Bittersweet and the little soap company

inspiration is blooming!

My inspiration has always been drawn from nature. Whether it's the vibrant color of a bloom or packaging that mimics nature's unique designs, like a walnut or pinecone, nature continually inspires me. This simplicity and elegance may be why I am so fond of nature's influence.

I've never made tallow soap before, but that changed last week. Now, the first batch of vitamin-rich, lather-busting bars sits in the curing room of the studio, and I'm hooked! After creating a tallow soap recipe and tweaking the measurements, we embarked on the tallow soap journey.

At Bittersweet, we typically don't follow skincare trends, but after researching and studying the benefits of tallow for the skin, I'm convinced it’s a wonderful addition to our olive oil soaps. Tallow is packed with various vitamins, making it a great skincare ingredient. I believe a soap shop shouldn't be limited to just one type of soap, right?

Cutting the new soap into bars was a pleasure—the texture is creamy and velvety soft. I wondered if the tallow's scent would linger in the bars as it does in our creme, but it doesn’t. The calculations were spot on, and that's always a good dose of positive inspiration.

When I first started making soap all those many years ago, soap recipes were a rarity. We didn't have easy access to information about SAP values and flash points. Well, they existed, but there weren't many books on the subject. I've often thought my soap business would have benefited if I had taken chemistry in school! Being self-taught is rewarding, but I've always believed that learning from an expert is invaluable.

We're going back to our roots, literally! I have a new fascination with plant-based dyeing. I've been watching videos on the subject and am utterly intrigued by the unique colors plants bring to natural fibers. For instance, did you know that an avocado pit produces a mauvy pink hue?

My craft inspiration has always come from challenges. Diving into something you know nothing about and learning as you go is not only rewarding but also builds confidence in many aspects of life. Who knew? After all, trying something new is exciting and adds spice to life!

Our summer soaps are starting to arrive! 

I'm working on a large wedding order so many of our new summer soaps are going to short lived. 

My raised beds are starting to transform into climbing vines and have baby peppers and tomatoes. I've had gardens before, but for some reason this garden is unique and special to me. My dad and brother helped me build the arbor. It's like the flowers that bloom each summer that got their start as seeds from treasured friends or family. Their memory stays in my mind forever, but even more so when the blooms start to open and spread. Little things. 

Jill 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

winding down

I'm winding things down at the shop. If I were to be honest, I'm looking forward to my winter break, and those feelings wrap around my mind like a kid excited about the last day of school before winter break. It's funny when I was young and in school, my birthday always fell on winter solstice and I can remember just like yesterday the excitement of being out of school and being able to go sledding and embrace a change. The reason it's humorous as an adult is I'm reliving those childhood moments as an adult. I'd never imagined back then all those years ago that my life would be similar to back then, but those holiday break memories shine then and today! This week I'll be slowing down manufacturing except for a few skincare essentials that customers will be needing before we close for a month.  

This adult recess is most welcome and even though it won't be days filled with book reading and movie watching particularly it will be a refreshing creative break. 

I'll be making over the shop and changing our layout along with some new additions that I'm excited about. My goal is to transform Bittersweet into an even more unique shop and fill it with objects that I love and you will too. My model sets the bar high as it often does, but I can't help but feel that in this day and age of retail, you must. A stand-out store always draws an audience. At least this is what I've learned over the many years of being a soap maker and shop owner.

I happened to pick up this magazine, and I'm so happy that I did. It's filled with oodles of winter inspiration. I made the Oatmeal and Goatmilk Bath Blend for the shop and shared it with customers.  The relaxing hearty bath blend mixes well with our oats and goat's soap! I am re-gifting the magazine to a special friend for Christmas. 

The future is bright at Bittersweet as we present new products and beautifully crafted soaps and sundries. Nowadays a specialty shop requires many hats and those hats should be everchanging to stand out and be special. 

I'm looking forward to a trip to the fabric store after Christmas to pick up a bolt of linen and thread so that I can once again after many years of breaking from sewing start making some favorite pieces for the shop. This will make our apothecary shop stand out even more. It's funny, I was never good at sewing when I was younger. I was horrible at it. Then I started sewing things for my shop, and it took on an entirely new life, and my love for sewing was born. Don't you love it when that happens? So I've ordered organic French terry cloth and a few other rare textiles to pick up where I left off all those many years ago. 

I'm happy to share that the sourdough bread making is a weekly event. I've learned an easier method of making the yeasty bread though. I add a teaspoon of yeast to the starter ensuring that my sourdough bread doesn't require hours upon hours of rising. If you missed the post a while back about making homemade bread I purchased a starter from here. It took about two weeks before the starter was ready to make bread. I purchased a crock to store the starter in the fridge once it was ripe for bread making and once you reach this stage you only need to feed the starter once a week instead of every day. I highly recommend this method. If you order the starter here you will also receive a recipe booklet and the recipe that I use on the last page. They also have the recipe on the website. 

Then I continued my sourdough fascination by ordering one of these so that I could cut fancy designs in the bread. If I don't eat the bread I freeze it. I'm getting ready to make our traditional Christmas bread pudding and I'll use the sourdough bread to make it. The recipe is in my cookbook, but this one is close to the one that I use. 

I've also had a recent fascination for Jasper! The gemstone captured my attention recently and I love this necklace!

What does Jasper protect you from?

 

 

Jasper was popular in the ancient world for its medicinal and spiritual values and has been used for centuries by cultures around the world for its unique properties. Legend has it that Jasper would drive away evil spirits and protect against snake and spider bites.

I'm not fearful of either spiders or snakes, but I am fearful of evil spirits. I rely on the all-mighty to protect me from those, but a little assistance never hurt anyone, right?

I'm looking forward to Christmas Eve when my family comes over and we celebrate with a nice dinner and exchange gifts. I'm particularly fond of Christmas Day though when my fleece pajamas and cabin socks keep me company. 

We have a local hardware store where I purchase luminaries, but for the past couple of years, they have not been able to stock the plumber's candles. I was able to find the bags here and the candles here. So I'll pick up a small bag of cat litter and then assemble the lighted bags along our sidewalk to greet family and friends on Christmas Eve.  Little things. 

I've updated my Walmart shop with a few of my favorite items that come in handy for the holidays. 

 

Enjoy Christmas and the blessings that quietly accompany it. 

 

Jill 

 

 

 

 

worth the wait...

Bittersweet is getting super excited to share our latest findings with our customers on Saturday! The Bittersweet Spring Twenty-One Collections even have me worked up! We're launching some items that will not only spruce up your wardrobe but also soothe your skin and add beauty to your home sweet home. This collection is by far the best we've ever presented!

The assembly of goods has been carefully chosen to appeal to the most fastidious of tastes. I can say this because I know without a doubt that my taste is picky and hard to please. 

Our new line of Faith Sweatshirts and Tee's is one of my favorites! The words are simple but powerful and we like the idea of spreading positive vibes!

I'm into nine weeks of manufacturing at the studio. This means that there is a supply of new soap flavors that will be offered each week for a nine-week time frame. We're already into April! In fact, I'm on target and excited to share all the new amazing soaps with you!

I'm launching a New Limited Edition called The Essential Collection. This yummy assortment of soaps is infused with pure essential oils. The French rose clay soap is not new to Bittersweet. We offered it several years ago but retired it to make room for new ones. I did however flavor it with a yummy essential oil blend that marries well with the pink clay.  If you're new to Bittersweet then you may not know that we blend our rich olive oil soaps with an assortment of both essential oils and perfumes. There has always been a method to our manufacturing. Since we've been making soap for so long, we've learned a few things about soap making and how different oils work or they don't. It's always nice when they work, but sometimes they don't. That is the nature of soap making. All the books and videos in the world won't teach you this. This knowledge comes from hands-on. This conversation could easily fill an entire chapter, maybe two!

It's hard for me to believe that the calendar is already turning to February! Winter is still brewing outside, but inside the studio, it's shouting Spring!

All of this is worth the wait!

Keep the faith.

Jill 

 

 

 

 

 

 
  

 

Lake House

The Feverfew has faded but new ideas are streaming. Introducing our Lake House series. I talked about this limited edition in the last post. 

It was expected to arrive in July but I managed to get it wrapped and available at our door store. Keep in mind it is limited and only available for short summertime. 

We've added a few new Scent Your Own Flavors. This is a busy week as we're releasing several soaps. One of which is Jasmine and our fast selling Oats and Goats and Charcoal will be wrapped and ready by Saturday when we open our Saturday Apothecary. 

We've also brought back our once popular, and making a comeback, Soap on a Rope! Who knew twenty-some years ago that I'd be bringing it back after all this time. It happens. In fact, it happens more often than not. I used to get really surprised when an old product regained popularity, now that it happens so often I simply bring it back and appreciate it once again. It's kind of like someone telling you that if you wore it once when you were younger you probably shouldn't wear it again years later. Nonsense!  You wear what you want regardless of what anyone thinks or says. Now, don't you feel better?

While on the mention of comebacks... There have been many Bittersweet products over the past twenty-three years that have made second appearances some have even graced us with a third!

I make upgrades on the look of the item, and sometimes tweak the formulation, but this is an often occurrence and I'm thankful something holds up to time even if it took a short break in between.

Through the years lavender has never faded. It remains a strong contestant in the aromatherapy world and I would imagine it always will remain at the top for years to come. 

In my world, a day might be spent monitoring trend charts and conversations about future trends in scents and skincare essentials. These topics usually spin out in shifts and vary from season to season very similar to paint color trends, clothing swings, and well you get the picture. 

Bittersweet has never gotten too trendy with our products, but we do every now and then toss in a few with-it fragments. 

Our focus has always been to create an amazing soap and skincare that's free of chemicals. Our second goal has been to offer products that WOW you the first time that you use them! Both concepts offer a stupendous platform and have remained solid for many years to come. In reality, I have learned that this is what folks want! When I make a purchase I expect it to be amazing. Whether that be clothing, accessories, skincare, or home decor.  It must offer to stand out qualities for me to purchase again. There's no in-between or fair to middling. It's really all about choices. 

Nowadays there are so many choices!

I'm winding up some new soap packaging ideas and ready to distribute them throughout the store. 

Meanwhile, it's summer!

Keep the faith. 

Jill 
 

 

 

A big win and some new arrivals...

We're celebrating a big win for our boys in red and the introduction of our latest line of men's grooming collection. Both came about quickly and the results leave me with a smile. 

The store's been spinning as we continue to introduce the new Spring lines. I've mentioned many times about the excitement that surrounds thoughts of new designs and ideas. Those thoughts help build enthusiasm and remind me that Spring is not far. 

We're also introducing new packaging and the excitement builds with each new prototype.

We're honored to offer beautiful Rifle paper wrappings on our soap! The paper is stunning and we couldn't be happier with the look. Think Spring!

Our Not So New Scent Department is gaining popularity since we installed the new sign. Isn't it interesting how small things equal big ones? We're mixing and blending and pouring new body fragrances like crazy! We believe that's the way it should be. After all, who doesn't like the option of creating their own scent? 

Our new more open concept is also meeting our expectations. I always know that when you make expectations you set yourself up for disappointment, however, the new ideas that formed the new look are pleasing and met my expectations completely. Thankful. 

I ordered sprigs of Quince from the floral supplier. The branches are in water and will soon burst with their famous coral hues. I can't wait until they begin to sprout!

I couldn't resist capturing the progress. I also realized after seeing pictures of the blooms that we have a quince bush down the street. I have walked by the bush for years wondering what the strange fruit was that appears in the fall. Now I know it's quince! 

I'm also reading this book. If you enjoy the outdoors and walking through the woods I'd highly recommend it. 

Keep the faith. 

Jill 

 

 

just like that...

I believe we're onto something good! The past few days I've been working on the development of a Podcast. The radio keeps drawing me back! We had a three-year run hosting our own show and the last one was a little over a year ago. Ever since deciding to end the show, I've missed it. The show was a labor of love and many sacrifices were made to make it work including the neglect of my shop. That's life sometimes, you have to pick and choose which projects hold the most priority and sometimes it's hard to choose. Maybe we'll talk about that on my new show!

Present-day and shop life is busier than it was a year ago, so I'm thinking there must be a happy medium to pull it off and offer quality listening to the new show.  Actually, missing the show has inspired me to create a new one in Pod format rather than heading to the station once a week. Hiring someone to manage my shop, the cost of hosting your own radio show, the commute, etc. 

A pod would eliminate that. I can shoot it at my shop. It's interesting how most pods also include video. I'm intrigued by that! Of course, when you're driving down the highway you're probably just listening. 

The moment I saw this word there was no turning back! This is the inspiration for the new show. 

I shot a little video at the shop that details information about the new platform. 

Excitement is forming. 

When I ran the radio show all of the equipment was already set up. I was taught how to run everything and the engineering was one of my favorite parts of the show minus the interesting guests. It became a cat and mouse game when the phone lines rang, the mics stopped working, the pre-recorded jingles crossed and well, all of the other live radio goings-on. There are too many crazy radio occasions to count, and I don't want to bore you. I'll just say, live radio is live radio!

Coming up my busiest time of year, and what better time to launch a Podcast, right? I keep asking myself that burning question! One thing I've learned through these many years of business ownership is that if you don't jump in, there's a huge chance you'll pass it up. Don't be afraid, jump on in. You'll never know unless you try!

Keep the faith. 

Jill 

 

fashion forward

I wish we could have fashion shows every fall! Last fall we had a great group of models and everyone seemed to enjoy one another. 

My fashion style changes all the time. I'm not as attracted to trend pieces as I once was, and colors switch from white and cream tones to black and copper. Especially as fall approaches. Fashion is accessible to all ages and it doesn't discriminate. I love that!

My shop reflects my style. Most shops are patterned by the shop owners style. That's what's so great about walking into a shop for the first time! The merchandising and displays that you see are a reflection of the shopkeeper. 

If you study design you always find that common denominator. Sometimes a certain style or look takes off, and sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes it doesn't fit in the present but does in the after. I've had that happen many times with Bittersweet Products. 

For example, we used to make Shampoo Bars some fifteen years ago and they set on the shelves for months. Fifteen years later, and they're flying off the shelf! Why? Timing... First of all "Zero Waste"  products are trending like never before. Folks are wanting to limit their footprint and some are even wanting to go back to simpler ways, days. I'm a big fan of using skincare products that are created with that viewpoint. That is the main reason Bittersweet was born!

It's back!

Newsgirl Hats, Stone Necklace, and Leather Cuffs seem to fit right into our fall lineup!

This melt on your skin Lotion Bar smells like honey! I love the bee molded into the cocoa butter and beeswax. 

We just got in these long sweater cardigans and I love them! They can be topped with a dress like pictured or you can pair it with denim. We also have them available in beautiful fern green. I call it "Fall Green." What is it about green, all of a sudden?   

It's an exciting time at Bittersweet! I'm honored that you love our new Fall 2019! The best is yet to come!

Keep the faith. 

Jill 

small day, huge hearts...

My cup truly runneth over!

Small Business Saturday was a day like any other. We had over two-hundred people shop small! Never in my wildest dreams, would I ever imagine, but we more than doubled our sales from last year!

Thank you for your support, and shopping small. 

You've heard all the reasons to encourage you to shop small. 

As a small business owner, I believe shopping small really gives back in many different economical ways. 

My phone died early on, otherwise I would have captured the other hundreds of happy shop small customers. 

I did have enough shots to create the collage. 

These two little guys sum it all up! Aren't they adorable?

Again, thank you, thank you. 

We sold out of certain things fast!

I'm working round the clock to fill the gaping holes at the shop. Last minute manufacturing orders have went in, and wholesale suppliers are speedily shipping their merchandise, so that Bittersweet can keep providing you with fresh new goods, every week!

Keep the faith...

Jill 

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summer haze

little town summer

moon shadow

Wow! Amazing! Phenomenal! Stunning! Shocking! Unbelievable! Awesome! Marvelous! Fascinating! King-Size! Monumental! Monstrous! Unforgettable! Historic! Majestic! Mammoth! Awe-Inspiring! Mighty! Memorable! Out of this World! 

Really, no words can easily describe the celestial phenomenon that took place yesterday! 

Where were you the day the sun went out?

Still feeling it!

On this day, a day of unification between all people whom share the same common desire to witness celestial history. Short and tall, black and white, young and old, we're all the same in Gods eyes. 

Personally, yesterday marked a spiritual enlightenment. We prayed for many, many people, places and things. The few moments of totality gave me goose bumps!  It allowed me to look closer at myself. How can I be a better person? I also experienced a since of well being and peace. Afterwards, my emotions were overwhelming, but at the same time comforting, reassuring.

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”

Did other's experience the same?  I do believe. 

I'm being followed by a moon shadow...

Jill  

 

naturally speaking

I love to incorporate nature into our home. When gazing upon the dried hydrangea or turtle shell, my feelings lean towards those of gratitude. Gentle reminders of favorite summers past and walks through the Missouri woods. Those tender nature feelings attach themselves to the object and help offer a home sweet home balance when mixed in. I'm one of those people that requires objects like this to be in my home simply because they make me feel good. 

Those same feelings are transported to my Apothecary Shop. Seeing jars of dried peppermint, surprise blooming orchids, and more dried hydrangea help set a natural mood and it feels like home.

We're expanding our flavors of perfume oils. So many different oil's to choose. Are you a floral, spice, or citrus girl or boy? Maybe a mixture of either or all. We have an essential for that!

Bittersweet is growing in more ways than one. All this makes me happy, happy, and my heart is filled with joy, joy. 

Grateful, thankful, and always counting my blessings. 

Hard work and determination will never let you down. I promise. 

I'm launching a new line of products today! Bittersweet Spa...Spa like thoughts have been roaming for awhile and it feels like this is a good time to put thoughts in to action. Eventually, Bittersweet will be offering a complete natural spa line in addition to the first three new products. I'm making improvement on formulations, and adding more aroma therapy possibilities. Included in this new line, Charcoal Cleansing Bar, A New Body Scrub with Cocoa Butter, Lavender Eye Pillow, Mineral Salts, and Massage Oil's. The line is specifically designed to build your personal spa in the privacy of your home. Most of my existing skin care products help to enhance your skins natural beauty, already, but I wanted to sharpen and refine. There's always room for improvement.

I love to lay my brown eyes on these colorful mounds of soap! After I make it, wrap it!  

This year Bittersweet, aka, yours truly, will be making between eighteen to twenty thousand bars of soap! So you can only imagine needing to wrap all that soap! Right? Loving it!

Later, I'll be sharing some of the new Spa packaging ideas. I just completed label prototype, and finished products so I've yet to capture their images. 

Later Gator...

Jill 
 

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