It’s been a year since the storefront closed.
A year.
Somehow, it feels like forever—and yet, it feels like it just happened.
There have been plenty of moments over the last year when I have still grieved the closing. Hilltop Designs was never just a business to me. It was something I had poured my creativity, time, energy, and heart into for nearly 15 years.
But as difficult as that decision was, it was necessary.
And looking back, I can see how God was making room for me to walk more fully into what He was calling me to in this season.
If you are a mom of middle school or high school students, you know the hustle is real. Over the last couple of years, our family has lived between two buildings, multiple seasons of sports, musical concerts, driver’s training, dances—and all the other things that somehow fill a family calendar.
At the same time, my work at the church continued to grow.
It simply was no longer sustainable for me physically to carry two nearly full-time jobs.
Closing the storefront gave me something I desperately needed: space to pause and reevaluate.
What was Hilltop Designs supposed to look like now?
Over the last year, I have still connected with some of you to make your favorite products. I continue to make lip balms for one of my favorite dentists. And I’ve had the opportunity to step back and ask a bigger question:
What could Hilltop Designs become in this next season?
Because the truth is, I still love creating.
I love making things with my hands. I love finding solutions. I love helping someone with a business problem, a skincare concern, or even something much deeper—a matter of the heart.
And over the last year, I have found myself creating in a different way, too.
Through my ministry work, I have written and developed quite a bit of content. Things I believe could be valuable to other people—but I didn’t really have a place to put them.
I’ve also spent a lot of time thinking about artificial intelligence and the ways it is changing how we work, create, communicate, and learn. I believe there is a place for us to engage that conversation with both wisdom and bold faith.
And I keep coming back to the same question:
How can I share what I know?
How can I share my recipes?
My experience?
What I’ve learned about business?
What I’ve learned about essential oils and skincare?
What I’ve learned about creating?
What I’ve learned about faith?
And maybe most importantly, how can I continue connecting with people?
Because that part hasn’t changed.
I still have a burning desire to connect with people.
I still love creating.
I still love helping.
And I still believe the things God has taught me along the way are meant to be shared.
As summer comes to an end and I look toward my 15th Christmas season with Hilltop Designs, I’ve been thinking a lot about what to carry forward—and how much product to make.
Over this past year, our family has found some products that have been able to fill the gaps left by the things I was no longer making in volume.
But there are a few things we haven’t been able to replace.
That pumice scrub?
There is nothing like it.
My daughters have been asking for more Castor Oil Cream.
And the Lanolin Lavender Balm keeps coming up, too.
So maybe the answer isn’t to choose between Hilltop Designs and everything else God has called me into.
Maybe the answer is to let Hilltop Designs become what it was always meant to be in this next season.
The website is operational, but it is currently undergoing changes as I prepare for what I am calling a merger of sorts—bringing together the things I have been creating, learning, and sharing over these last several years.
The Hilltop Designs brand is shifting once again.
But this time, I think I’m finally understanding where it is going.
Creating with Purpose. | Sharing with Purpose.
My hope is that Hilltop Designs becomes more than a place to purchase your favorite HD Soap products.
I want it to become a hub for content that is both informational and inspirational.
A place where I can share what I’ve learned.
A place where I can create and teach.
A place where faith and everyday life can intersect.
A place where you can find practical solutions, honest conversations, encouragement, and maybe even a recipe or two.
And yes—a place where you can still find some of your favorite HD Soap products.
The storefront may have closed a year ago.
But Hilltop Designs isn’t going away.
It’s simply becoming something new.
And honestly?
I think this might be the most exciting chapter yet.
Creating with Purpose. Sharing with Purpose.
Welcome to the next season of Hilltop Designs.