Anne-Marie Faiola, Author at Soap Queen

Soap Intensive, with a Capital I, Day 1

July 19, 2008 Filed Under: Bramble Berry News

Day One of the Soap Weekend Intensive was jam-packed with information, laughter and learning. After a quick beginner Melt & Pour class, Paula from PJ’s Soaps jumped right into things with an instructional, hands-on class in making her Bivalvia Soap and Crescent Moon Soap.

After her hands on instruction, the class took a break to explore the Farmer’s Market in Bellingham. We were gratified to hear one soaper say, “Wow! This is better than the Market in Berkley!”

After lunch, Jill Heuser from Northwest Scents (a long time lotion teacher for Otion) taught Lotionmaking I. She covered basics like preservatives, sterilization and labeling. Each student made at least three bottles of lotion and received a solid foundation in making lotions.

Alicia Grosso, author of The Everything Soapmaking Book, wrapped up the day with a lecture about designing a lotion based on a variety of factors, including line and color. After this theoretical discussion, she went about systematically experimenting with various emulsifiers like BTMS-50, Agar Agar, Bentonite Clay and a Beeswax/Borax mixture. There was a wide difference of opinion among students as to which lotion came out the best. It turns out that lotion needs are intensely different and uniquely personal to each person.

The day was jam-packed and we all left buoyed by the community and spirit of sharing. Tomorrow is Cold Process I & II and SoapyLove’s melt and pour soap. We’re going to learn how to make Alien Soaps and Silhouette Soaps. I can hardly wait!

Next year, we hope to see you in Bellingham for the 2nd Annual SoapmakingWeekend Intensive.

Live Photos All Day

July 19, 2008 Filed Under: Bramble Berry News

The Soap Weekend Intensive is fully underway with a full house of students.

We’ll be twitpic-ing all day long. You can see photos, practically in real-time, on the right hand sidebar of the blog under: Soap Weekend Live!

If you miss any (the sidebar only displays three photos at a time), you can see the entire day here.

We wish you were here. It’s an amazing learning experience and we’re only midway through the 2nd class!

The Weekend is Almost Here!

July 18, 2008 Filed Under: Bramble Berry News

Debbie arrived last night for the Soap Weekend Intensive with her famous Soapsicles in hand (and towing a cutie pie husband and two kids too!). She can visit every year if she brings such great hostess gifts. This one is Choco-Berry Swirl. It’s an edible delicious scent- YUM! To see more fabulous Soapsicle creations, check out soapylove.com It even came with a custom soap dish, made just especially to fit a soapsicle (sorry, no photo – maybe later).

Yes, I am wondering how she does her Writer’s Block too. It’s a creative head scratcher. Get your Writer’s Block Soap here. She’s even getting custom soap dishes made that fit the soap perfectly.

If you’d like to learn from Her Greatness (AKA SoapyLove), we had one last minute cancellation for the class. Call us if you’d like to get in last minute. 360.676.1030

The "In" Box

July 18, 2008 Filed Under: Bramble Berry News

We’re feeling the love from Washington Parent Magazine. Thanks for the shout out! It feels good to be in the “In”. The flattery feels like Christmas in July!

Our new mineral Makeup Kits are perfect for “Mom’s Night Out”. Grab your girlfriends and have a blast creating your custom shades of eye shadow.

Dogs in Clothes

July 17, 2008 Filed Under: Personal Ramblings

We are in full swing getting ready for the Soapmaking Weekend Intensive. The t-shirts, aprons and bags are in and our first teacher (SoapyLove) lands tonight.

Lohtse was more interested in showing her cute mug rather than displaying her shirt. You can see the design more clearly below. There’s also a link so you can similarly outfit your animal children and friends.

Doggie Shirt $12.90

T-Shirts & Bags

We’re excited to have you follow along with the weekend. We’ll be posting updates and photos as the weekend unfolds.

In other Canines-in-Outfits News, I attended a birthday party for little “Bella” the other night. We made her doggie shampoo fit for a queen (Suspending base, Baby Rose fragrance, Rose Pearl Mica & Sparkles). Doesn’t she look like a little queen in her regal birthday outfit?

Yes, in fact, Cupcakes Should be Green

July 16, 2008 Filed Under: Personal Ramblings

I’m not a grumpy girl but I love GrumpyGirl from Etsy. I’m a happy camper 99.99% of the time. It’s only once in a blue moon that I’ll have a down day and GrumpyGirl stuff looks amazing enough to pull me right out of any funk.

Check out GrumpyGirl’s colorful and realistic cupcake bath bombs. I (heart) her color combination of bright green and purple! If these don’t put you in a non-grumpy mood, I don’t know what will. You should go to her site here and see the whimsical “DO NOT EAT” warning. Yep, they look that good, people!

My staff was literally huddled over my shoulder oohing and ahhing wondering how GrumpyGirl pulled off these magnificent swirls. As well as being super talented, she has the clever names for her soaps and body products. This swirly soap is called Acid Trip…go to her Etsy site to see more creative soaps and names.

I bought the Acid Trip soap, Cupcake Bath Fizzy (no surprise there), and one of her fruit tarts. They should be here in a few weeks. I can hardly wait for that pick-me-up.

Cleaning Up Your Pricing

July 16, 2008 Filed Under: Business Musings

Reviewing your COGS (Cost of Goods Sold – what it costs you to make the product you sell) is a bit like deep cleaning your house. You need to do it and you know you need to do it, but you don’t do it enough.

Bramble Berry recently did a poll of approximately 5% of our customers about Patchouli Essential Oil usage trends. Why Patchouli Essential Oil?

Because Patchouli Essential Oil has had a well-documented, meteoric price increase for 2008. What used to be purchased for $30-$40 per pound is currently selling for $182 per pound. Why is this? Supply and demand for the year – there was more Patchouli Essential Oil purchased on contracts by the big perfume houses than the producers made.

Scarcity = price increases. I keep hearing that this situation will start to stabilize in September but in the meantime, we undertook a survey to see what our customers were doing to work with and around the Patchouli issue.

The results were fascinating:

81.2% of respondents used Patchouli Essential Oil regularly

Of those Patchouli users, 16% were raising their pricing and 22% were changing formulations (switching to fragrance oil, using different base notes).

The rest of Patchouli fans were keeping their price stable and losing money in the hopes that the pricing will come down. This post is for the 62% of you that are holding on and not increasing prices or changing formulations of your Patchouli based products.

This is an opportunity to discuss general pricing practices in business. How exactly do you price your products? More importantly, are you pricing high enough to sustain a stable and profitable future for your business?

The reasons you are in business can be any number of things, some deeply personal and intangible. One reason we should all share is a desire to be successful. I often remark that

“I am so lucky to have my job because it’s practically my hobby.”

It’s what I would do naturally even if I wasn’t getting paid. Or would I?

The truth is that when I put in a 60 hour work week, I need something tangible to show at the end of the week for my efforts. That something tangible – the easily measurable thing – is money, profits. While profit need not be obscene, the longevity and stability of my business requires them for investment in the future, for infrastructure costs and to ensure job continuity for my staff.

In these uncertain economic times, it’s more important than ever that you price for the future. In the face of unrelenting layoffs and dismal financial market news, you need to be in control of your destiny with your small business. Your small soap business may be the rudder on your family’s financial ship, steering you to safety over the next few years of economic turmoil in the US.

That’s why you shouldn’t sit by idly and hope that Patchouli prices come down. It is imperative that you review all of your costs on a regular basis to ensure that your profit margins are protected so you can plan for a stable future for yourself, your family and your business.

Favorite Fourth of July Soap

July 15, 2008 Filed Under: Bramble Berry News

We had a little contest over on the Teach Soap Forum for a Patriotic-Themed soap. Thank you to all the community members that participated!

We took a vote and this soap, by Tomoe at Haiku Naturals, was our favorite overall as a group. But, everyone won! If you entered the contest, look for a PM in your Teach Soap MailBox with your code to take $5 off your next Bramble Berryorder!

Iron SoapMaker

July 15, 2008 Filed Under: Business Musings

The ISOCAN Iron Soapmakers Challenge:
Brought to you by the Illinois Soap and Candle Conference

If you have a competitive spirit and are up for a challenge, the ISOCAN Iron Soapmakers Challenge is for you. All competitors will receive the same box of ingredients including oils, butters, colorants, fragrances, lye, molds, etc. With only five minutes of preparation time, the soapers are off to create the best bar of soap they can in hopes of bringing home first prize!

Participant’s soaps will then be pictured on the ISOCAN.org website where the public will cast their votes and pick their favorite. And yes, the winner will be rewarded with a prize!

But wait, there are more perks to this competition! Participants can pay just $10 and receive a bar of soap from every one of their competitors or just participate for free! I want to pay money to get all of the soaps too! Is there any way that I can do that?
On your mark…Get set…Start soaping! Can you handle the pressure? Get more information and the official rules here.

Play Dough Flower Soaps

July 14, 2008 Filed Under: Bramble Berry News

Check out what Otion did with the Play Dough Soap technique. Isn’t it attractive? The display is for the gender neutral Kentish Rain fragrance. I like that they used blue in a flowery setting to cater to everyone.

Etsy Cupcake Lab Tonight

July 14, 2008 Filed Under: Personal Ramblings

Thank you to soapmaker Samantha in Texas for emailing me about Etsy’s Cupcake Lab – tonight! – at 6 p.m. in Brooklyn, NY. Click here for more info.

If anyone goes, let me know how the Cupcake Ornament Making bonanza went!

Making Play Dough Soap

July 14, 2008 Filed Under: Melt & Pour Soap

Play Dough Soap Project

Adding cornstarch to Melt and Pour soap turns your soap into a play dough fantasy land! Let your kids sculpt soap into any shape and let it air dry. These hardened shapes can be used in the bath or embedded for a unique soap look.

Clear Melt and Pour soap base
Corn Starch
Soap Mold (optional, if embedding)
Microwave safe container
Saran Wrap [plastic cling wrap]
Spritzer bottle filled w/ rubbing alcohol
Liquid Pigment soap colorant
Fragrance oil

1. Cut melt and pour into 1” cubes and put into microwave safe container (6oz of soap should be plenty), cover with saran wrap and microwave for 30 second intervals until soap is melted. Add your fragrance oil to the soap and stir.

2. Add the Corn starch to the soap, about 4 tablespoons for 6oz of soap and stir, stir, stir! The cornstarch may not be very willing to mix in, just keep stirring and it will eventually mix in for you. You can scoop out any floating clumps with a spoon if they just refuse to cooperate.

3. Decide how many colors you want and pour the cornstarched soap into individual containers, one per color then add your colorants.

4. Let the soap cool, it is easiest to work with if it is still soft and warm. We have found that pouring a thin layer of the soap out into a mold (not the one you plan on using), or even on your counter is the quickest and easiest way to do this. Once the soap has stiffened it will peel off easily. (For this example we poured little pools of soap onto the counter)

5. Knead the soap in your hand, depending on how cold it is it may take a minute to be moldable – then do this with all of your colors.

6. Start sculpting! Let your sculpted soap sit for about an hour to fully harden

You can use your soap as it is just like this – or you can embed your masterpiece in clear soap to make it last a little longer.

To Embed:

1. Follow step 1 and use clear soap. then pour a thin layer of the soap into the mold and spray with alcohol to pop any bubbles.

2. Let this layer sit until there is a stiff skin on top, spray with alcohol – this helps the next layer stick

3. Get your sculpted soap and spray it on all sides with alcohol then set onto the first layer of soap

4. Fill the mold the rest of the way full with the clear soap and spray with alcohol

5. Let this sit for a few hours before removing (the longer you wait the easier it will be to remove from the mold)

Voila! A crafty, handmade soap with your own molded creation inside!

We originally authored this article for crafty blog, Whip Up.

More from Jeremy in Ghana

July 12, 2008 Filed Under: Business Musings

We are so lucky to have a soaper in Ghana. Jeremy in Ghana answered the follow-up questions from these two posts (here and here). A big thank you to Jeremy for sharing his knowledge with the Soap Queen community.

*It sounds like they use this soap mostly for cleaning things. What do they bathe with? How often do people bathe over there?

People buy bath soap for bathing. A very popular brand is Lux, and sells for about 30 cents a bar. People here usually bathe once in the morning and once in the evening. Some of the poorer families, and a lot of times children, use the key or banku soap for bathing. I use the key soap to bathe because it is a hard bar of soap that lasts a long time and is multi-purpose.

*That picture is just fabulous! pyramid of soap…does that say save space for soap drying or what?Do they turn the soap later? oh the questions!

The soap pyramid is that way, yes, because it saves space. They do not come to turn the balls after they are set like that. In fact, when they come to count the balls and put them in sacks to take to market, they are stuck together, so they have to put on the plastic bags and socks on their hands to remove them. Even after a full day, the balls at the core of the pyramid are still hot from the chemical reaction of the soda.

Also, because the soap dries outdoors, there is the worry of theives. The town where Ma Comfort lives is a big town, and leaving the soap sitting out at night could cause problems. After the pyramid is finished, they cover it with plastic to protect it from the rain, and then take some old zinc roofing sheets and put those on top of the piles. That way, if you remove them, you will hear the zinc banging. A high technology alarm system.

*Wow, this interview was cool! It’s great how soap is helping their local economy and to improve the standard of living for these women.I’d like to know if the 2 soaps mentioned are used for different purposes or not, like for bathing or washing clothes only?Most often, banku soap is used for washing dishes, the cooking pots and utensils, and whatever serving bowls. Most often, key soap is used for washing clothes. But either one is soap, so they can serve a variety of purposes. I have used both for washing dishes, washing clothes, bathing dogs, and bathing myself. Using banku soap too much makes my skin dry, but key soap isn’t too bad. The key soap works great for clothes.

Dust Bunny Band

July 11, 2008 Filed Under: Home Crafts

I have a confession to make. I hope you don’t think worse of me for it.

Your house is cleaner than mine.

You may look around at your three kids in various states of dress and undress, crawling and doing the loop-de-loop through your house and think to yourself, “No, you haven’t seen chaos until you’ve seen my house.” But sadly, your house is still probably cleaner than mine.

You see, I like to work. A lot. And if I’m not working at work, I’m at home working. Or, I’m at home reading. In either scenario, I’m not cleaning.

Following normal laws of atrophy, our house slowly breaks down. The windows haven’t been washed since last summer. The couch hasn’t been moved in a year and the dust bunnies have bred and gone fully rabid. The cobwebs in the ceiling corners have started multiplying at a rate that rivals the viral marketing loop of online phenoms Twitter and Ning. For that matter, I’m pretty sure the cobwebs have started sending out invites to their own Ning Network. Reading through their blurbs, it appears that the rabid dust bunnies and cobwebs are considering starting their own band and making it big on MySpace.

All this extra dust and collaborative chaos is all fine and well when it’s just my husband and I. Thankfully, he’s a pretty low key guy and as long as he can make it in the house, to the fridge, and to the bed without any impediments, the rapidly massing army of dust and bacteria are a mere annoyance not worthy of much time.

But, my parents are coming this weekend. That means my MOTHER is coming this weekend. My Mother is the consummate professional homemaker. She cooks, cleans, and knows how to iron shirts. She could win any Iron Housecleaning contest with one hand tied behind her back. It baffles her to no end that her housecleaning gene did not pass down to me. Thankfully, she loves me just the same.

With her impending visit, I have spent two days cleaning the house. The windows still haven’t been cleaned but that’s the last thing that needs to be done before they arrive at 7 p.m. tonight. There was a slight setback though – when I took the Clorax Bleach Product out and sprayed the sink down (yes, there were mutinying bacteria in there as well), I almost passed out from the fumes. I seriously thought I had accidentally killed myself and pictured my easy going husband never figuring out what had happened. He would never suspect the fumes from a cleaning product had killed me since it’s a well known fact that I don’t clean and wouldn’t even know where the cleaning products are located in our house.

After that little light-headed episode, I created a few natural cleaners using products found in my kitchen cabinet and the Bramble Berry Warehouse. They seem to work great. Of course, my standards are low. But, my house is cleaner, smells great and best of all, these cleaners are less toxic and better for the environment than traditional cleaners.

These are my first attempts so be gentle and if you have better recipes, by all means, post them in the Comment Section for all to share in the clean, yummy-smelling goodness.

All Purpose Cleaner
For a good all-round cleaner:

Two tablespoons vinegar
One teaspoon baking soda
Half tablespoon borax
Two cups warm water
Mix the ingredients together and keep in a spray bottle. Use for general surface cleaning.

Toilet Cleaner
To clean stubborn stains from lavatory bowls:

1 cup borax
¼ cup white vinegar
Mix the ingredients together, pour down the toilet and leave for as long as possible, but at least twenty minutes. Scrub the stains with a toilet brush, then flush away. My husband pointed out this morning that I missed a few spots. I suspect this is operator error rather than a flaw in the recipe.

Smelly Surface Cleaner
General cleaner and it smells just fine!

2 cups hot water
1 tablespoon borax
2 tablespoons white vinegar
3 drops lavender essential oil
3 drops tea tree essential oil
Mix the ingredients together in spray bottle and use for general cleaning purposes. Do not use on glass because the oil will cause smears. It was a sad day in our household when I tried to clean the bathroom mirrors with this concoction.

As with all recipes on the Soap Queen blog, please do small test batches and try cleaning to start with in out of the way places, just in case my “mad” chemistry skills are more crazy-mad than skillful-mad.