It’s Amber here again, filling in while Anne-Marie is globe trotting. Checkout the new little clock widget I found to show us what time it is in Saudi Arabia (over on the right).
As I mentioned yesterday, we recently purchased a Yudu screen-printing system here at Bramble Berry. So I thought it would be fun to share my experience printing with it. If you are looking for a way to make your tags and labels for your soap and other products stand-out, I think screenprinting is a great way to do it.

The benefits of screenprinting are that it is inexpensive after you have purchased your equipment (and even that can be pretty cheap), you can print on a variety of surfaces (fabric, paper, etc) and aren’t limited by what can go through a copy machine. The downside is that it’s pretty labor intensive, but if you have the time, it’s the cool way to go!

You can find basic instructions for the Yudu here. In addition to the Yudu system, you will need a deep utility sink with a sprayer attachment (or you can use a garden hose outside or go to a car wash and use their pressure washer) and somewhere to hang or lay your pieces while they dry.

Here, I am working on the Soap Queen aprons and T-shirts. First I’m rinsing out the emulsion in the sink, next I’m printing the first color (the yellow hair) and finally I’m showing Anne-Marie how it will look when I get the next screen printed over the top. It’s a multi-step process that would be a huge blog post on it’s own. But if anyone is interested in a step-by-step Yudu tutorial, just let me know.

Here’s a great video tutorial I found that you might try if you aren’t sure if screen printing is for you. The technique uses supplies you probably have on hand.

And to close, I’ll leave you with a few inspiring screen printed cards from Etsy. Can you just imaging what cute tags or wrappers you could make for soap with this technique?

The first example is from JPress Designs, the center example is by magicjelly, and the adorably leggy package is by Reuse First.

The time has come! Anne-Marie is off in Saudi Arabia and I am now in charge of the Blog in her absence. Anne-Marie will be back next week but in the mean time, my co-workers and I have numerous ideas for what we’d like to share with you!

But my first order of business is to enlist your help in getting me a new toy.

I was very successful in convincing Anne-Marie that we absolutely needed a YUDU screen printing machine. I made some T-shirts and an apron for the new Soap Queen TV videos – I’ll share more about that with you tomorrow. So I think I’m on a roll!

I am dying to get my hands on this new Letterpress machine from QuicKutz. Anne-Marie and I both share a love for all things letterpress (some past posts on her letterpress loves are here, here, and here). So I’m guessing it won’t be too hard to convince her of the “absolute necessity” of this new gadget – but I’d appreciate any help I can get! So, leave a comment about how excited you are to see my letterpress creations for Soap Queen and Bramble Berry.
My love of letterpress started with my study of Book Arts. I was lucky enough to take bookbinding and letterpress classes in college from Elsi Vassdal Ellis. Above is an example of her work.
After I graduated I took a workshop at Stern & Faye Printers. Each person in the class made their own ‘calling cards’ using the antique type in their collection. Above is a letterpress collage created by Chris Stern, who sadly passed away in 2006.
Sometime soon I hope to take a workshop from a local print shop, Bison Letterpress. Pretty much anytime I notice a cool poster or business card around Bellingham, it turns out it was made by them. Checkout the gorgeous soap labels and boxes they created above.

As you can see my (minimal) letterpress experience is sure to make my creations with the Quickutz Letterpress machine an absolute success and I most definitely deserve one! I’m sure you’ll agree and I’m crossing my fingers that Anne-Marie will, too.

Hello there! This is Amber your friendly guest blogger while Anne-Marie is away.

For my first post I’d like to share the fantastic work of Biggs and Featherbelle. Yes, their soap and toiletry products are superior but it’s their awesome packaging that really separates them from the rest. In the image to the left I have a picture of their soap sampler. The lid of the box is hand stamped with their signature bubble style which is repeated on the actual soap wrappers. And the kraft brown of the box is repeated in the kraft brown packing crinkle.
Also, their product names really crack me-up! This sampler set is called the ‘Mini Bar’ and some of the soap names are ‘bar-tender’ (unscented), ‘polar bar’, ‘handle bar’, ‘goodie bar’, or ‘barlesque’.

We’ve been noticing that many of the more successful beginning soap companies have a graphic designer as one of the owners.

So here’s a tip for all of you upstart soapers – find yourself a hygienically hampered designer and start trading!