Anne-Marie Faiola, Author at Soap Queen

New Zealand; not just sheep

March 17, 2013 Filed Under: Personal Ramblings

Recently my parents were traveling in New Zealand (a favorite destination of theirs) when my Dad happened upon a little soap shop in Rotorua. His interest was peaked so he ducked in to take a look around while my Mom continued shopping. Impressed by displays and product, my dad asked the owner if he could take some pictures to show his daughter, who sells soap in the states. As it happened, my dad discovered Soap Queen fans (eeeek!) in I Love Soap! When Dad told me this, I was totally flattered. He also said that it was a great store and suggested I contact the owner, James, for an interview (and hands me all the contact info). No convincing necessary, Dad! One look at the pictures he took and I became a fan of James; it’s a mutual admiration society!

I Love Soap owner James [Read more…]

Facebook Photo of the Week (March 8 ~ March 15)

March 16, 2013 Filed Under: Bramble Berry News

What a week! I’ve kept busy at a business conference and have been using all my spare time to do a final edit for the brand new Soap Crafting book that will be out in a few months. I can’t wait for all of you to read it! I did manage to royally jack up my very-pregnant-back while traveling to and from the business conference so I predict some chiropractic and acupuncture in my future. But, before that, I did have a wonderful time browsing our Facebook photos for this week and I’m ready to announce the Facebook Photo of the Week. Don’t know what that is or how to enter? All you need to do is become a fan of Bramble Berry’s Facebook page and post pictures of your soapy creation throughout the week. At the end of the week, I choose one photo to feature in a blog post here at Soap Queen. Want some inspiration for your projects? Check out previous weeks’ photos here.

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Honey Beeswax Cold Process Tutorial

March 15, 2013 Filed Under: Cold Process Soap

Did you know that our Heavy Duty (HD) and ELF molds are great for cold process? They’re made of durable FDA approved food grade plastic, which means you can use them for food projects like this adorable holiday tutorial demonstrates (just remember to keep molds for food separate from molds for soap!). It also means that your cold process soap may typically need 1-2 weeks before it’s ready to unmold from these molds. The range of designs in this mold line is totally worth the wait, but a bit of Sodium Lactate (1 tsp per pound of oils) added to cooled lye water can help facilitate the hardening process and allow for a shorter wait time.

Recipe:

0.55 oz Cocoa Butter

3.3 oz Coconut Oil

2.75 oz Olive Oil (pure)

3.3 oz Palm Oil

1.1 oz Sunflower Seed Oil

1.6 oz Sodium Hydroxide (lye)

3.6 oz Distilled Water

1 teaspoon Sodium Lactate

0.8 oz Honey Beeswax fragrance

Milk and Honey Mold

(Note: This mold has been discontinued.

It has been substituted with the 6 Cavity Honeycomb Silicone Mold.)

Click here to add everything you need for this project to your Bramble Berry shopping cart! [Read more…]

Make a Fabric Photo Album

March 13, 2013 Filed Under: Personal Ramblings

I’m an avid follower of Amanda’s blog SouleMama. When I wanted to create something special for Jamisen to receive during our gender reveal party, I was totally inspired by a gift she made for her daughter’s birthday. My plan was to make a baby book for Jamisen so he could see how he has grown over the years (and hopefully see that he too was once a little teensy baby like his sister is going to be). The only hurdle: it was a sewing project. And I don’t know how to sew. Yay! Growth opportunity! New hobby! Fun fun! Here’s my version of the Fabric Photo Book, and a peek at my extreme sewing adventure.

What you need:

Printable Fabric (for printing photos)

Printable Heat-Transfer Paper (optional: for book’s front cover title)

16 pieces of 10X11 inch Fabric (100% cotton quilting-weight fabric works great)

16 pieces of 10.5X11.5 inch Non-Woven Fusible Interfacing

Thread

Ribbon, Rick Rack and Other Trims (for embellishing pages and binding the book)

Rivets (optional: for the book binding)

And, a sewing machine (it makes this project much faster!) [Read more…]

Matte Finish Nail Polish Tutorial

March 12, 2013 Filed Under: Bath & Body Tutorials

Creating our own nail polish has become all the rage for Team Bramble Berry and we can’t get enough of playing around with our Suspending Nail Polish Base. We’ve done everything from basic colors to scented nail polish. Have any questions about making your own nail polish? Check out Talk it Out Tuesday all about customizing nail polishes. For this tutorial, I’m trying out a cool effect I came across while surfing Pinterest last week. Matte nail polishes are all the rage, and the addition of a special ingredient – cornstarch – can take your polish from glossy to glam.

Matte Finish Nail Polish

Ingredients:

Cornstarch

4 oz Suspending Nail Polish Base

10-15 Nail Polish Mixing Balls

2 Tiny Funnels

5 Nail Polish Bottles

Cellini Blue Mica

Mini Scoops

Click here to add everything you need for this project (except for the cornstarch) to your Bramble Berry shopping cart! [Read more…]

Behind the Scenes: Soap Queen TV + Soap Crafting!

March 11, 2013 Filed Under: Bramble Berry News

I’m delighted to share a sneak peek behind the scenes of the latest episode of Soap Queen TV, featuring our brand new set design. In addition, I also have news about the book I’ve written, Soap Crafting…we will be offering two FREE, exclusive Cold Process episodes of Soap Queen TV, each demonstrating a recipe found in the book, to all customers who pre-order through Brambleberry.com. Pre-ordering for the book Soap Crafting will be available soon, so keep an eye out for the announcement!

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Facebook Photo of the Week (March 1 ~ March 8)

March 11, 2013 Filed Under: Bramble Berry News

Last week was super busy on the SoapQueen blog. Two new contests were introduced: a new Make It Month (all about the sample of the month, Oatmeal Milk and Honey Cybilla) and a call to arms by subscription service Fair Ivy. We also blogged three new tutorials: a super cute Red Apple Cold Process Soap Recipe, an anti-pinch nail polish tutorial for St. Patrick’s Day, a DIY tutorial on how to make a traveler bag for toddlers and my favorite, the shortbread recipe that I used to announce the gender of Bramble Girl to my family. Miss out on any of the daily happenings? Join us on Bramble Berry’s Facebook page to keep up-to-date and learn about the newest products, tutorials and deals. Best of all the sun is finally shining in the Pacific Northwest (well, intermittently) and all of Team Bramble Berry is soaking up as much of it as they can. Are you ready for last weeks Facebook Photo of the Week? Let’s go!

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Make a Toddler Travel Activity Bag

March 9, 2013 Filed Under: Personal Ramblings

Recently we took a family vacation to visit our dear friends’ home in Arizona. It was Jamisen’s first time on an airplane, so I wanted to be prepared for the (thankfully short) amount of time he’d be cooped up on the plane. I found a ton of inspiration for making a travel activity bag on Pinterest (where else?) and was super excited to create a personalized version just for my little man!

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Feed the Birds

March 8, 2013 Filed Under: Personal Ramblings

“Use those talents you have. You will make it. You will give joy to the world. Take this tip from nature: The woods would be a very silent place if no birds sang except those who sang best.”

-Bernard Meltzer

Red Apple Cold Process Soap

March 7, 2013 Filed Under: Cold Process Soap

Here’s a great way to dress up an otherwise unassuming bar of soap. It reminds me of the painted heart soap technique that we learned at Soap Weekend Intensive 2011 (fun memories!) but with a twist. Adorable little apples dot the surface of this soap made with our newest Quick Mix oil recipe. Red Apple fragrance oil pairs perfectly with the cute and kitschy apple design! Yum to the eleventh power.

Recipe:

33 oz Basic Quick Mix Oil

4.7 oz Sodium Hydroxide (Lye)

10.9 oz Distilled Water

2 oz Red Apple Fragrance Oil

Green Chrome Oxide

Burgundy Oxide

9 Bar Birchwood Mold

2 Condiment Bottles

Click here to add everything you need for this project to your Bramble Berry shopping cart!

PS – This technique, of course, works for all cold process soap recipes – not just ones with the Quick Mix Oils =) [Read more…]

Pink and Blue(berry) Shortbread Cookies Recipe

March 6, 2013 Filed Under: Soap Queen Cuisine

I love any excuse for my family to get together! After finding out the gender of our Bramble Bump, I was delighted to host another gender reveal party for the extended family to share the news. I also ran with the theme in the baked goods and decor department – you can check out the super fun layered ombre cake recipe I made here. These yummy little shortbread cookies where a hit with the fam, and Jamisen was delighted to be surrounded by so. much. sugar. =)

Recipe 1: Blue(berry) Shortbread

2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar, divided
2 cups plus 1 tablespoon flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
½ cup fresh blueberries [Read more…]

Anti-Pinch Nail Polish

March 5, 2013 Filed Under: Bath & Body Tutorials

If you’re looking in your closet right now and scratching your head about the complete lack of green, fear not! I’ve got the perfect solution to save you from getting pinched this St. Patrick’s Day. This green nail polish will come in handy for saving you from pinchy fingers.

Anti-Pinch Nail Polish

Recipe:

5 Nail Polish Bottles

10-15 Nail Polish Mixing Beads

99% Isopropyl Alcohol

Click here to add everything you need (except the alcohol) to your Bramble Berry shopping cart! [Read more…]

Fair Ivy 2013

March 4, 2013 Filed Under: Bramble Berry News

If you are a long time reader of the Soap Queen blog, you might remember when we hosted a contest for Fair Ivy a few years ago. It was an absolute blast for everyone involved and we’ve decided to bring it back again and this year have doubled the fun. What is Fair Ivy? Fair Ivy is a premium subscription service that carefully selects the handmade gifts for women and they want to include YOUR handmade products with a theme of fancy soap and packaging that appeal to women.

What to Enter

Anything in the bath and body department; lotions, soaps (melt & pour and cold process), scrubs, candles or creams that fit in with the theme of fancy soaps and packaging. If you have any questions please email contest(at)brambleberry(dot)com or leave a comment below.

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Make it Month #OMHcybilla

March 4, 2013 Filed Under: Bramble Berry News

If you loved last month’s Make it Month #babypowder, you’re in luck, because we’re bringing it back. This month’s featured sample is the delightful Oatmeal, Milk and Honey Cybilla Fragrance Oil. OMH Cybilla is a delicious fragrance with notes of warm milk and honey supported by the richness of oatmeal that is sure to be a hit in your products. Show off your skills on the Bramble Berry Facebook page by posting a picture of your bath and body product with the hashtag #OMHcybilla and at the end of the month, we’ll pick our faves. Your soap could be featured in a special Soap Queen blog post!

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