Soap Queen

Tutorials on soapmaking, bath fizzies, lotions and more

Tutorials by difficulty level:

Bramble Berry Testimony in MA

Filed Under: Personal Ramblings

Though the Safe Cosmetics Act at the Federal Level continues to work its way through its slow process and has no current update, at the individual State level, there continues to be movement as various States introduce and work on passing legislation that affects soaps and cosmetic manufacturing and labeling.

One of the these bills is MA H02361 had a live hearing today. You can read the full version of the bill here. Though Bramble Berry was not able to attend the hearings in person, we submitted testimony on the Bill. A copy of the letter is below.

[Read more…]

Hello to Health Day 1: Drink More Water

Filed Under: Personal Ramblings

Happy Fall! I’m hitting the gym or in the case of last weekend, the water! That’s me and Jody Bergsma on paddleboards in Bellingham Bay. We paddled a very very long way and were so energized and inspired. I’m taking the necessary healthy steps to get my health back, post baby outside the gym too. If you missed that I had a baby back in April, check out the blog post here. And if you can’t get enough baby pictures, search the blog for “Jamisen” or follow BrambleBump on twitter.  You’ll have more than a handful of blogs to read. Getting back on track (cute babies are so distracting), I’ll be posting healthy lifestyle tips  (that I’m going to be doing myself) every Monday for the next eight weeks. With the kids back in school, now is a great time to focus on US! Join me by taking baby steps into a healthier lifestyle this Fall.

Drink Your Water

We feel kind of sorry for water. While everybody always fusses about what foods to eatand how much to consume, about the only thing folks hear about water is, “Be sure to drink at least 8 or 9 glasses a day.” That’s it. Poor ol’ water just isn’t getting the respect it deserves.

[Read more…]

Soapfest 2011: Black and Tan Beer Soap

Filed Under: Cold Process Soap

Oktoberfest is an annual beer festival that originated in Germany. They celebrate with beer, food, music and other festivities. The only thing missing from Oktoberfest is soap! That’s how we’re celebrating Oktoberfest this year. Enjoy our variation of the black and tan drink (traditionally, it’s Guinness and a Pale Ale beer layered in the glass) soap made with real beer, scented with the delicious Oatmeal Stout fragrance oil blended with a little Almond Biscotti. You’re going to love this Fall blend.

[Read more…]

Monster Mash-Up: Halloween Tutorials

Filed Under: Bath & Body Tutorials

Fall is just around the corner (well, it’s practically here in our neck of the woods). What is everyone making for Halloween this year? Has anyone started their projects yet? I would love to hear about them. Also, be sure to keep your eyes peeled on the Soap Queen Blog…we have some fun Halloween projects coming up that you won’t want to miss. In the mean time, enjoy some projects of Halloween’s past!

Loteria Soap Shrines (by Soapylove)

Pumpkin Shimmer Eyeshadow

Homemade Face Paint

Pumpkin Seed Exfoliating Mask

Spooooooky Eyes

Flexy Fast Fall Pumpkins

Halloween Bath Fizzies

Pumpkin Puree Cold Process Soap

Bubbles from the Crypt (by Soapylove)

Want to know how I made this carved pumpkin soap? Click here. And  be sure to check out the Halloween themed page on the Bramble Berry website. Search for Halloween colorants, fragrances and molds all in one place!

Green Tea Rebatch (Teabatch?)

Filed Under: Cold Process Soap

I was in a Green Tea frame of mood after getting an awesome tea from Adagio Teas called “Hojicha“. It’s a toasty warm green tea flavor and it inspired me to make some Green Tea rebatch soap. I wanted that instant gratification of rebatch! Green Tea has natural antioxidants (called catechins) that help fight damage caused by free radicals. Very preliminary studies show that Green Tea topically may inhibit enzymes whose excessive activity contributes to age-related degradation of the skin matrix – sign me up for that!

[Read more…]

Outdoors for Labor Day

Filed Under: Personal Ramblings

Labor Day 2011

Happy Labor Day everyone. I hope that you are enjoying the long weekend celebrating the economic and social contributions of workers. I’ve been busy enjoying the last of the PNW summer with three urban hikes (hiking through town, up and down hills and in and out of neighborhoods) and one real deal outdoor hike. Chris, Jamisen and I hiked to Fragrance Lake in Bellingham. It was a beautiful day to hike and we ran into multiple sets of friends on the hiking trail.

[Read more…]

Four Months. Already?!

Filed Under: Personal Ramblings

It’s hard to believe but Jamisen is four months old already. We are experiencing what every other new parents on the planet have experienced: the time space continuum breaking and time speeding way way up.

[Read more…]

Pretty in Pink: Salty Cold Process

Filed Under: Cold Process Soap

Why put Pink Himalayan Salt in your CP?  The obvious answer is that it looks totally unique. What you may not know is that  Pink Himalayan Salt is known for its nourishing and soothing properties. I love it inside cold process for its exfoliating and moisturizing abilities. Plus salt bars have a very creamy lather.  For this project, we just added a little of the coarse sized salt on top for the WOW factor!

[Read more…]

Trapped Bee. Just Look Up.

Filed Under: Business Musings

The other day, I trapped a bee (or is that a wasp?). I was particularly thrilled to catch this stinging creature with a new baby in the house but I don’t kill animals, even bees. So, I carefully transported the bee (in a very nice Glassybaby Votive Holder, natch!) outside, uncovered the top and quickly stepped back.

And waited.

And waited.

And waited.

The bee had no idea that it was free to go. It frantically buzzed and walked around the bottom of the votive holder, never looking up once and never trying to find an alternative way out. I finally got bored of waiting to get my votive holder back and tipped the cup over to put the bee out of its self-imposed cage.

The bee’s behavior got me thinking about me as a businessperson, wife and friend. Where are my blindspots? What are the areas in my life that I am not looking for alternative solution? And, what problems could have difficult solutions if I just tipped them on their sides and looked at them another way?Trapped Bee A

Thought for the week: Where in your life are you not looking up? Where are you not seeing the possibilities?

Have a question about this blog post? Come join us at Bramble Berry’s Facebook page and we can help you out with any of your soapy questions!

Play Date!

Filed Under: Personal Ramblings

Jamisen just had his first baby play date at book club with Mama this week. He also got to hang out with a dog which was fun for the dog and mildly puzzling for Jamisen.

August 2011 028

[Read more…]

CP + MP = Magma Soap

Filed Under: Cold Process Soap

This free flowing, lava like design inspired the name for this project. Magma Soap is an intricate project with so many possibilities. I’ve combined melt and pour soap with cold process soap to create a uniquely fascinating bar.

[Read more…]

Yes, I Have Them. Now, Let’s Do Business.

Filed Under: Personal Ramblings

Being a female business owner certainly has its own set of challenges and rewards. Over the years, I’ve been insulted (“Of course you need more life insurance for your husband because he undoubtedly makes more than you”), stymied (six banks turned me down for a building loan before I found one that finally looked twice at me) and downright saddened (I’ve been propositioned more times than I can count).

[Read more…]

Back to School Mash-Up

Filed Under: Bramble Berry News

As summer comes to an end, it’s time to get the kids ready for school (“Already?!” Awwwww Mo-oom!“) Make a good impression on the teacher with the gift of handmade soap! Or just have fun making soap with the kids. Here are some favorite back to school projects compiled from the Soap Queen Blog. Enjoy!

See the bottle of glue in the upper left picture? You guess it. It’s really soap!

[Read more…]