On the eve of Jamisen’s first haircut…
“Every goodbye is the birth of a memory.” -Dutch Proverb
Behind the Scenes at the Bramble Berry Warehouse
Bramble Berry Orders: Behind the Scenes!
We often hear that coming home to a Bramble Berry box has the excitement of Christmas morning! So we thought you might like a glimpse of what the merry ‘elves’ here at Bramble Berry do to get you your order. Here’s the play by play from placing your order to receiving your order for an exclusive behind-the-scenes peek into the Bramble Berry warehouse!
The first step starts with you, our valued customers (we wouldn’t be here with out you!). Orders can be placed online on Bramble Berry’s website using our easy to use online shopping cart. If you prefer to place your orders over the phone give us a call at 1.877.627.7883.
(Meet the Customer Service Team) The BB customer service team loves talking all things soap related and taking orders!
Once your order has been placed, you will receive an email confirmation. Did you know that you can make changes to your order within one hour of placing it? Just send us an email to orderchange(at)brambleberry(dot)com within one hour of placing your order or notify us by writing a note on your order. [Read more…]
Naturally Colored Eye Candy
These soaps are all made using the cold process technique and colored with natural colorants (think Activated Charcoal, Alkanet, Annatto Seed, Calendula, Maddar Root, Paprika, Spirulina, etc). Can you believe some of these designs? I was totally blown away with the quality of entries in this particular Make it Monday contest. To see the name behind the soaps and some of the natural colorants used, check out the Make It Monday Facebook Album. And be sure to check out the winners of the contest here. Of course, everyone is a winner in my book! So cliche to say, I know, but it’s true! Some of these soaps are seriously jaw dropping.
Butterscotch Pie Recipe
My Dad speaks fondly of the Butterscotch Pie that his Mom used to make him. I have tried to recreate many of his favorite childhood recipes (remember the Triple Decker Caramel cake? Recipe here) and this is another try to make his childhood memories come true. It turns out that this is a much more sophisticated version than his Mom made (he suspects she used a pudding mix for the filling!) and, as adults, is more rewarding. The browned butter gives this a deeper taste. The filling is not very sweet so on first bite, it doesn’t seem like a winner. Take the second bite. You’ll be surprised at how addicting this recipe is. [Read more…]
Wisdom
“Wisdom begins in wonder.” -Socrates
How to Make Perfume Video
Learn how to custom blend your own perfume on Soap Queen TV. In this episode, I’m going to show you how to blend fragrance oils to create your very own unique scent. Then I’ll share my recipes for an all natural solid and a luxurious, floral spray perfume.
To make the Solid Perfume you will need:
- 1.6 oz Coconut Oil
- 1.2 oz White Beeswax
- 0.7 oz Meadowfoam Oil
- 0.5 oz Avocado Oil
- 1 oz Essential Oil Blend
To make the Spray Perfume you will need:
- 18 ml Distilled Water
- 4 ml Polysorbate 80
- 16 ml 91% Rubbing Alcohol
- 2 ml Fragrance Oil Blend
- .5 ml Optiphen
- 4 Mini Spray Bottles
Teach Soap Contest Update
The search for Teach Soap recipes continues. If you missed the original call to action, check out the blog post (here). We got such a wonderful response that we thought we would keep it going…like, all the time! So the next time you come up with an original and amazing recipe, email us at teachsoap(at)brambleberry(dot)com with the recipe and beautiful pictures for a chance to win a $10 coupon code to Bramble Berry and the praise and adoration of soapers for years to come (and the crowd goes wild)! No deadlines, no stress, just fun tutorials to help build the Teach Soap community! Check out the guidelines below.
Guidelines:
- Submit your unique and fun recipe by emailing us at teachsoap(at)brambleberry(dot)com.
- All submitted recipes must come with great photos taken by you (see below) and clear instructions to be considered.
- This is an open-date contest, recipes and tutorials can be submitted at any time
- Submit as many recipes as you want (it’s okay if they’ve been published elsewhere but you have to be the original creator of the recipe).
- Your recipe and photographs will be reviewed by the Bramble Berry team and may be featured on the Teach Soap website with full credit to you! Please include your full name and email address with your submission.
If your recipe is chosen, the $10 coupon plus gratitude and adoration is yours for life.
[Read more…]
Jack-O-Lantern Melt and Pour
I think fall is officially here in the PNW (Pacific Northwest for you out of town readers). It may seem too early for some, but I actually had to wear a jacket this morning (rough life, I know). The chill in the air that can only mean one thing…it’s jack-o-lantern season! So dust off your pumpkin soap molds and grab your pumpkin spice fragrance oil. It’s time to “carve” your soapy pumpkins!
18.2 oz Clear Melt and Pour
(Note: This mold has been discontinued.
It has been substituted with the 12 Bar Round Silicone Mold.)
0.5 oz Pumpkin Spice Fragrance Oil
Injector Tool (optional)
Buy everything you need with the click of a button! 
[Read more…]
Remembering
#Natural Colorants Winners!
I’m excited to share the winners of the #Natural Colorants Cold Process Challenge. We had an amazing turnout and at last count, there were over 145 entries! There were so many incredible soaps that I just had to feature more than four this time. Check out these inspiring (and all-naturally colored) soaps!
Make it Monday: Cold Process #UniqueTops
Last week’s Make It Monday challenge was such a blast, and we had over 100 soaps submitted in the #natural colorants theme of the week. We saw everything from Calendula to Activated Charcoal to amazing homemade blends of different herbs and spices! Take a look at our Facebook album to see all the soapy goodness. Check back later today to see the winners of last week’s challenge.
Are you ready for this week’s challenge? Drum roll please…
Happy Weekend
I just realized the weekend is almost over and I’ve been remiss in posting to the blog. Whoops! It’s been a busy weekend. Yesterday was Chris’s (actually, from a grammar standpoint, I’m pretty sure it’s Chris’) company picnic. Between trying to get Jamisen’s nap moved around and actually going to the picnic, it took up much of the day. Look at him below; can you believe he’s gotten so big?!
No complaints here though because Grandma and Grandpa Renoud (Chris’ parents – or, is it Chris’s parents?) were there and Grandpa Renoud was amazing with baby Jamisen. He followed Jamisen’s random wanderings and was a total eagle eye. Sorry that I don’t have any photos of them together yet (hopefully tomorrow) but rest assured, all the boys were cute. [Read more…]
Happiness
“Happiness is never stopping to think if you are.”
-Palmer Sondreal
A Palm Free In-The-Pot Swirl
Despite our recent weeks of summer fun, fall is definitely in the air in the Pacific Northwest. I’m ready to leap into fall with this seasonal color palette and in-the-pot swirl soap. Check this out if you’ve been on the hunt for a great palm-free recipe, and check out another palm free recipe here and here. This recipe turns out super hard and the bubbles are medium in size with an easy rinse-off.
20.0 oz Coconut Oil
40.0 oz Rice Bran Oil
8.3 oz Sodium Hydroxide (Lye)
19.8 oz Distilled Water
3.5 oz Earl Grey Lemon Fragrance Oil
3 teaspoons Merlot Mica
2 teaspoons Super Pearly White
1 teaspoon Cellini Blue Mica
1 teaspoon Cellini Yellow Mica
1 teaspoon Cappuccino Mica
2 tablespoons Sweet Almond Oil
5 Pound Wood Mold with Sliding Bottom
Buy everything you need for this project with the click of a button!
For more tactile learners, this tutorial is available in our Etsy shop! Get your hands on printed instructions and a bar of soap and learn to make this palm-free soap here. [Read more…]