiting on some new products to arrive so that I can complete the packaging. 

Bittersweet Holiday Jamboree! 

Set the date for our next event. December one and two on the calendar. 

Before that event, lots of others! 

For the past few years, we've been getting a real Christmas Tree. I love a real tree!

I'm going to have one at the shop too!

I'm off to get planting soil. A good friend shared some plant cuttings and I need to place the cuttings in some rich dirt so that they can flourish. 

Keep the faith. 

Jill 

twiddle-twaddle, but not really.

Autumn production has started and the shop has a crisp coat of butternut hues. Fuzzy sweaters and leather satchels, velvet accessories, and sparkling jewels capture your attention. The fuzzy sweaters our neatly hanging on the dress racks in the back room. It's a bit early, but soon, really soon. 

Plans are being tossed for the October Fashion Show, and Apple Soap lines the apothecary cabinets that hold the curing soap. It's a shop/soapmaker's life. One that I'm grateful for each and every day because I get to do what I love. 

We're getting ready to open our back room. The room is small, but not that small. Not retail small by any means. While pondering ideas of what should fill the space an idea appeared. A Botanical Garden would be nice. A department filled with herbs and dried flowers from afar. Lavender, Snowberry, Juniper, and a well-planned variety of dried species. I'll create everlasting bouquets and offer seasonal natural potpourri that one can scent themselves. Kind of similar to the "Scent Your Own" department we currently offer in our shop. The "Botanical Bittersweet" which I'm calling it, will not only offer hard to find botanicals that will last a lifetime but add beauty to your home sweet home in an uncommon way. 

I've also added a few new products to our menu. 

Fabric Refresher 

Spot-On Remedy

The first new product was recommended by a customer. Thank you, Sharon, for the tip. I introduced the new item on Wednesday and sold half of the inventory just this week!

The Spot-On is an aromatherapy aid. It is strongly scented and carries a soothing rose water base. 

 These colors, oatmeal, white, and dark brown are my favorites. 

Summer is still producing a crop of zinnia. I'll be missing them soon. 

Autumn will sparkle and shine as it always does.

Keep the faith. 

Jill  

 

summer pie

I would think it safe to say that mounds and piles of soap stacked upon one another are eye candy to a soap maker. We sure are whipping up the soap! We've also started live sampling of a variety of Bittersweet natural skin care at our brick and mortar. We had a blast on Saturday and both Debra and Sandy are not only super great friends but amazing demonstrators. No, I didn't make them dress the same! Sandy purchased the dress a few weeks ago, and Debra loved it on her so she grabbed one too. They did look really cute! We're going to launch Saturday Demo Days from now until the holidays. Love it all!

We didn't let a little rain put a damper on Make Music Liberty Day. Folks came out and enjoyed a day of live music. There are some great local talented musicians and I'd like to thank them for taking the time from their busy day to perform. 

When the shop wasn't busy, you'd find me dancing and singing along in the shop. 

In between soap making and brewing up skin concoctions, I'm taking on some furniture refinishes. I always start these projects with much anticipation of what the final piece will look like. The dresser wood that I'm working on is a pretty wood. The dresser sits in our bathroom and we use it to store extra towels. I'll be anxious for the last step of finishing the wood, and then I can embellish the raw wood with baskets and white towels rolled up. I can see it. 

We have our last summer shipment of clothing arriving late this week. Then we'll be switching over to fall and winter. Next month I'll begin to fall soap manufacturing. Last year we offered our classic Pumpkin Spice Soap in July. I believe it's on the list again for this July. We sell out fast. Are you ready for pumpkin? If we keep having these hot and humid summer days, I'll surely be ready by mid-July.  It warms your soul and tickles your nose when spice scents offered a bit early.

Patchouli, Pumpkin Spice, Honey, and many more flavors are atop the list. Soon they'll be appearing on our soap menu. 

Here's to you!

Keep the faith. 

Jill 

 

 

mom + spring

If only she would stay longer, Spring...

We have our shipping boxes neatly stacked and unused boxes are flattened and sent to the recycle bin. New spring displays line the shop shelves and the morning sun hits layers of the lush green lawn as I gaze out the office window. 

All awhile, summer is making a strong attempt to push into Spring. 

I'm working on a series of outdoor photo sessions. Bittersweet product is the star. We have several new products that need an extra spotlight. 

Sweet memories of my mom keep popping up. She was an inspiration in more ways than fifty. Her talent glass overfilled, and her soft voice was like a spring breeze. Her voice was soft, but her determination was fierce. Two qualities that were admired by her daughter.  The more years pass that she's gone, the more I realize how much she influenced my life. Moms don't need special training for their expertise it just comes naturally. Simply another reason to celebrate their humble job. 

Cinnamon Tea, Nasturtiums, and baby chickadees have latched on to this season of spring. 

The baby birds are right outside the shop door. I didn't have the nerve to remove the five robin egg blue speckled eggs. My bird man Atticus gave me the details on what kind of birds were in the eggs. I would imagine hearing the chirping of baby birds any day now. 

Wishing all the moms in the world a happy mother's day. 

Keep the faith. 

Jill  

 

 

 

 

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Green, green, green! It's showing up a lot. It makes sense, after all, it's spring! My attraction to the color will probably be brief since it's never been my favorite color. I'm relishing at the moment. The green moment...

This spring rather than fill my urns and pots with flowers, I'm filling them with herbs and tropical plants. Green! The contrast between black and green or lack of is breathtaking to the eye. I'm also fond of worn wood paired with green. Green!

 Speaking of green... Peppermint is an amazing herb. Why do we usually limit this to winter blends? That's what I'm asking myself. It's a pungent herbal scent that's easy to the nose. 

Our charcoal soap has dark green hues and is flavored with powerful tea tree oil. It's a popular soap at the apothecary shop. 

The little apothecary shop is buzzing. It's Spring!

Keep the faith. 

Jill 

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The sweet little family that delivers our farm fresh eggs also delivered some special visitors on Saturday morning. They also delivered their moms signature cookies, Peanut Butter Fudgies, and a robin-size egg that one of the hens had laid. Atticus told me it's a first, an egg this size. 

Back to the Peanut Butter Fudgies. I searched high and low for this recipe, without success of finding it. I'm not doing much-refined sugar, but every now and then, I treat myself to something special. These rich chocolate peanut butter cookies were indeed a treat! Angela shared the recipe and I snapped a copy for you. Angela smashes them down right after removing from the oven. I also want to add, I'm not a peanut butter cookie fan, but this cookie ratio has me thinking otherwise. 

 

You will probably want to thank me later after you bake your first batch! 

I've been digging into some spring cleaning at home. A couple of years ago I dropped by our local market and they had fresh pussy willow. My heart skipped a beat when I spotted it, and I quickly grabbed a couple of bundles. My mom used to have several bushes of pussy willow, and I loved it. Those fuzzy oval shaped buds are one of my favorite spring plants. If you find some, don't worry about placing them in water. They will dry perfectly if you simply stick them in a vase or container. We grew a pussy willow tree that ended up being taller than our forty foot house! Needless to say, the branches were beyond reach for cutting. I'd kind of like to put that on my spring plant list. Only this time study the varieties a tad bit more. We don't need another Jack in the Beanstalk Pussy Willow!

At the shop, we received a large shipment of new spring clothing, and they'll be another one arriving late week. 

We're spring busy!

Lavender, Lime, Lemongrass, and Patchouli fill both the shop air and studio. 

Today's production day. Headache sticks, Cleansing Cloths, and Facial Oil are on the to-do list. 

Monday's always feel like an extension of Sunday. I tend to putter and finish up tied ends on Mondays. 

Keep the faith. 

Jill 

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paper art, blending, sage, and discoveries...

Do you remember my last post telling you about the sweet family that delivers my farm fresh eggs?  

The paper art is a sample of the talented Angela whom is the mom of Atticus. 

Simple and sweet just like this family. 

I received a big bundle of sage this week. I've been incorporating the purifying herb into dried floral bouquets. 

Baby's breath, snow berry, cotton, seeded eucalyptus, grains, sweet Annie, sage, lavender, and a variety of everlasting flowers make the small winter, early spring bouquets. 

I've discovered two new things this week. 

Elder Berry Syrup, and Spiced Cocoa Mint Tea. Let's make it three new things. These cookies...

We're so fortunate to have this amazing little tea shop! 

If you're on the hunt for high quality fresh tea, your search is over! They deliver it to my shop. How handy is that? I can see my future is filled with a spot of tea every day. So many choices, what's a tea girl to do? 

The Elder Berry Syrup is a healing aid for flu and colds. I'm a firm believer now, thanks to my Aunt Vivian, that it really does work. Not a bad idea to keep it on hand, especially during cold an flu season. It taste yummy! I kind of want to plant Elder Berry Seeds this spring and experiment with making my own syrup. If I were a homesteader I'd have them planted in my garden and make homemade Elder Berry Wine too!

Sometimes those Homesteader thoughts are more than appealing to me, and my mind wanders with thoughts of billy goats, elder berry syrup, and fields of wild flowers and lavender, among other wild nature things. Chickens and ducks also on the homesteader list. 

I'm a city girl, but could easily adapt to the country in a snap of a pea. 

Exciting things coming around the bend at Bittersweet. 

Spring is on my mind, and ideas floating towards warm spring rains 

Alice Bracelets and millinery flowers kind of go together. I have a large stash of millinery flowers They come from a company that's been in business for one-hundred years in New York. Years ago when I discovered them, my heart skipped a beat. It's hard to tell from the picture that this flower is velvet. Yummy! I like incorporating the flowers into the Alice Bracelet for added uniqueness and originality. 

It's exciting to offer new artisan creations as the seasons change. 

We're pondering thoughts of bus tours, May day, and simple seasons.

Keep the faith. 

Jill  

 

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