Anne-Marie Faiola, Author at Soap Queen

Boy or Girl? The Big Reveal.

January 12, 2013 Filed Under: Personal Ramblings

As you are reading this, I am throwing an elaborate Gender Reveal Party. At 11 p.m. last night, while I was baking the 5th layer of the Gender Reveal Cake (in the cool ombré trend, naturally), my husband said “Why do you do this?! You are crazy.” I gently reminded him that I actually like this kind of stuff and would happily do it for fun any time. =) You are finding out about Bramble Bump Two at the exact same time as my family is. I’ll post pictures of that party and the little Boy/Girl fun touches tomorrow.

Our Balloon Party Reveal went like this. Step one: Give sealed gender envelope to someone you trust. And, of course, no peeking yourself first! In this case, it was the awesome Kristen who functions as my assistant at work but really, does so much more (SoapQueen.TV script drafts, photos, blog help, customer service and is always ready to help with everything). She opened the envelope on the way to get balloons. In reality, she waited for her own safety. If she had opened the envelope prior to that, much of the team at Bramble Berry would have attacked her for the news. [Read more…]

Facebook Photo of the Week 1/7 – 1/11

January 11, 2013 Filed Under: Bramble Berry News

It’s Friday and you know what that means! It’s time to announce the winner of our weekly Facebook Photo of the Week. This week was a particularly creative week on our Facebook page. Keep those soapy pictures coming! They make us all drool (for soap).

This week’s photo comes to us from Becky Sheffler. This is her Faux Funnel Soap using Bramble Berry’s Neon Colorants. She said she was super pleased with the outcome and noticed that the soap even looks like it is smiling at you. I love the bright colors that she used in her soap! Thank you so much, Becky, for sharing your photo with us and we can’t wait to see more from you. A little fun and soapy package is being sent your way.

Missed previous Facebook Photo of the Week posts? Check out our winners here:

1/4: Jasmine Hales

12/28: Crystal from She Dragon Body Products

12/21: Linda from the Enchanted Bath

12/15: Kira and Cody from Oak Street Soaps and Candles

12/7: Lisa Bilik

11/30: Marcy from Kiku’s Creations

11/23: Juli from Inspiri Body

11/16: Mike from Soap Passion

11/9: Brooke from Her Best Apple

Would you like your photo or project to be featured in a blog post? Come join us for soap talk, contests and lots of crafting inspiration at Bramble Berry’s Facebook page. Share a photo with us of your latest project and your handmade soap might be next weeks feature!

Last Chance to Vote in the Bramble Bump Poll!

January 11, 2013 Filed Under: Personal Ramblings

“Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Do you know how loved you are?” -Unknown

Tomorrow is the day of the Big Reveal! We’re throwing a party for our family tomorrow afternoon and I’m writing a blog post tonight to post during the party so you find out right along with our family. Right now, ‘girl’ is ahead in the polls. You predicted correctly with ‘boy’ last time. Will you be right this time?

It’s the last chance to get your votes in for the Bramble Bump poll. The big gender reveal is coming up, and just in the nick of time too. I’m about to burst keeping this secret! Stay tuned this weekend to find out whether we’re having a little lady or a wee gent…

Tutorial for Everything Balm

January 9, 2013 Filed Under: Lotion

On its own, this everything balm is excellent for many applications. Because the oils used in this recipe are all lip-safe, it makes a great lip balm as well (though, you’ll want to ensure any essential oils you use are lip safe as well if you go that route). Try it on your cuticles, or on stubborn winter dry patches (like elbows and knees) for intensive moisture. Check out the end of the tutorial for some of my favorite additives to kick the benefits up a notch!

Note: The 8 oz. Glass Bail Jars have been discontinued. The kit now comes with Tall 8 oz. Plastic Bail Jars.

Recipe:

1.5 oz Beeswax

2 oz Cocoa Butter

5 oz Avocado Butter

8 oz Sunflower Oil

1 oz Tamanu Oil

6 mL Hungarian Lavender Essential Oil

2 mL Egyptian Geranium Essential Oil

2 8 oz Plastic Bail Jars

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

[Read more…]

Hidden Color Bath Bombs

January 8, 2013 Filed Under: Bath Fizzies

Here’s a fun idea for a colorful surprise hidden inside a bath bomb. This tutorial is perfect for getting kids to take a bath, because there’s enough colorant in each bath bomb to color the bath water. And since you can’t see the color until the bath bomb is activated, you have to be in the bath to get your surprise! I originally came up with this idea … well, you’ll have to see why this weekend. =)

Scroll down to the bottom of the post to see a mini fizzy coloring water!

Recipe:

1.5 cups Sodium Bicarbonate (Baking Soda)

1 cup Citric Acid

12 mL Baby Powder Fragrance Oil

Teal LaBomb Colorant

Witch Hazel (in a spray bottle)

Droppers with Suction Bulb

2-3 Stainless Steel Bath Bomb Molds

Mesh Strainer

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

Making Soap for AmeriCares

January 7, 2013 Filed Under: Bramble Berry News

AmeriCares is a disaster relief and humanitarian organization that distributes donated items to those in need both locally and internationally. Their founding story is pretty amazing; you can read it in full here. It speaks of founder Bob MaCauly’s first endeavor into humanitarian aid, which involved a completely selfless act assisting children in need that wound up putting him in a large amount of personal debt. After the rescue, his wife was quoted as saying, “The bank got the house and Bob got the kids.”

From the AmeriCares website: “AmeriCares assembles product donations from the private sector, determines the most urgent needs and solicits the funding to send the aid via airlift or ocean cargo to health and welfare professionals in the indigent locations…Because we deliver donated medicines and medical supplies from our corporate partners to an established and trusted network of locally based clinics, hospitals, and health care providers around the world, the impact of the contributions of supporters is multiplied many, many times over. Historically, for every $1 donated we are able to deliver $25 in humanitarian relief to people in need.” Since it’s start in 1982, AmeriCares has delivered over 10 billion dollars in aid to over 164 countries. [Read more…]

The Art Of Natural Dye

January 6, 2013 Filed Under: Tips & Tricks

Anne-Marie Note: This is a guest blog post by Alesia Lau, one of our fantastic instructors and soapsters extraordinaire at Otion – The Soap Bar. Alesia loves to explore the world of color and in her job at Otion, she gets to play with color every day! Taking this class in Bellingham was a natural extension of her desire to learn more about natural colorant options for soap. I’m excited to see her work in some of these great ideas in her upcoming soapmaking experiments.

[Read more…]

The Great Outdoors

January 4, 2013 Filed Under: Personal Ramblings

Truly it may be said that the outside of a mountain is good for the inside of a man.

~George Wherry, Alpine Notes and the Climbing Foot, 1896

Facebook Photo of the Week 12/31 – 1/4

January 4, 2013 Filed Under: Bramble Berry News

2013 is here and is it just me, but does 2012 seem very long ago now? I had fun looking back on some of Bramble Berry’s achievements of 2012 in this post. Onward and upwards in 2013; we’ve already posted a few tutorials (click here and here), a brand new Soap Queen TV episode, and we’ve already seen some incredible bath and body products shared with us on our Facebook page. Speaking of Facebook, our Facebook Photo of the Week! Drum roll please…

This week’s photo comes to us from Jasmine Hales. We first met Jasmine when she posted a comment on the Hot Process Series: Crock Pot Camo tutorial. She told us that she had just started soaping with goat’s milk (her family raises goats) and that she is 15 years old. I was totally stunned, and knew I wanted to know more about her. Since then, Jasmine has become part of Bramble Berry’s Facebook community and I’ve really enjoyed seeing her interact with other soapers and post her gorgeous soapy pictures. Jasmine told us that this soap is a Cucumber Puree Soap made with coconut milk and scented with Bramble Berry’s Sleigh Ride Fragrance Oil. Thanks for being part of our Facebook page and keep your eyes on the lookout for a fun little package being sent your way!

You still have a chance for your soapy recipe to get featured on the Teach Soap website (and a chance to get a $10 Bramble Berry Gift Certificate)! Send us an e-mail with a full tutorial, including pictures at [email protected].

How to Frost the Perfect Bath Fizzy Cupcake

January 3, 2013 Filed Under: Bath Fizzies

I have a special guest on Soap Queen TV – Jeanee Duval of Dirty Laundry! She came all the way to Bellingham (15 hours of flying time – wowzers!) to show us her technique for making perfect the Bath Fizzy Cupcake. I had such a great time Jeanee, and her craftsmanship is amazing. We show 3 different versions – to dress up your cupcakes. [Read more…]

Hair Chalk Recipe and Application Tutorial

January 2, 2013 Filed Under: Bath & Body Tutorials

I’ve been loving (obsessing over?) the hair chalking trend going around. If you follow me on Pinterest you may have seen a few hair chalking pins lately, so of course I had to give it a try. After a few test runs with the help of some gracious Bramble Berry team members’ luscious locks, I’ve come up with what I think is a great hair chalk recipe that works on both light and dark colored hair. Plus, a how-to about applying the chalk to hair once it’s made. It washes out in 1-2 shampoos (depending on the color of your hair before chalking; lighter hair may take a second shampoo) and really pops – the perfect low-commitment pizzazz to kick off the new year right.

[Read more…]

Happy New Year! Yearly Wrap-Up

January 1, 2013 Filed Under: Bramble Berry News

“Here’s a toast to the future, a toast to the past, and a toast to our friends, far and near. May the future be pleasant, the past a bright dream; may our friends remain faithful and dear.”

– Unknown

This year, like all of them, has seemingly flown by. Having a toddler in the house definitely adds to the surreal feeling of time being extremely fleeting. Some of the highlights were: [Read more…]

New Year, New Fragrance (tutorial)

December 31, 2012 Filed Under: Bath & Body Tutorials

Have any plans for this evening? Here’s what I’m up to (yes, yes, you guessed it: difficult to get a baby sitter on New Year’s Eve). Recently I made a wonderful spray perfume for my mom that smelled amazing using a blend of different fragrance oils. However, it’s not always necessary to blend fragrance oils. A quick and easy way to get a perfectly lovely scent is to use a fragrance oil that is already a bit complex on it’s own. All the blending is done for you, and you can get on with your fancy New Year’s Eve parties and champagne toasts at midnight!

Sweet and Easy Perfume

Recipe:

10 mL Cyclomethicone

9 mL DPG (Dipropylene Glycol)

10 mL 91% Isopropyl (Rubbing) Alcohol

1-2 mL Fragrance Oil

3 Mini Spray Bottles

Droppers with Suction Bulb

Small Funnel (optional)

Click here to add everything you need for this project (including the three fragrance oils I tried) to your Bramble Berry shopping cart! [Read more…]

Gluten Free Vegan Chocolate Quinoa Cookies

December 30, 2012 Filed Under: Soap Queen Cuisine

Ever wanted some delicious and mouth-watering cookies but didn’t want to feel unhealthy for eating half a dozen (or dread the inevitable sugar crash)? It’s no secret that I love (love!) quinoa, so when trolling around on Healthy Blender Recipes I had to try the Chocolate Quinoa Cookies. These yummy little guys are stock full of delicious and healthy ingredients that are great for a late-afternoon power-snack, with just enough sweet goodness to place them square in the “treat” category. Plus, they’re vegan and gluten free and work for a wide range of dietary lifestyles.

[Read more…]