Bittersweet and the little soap company

blessing

photo courtesy of pinterest

My blessings runneth over...I guess it's not politically correct to use the word blessing. A few days ago I happened upon a post that told about a high school project that allowed the students to create posters that reflect their beliefs. The poster contained these three words...

photo courtesy of pinterest

 The student was told she could not use the word blessing when creating her poster because the word was associated with God. For me, the word is associated with God, simply because I believe in God. I was curious what the legal definition of the word was, so I looked it up. 

noun

Blessing is defined as God's favor, or a person's sanction or support, or something you ask God for, or something for which you are grateful.

 

When God looks down upon you and protects you, this is an example of God's blessing.

When a father OKs a marriage proposal, this is an example of when he gives his blessing.

When you pray to God and ask to be held in good favor, this is an example of when you seek God's blessing.

When you are thankful to have your child, this is an example of when your child is a blessing.

How can something be so wrong, that is so right?

I ask you...

Whether you believe as I, or have other beliefs, I honor them, and most of all respect them. 

Our world is a big place,filled with humans of all race, religion, and cultures. 

If you wish to create a poster that represent your beliefs,  you have that right as an American. 

I live in America... I am an American. I respect all religions. I treat other's the way I wish to be treated. I do not discriminate against other's, in any way, shape or form. However, I do believe in blessings, and the meaning of the word. When I tell someone to have a blessed day, I'm referencing that my God, Jehovah, bless them with good, and love, and happiness. 

While other's debate the subject of whether its's safe to say the word blessing. I will continue to applaud the word, and use it freely with the intention of making someone feel comforted and to let them  know I care. After all, love shall conquer all. If not today, someday...

I am

Thankful

Grateful

Blessed

Happy Thanksgiving and Keep the Faith. 

Jill 

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Winter weeds

When I make a soap box my mind travels back to when my sweet soft spoken mom was standing by my side. She was my best friend and cheerleader. If you've lost your mom then you know the bittersweet feelings that cling to your spirit after they're gone. My mom also named my company. Little did I know, how the name would echo a new meaning later. The name is wrapped with grace and gratefulness. Those two earthly and what I imagine to be glorious spiritual feelings. Life would not be life without grace and gratefulness. 

My little apothecary shoppe is growing! Not physical size wise, but rather word getting out. After almost eighteen years of operating and managing Bittersweet, the word is getting out. In fact, I'm seeing an increase in manufacturing in all avenues. A good thing, as MS would say. 

How do you approach business growth? Well of course, I'm flattered you ask... Slowly, quietly, but with a full speed ahead mindset. Looking forward, but remembering the past. Staying humble no matter how big you get. Weeding your garden so not to allow pesky weeds to destroy your harvest. Not sure what I meant by the latter statement. I'll let your mind create an explanation. 

I'm plucking a few weeds from the radio show. Fine tuning my instrument and excited for the future. Always a great feeling to be excited for the future. 

A soap maker's life.... Thank you for being a part of it.

Enjoy caring and sharing days.

Warmly,

Jill 00 

 

 

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Last week after I went to bed and had  fallen asleep I awoke during the night with an idea. Remember the bath tub ideas? Anyway, the idea centered around a bath wrap. You may recall those not so pretty terry cloth bath wraps that are on the market. Can you also tell that I really don't like them? Room for improvement, I thought. Hence, the cute calico terry bath wrap as seen above. This was the first one I made. No pattern needed. Simply cut a one and a half piece of terry and a matching size pretty cotton print of your choice. They have an elastic gathering at the top and easy breezy velcro for closing. On the second wrap prototype I added a ruffle! I LOVED the ruffled wrap! Yes, loved because it sold yesterday! I purchased a bolt of the pretty calico yesterday so that I can make more of the ruffled bath wraps. Coming soon....

The umbrella... Julie brought it back to me from her recent trip to Jamaica. A little ray of sunshine at the shop!

I absolutely love these tiny desk dressers. That's what I call them. They're fun to make too! They're covered in pretty papers. 

The "friendship soap" is back! The muslin bag is filled with a bar of Bittersweet Soap. Sprigs of lavender poke out. 

Lavender sachets complete the list of new Bittersweets.

 I've spent the past sixteen years enjoying what I love, making things. The feelings associated with these thoughts fill my soul with  peace. It's hard to put those feeling into words, I believe. The word PEACE seems an appropriate word to describe those thoughts.  When a customer gets excited about a new item  my excitement always exceeds theirs. It's a privilege, joy and pleasure to have the opportunity to share my wares. Owning a shop and the environment that surround the setting has always been a favorite thing. On my list of favorite things anyway. I love conversing with people most of all, but it's also a  happy moment when you can share a little bit of yourself with others. That form of sharing for me comes from the fruit of my hands.

If you're contemplating something that touches your soul in this same way and it makes you smile when you think of it, then don't hesitate to follow through with those thoughts. It's a serious business pondering the idea of  relying on yourself to make a living. Don't concentrate too much on the serious end of things. Instead, focus on what makes you happy. I believe happy people promote happiness to other people and when you spread happiness you're also sharing love. Life is full of ups and downs. Love always prevails. Today, tomorrow and forever. 

Don't get me started....

Enjoy caring and sharing days.

Love,

Jill 00 

 

I had a dream...

Since Bittersweet blog is a journal of a soap maker's life I find it appropriate to explain to you how my recent decision to open a shop again began. There is a point to the story that I'd like to share with you. 

Before I begin we must go back to the beginning...

Ten years ago Bittersweet  had a retail boutique located in my historic "Gilmore Girls" downtown. The shop offered my hand-made soaps and artisan creations exclusively. After five years of making, managing, and operating the shop I noticed my happy shop go-lucky  feelings began to flicker out. The happy shop owner excitement I once felt was quickly fading. I also knew those unhappy feelings were only limited to the fast paced duties of retail and not associated with making things. I still loved to create! 

After some soul searching and careful consideration I decided to close my boutique. It was a hard decision, but I knew in my heart it was the right one at the time. The decision to close the shop also had consequences as most decisions do. My mind began thinking about my loyal customers. I had concerns about how they would no longer be able to purchase Bittersweet at a brick and mortar location. Now they would only have Internet access to my products.   With those thoughts came a notion and an idee. What if I were to create a shop-like atmosphere in my home. Yes, I thought that would be the perfect solution. Thus, the Bittersweet shop in my home was born. The new home shop was only open on Saturdays for a few hours.   

The shop in my home has been open for five years to date. Although a bit apprehensive about opening a shop in my home at first. Now I realize it was a smart move. Having said that, had I not had a shop downtown first I'm not sure it would have worked out so well. Having the shop downtown allowed me to market the new shop in my home. I was able to let my customers know about the new location ahead of time.

This is where the story has a point...

A month or so ago I began having lucid dreams. The process of lucid dreaming is rare and unexplainable. Very few people ever experience it. I have no idea how or why the lucid dreaming started. On second thought that's not exactly true, but I don't want to jump ahead of this story with a point. It's quite odd to be dreaming and know you're dreaming! Since you know your dreaming you're able to manipulate your dreams and cast them the way you want! 

The lucid dreams centered around owning a shop, always. The dreams were quite fairy tale like. I remember every dream morning stopping by the local florist gathering fresh flowers to place in my shop. Lucid dreaming feels as though it's really happening by the way. After a couple of lucid shop dreams an excitement began to form. I was of course excited about the lucid dreaming but had an equal feeling of excitement towards the dreams I was having about having a shop once again.  What! Where did those feelings come from? 

After a few dreams I began pondering shop thoughts. With those dream thoughts came real life thoughts too. Thoughts like, don't you remember how much time and energy it takes to manage a retail shop? Oh yeah, I remembered. However, the idee still appealed to me on a healthy happy level. 

I am ready for a change and I really do miss the retail life. What's that saying? Once in retail, always in retail. I made that up, but I do believe there is some truth to it.

Shop ownership is unlike anything you'll ever experience. Those feelings always make me smile.

Back to the point...

I have not had any more lucid dreams. 

The strange real-life dreams I believe were a gift from God. A very special gift at that. The dreams were delivered special. Thank you God. The dreams opened doors that I thought were closed. Isn't that amazing and wonderful how such a common thing can transform into a most fascinating experience?

The point...

Always follow your heart. Listen to those little voices from within. Sometimes we don't listen. 

I can't wait to get the new shop open! I'll be dropping by the local florist each morning to pick a fresh bouquet of flowers for my shop!

Enjoy caring and sharing days. 

Thank you God for each and every day. 

Love,

Jill 00

 

 

 

 

 

nat·u·ral /ˈnaCHərəl/ Adjective Existing in or caused by nature; not made or caused by humankind.

The herbal stash is getting a spring cleaning. The apothecary herbal powders and fixatives are used to enhance a variety of products. The collection consist of rosemary, peppermint, patchouli, elder flowers, chamomile, orris root, sandalwood, roses, lavender, shave grass, calendula, and a few other necessary dried botanical. 

Interesting to me... That the definition of "natural" is fast becoming a bad word. The insert above was copied from Webster. I really feel the definition sums up what I've always believed "natural" to be. What's your take on the subject of "natural?"

I have always had an interest in herbal medicine. For the past thirty years I've studied and read a number of books about natural remedies and days gone by apothecary. Having said that, I don't believe a person could ever explore everything there is to learn about this subject.  My passion for wanting to advance in learning about plants and herbs and their wonderful healing abilities also directed me to create Bittersweet natural skin care. 

That was sixteen years ago!

Present day and  that same apothecary passion continues to be nurtured and cultivated and is evolving each and every day during my mix this, weigh that, smell me method of learning along with the aid of wonderful books. I'm mostly a do-it learner though. My philosophy has always been. If you don't try it, then you'll never know! Some of my best creations have been born by using that method of learning.

I have always believed strongly in the use of natural herbs for healing and good health.  I also believe God created each and every herb, plant for a reason. What an astonishing feat when you stop to ponder those thoughts. 

Just think about this aromatic food enhancer for a moment and then this one and this one. Then think about your life without them. I love to bake so those thoughts are quite disappointing if I stop and ponder. 

Busy day at the shop planned. I can't believe February is approaching! We're that much closer to spring with every passing day.Yippee! I can't wait to tip-pee toe on cool green grass and pick fresh bouquets of aromatic lilacs! You Midwest and Eastern homeys can relate to my spring anticipation feelings.

I'm thinking about starting the dreaded taxes this weekend. After that, I'll be ready for some natural inspiration. 

Enjoy a caring and sharing day.

Warmly,

Jill 00 

 

 

change

I've been thinking about change.

I'm a strange one when it comes to those thoughts.  Rather than dislike change I like it. I respect change. Maybe that's it. You must respect something before you can appreciate it.   

Oh no, here she goes! Again...

Every-ones day to day living centers around change. You may not notice it, but change is constantly playing a big role in each second, minute and hour of your day. After all, no day is ever the same. Why? Because it changes. Even if you prefer that it doesn't change, it does. Most people don't even notice the small changes that occur, but if a big fat one comes along, well that's when the dislikes settle in along with feelings of anxiety and dismay.  

I retain old fashioned feelings in regards to change. Although cliche, I have always felt that no accidents occur in life and whatever change comes along, well, it came for a reason. Sometime the reason may not be comfortable or assuring for sure. However it remains. Awaiting my attention. I'm not one to sweep things under the rug. I generally deal with change head on. That's the way it's always been. Doesn't make me better, just say in.

Change can be measured.

If someone is battling a serious illness and each day is spent facing challenges upon challenges then those  changes would be measured at their highest level, I believe.

Loosing a loved one is also high on the change scale, I believe.

Loosing materialistic items, your home, car, etc., high on the change scale, I believe.

As I ponder these changing thoughts my mind wanders to the first example of change.

When a person is sick or dying they have to deal with change every second of the day. Will there be pain and anguish today? Will this be the day I meet my maker? Will I be at peace when I die?

How do you deal with change?

A serious topic and one that takes on different levels of the human psyche.

 There's no wrong or a right way to feel about change. You know. Your way is the right way.

Shit Change happens...

Enjoy caring and sharing day.

Warmly,

Jill 00 (two hugs are better than one)

     

 

 

lessons I've learned

 
Bittersweet hosts two open houses throughout the year.

We celebrate the arrival of spring with our May Day event and our favorite celebration, the entrance into fall accompanied by the introduction of our signature soaps of the season.

This autumn I'm especially excited to introduce the new holiday savon, Myrrh & Frankincense. When I use the term "introduce" when referring to a new soap that translates to picking up the silky bar and holding it to your nose, sniff, sniff. That's the proper introduction.

 
A formulation is neeed when creating new Bittersweets. I've used the same one for many years.

Each and every product that's made pushes through the same process.

First, you must decide on what the new product is.

Thoughts on packaging begin to emerge and you carefully choose swatches of this and that as well as label designs. Those prototypes are utilized into the new product.

Once the prototype is finalized we need pictures! I'm not a professional photographer, so sometimes it takes several shots before obtaining a good picture. Usually I shoot outdoors. If it's sunny I tilt our outdoor umbrella to block the sun before shooting. I use a tripod, and set the timer to 8 seconds. Turn the flash off.

Once a suitable product picture is shot it's time to market the item and list it on the web site.

I take advantage of the many complimentary applications when promoting. Let me say, marketing takes a lot of time, but is well worth it. I believe you should market that puppy in every direction! Since you probably don't have the capital to create a television commercial like most manufacturing companies do, the next best thing is to make use of the free applications available through the internet.

Whether that be FB, Etsy, Twitter, Pinter-est, or any of the other hundreds of on-line resources available.

Reality check... You snooze, you loose if you're not expanding your horizons with the technology. There are some tricks to selling, but we will touch on that later.

When my company was first developed over 14 years ago the internet was just beginning to evolve. My marketing consisted of word of mouth, sales representatives, shows, magazine advertising, and occasional television appearances, the free ones! I did not have a publicist, but you may consider hiring one if you're just starting out. They're not as costly as you may think. They can help your new business get a good start on marketing. Radio adds are also a productive way to market. Again, not as much as you may think on cost.

Now is a good time to take advantage of those marketing tools with the economy turtling along.

I carry my business cards with me at all times! If I'm standing in line at a store and conversing with a person standing in line, I ask them if it would be all right to give them my card. I don't ever recall someone saying no, and if they did, who cares? What I mean to say... What have you got to lose?

This past summer when trying on blouses at a departments store a lady walked by and told me I smelled good! I handed her my card and now she's a frequent Bittersweet shopper!

Nowadays owning a small business has more challenges and hurdles and it seems new ones are being created each day!

You must  have a plan! Even after you construct a plan A, plan B shouldn't be too far behind.

Owning your own business is suppose to be fun!

It's also a lot of work!

I refer to it as "fun work."

Times they are a changing for small business. Don't allow the changing times to change your integrity or interfere with your passion.

 Run your business the way you raised your kids! Honesty, discipline, respect and trust all important qualities to incorporate into your business.

Enjoy caring and sharing days.

Warmly,

Jill 00 (two hugs are better than one)

 

 

Dog and Butterfly

The past week I've been traveling with my son Patrick to various car dealers as we've been hot and heavy on the trail of hunting him a new car. If you've never had the delight of participating in the new car game I urge you to sit on the sidelines a few times and watch before plunging in the arena. It can be quite brutal, long and drawn out  if you're requesting to pay a lesser price than sticker. Sticker price should be referred to "Sucker Price"! Vehicles are over priced nowadays! Not to mention the FACT... The moment you drive off the car lot your car value drops but the payment doesn't! Something doesn't add up there, does it? Unless I plan to live in my car, God forbid, and even if I did,  I refuse to pay full price for a new car!

My father taught me how to purchase a new car years ago and I'm so very thankful for his instruction.

Wait a minute I'm getting way off my original story... Let's go back, shall we?

Sitting, waiting, anticipating... Yep, those are three words that come into play after you first approach the car salesman with your offer.

While we were sitting, waiting, a song came on the radio. 

One of the floating salesman asked. Who sang that song? I poked my head around the corner and answered, Heart. Oh yeah, the two girls he says. Yeah, I say. Another salesman joined in and began to talk about the song. After the chatter cleared I began to listen to the words of that song closely. 

Memories of listening to that song lingered in my mind as I recalled playing it over and over on my record player some thirty plus years ago.

You know that strange feeling of listening to a song so many times before, but for some reason this time when you listen you get a complete different translation of the song. As the song stopped playing, I remember thinking to myself, that is a great song! 

 

  So often we don't notice the God love messages that are presented to us until long after they're sent.

 Enjoy caring and sharing summer days.

Warmly,

Jill 00 (Two hugs are better than one)

 

 

 

Months end

 
It's hard to believe the end of June is approaching!

Even harder to imagine July 4 is only a week from today!

This happens every summer. You know the sneaking up short lived interim of summer.

July is always a busy month in retail. The no. 3 quarter ends = taxes. Production begins on our holiday soaps and the studio begins a subtle transformation and shifting of goods. Boutiques and shops usually begin shopping for Christmas inventory in July. Thoughts of a prosperous holiday season dance in their heads.   

In most cases retail takes a fall during a dopey economy. A smart shop owner takes little risks and ponders her strategic business plans frequently. Making cuts here and there to allow more capital for marketing and advertising is a wise move and a necessary componet indeed.  

I remember the days when Bittersweet business evaluations were once every six months at best. Now they're examined every two weeks or so. Researching what works and what doesn't becomes a full time job.

Nowadays it takes a skilled knowledgible person to psyfer through the social media avenues. Having the ability to distinguish which ones are a waste of time and which ones aren't is invaluble. That means a person needs to research each and every one before making any conclusion. H'm, homework...

Well, I'm not sure how I got to rambling on about this subject.

Hopefully a few Bittersweet readers are small business owners and will relate in the topic.

Creativity is not only needed to create you know! It comes in handy when you're marketing your small business too!

Production week continues, as do pondering thoughts and ideas. 
Enjoy caring and sharing summer days.

Warmly,

Jill 00 (two hugs are better than none)   

   

Grace

My heart goes out to the tornado victims of Joplin Missouri. The killer tornado invaded their lovely city, ripping away their homes and personal belongings. Precious lives were lost at a blink of an eye.

Joplin sits approximately 150 miles or a three hour drive south of Kansas City. I've always admired the city when we drive through to go to our favorite get a way resort, Eureka Springs AK. It's shiny and clean and when you stop for gas or a restroom break the townspeople are most likely to say hello to you because they are friendly and outgoing like most Missouri folks tend to be.  

As we drove home from my uncles graveside service on Sunday we were headed towards the ominous storm clouds that masked the southern sky. My dad even referred to one of the puffy thunder clouds as a monkey cloud. As I looked I too could see the monkey mouth and inclined forehead, and I replied, "I see it too!" We agreed the clouds were brewing up some strong storms.

Most of the afternoon I couldn't help but notice the large thunder clusters hovering around the horizon.

I'm not much of a news person and don't watch a lot of news unless something like this happens and then I become interested and concerned and want to know all that's happening. As I awoke yesterday morning I went about my normal routine, brisk morning walk, picking up around the house, checking the veggie garden for traces of produce. Ah, I noticed a teeny weensy broccoli head and a tiny green pepper! I anxiously phoned my dad with the excitement and he asked if I had heard about the Joplin tornado. No I have not heard.

I immediately turned on the television and began watching the news coverage. I was brought to tears as I heard the audio of the 18 or so folks that found refuge in the small 10x8 or so stock area. Isaac, one of the patrons detailed the story about  how the clerk of the gas station unlocked the door to let him and his buddy in the station during the last frantic seconds before the killer tornado hit. The clerk instructed the boys to run and join the other patrons that were huddled like sardines in the tiny space attempting to escape the fury of the tornado.

Isaac left his phone on while the tornado ripped and tugged at everything that surrounded them. The audio is chilling to say the least.

The Joplin residents are brave extraordinary people. As I watch more of the news coverage as it comes in I'm humbled and moved beyond words. Although the towns people are victims of a horrific tragedy they're not blameful or unkind. In fact, I can't help but notice their mood is quite opposite.

As I watch the news I'm intrigued by the thoughts and theory's that  present themselves in the hypothesis of why so many killer storms lately. Global warning they say, possibly. There's another G word that comes to mind when I consider the recent extreme weather.

Please continue to pray for the lovely people of Joplin.

Love,

Jill 00