Anne-Marie Faiola, Author at Soap Queen

Thankful, Grateful and Joyous

November 28, 2014 Filed Under: Personal Ramblings

Happy Day-After-Thanksgiving! I hope you were able to sit and celebrate the season with your families yesterday, away from the traditional and normal hustle and bustle of our every day lives.

My folks arrived mid-morning, my brother Erik, sister-in-law Cheriss and new baby Alise arrived shortly thereafter and then the chaos started in earnest. We ended up having so many things in the oven that it took double the time to cook everything! It was such a joyful occasion to have baby Alise join our Faiola family clan. We have many things to be thankful for. This year, I’m especially thankful for:
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Neon Embed Cold Process Soap Video #tbt

November 27, 2014 Filed Under: Cold Process Soap

It’s another throw-back Thursday video! This one features Kristy Schemrich, an amazingly talented soapmaker and teacher at our 2011 Soap Weekend Intensive (when we filmed this video). This soap has many steps but once you break it down the technique is surprisingly easy. It’s been wonderful looking back through the archives, we clearly had so much fun filming with Kristy as you can see from this blooper reel.

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Writing an Introduction Letter to Buyers: Ask for the Sale

November 26, 2014 Filed Under: Business Musings

Recently, I spoke on the Indie Business Radio Podcast about business. Donna Maria, the host and founder of Indie Business Network (yes! they have insurance for small home crafters; check them out here!) invited audience members to ask questions. One of the questions that came up was, “How do I work with stores?”

The primary job of a CEO in a small and growing business is sales, sales, sales. You would be surprised how many ‘problems’ go away with enough cash flowing in. It’s way more fun to figure out how to fill all the orders than standing around figuring out what to do with excess inventory.

The only way to get sales is to ask. In my answer (hit the ‘triangle button below’ to hear my live answer on the show), I outlined how to pitch to stores. Note that Donna Maria makes these monthly “Indie Business Network Access Q+A Coaching Calls” available to members to listen to – or call in and ask questions live. One of the listeners followed up with some questions – and if she’s having these questions, that means other small business owners are having these questions. Read on to find her questions and, how I answered them!

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Sculpting Mustache Wax

November 25, 2014 Filed Under: Bath & Body Tutorials

Here in the Pacific Northwest, there are mustaches of every kind – some flipped up, some with a little curl added. If you’d like to add a little flair to your facial hair, this Sculpting Mustache Wax is the product for you! Made with whipped cera bellina wax, this wax is a great firm yet spreadable texture. The addition of castor oil and vitamin E oil create an incredibly sticky texture, making it easy to mold your mustache into various shapes.

You may have noticed more mustaches than usual because November is prostate cancer awareness month. In order to raise awareness and funds, men take part in No-Shave November and Movember by growing out their facial hair to spark conversation about the disease.

Currently, several men at Bramble Berry are growing out their facial hair to support the cause. In addition to $150 already donated, for each participant we are donating an additional $25 to the American Cancer Society. It’s been fun to see all the beards and mustaches around the office and warehouse!

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DIY Ornament Party for the Kids

November 24, 2014 Filed Under: Home Crafts

I’m a firm believer in engaging kids in crafty projects at a young age. Arts and crafts enhance confidence and teach children to think creatively and problem solve. Not to mention, kids love creating! A great way to entertain the kids this holiday season is by throwing a DIY party for the little ones.

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Soap Queen Cuisine: Baked Pumpkin Pecan Oatmeal

November 23, 2014 Filed Under: Soap Queen Cuisine

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. It’s full of family, food and appreciating what you have. If you’re family is like mine, the day after Thanksgiving is also full of enjoying the company of family and more good eats. This Baked Pecan Oatmeal is the perfect dish for day-after-Thanksgiving breakfast; it’s incredibly satisfying and easy to make. This would also be wonderful for Thanksgiving breakfast!

This baked oatmeal dish is basically the perfect blend between two classic Thanksgiving pies, pumpkin and pecan. The inside of this dish is soft, while the pecan crumble gives a sweet crunchy texture. I prefer this oatmeal warm, right out of the oven, but it’s also wonderful straight from the fridge the next morning. Want to turn this into a decadent dessert? A scoop of ice cream or dollop of whipping cream would be amazing =)
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Soapy Social Media Roundup

November 22, 2014 Filed Under: Bramble Berry News

This weekend, I’m enjoying the California sun during a UPS event for west coast clients. It’s been wonderful to escape the Pacific Northwest rain! When Monday comes around, Thanksgiving prep will be in full swing. Jamisen’s interest in helping in the kitchen is growing, which is both fun and messy (see photo below). This Thanksgiving dinner, I’m definitely planning on utilizing my new kitchen assistant.
Keep your eyes on the blog tomorrow for a delicious Thanksgiving-inspired breakfast option, perfect for the morning of or day after. It’s full of pumpkin, pecans, and oatmeal. In the meantime, here are some of my favorite Christmas-y pins, colorful Instagrams and interesting tweets.

Pins:

Left to right, clockwise:

These DIY Cornstarch Clay Gift Tags are adorable! This would be a great project to make with the kids. If you’re looking for more natural ornament ideas, the Beeswax Ornaments add a festive scent to your home.
This Holly Jolly Reindeer Print Wrapping Papper is made using craft paint, pom poms and craft paper. I love the simplicity of this look.
Created by Sunlit Soap, this Holiday Candy Cane Soap is perfectly festive and sophisticated. The stamp in the center works wonderfully with the layered design.
You can never have too much glitter, and this is especially true during the holidays! These DIY glitter acorns would make a fun centerpiece or ornament.

Instagram:
The soap below was swirled with the handle of a silicone spatula, producing large swirls. These bars were cute horizontally, and I love how every bar looks incredibly different. What fun and unique swirling tools have you used?

While Christmas is right around the corner, I always have my mind on the next holiday. Valentine’s Day will be here before we know it, and with this heart-filled soap…I’m ready!

Twitter:

Social media content should be driven by your community. Make sure the content ads value to that community! Here are some tips to improve your social media insight, and how to create better content for your audience.
Ever eaten lunch at work, and suddenly felt more tired? Turns out, what you eat for lunch can effect your productivity.
Are 3D printers the next must-have crafting tool? Probably not, but Martha Stewart and Makerbot have teamed up to make the device more mainstream. The results are pretty amazing!
A newscaster in Australia wore the same suit for a year to make a point about sexism. Seeing how much attention we give to female public figures and what they wear, this is incredibly interesting!
Making a bad decision for your business is a fear of every business owner. This video of the “10 Worst Business Decisions of All Time” is sure to put things in perspective.

I hope you’re all having a great weekend! To keep up with the latest soapy social media throughout the week, you can follow me on Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram, Pinterest, Vine and YouTube.

Facebook Photo of the Week (Nov. 15th ~ Nov. 21st)

November 21, 2014 Filed Under: Bramble Berry News

The 12 Days of Christmas promotion is officially over tomorrow. Hopefully you have lots of handmade gift ideas for the holidays! The promotion features easy to make projects, like the adorable Chocolate Mint Melt and Pour soaps. With a delectable mix of Dark Rich Chocolate Fragrance Oil and Moroccan Mint Fragrance Oil, this soap smells just like a classic holiday candy. The Moroccan Mint Fragrance Oil is 30% off until tomorrow at noon PST. No coupon necessary.

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12 Days of Christmas: Chocolate Mint Melt and Pour Squares

November 21, 2014 Filed Under: Melt & Pour Soap

We saved something sweet for last for the final tutorial in the 12 Days of Christmas series. Layers of melt and pour scented with Moroccan Mint and Dark Rich Chocolate Fragrance Oils create delicious smelling (and looking!) guest-sized soap. Reminiscent of a classic mint candy, this project is easy to make and great for beginners.

These minty, chocolatey soaps would make an amazing holiday gift for any chocolate lover in your life. Wrap these soaps in green wrapping paper for a great finishing touch. Remember to have a spray bottle of 99% isopropyl or rubbing alcohol on hand for this project! Spraying with alcohol is key to the layers sticking together. To learn more about creating layers with melt and pour soap, check out the Basic Layers Soap Queen TV episode.

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You Did It!

November 20, 2014 Filed Under: Bramble Berry News

A BIG thank you to everybody who signed up for Handmade Beauty Box on Kickstarter, and via the new homepage. The first round of boxes will be shipping December 10th, and as you can see below, we are just a little bit excited. If you are unfamiliar with Handmade Beauty Box, click here to learn how it works. Spoiler alert: it’s a monthly subscription box that brings fun, DIY beauty projects to your door!

We are SO close to our stretch goal of 250 subscribers on Kickstarter. What happens at 250? Well, besides a giant exciting party with Courtney and me dancing for joy, we want to bring the party to YOU every month. When the Kickstarter goal of 250 backers is reached, every single Handmade Beauty Box subscriber will have access to a live crafting session for each project!

During these live sessions, each monthly project will be demonstrated live. These sessions will provide an opportunity to ask questions, troubleshoot and see the projects made in real time. We are so close to making this goal, only 13 more backers needed! So tweet, share, and back us on Kickstarter. ~~YOU can be a hero and help get this reward to everyone for the rest of the year!~~ You did it! We reached our goal of 250 subscribers. We are so, so, so excited to host these live events and obviously you are excited to join us for them too. Thanks so much for your support and encouragement. We can’t wait to share the first project with you!

Questions? Email [email protected]! Want to stay up to date with all the crafty fun? Follow the Handmade Beauty Box social media accounts: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.

12 Days of Christmas: Lotion Melt and Pour Cubes

November 20, 2014 Filed Under: Melt & Pour Soap

Adding oils and butters to melt and pour bases can be tricky. Extra oils can cause the melt and pour to not set up correctly, or may inhibit lather. After a bit of testing, we found a way to add the skin-loving Aloe Lotion Base to the Shea Melt and Pour to create an extra creamy, firm bar. Adding the Aloe Lotion Base gives your soap additional aloe vera juice, rice bran oil and soothing oat extract. The key is to heat the lotion before mixing it into the melt and pour. Without this step, the lotion and melt and pour may separate.

These melt and pour cubes are made with the creamy and delicious Cream Cheese Frosting Fragrance Oil. Colored with Emerald Green LabColor, these soaps are wonderfully festive and cheery. Don’t forget to add the Vanilla Color Stabilizer, otherwise the Cream Cheese Frosting Fragrance Oil will discolor the soap a deep brown.

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12 Days of Christmas: Peppermint Pucker Lip Scrub

November 19, 2014 Filed Under: Lip Products

While the holiday season is full of cheer, it can also be tough on your lips. Blowing wind, cold temperatures, rain and snow can cause chapping or dryness. This Peppermint Pucker Lip Scrub lightly exfoliates, allowing lip balm to soak in better. This results in more hydrated, happy lips!

Red Jojoba Beads and sugar add gentle exfoliation and beautiful holiday color while avocado oil leaves a smooth and silky feeling on your lips. Mint Julep Flavor Oil adds a nice fresh kick to the scrub. And because this scrub is made with Nourish Lip Balm Base, it’s easy and quick to throw together as a last-minute handmade holiday gift.

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12 Days of Christmas: Minty Layered Bath Salts

November 18, 2014 Filed Under: Soaks & Scrubs

With cold weather and stress from the holidays, a hot bath is perfect this time of year. Bath salts can turn a simple soak in the tub into a rejuvenating and relaxing experience. Simply add a scoop to your tub and enjoy!

These Minty Layered Bath Salts add a fresh mint scent to the bath, along with soothing properties from pink sea salt. The combination of baking soda and citric acid add a bit of fizziness similar to a bath bomb.

In addition to pink sea salt, this soak is made of epsom salt which is known for its soothing and moisturizing properties. Extremely fine and jewel-like, epsom salt crystals are great for creating scrubs as well!

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12 Days of Christmas: Whipped Champagne Shea Butter

November 17, 2014 Filed Under: Bath & Body Tutorials

Cold, dry weather can wreak havoc on the skin causing it to become dry, irritated and flaky. This rich and creamy Whipped Champagne Shea Butter helps protect skin from the harsh elements and restores moisture. Shea butter is a medium hard butter that begins to melt upon skin contact. When whipped, shea butter becomes a light and fluffy texture that is easy to apply.

Scented with Champagne Fragrance Oil, this whipped butter smells wonderfully bubbly and effervescent. The addition of tapioca powder gives a smooth powdery finish, and helps cut back on the oily, greasy feeling. Meadowfoam oil is added to create a smoother texture, and for its moisturizing properties. If you’ve never whipped butter before, you can see the process in action in the Whipped Body Butter Soap Queen Tv Episode!

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