Soap Queen

Tutorials on soapmaking, bath fizzies, lotions and more

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Happy St. Patrick’s Day

Filed Under: Personal Ramblings

Some soapy St. Patrick’s Day eye candy to nosh on.

Green Beer Cold Process (scented with Honey Ale)

Melt and Pour Faded Green Layers (scented with Sweet Pea)

Check out some lucky St. Patty’s Day projects from the past.

Plaid Shamrock Melt and Pour

Chunky St. Patty’s Soap Scraps

Lucky Shamrock Soap

OR see the St. Patrick’s Day themed page at Bramble Berry.Com

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!

Ginger Molasses Goodness

Filed Under: Soap Queen Cuisine

Happy Brambleversary Norm!
Norman has been with Bramble Berry for almost a decade! He started with Bramble Berry as a puller/packer/order person and has worked his way into the fabric of our company (and of course, our hearts). My second favorite dessert I’ve ever baked for a Brambleversary was also for Norman! See Norm’s brambleversary treat from last year, Salted Caramel Choco-Beer Cupcakes. They were such a hit with the staff, I knew I had to raise the bar. May I introduce you to the delectable, the ginger-iffic, the “savor every sweet bite” cupcake…Ginger Molasses Cupcakes with Lemon Buttercream Frosting! (Insert Applause)!
“The best cupcake you’ve ever made” — Norman
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New Herbs and Extracts!

Filed Under: Bramble Berry News

Add our new herbs and extracts directly to your soaps and concoctions
to benefit from their unique properties. The oil soluble extracts (some are oil soluble, some are water soluble) can be used in balms too for an extra nourishing lotion bar, lip product or salve. The dried herbs can also be used as natural colorants, either as an oil infusion or some added directly to soap.
HERBS

Tweets ‘Ya Missed

Filed Under: Bramble Berry News

Just in case you don’t follow me on Twitter, I read a bunch of articles almost daily (reading is my favorite hobby besides soapmaking) and tweet out the ones I think could be helpful to other people. Since a lot of them are small business related, I thought you might enjoy a recap of last week. [Read more…]

To Gel or Not to Gel

Filed Under: Cold Process Soap

Guest Post from Kat (our retail store Assistant Manager – we heart Kat!)

I love testing new scents in cold process soap because I get to feel like a mad scientist. You never know what you’re going to get– some scents immediately seize or accelerate, others turn crazy colors, some over-heat and some go through gel phase, like the examples below.



What is Gel Phase anyway? According to Anne-Marie on the Teach Soap Forum, “Gel phase simply refers to a part of the saponification process where the soap gets extremely warm and gelatinous. Soap that has not gel-phased is still soap. There is nothing wrong if your soap does not gel phase. You will find slight color and shine variations in gelled versus ungelled soap. Some soapers prefer not to have their soap gel at all so do not insulate. Again, it is a personal preference.”

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!

Fair Ivy Wants to Buy YOUR Soap

Filed Under: Business Musings

Fair Ivy is a fun happy subscription where you receive a surprise package of carefully curated items in the mail every month. Really? A surprise package? How fun is that? The business started over a cup of coffee and the observation that we, as adults, never get packages in the mail anymore. And if we do, we already know what’s inside (hello Amazon, Zappos and Etsy). Based on that observation, the surprise package subscription was created. Read the history of Fair Ivy here.
There are several categories to choose from when you subscribe; Girls and Teens, Women, Men and even Pets (remember when Toby was a puppy?).
Here’s what our first Fair Ivy surprise package looked like.
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Who’s Ready for Another Epic Soap Swap?

Filed Under: Bramble Berry News

Do you love everything about soap? The scents, smells, bubbles handmade with luxurious ingredients and insane artistic craftsmanship? We do too, which is why we’re organizing another Soap Swap (and the crowd goes wild). It’s an opportunity to showcase your soapmaking skills and a chance to enjoy soap made by fellow soapmakers in our tight knit community. The very first Soap Swap we organized was right before Christmas and it was a hit! We had over 100+ people enter (jaw dropping). We were up to our knees in soap and loved every minute of it. Now we’re jonesing for round two!
Check out the round up of our last Soap Swap here and more Soap Swap examples here.
Here are the Details
  • You send us an email telling us what Bramble Berry fragrance you are using.
  • You make 12 bars of soap (Cold Process or Melt and Pour) and label them with the ingredients you used and your name, your company name or soaping alias.
  • You send the soap to Bramble Berry ensuring that it is received by Monday, May 2nd.
    • Ship to: Bramble Berry Inc.
    • C/O Soap Swap
    • 2138 Humboldt Street
    • Bellingham, WA 98225
  • You purchase the Soap Swap item on the Bramble Berry website and choose what shipping method you would like. (USPS Flat rate box will be $13.15 but FedEx or Priority Mail may be less expensive depending on where you’re located). We’ll make the payment option available two weeks before the deadline.
  • Sit back and wait for your exciting box of goodies! We will get the swap boxes sent out by Monday, May 9th.

Sound like fun? Sign-up here! If you have any other questions, comments or concerns please email swap(at)brambleberry(dot)com. Let the fun begin!
Here’s what we made for the cold process category in the last swap: Oatmeal Stout and Cranberry Fig.
Click on the links for the recipes.
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!

Indulgence Interview

Filed Under: Business Musings

It’s been a while since I’ve done a Soap Queen interview. Enjoy!

Meet Silvia from Indulgence by SV. Soaps on Etsy.  When I got the soap, they were cute, creative and fragrant. I didn’t even want to use them, I just wanted to smell them and put them on display. What’s even better is that her soaps in person looked just like the soaps do on her site! After opening my soapy package, I emailed the owner, Silvia and asked her if she would do a Soap Queen Interview. Thank you, Silvia- I’m so glad I get to share your rock star soaps with our readers!

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