Happy Easter Weekend! We have had so much fun spending so some quality time in the sunshine and blue skies (spring has arrived here in the Pacific Northwest!) and we can’t wait for the summer. This morning, we had a wonderful Easter brunch with Uncle Erik and Aunt Cheriss where we made delicious Easter Pancakes. We also introduced Jamisen to a new book – Peepsqueak by Leslie Ann Clark. He loves it!
Archives for March 2013
Fave Pins of the Week
Check out some of my favorite pins from the last week. I can’t wait to enjoy the sunny weather we’re supposed to have this weekend; I see a playground or five in my future!
Sign Up for a Soapy Swap
Get ready, get set, SOAP! It’s time once again for a Bramble Berry Soap Swap! Our soap swaps are easy to participate in, and you may even meet a few fellow soapers or learn some new techniques yourself. Our last soap swap was a huge success, and we can’t wait to see what soapy surprises we get this year! Interested in swapping? Read on to find out how to get started!
Waves of the Sea Cold Process Tutorial
This soap reminds me of relaxing ocean waves gently lapping against a luscious, soft sand beach. Strategic use of uncolored soap along with cool blue and gray-green create an abstract scene. If you’re loving this soap, stay tuned next week to find out how to get a free gift with purchase containing ingredients to make this very project! Looks like April Showers are on the horizon…
Spring 2013 S.O.A.P. Team Search
It’s spring, and that means warmer weather, bright and happy colors, and most important, a brand new S.O.A.P. panel team! Don’t know what S.O.A.P. is? Check out this mash up post to learn more about it and check out last fall’s team here. We are looking for the newest fragrances to add the the Bramble Berry lineup and we want your help! For the next week, we are on the look out for eight soapy fans to help us pick which fragrances to add for our Summer 2013 fragrance oil line.
New at BB: Spring Edition
Spring has sprung and we’ve steaming full speed ahead with product development, planning lots of fun tutorials, and of course, the release of my upcoming book (eeeek)! Take a peek at some of the exciting new products Bramble Berry just added to our line.
Pre-ordering is now available for Soap Crafting, my book set to publish in August. Pre-order now and receive exclusive access to two special episodes (read: ‘going to be paid episodes‘) of Soap Queen TV where I demonstrate recipes directly from the book.
Soap Crafting: Step-by-Step Techniques for Making 31 Unique Cold-Process Soaps [Read more…]
What are Water White Fragrance Oils?
Welcome to another Q&A session about everything soapy and soap related. Check out our previous information product posts all about Nail Polish, Lip Balm, All Things Lotion, Preservatives, Melt and Pour Soap or Colorants. This week’s post comes to us from a few questions we’ve received from customers about maintaining clarity in Clear Melt and Pour Soap. Read on to learn more about these awesome scents that you can use in your bath and body products.
Brambleversary Treats for Norm
Here’s an awesome recipe I made recently for our rockin’ Chief Operations Officer Norman’s Brambleversary. This would be a great way to get rid of leftover holiday candy canes…are they still good in March? Anyway, regular peppermint candies work just as well and are available year-round. Try out his recipe for a hint of winter mint if you’re already missing those chilly evenings fireside. I was inspired to create this recipe in the hopes of finding an easier way to make the amazing Peppermint Shortbread cookies my Grandma Faiola made us every year. They are this insane labor of love, taking around 3 hours to complete the shortbread-filled-with-pepperminty-goodness creations and while these were delicious, Grandma still takes the prize for yummiest cookie. Norm still loved his Brambleversary cookies and, we love Norm. =) Enjoy the recipe and if you make them, eat them and make a wish for a Norm in your work life.
Cookies:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup crushed or choppped after-dinner butter mints
Frosting:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
Pinch of salt
4 cups confectioners’ sugar
2 to 4 talbespoons milk
Food coloring, if desired
1/2 cup crushed Peppermints or Candy Canes [Read more…]
Facebook Photo of the Week (March 15 ~ March 22)
It’s finally spring and we are seeing a teensy bit of sunshine here in the Pacific Northwest. We spent the day outside in sunny but chilly 45 degree weather, throwing rocks and visiting koi ponds (Jamisen totally tried to ruin a fish’s life by throwing a rock in the pond; we were horrified). In honor of the spring, I created a fun and bright lip balm tutorial that will definitely give your lips a tropical punch with Pineapple and Papaya Flavor Oils. Craving more tutorials for your kisser? Check this link out. I’m working on a new body butter whip next week and perfecting deodorant recipes this weekend (sooooo close!). Read on to find out this week’s Facebook Photo of the Week…
P.S. We got a genius tip from one of our Facebook fans this week. She used our silicone liner and found a great way to keep them steady and open before you pour. Use paperclips to hold the liner against the mold and they won’t leave any marks or lines on your soap. Thanks, for the tip Margo!
The Fun of Work
Mustache break with Mark, Ryan, Nikki, Lauren and Mike in the warehouse
“Fires can’t be made with dead embers, nor can enthusiasm be stirred by spiritless men. Enthusiasm in our daily work lightens effort and turns even labor into pleasant tasks.”
– James A. Baldwin
Goat Milk Soap Tutorial on Soap Queen TV
This episode of Soap Queen TV is pretty long at almost 13 minutes. But I promise, it’s worth it! In this video I show one of my favorite techniques for working with milk – the freeze method. It’s one of the techniques I teach in my Making Milk Soap from Scratch book. In this video, I create a 4 color in-the-pot swirl and use our silicone cube mold to show that you can get beautiful colors and designs with milk based soaps. [Read more…]
Claire Dann 2012 BBAC Update
It’s time for another Bramble Berry Athletic Club charity shout out! If you’re a daily Soap Queen reader you’re probably familiar with BBAC and know that Bramble Berry donates a portion of our profits to local non-profit organizations. Starting BBAC was a way to connect with some of our customers equally as passionate about giving back and a way for Bramble Berry to donate to a wider variety of charitable causes that touch the lives of our customers.
Claire Dann Graduated from UW in 2012 and is now on her way to Oxford for grad school. She was one of the top fundraisers for the UW Relay For Life event and loves making lip balm from Bramble Berry in her spare time (when she’s not studying). Thanks for representing BBAC, Claire, we’re so proud to have you representing Bramble Berry!
Tell us about your charity!
Relay For Life supports the American Cancer Society. Because cancer never sleeps, the event is 24 hours long. The event honors cancer survivors and remembers loved ones that lost the battle with a candle light ceremony at dusk (always very emotional). My team, Paul’s Pals, camped out overnight and took turns walking and running around the track. Thanks to Bramble Berry’s charitable contribution, my team was able to raise over $5000 for the cause!
Domino Lip Balm
These fun and fruity lip balms are great for those who love the classic game of Dominoes. We are personally big fans of Trains (sometimes referred to as ‘Mexican Trains’) in this household. By manipulating hardened lip balm base, I was able to create a fun polka-dotty look with a tropical twist. Read on to learn how to create these adorable and yummy-tasting lip balms.
Recipe:
Drinking Straw
Click here to add everything you need for this project to your Bramble Berry shopping cart! [Read more…]
Sneak Peek: Soap Crafting Advance Reader Copy
Want a sneak peak at what I’ve been poring over for the last week? My nose has been constantly buried in the advance reader copy of Soap Crafting, my book that is set to publish this August. Even better news, the book is now available for presale right here! Remember, pre-sale purchases get two free Advanced Technique videos with projects from the book when the book is released. We’ve got it set up to ship via Media Mail when it comes out so you can pre-order and be among the first to get it and the videos when the book is released. To pre-order your copy of Soap Crafting, click here and add the book to your shopping cart, then proceed with checkout.
