Anne-Marie Faiola, Author at Soap Queen

Bramble Berry Athletic Club: Kerri Kretzmeier

February 19, 2013 Filed Under: Bramble Berry News

For every year we have been in business, Bramble Berry has donated a portion of our profits to local charitable organizations and non-profits (see our Social Responsibility Statement here). Last year for the first time ever we decided to bring our friends, blog readers and customers, in on the charitable contribution action with the start of Bramble Berry Athletic Club. 2012 was super fun (and successful) so a 2013 was a no-brainer. We recently we announced BBAC’s Sponsored Athletes for 2013. If you missed the announcement, check it out here.

BBAC’s inaugural year brought together 11 sensational athletes. So far we’ve shared the stories of team members Harmony Davis, Bonnie Garrity, and Andrea Edgar. Today’s story is from Kerri Kretzmeier, BBAC sponsored athlete who ran her second ever marathon while wearing her custom BBAC t-shirt with pride! Prepare to be inspired.

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Whipped Coffee Body Butter Tutorial

February 18, 2013 Filed Under: Lotion

This recipe is a variation of the classic and well-loved Whipped Shea Butter tutorial that was eventually turned into a Soap Queen TV episode. It’s hard to deny the ease of making a whipped butter (just three steps in this case!), and you get such a wonderful result. Plus, the combination of the Coffee Butter and Tamanu Oil’s natural fragrances mixed with Vanilla Select Fragrance Oil and Almond Cybilla Fragrance Oil is downright sinful. Use this whipped butter on super dry patches, like elbows and knees, for extra happy skin.

Recipe:
16 oz Coffee Butter
1 oz Rice Bran Oil
0.5 oz Tamanu Oil
6 mL Vanilla Select Fragrance Oil
3 mL Almond Cybilla Fragrance Oil
3 Plastic Bail Jars

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

Interview with Hayley of Paintbox Soapworks

February 17, 2013 Filed Under: Business Musings

I love receiving soap from Bramble Berry’s friends, customers and blog readers so I was excited when Hayley from Paintbox Soapworks recently sent me a box full of goodies to share with the team. Hayley’s soaps are absolutely adorable and she has the cutest paintbox-themed sets (you can check them out here and here). Check out her interview below and learn her number one advice for small businesses. -Anne-Marie

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Facebook Photo of the Week (Feb 8th ~ 15th)

February 15, 2013 Filed Under: Bramble Berry News

The past couple of weeks we’ve had many fun Valentine’s Day inspired tutorials. If you missed them, you can check them out here: Sensuous Rose Infused Massage Oil, Sparkle Power Bath Bomb Tutorial, For the Love of Waterlily: a Bath Fizzy Tutorial, Making Fingerpaint with Bramble Berry Colors, Embedded Heart Melt and Pour Tutorial and Kissably Soft Lotion. Whew, that’s a lot! Are you ready for the Facebook Photo winner this week? Let’s go!

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Favorite Pins of the Week

February 15, 2013 Filed Under: Personal Ramblings

This week I’ve found inspiration for an outfit, a healthy bacon alternative, and a vibrant color palette. I’m on the road for an industry conference (fun regulatory stuff) in California and looking forward to the sunshine. If you’re on (ahem, obsessed with) Pinterest as well, follow me here and check out my previous favorite pins of the week here. Happy weekend!

Loving this chic and simple outfit. Open-front cardigans are definitely a wardrobe staple when dressing for two, and the satchel looks big enough to double as a laptop bag!

Dying to try this veggie-friendly parsnip bacon recipe.

The color palette from these paint chip table runners is making me wish for summer!

Psst: Have you heard about our Facebook Contest? Look, like and WIN! You can check it out here.

Kissably Soft Lotion Recipe

February 14, 2013 Filed Under: Lotion

Get ready for a lotion that will change your life; well, as much as a lotion can change your life. I am totally in like with this recipe! And, I’m hoping you do too. This lotion glides on smooth, and a little goes a long way. Super luxe ingredients like BTMS-50 conditioning emulsifier and DL-Panthenol (also known as Pro-Vitamin B5) work in tandem with skin-loving oils and extracts to create a super soft skin without it feeling too greasy or slippery. I dare you to try it and not love it! Psst: the essential oil blend is the perfect compliment to this luxurious recipe. I have a bottle of this on my desk at work; that’s how much I love it.

Recipe:

1.6 oz Avocado Oil

1.28 oz Rice Bran Oil

1.28 oz BTMS-50

0.96 oz Liquid Glycerin

0.64 oz Stearic Acid

0.64 oz Oat Extract

0.16 oz Buckthorn Extract

3.2 oz Aloe Vera Liquid

21.6 oz Distilled Water

0.64 oz DL Panthenol

0.32 oz Optiphen

2.5 mL Jasmine Grandiflorum Absolute

2.5 mL Sandalwood Essential Oil

1 mL Lavender 40/42 Essential Oil

4 – 8 ounce Bottles with Pump Tops

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

Say Hello to BBAC 2013!

February 13, 2013 Filed Under: Bramble Berry News

Bramble Berry is proud to announce 2013’s Bramble Berry Athletic Club sponsored athletes! In it’s second year, BBAC had more responses to our call for applications than last year (hooray for health!). All of the entries were inspiring and it was hard to choose, but we were delighted by the interest everyone showed. This year we opened enrollment to members of Team Bramble Berry, and even opted to sponsor a unique group of athletes. Read on to see our fabulous 2013 team!

Ladies and gentlemen, Bramble Berry Athletic Club 2013…

Beth Comstock

Susan G. Komen 3-Day for Breast Cancer Research

Holly Pike

Relay for Life for the American Cancer Society [Read more…]

Sensuous Rose Infused Massage Oil

February 12, 2013 Filed Under: Bath & Body Tutorials

This easy-to-make massage oil is a great way to show your partner in life how much you care. Avocado oil is a rich and emollient oil that serves as a great base, while infusing rose petals adds a luxurious touch (though not a lot of fragrance). The addition of the Rose Absolute Essential Oil makes for a calming, floral fragrance that is associated with romance and romantic gestures. Snuggle up with this romantic gift idea!

Rose Infused Massage Oil

Recipe:

8 ounces (by volume) dried Rose Petals

12 ounces (by volume) Avocado Oil

2 mL Buckthorn Extract

5-10 drops Rose Absolute Essential Oil

2 Four Ounce Bottles with Black Disk Caps

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

New for February!

February 11, 2013 Filed Under: Bramble Berry News

This month we’re excited to introduce our latest in-house production: Quick Mix Oils! Quick Mix Oils are pre-measured, pre-mixed base oils meant for cold process soap making. It saves quite a few steps and a substantial amount of time, plus these recipes are Soap Queen tested to eliminate any guessing. Check out the debut mix, Lots of Lather, and all of the other latest products we’ve added below. Are there any items that you would like to see Bramble Berry carry? Let us know in the comments.

Starting off with Quick Mix Oils! We’re launching the Lots of Lather mix first, but keep an eye out for more recipes in the near future.

Lots of Lather Quick Mix [Read more…]

Best Business Practices: Facebook

February 10, 2013 Filed Under: Business Musings

Facebook has become a ‘must have’ for business. If you’re on Facebook with your business, there are tips and tricks that you can follow to help increase your user engagement and create a connection with your customers. Given how quickly Facebook changes their business practices, it’s important that you keep up with their policy and layout changes after setting up the page and reading this blog post. I make sure to check in at Mashable every few weeks to ensure I’m not missing anything major.

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Facebook Photo of the Week (Feb 1st ~ 8th)

February 8, 2013 Filed Under: Bramble Berry News

Happy February! I’m so excited for Valentine’s Day and all the soapy projects that you have planned. Need a little inspiration? Check out this bath fizzy tutorial For the Love of Waterlily and our Embedded Hearts M&P Tutorial for some ideas. We’ve also introduced a brand new Make it Monday contest with a twist: it’s a Make it Month!

And now the winner of this week’s Facebook Photo of the Week!

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An Apple a Day…

February 8, 2013 Filed Under: Personal Ramblings

“A lot of parents ask me how to get kids to eat more vegetables. The first thing I say is that it starts from the top.”

-Emeril Lagasse

Eating healthy is always a challenge and making sure that the entire family gets multiple servings of fruits and veggies has been my ‘white whale’ since Jamisen was born. The way we’ve increased our veggie intake in our house is twofold: (1) We get a weekly delivery of veggies to our house (no excuses to not buy and prepare the food if it’s right there) and (2) We juice up greens almost every day. We use ‘watery’ veggies like cucumbers and celery to add to the bulk and then toss in carrots, spinach, parsnips, and beets with an apple and/or lemon to add to the sweetness. This makes the mixture palatable for the little guy. We’re losing out on the fiber when we juice but we’re gaining a lot in vitamins, minerals and enzymes from the juice. Do you have extra tips ‘n’ tricks for fitting veggies into your everyday life? Tell me! I’d love to hear what works for you.

Sparkle Power Bath Bomb Tutorial

February 7, 2013 Filed Under: Bath Fizzies

Here’s a kid-friendly bath bomb tutorial guaranteed to make bath time tons of fun. It’s a spin off of the recent Hidden Color Bath Bomb tutorial, where a secret stash of super concentrated color appears once the bath bomb is activated in water. This time around, instead of color the secret stash is full of glitter! What a fun and unexpected treat for bath time adventures.

Recipe:

1 Cup Sodium Bicarbonate (Baking Soda)

1/2 Cup Citric Acid

1/2 Cup Corn Starch

1/2 Cup Epsom Salt

1.5 Tablespoons Avocado Oil

9 mL Love Spell Fragrance Oil

Rosy Pink LaBomb Colorant

Iridescent Glitter

Rose Mold

Witch Hazel

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

Oatmeal Facial Scrub and Mask DIY

February 6, 2013 Filed Under: Soaks & Scrubs

Here’s a quick and adaptable recipe for a gentle facial scrub and mask. It works great as a simple exfoliater, but for an added boost leave it on your skin as a mask to absorb oil and clean pores. Skin-loving ingredients and gentle oils make this scrub and mask a soothing addition to any skin care routine.