Bittersweet and the little soap company

spring ahead ♥

As we move ever so gracefully and slowly toward spring, our thoughts are centered around fresh blooms and warmer days. Our product ideas are in turn reflected in those thoughts. That's one of the reasons I love this time of year. Even though we're into the thick of winter, new ideas are circling like a smoke screen around our heads. Prototypes sit waiting for the final touch and shop styling is gradually touched up with a facelift. The changes are not drastic, but subtle and soft. 

Our Spring 23 collection has been finalized. It's an honor to curate these unique assemblies, and we look forward to sharing them with you!

Saturday was somewhat of a whirlwind! I couldn't believe the number of folks that came to the soap sale. We sold out in fifteen minutes! That speaks volumes for just how significant of a sale it is. At least I believe so. Next year I'll plan on offering more soap, and we will have a limit on the number of bags each person can get. Since it's such an amazing sale, I want everyone to be able to take advantage of it. I won't see many of you for months because you are stocked up on your favorite soap! Thank you for making our soap sale such a success. 

I posted and shared these thoughts on Sunday. 

It's Sunday so it feels appropriate to share an appreciative thought that I had this morning. Someone asked yesterday how far away some of my customers visited from. This morning I re-visited that question and realized that I've had customers from Japan, Australia, France, Italy, and all over the world. Then I thought about the lovely couple that came in yesterday that travels through a few times a year, and they're from Texas. They told me that Bittersweet is always their first stop. They are the nicest couple and they always grab twenty or so bars of soap to get them by until their next visit.

My neighbors down the street do the same, and the stories go on and on, and on in a most lovely way that for the life of me, I would never imagine any of this possible! I'm feeling thankful and even had a few tears run down my cheek this morning as I pondered this.

Those thoughts have carried me through and helped me realize the blessing that Bittersweet truly is. Thank you.

Jumping ahead.

While designs continue to float in my head I'm encouraged to believe that it would be nice to offer some of our products in mini-sizes. So I've started putting together a series of smalls. I've always been drawn to smaller packages of things. I feel like you can get pretty creative with packaging, and sometimes it's nice to have a limited supply of the product. Whether you're trying it for the first time, or simply prefer a smaller size. these new skin essentials are for you!

Okay, I'm in love with the textured joggers! The quality is amazing, pockets, perfect fit, dress them up, or down. I feel like joggers have become a staple in our collections. 

The Turkish towels perk me up too. Again, the quality is the best and the texture and colors are phenomenal!

This week I'm going to be finishing my shop drawer organizing. I'm going through cabinets and drawers so that they function better. My desk drawer was so full that it became a catch-all or junk drawer, and really wasn't functioning to its potential. It feels great to de-clutter and organize these areas. Although it's overwhelming when I first start, it always ends up going pretty quickly and the end result is gratifying. Wish me luck. 

I planted a row of lavender in front of our home a few years ago. It's amazing how even in the midst of winter lavender continues to release its aromatic scent. When I walk towards the door I'm greeted by the sweet fragrance. I'll share the variety and source later. It's a fairly new species that grow in the states. It's called American Lavender. It's hardy in grows tremendously fast. 

While I'm on the subject of plants. 

I shared my sourcing for Sweet Grass. This is a great nursery to order plants. Sweet Grass is easy to grow and thrives in almost any climate. 

The last offering of winter soaps is Green Forest. We also offered a candle in this scent, but we don't stock candles once the weather begins to warm. If you have a preference for woodsy pine scents you'll want to grab a few bars!

 

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 

 

 

 

 

 

tumbleweeds

We're getting some warm and rainy spring this week. I fertilized the yard and started cleaning out my flower beds just so I'll have a jump on things. This week is also a busy week of soap manufacturing. What the heck, every week is a busy week of soap manufacturing! I call it the American Dream. That dream is wrapped in blood, sweat, and tears along with smiles and passion. 

I took a drive through my old country stomping grounds last week when it was sunny and warm and drove down country roads that I hadn't been on in years. A train stop forced me to slow down even more, and I embraced the moment only to realize that I need to slow down more often. 

We have the prettiest soap wrapping this spring! I'm always on the search for beautiful paper. After all, we love pretty inside and outside. Not all of our soap is wrapped in special wrapping, but we offer both simple and gift-giving packaging. 

Do you know what that large oval thistle-looking thingy is on our dining room table? I'm proud to tell you that it's a tumbleweed! Ever since I was a small girl and we'd travel to Las Vegas to visit my grandmother Christine I've had a fascination for this blowin' in the wind plant. As we drove through the desert, we'd see them scoot across the desert floor jumping up and then bouncing with the direction of the wind. I know what you're probably thinking, Jill, it's a weed! Not to me. I also remember asking my parents to stop the car so that I could capture one, but they never did. Same thing with wheat. We'd drive in the countryside where the wheat grows tall in the Kansas and Missouri fields. I always wanted to stop and pick some when I was a kid and make bread! You see, I've always been like this! Anyway, back to the tumbleweed. When I ordered it online there was the option of getting a small, medium, or large. I went for the large, not realizing just how large it was in a tumbleweed person.  Now I have this huge tumbleweed sitting on my dining room table because it's sharp and prickly and I don't have room to store it. The whole tumbleweed story gets even better. The tumbleweed inspired me in many ways. I'm going to style the desert dried mound and launch a summer line in which I'm naming, you guessed it, TUMBLEWEED! Always remember that inspiration can come from unexpected places. I'm often inspired by nature. 

Since Bittersweet has been around for twenty-four, almost twenty-five years I've explored a number of skincare recipes and formulations. I began to ponder the ingredient list and oodles of times I'd experiment and try different techniques and explore ingredients. All, of course, were pure and natural, and most of the time I'd read books on the subject, but not necessarily new books but old ones that used timeless ingredients like bee's wax and lanolin. Honestly, skincare has a vast collection of ingredients nowadays, but I have found that some of these days gone by ingredients cannot be beat nor match. Having said all that, I'd like to introduce you to Bittersweets Iconic Recipes. A new line that's coming late summer, early fall. All of the skin essentials that we offer to fall under this clean ingredient criteria today, but we'd like to expand on the notion. We love expanding our horizons! The possibilities are endless and the sky is the limit when it comes to designing a new skincare product. 

Our popular Shampoo Bars are back in stock! Well kind of. I noticed on Saturday that the pile that I put out was almost gone already. I'll try to get some wrapped and back out next week. 

We also released a lovely new soap, Magnolia. It's wrapped in stunning paper and contains notes of magnolia, white flowers, and tuberose. 

We're also planning our May Day Celebration. I've decided to combine both May Day and our Birthday all in one event.  After all, we're coming up on our number twenty-five! In my next post, I'll share some of those early days. It was an exciting time and filled with lots of learning. 

The cookbook...

I can't remember how long ago it was when I published a cookbook. Many years it seems. I rushed through it all and was disappointed in the end. It's a cookbook filled with typos. Not a good thing, a cookbook with typos. However, I use the recipes all of the time, and when I open it up and read that little intro with a picture of my mom, the typos seem to disappear. In other words, I'm grateful for that cookbook, and the memories that it holds. It also is a reminder that when I complete the book that I'm currently writing, to not get in a hurry, and find a good editor! I don't work well under schedules and deadlines. 

Blessings of love, 

Jill  

 

 

applesauce cake

Bittersweet will be celebrating Twenty-Five Years in April. I can't help but remind myself of the women that paved my way.
Aunt Charla taught me to crochet and wore cool ankle boots and bandanas on her head.
My Mom could make anything and always shared her tender love. She made beaded necklaces and her name was Alice. Hence the name, Alice Bracelet and Alice Soap that I happily named after her.
Great Grandma Lucy was the first generation soap maker in my family and inspired me to name an entire zero waste collection in her honor.
Aunt Vivian sent me soap that she made in her kitchen in 1997. The seed was planted and her niece is forever grateful. The Third generation soap maker!
Grandma Christine was graced with many talents, and her chocolate pie was divine. I can remember the day that she shared her pie recipe. I made it not too long ago.
Grandma Lola owned her own restaurant during the depression. Her talents were many including being an artist. Her paintings were beautiful.
I left out an important woman in my family. My Great Aunt Enid. She was the first woman bank officer hired in Missouri. She went on to get her law degree and became a successful business owner.

We're eager to enter March at both the shop and soap house on the hill. I've been gazing through seed catalogs and planning the next seasons blooms. The freshness of Spring will soon fill the air. We just received another shipment of spring into summer clothing and accessories, and I'm in love with the rain boots, or garden boots. Some new hats designed with spring, summer in mind, and a lovely assortment of linen trousers, and go-to tops are center stage. 

It's with a heavy heart that I type this post. I had breakfast with my family this morning and the topic was all about the current climate in Ukrane. How could it not be? I don't feel good about this at all, and the future could change for many at the drop of a hat. For those who have never witnessed a setup for war, it's hard to see such things. My dad is old enough that he remembers more than one war, and he was in the army. He believes what's playing out is a prelude to another world war two. I can't say that I don't dissagree. War is never good no matter how you look at it. I can hardly bare the thought. I have a lot to say about this and how our current administration handles such things, but this is not the platform for such topics. --------

On a happy note, Bittersweet will be celebrating twenty-five years in April. I can recall that lovely day when Bittersweet was born. It was a lovely day! There have been many other lovely days follow. I am grateful. I'm blessed to have such strong lineage and forever grateful for these ladies. Each one delivered a different gift. But these gifts were not something that you hold in your hand. Wisdom, Encouragment, and Strength come to mind. Without them, Bittersweet would not be Bittersweet. 

We're looking forward to celebrating an early arrival of spring celebration at our shop next weekend. I mentioned in my last post how the downtown hosts a spring open house. We're happy to participate. In May Bitterweet will be celebrating our annual May Day event at the shop. Next to Christmas, this event is one of our favorites. I might even throw in a twenty-five year celebration too! Why not?

Our manufacturing line-up is moving fast speed ahead as we whip up new spring soap, and skin essentials. 

The aromatic scent of apples fills the kitchen. We're making Applesauce Cake with Caramel Icing. I've seen many variations of this cake over the year, but my favorite is my moms. The aromatic cake with its cloves and nutmeg smell so good! It will taste even better. Years ago I found a recipe for old-fashioned caramel icing that was made with milk. I love the recipe, and it's easy since you don't have to use cream. 

• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 cup butter
• ½ cup sugar
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 1 cup applesauce
• 1 egg
• 1 apple finely chopped
• ½ cup raisins
• ½ cup chopped pecans

 

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour an 8 x 8 inch baking dish
2. In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, and ground cloves.
3. Using a hand mixer or stand mixer cream the butter and sugars; until light and fluffy.  Turn the mixer to low and add applesauce and egg; blending just until combined.
4. Add the flour mixture to the butter/sugar mixture in three increments mixing just until combined after each increment.   Stir in the apples, pecans, and raisins.  Spoon into the prepared baking dish.
5. Bake 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Serve warm.  If desired ice with homemade caramel icing.     
6. Icing - 1/2 cup butter   1 cup brown sugar  1/4 cup milk   cups conf. sugar

Melt butter in pan, add brown sugar and cook over low heat about three minutes, stirring constantly. Add milk and stir until mixture comes to a boil. Remove from heat and cool. Add sugar slowly, beating after each addition, until frosting is thick enough to spread. ENJOY!

Jill xo

Christmas past

Cozy and warm fleece lined slippers and fuzzy pajamas are what I gravitate to once the sun goes down and the cold winter nights begin to be more common than not. My closet shelves are stacked with warm blankets, slippers, and fuzzy pajamas during the winter months. Our 1921 home demands it to stay warm.   

We're winding down our final week open at the shop before taking a long winters nap. Shop life has always been the good life for this soap maker. It's not only surprising, but somewhat of a miracle for a maker's passion to grow and exceed after doing the same thing for twenty-plus years. I always call it my little Christmas miracle, but it surrounds me and wraps me up with gratitude spring, summer, fall and winter so I guess it would just be referred to as a gift. 

This life is not for everyone, but it's certainly for me. 

With Christmas approaching it's nice to focus on a few of those passionate thoughts. 

Yesterday morning before opening the shop I went over my gift lists and checked it twice. I plucked from the holiday soap inventory before selling out and added a few last-minute gifts for people that came to mind. Some of which I've never purchased gifts before but thought of them, so I listened to my little voice and extended my gift list. That is a perk of being a shop owner and maker. You're never lacking in gift items for friends and neighbors. I kind of love that! Think of it as a huge gift closet. 

This past week has been filled with friends stopping by gifts being left, and smiles and joyful stories being shared. I'm required to drop everything and simply meditate on those sweet memory moments while all along cherishing the joyful feelings that fill my soul with amazing Christmas cheer from the humans that walk through those Bittersweet doors!   

  There are many Christmas stories to share. In fact, when I began traveling back in time to read them so many of these stories had been forgotten since 2006 when I first started this blog. For those who maybe haven't been reading that long, I'd love to share some of these soulful stories.  

A Christmas Story... - Bittersweet and the little soap company (typepad.com)

Soulful and oh so sweet... - Bittersweet and the little soap company (typepad.com)

Winter Love Memories... - Bittersweet and the little soap company (typepad.com)

These stories bring back some great memories. Through the month of December and January I'm going to share some of these posts from the past. 

If nothing else so that I can reminisce. 

Merry Christmas!

Jill xo

 

Holiday Soiree

I always wrap myself in a warm blanket of gratitude this time of year. The fast paced world of manufacturing and shop managing, and tending to this, taking care of that, can sometimes take center stage, but I'm often reminded of my blessings with a kind word from a patron or a Christmas smile from a child. 

The Holiday Soaps are plentiful and blooming at our store! We've been crafting packaging designs and placing fresh sprigs of evergreen and pinecones into almost all of our winter packages. 

Handmade wool hats fill our clothing department shelves, and our denim section of the store is bursting at the seams with flairs and cuffs.

Atop my market list was fresh cranberries, oranges, and cranberry juice. We make a special Christmas punch for our Holiday Soiree's. It's actually super simple to put together, and the bright red colors of the juice and berries along with fresh orange slices help to make the punch festive looking. 

1 large bottle of cranberry juice, not concentrate. 

1/2 bottle of lemon lime soda.

Pour into a punch bowl or pitcher and toss in a few clean cranberries and orange slices. That's it! 

We're planning our Christmas Eve menu. Last year I made this for desert, and everyone loved it! I'm going to make it again for my family. The vanilla custard cream sauce really adds the perfect touch to the bread pudding.  

We're excited to host our annual holiday soiree, again. It's exciting to bring back some of our favorite events! 

The cookies and punch recipes are plucked from my recipe file, and Christmas will soon be here!

Keep smiling.

xo Jill 

 

in between pumpkins...

What does it mean to be in between pumpkins? It simply translates into pre-fall, and we're jumping up and down with fall joy while we collect our ideas, notions, and yes, pumpkins! 

The fall soaps are made and they are headed to the wrapping station. When you've been in the manufacturing business for a long time you set up stations for each product. Think of it like an assembly line. Over the years Bittersweet has operated many assembly lines. We're thankful for that. 

The Fall Soap Menu is complete, and our curated collections for fall are going to WOW you! 

Elderberry Honey is one of the items that we're most excited about! Have you ever tasted elderberry infused honey? I've mentioned many times how this wild plant is one of my favorites. The elderberry plant grows wild in my neck of the woods. In fact, a couple of years ago while turning down the alley I spotted on growing in a small patch of dirt next to the road. It was practically growing in the concrete! Hardy little specimen's! Bittersweet is proud to carry this artisan brand with you! We've also ordered in bottles of Elderberry Tincture. I swear by this stuff! If I ever feel like I'm getting something I pour a teaspoon or two of elderberry syrup or tincture and my symptom's magically disappear. 

I am mildly obsessed with todays faux pumpkins! Maybe not mildly either! We're getting in faux pumpkins of all shapes and sizes. I mentioned in the last post how we'd ordered real dried gourds. I can't wait to style the natural gourds with the faux pumpkins! I can envision exactly what it will look like in my mind. I love fall!

With our extreme hot summer days I grow even more eager for autumn to arrive. 

Grandma Lucy's Household Cleaner smells of clove and cinnamon and it's blended with lemon and eucalyptus and rosemary. Using the natural essential oil cleanser makes cleaning a whole lot more enjoyable. I'm a nose girl! If if smells good, I'm in!

I also want to share a recent sourcing find for gemstones and the most amazing artist. I've always loved the process of choosing a stone and then artfully setting it in silver or gold. It doesn't feel so very long ago. So when you discover another human that has a talent for setting stones, you respect and appreciate their work. It all started when I lost my favorite turquoise pendant awhile back . I had it for over twenty years and it was one of my favorite pieces of all times. I accidently through my search for a replacement found Rosehunter Jewelry.  Actually Annie, the proprietress of Rose Hunter had posted some recent stone pictures. It was love at first site when one of the pictures was of the green and brown turquoise. I'm so picky when it comes to turquoise! I prefer a green colored stone mixed with brown and not the traditional blue. I contacted Annie, and we chatted back and forth. She then went to work to create that stunning pendant! I love the shape of the setting, the brown leather band. Perfection! If you're a jewelry junkie like I am believe me, Annie is your girl. If you order, please tell her Jill sent you. 

I posted a little bio about how Bittersweet was born a few days ago. It feels right to share it again. 

You may not know that twenty-four years ago Bittersweet designed their own soap recipe. I quit my day job and dedicated my time to perfecting a soap recipe with intentions of selling it to other stores. It was what most would call a leap of faith! The recipe that I constructed was a tricky one to get right as it contained over seventy-percent olive! There weren't very many soap maker's at that time, and only one book that detailed this modern method of soap making. I remember stirring for hours and hours before receiving a trace back then. Trace is what you need to happen before you pour the liquid gold in to molds. Through time I remained determined to learn this craft and inspired by how my skin felt soft and silky smooth after using a bar of Bittersweet. Not to mention the amazing scents and smells! Little did I ever imagine that I'd be manufacturing and wrapping thousands upon thousand of bars and still be making soap twenty-four years later! My motto is never give up, and I've always stood strong in those thoughts.

I never listened to naysayers but remained steady with my passionate feelings about what I loved.

There will always be naysayers, just say 'in. Be polite and listen to them, or pretend to listen, but never let them convince you to stop doing what you're doing. Stay strong and determined and you will be rewarded with success! Trust in yourself always!

 

Keep smiling.

Jill xo

refined summer favorites (2)

I'm excited to share another round of some of my favorite summer essentials with you! This list is compiled of both home and body. 

When we began our main level remodel a few months ago, I spent hours upon hours searching for the perfect blinds, sofa, chairs, and lighting. My inspiration was found rummaging through Pinterest pages, and decorating books, and always leaning towards the items that really drew me in. Nowadays it's easy to get lost and overwhelmed on the Internet. Videos on how to do this, that, and everything under the sun. Just me typing that gives me a sense of anxiety. What I always suggest is that you follow your taste, and design a room the way you want it to be. If you follow someone else's ideas, you will probably be disappointed down the road. It's perfectly fine to blend other's looks into your style, and I'm one that tends to do this, however I also stay true to the designs that I love. After all, you're not living in someone else's home, you're living in yours! Okay, I'm glad that I got that out there!

Sofa shopping can be unfun! I'm just going to announce that! Again, there are so many choices that one's head starts to spin after looking page after page of sofas. The first thing that you should consider when purchasing a new sofa is style, size, color, and texture. I would say in that order. I must have measured twenty times before finally deciding on a sofa size for our living room. By the way, you will know it when it's right! That's something I've learned just recently. If you don't absolutely fall in love with that sofa, don't buy it! The gray blue velvet sofa that I finally decided on fit the bill in all of those categories. I was wanting to blend a smidgen of contemporary into the room. The mid century modern design offers those results. I love velvet too! 

We have two small windows on each side of our non-working fireplace. The windows look out to our back porch. I've always loved them naked, but I also envisioned them with wicker blinds. Nowadays, just like all of the choices with sofa's, there are oodles of choices on blinds. I prefer a light colored bamboo. Here's the key to hanging blinds... Only cover the window. Always measure just the window, and don't include the frame. That way you will get a custom fit and the new blind will look clean and sharp. I usually measure more than once when fitting a blind. Just say 'in!

An oversized picture does a room good... I absolutely love animal pictures! When you hang or place the picture focus on the picture. You won't need to place items directly in front. Well, maybe you do, but it looks much better if you don't. 

The magical world of pillow covers...

I will not likely ever purchase another pillow in my lifetime! When searching for pillows to toss in the newly changed room I came across pillow covers. Check them out! Simple do a search for pillow covers and you will be just as amazed as I was! Typically they come in an 18x18 size, but you can find them in all shapes and sizes. Simply switch out your covers as often as you want! I've even noticed that when I search for pillows for the shop that most wholesale companies now offer pillow inserts and then covers. 

I'm a less is more skincare regimen type of girl! That doesn't mean that I skimp on quality. It comes in handy to be a skincare manufacture, and know what goes into each cream and body essential, however if I didn't have that option, I would always read the ingredients on the jar or bottle before purchasing it. Labels are required to list the most ingredient first, and then carry on down the list. Typically, water is the first ingredient in lotions and creams. I have found this is not always a good thing. Read the labels, and it doesn't hurt to do some research on what the ingredients are before spending your hard earned money on a skincare essential. Or you can simply shop Bittersweet knowing that Jill has your back! Your choice...Smiling...

When you get into your ride you want it to smell good, right? Please, please don't buy one of those synthetic odor hanging cards! I beg of you, don't! Years ago a customer suggested that Bittersweet make a smell good something for the car. At the time, I kind of poo-pooed the idea off, but after thinking about it I realized it was a marvelous idea! You know what they say, the customer is always right! Honestly, in the twenty-four years of managing a shop, I attest to agree. We offer complimentary scent refills on the item! You can hand pick from our scent your own department or an apothecary girl can choose it for you. 

Mixing and matching, not really...

I have always loved to blend old with new. It's evident in both my home and the shop. Hang on to those vintage or antique pieces and if they're in bad shape refinish them or paint them. You will fall in love all over again with the piece. I promise! You will also have a wonderful sense of satisfaction knowing that you transformed it all by yourself! We have those timeless pieces in our home, and I would never think to get rid of them. They look amazing blended with modern. At least that's what I think. I might add, there are so many finishing options available now. Including but not limited to wood bleach, and milk paint. I love using both. If you want your unstained, raw wood to have that faded white patina you will need to apply wood bleach. The results depend on how many swipes you make. You can read up on it to learn more. 

When I spotted those square lidded wicker baskets my heart skipped a beat! I love having stash boxes, baskets, etc. The shape and the lid is what attracted me to them. 

I can't even begin to tell you how exciting it is to be able to create your own scent! I love that we're able to offer this to our customers and me! What's my favorite? Patchouli Vanilla!

I have super fine hair, and our recent tropical forest humidity can be seen in my frocks! I am always on the hunt for a hair product that helps combat humidity. I discovered this one a few weeks ago. Let me tell you, that when you are a skincare manufacture you are quite fastidious about other's products. I have purchased a few other hair care products from this maker, and so far I'm pleased that they do what they say they shall do. 

What's my favorite flower? This is probably one of the hardest questions for my to answer, as I love them all! However, the humble little zinnia captures my heart for many reasons. First, my mother always had a bounty of zinnia growing in her amazing gardens, and second, I love their candy colored blooms. They are a happy flower, and the bees and hummingbirds love them as much as I do! You can easily start them from seeds. That's how I do it. Then when the blooms begin to fade cut off the faded blooms and save to use for your seeds next season. Isn't nature amazing?

My sweet soft spoken mom, Alice... I remember growing up seeing my mom make beaded necklaces. I always thought that she was the coolest mom for many reasons, but that one stands out. I have found that when inspiration comes from memories that it's oh so sweet! When I make these wood, bone, and beaded bracelets I can't help of think of my mom and how she molded me into who I am today. Blessings...

When it comes to soap making, I've been around the block not once, twice, or three times, but twenty-four to be exact! 

I sometimes take for granted what a lucky girl I am for having in my home and shop the best moisture rich soap in the world! 

Jill xo

 

 

 

 

 

 

connecting the dots...

The years come and they go and sunbeams of love shine through the casting shadows of new ideas. Over the years, the past twenty-three to be exact, I've learned to celebrate my loved ones by merging their memories into new designs. These soulful models hold a special place in my heart and fill my soul with serenity and happiness. Each design whether it be an Alice Bracelet named after my sweet soft-spoken mom or a chunky cake of  Great Grandma Lucy's Dish Soap, sweet memories  are woven through each blueprint. A memory that you can hold in your hands can usher in tears and smiles and offer peace all at the same time. This is how I feel when I create Bittersweets from those sacred memories. It's interesting to know that customers pick up on that energy as I share my stories with them. It feels as though it's nourishmnent for our souls.   

 

 

I love connecting the past with the present!

It happens often, the reunion of past and present, but only when the timing is absolutely perfect. A little too soon, and it won't get noticed, and a little too late if doesn't feel right. It's as though time carries its own rules.  You learn to recognize when it's right.  I have always found this to be quite intriguing and interesting, even challenging. Which by the way is good for the soul. Challenges...

 

 Keep the faith.

Jill 

 

 

 

   

I believe...

I love the slowness of winter! The way the sun seems to shine brighter on a cold winter day. The scent of candles flowing through our home. A mountain of books just sitting, waiting, while reminding me they're there if I desire them. 

These things ring true and offer substance even though they might seem to be trivial. Sometimes the simple less thought-out method of living especially during winter warms the heart in a way that compares to nothing else. 

Once January arrives Bittersweet begins to get back into the swing of manufacturing. It always feels as though I'm starting over since I begin building inventory from the ground up after selling out during the holiday season. 

It's a time of renewal and growth and new beginnings for mind, body, and spirit. It feels like a well-rounded opportunity!

I've already begun soap manufacturing, and new prototypes are being examined carefully. New 2021 shipments are beginning to arrive and our store will once again get a make-over as we begin celebrating the New Year by ushering in our new ideas and creations. 

 I know that I say this each New Year, but it's always true. I'm more excited about this year than any other! 

Our home is quiet and peaceful. 

Keep the faith.

Jill