Tutorials on soapmaking, bath fizzies, lotions and more
With little ones running around, I like to keep our 4th of July fireworks display kid-friendly — lots of Pop-Its and maybe a heavily supervised sparkler. To imitate the big booms without actually having to set one off, I created this fun firework-inspired soap. This soap features droplets of gold mica painting and lots of swirly red, white and blue soap to imitate even the most dazzling of fireworks displays. If you make it now, it will be nearly cured just in time the the fourth!
In this Soap Guild 2014 recap post, guest blogger Jodi Chen walks us through the ins and outs of creating your own nail polish. The session was presented by Christina Rose, owner and creative director of KBShimmer Bath and Body. Read on to learn all about creating an awesome nail polish that will stand the test of time. — A.M.
Walking into the conference room set up for Christina Rose’s presentation on handmade nail polish was a bit like walking into a candy store. An enticing array of glitters, micas, and pigments were laid out on a table, shimmering in the light. Bottles of nail polish base sat in tidy rows, beckoning like tiny blank canvases awaiting a creative touch.
Christina brought so many fun glitters to experiment with.
Sure it may remind you of Christmas and candy canes, but peppermint essential oils shouldn’t be limited to holiday-themed projects. Bramble Berry carries two types of peppermint essential oils, and while their differences are subtle, they can be important! Read on to learn more about both kinds of peppermint essential oil and how you can use them in a wide variety of projects.
This week we shared five tutorials tutorials to get your feet sandal-ready for summer. Included in this series was an Invigorating Foot Soak, Cranberry Seed Foot Scrub, Rose Clay Foot Mask and a Moisturizing Heel Balm. To make these projects easy to give or sell, make sure to download the free pedicure labels and pedicure how-to guide.
The weekend is almost here, and after a long day on your feet, it’s always nice to come home and relax. Summer is around the corner too, which means it’s time to break out the sandals and get your toes in flip flop shape. To help you out, we’ve put together this handy free instruction sheet that will guide you through how to use the series of tutorials we’ve shown you this week.
For tired and cracked heels, this moisturizing Heel Butter will freshen up your feet in no time. The secret ingredient is the cera bellina wax, which gives the balm a smooth and luxurious texture. It also contains a number of skin loving oils and butters, including shea butter, castor oil, cocoa butter, avocado oil and fractionated coconut oil. For a step-by-step how to guide on giving yourself a home pedicure, check out our free PDF guide. The cute labels for the jars are also available as a free PDF item.
This project is part of the Happy Feet Home Pedicure series. See all the projects here: Invigorating Foot Soak, Rose Clay Foot Mask, Cranberry Seed Foot Scrub and Summer Shimmer Nail Polish.
The third step in our pampering home pedicure series is applying this thick, moisturizing foot mask. Featuring rose clay and kaolin clay, this mask purifies and detoxifies the skin as the avocado extract and vitamin E oil moisturize and nourish. For a step-by-step how to guide on giving yourself a home pedicure, check out the free PDF guide. The cute labels for the jars are also available as a free PDF item!
This project is part of the Happy Feet Home Pedicure series. See all the projects here: Moisturizing Heel Balm, Cranberry Seed Foot Scrub, Invigorating Foot Soak and Summer Shimmer Nail Polish.
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This is step two in our home pedicure routine. After you’ve given yourself a soothing foot bath with the Invigorating Bath Fizzy, exfoliate your feet with this Cranberry Seed Foot Scrub. This recipe contains numerous scrubby additives, such as Pumice, Extra Fine Epsom Salt and Baking Soda. If you’d like to use a different exfoliant, click here to see more options.
Don’t forget to complete the look by affixing the free PDF tag to the jar. It’s a true spa experience! A little confused on what order to use products for your pedicure? This free Pedicure How-To Download makes it easy.
This project is part of the Happy Feet Home Pedicure series. See all the projects here: Moisturizing Heel Balm, Rose Clay Foot Mask, Invigorating Foot Soak and Summer Shimmer Nail Polish.
This fizzy bath bomb foot soak is step one in our luxurious home pedicure routine. The soak contains 1st Distillation Peppermint Essential Oil, which leaves a pleasant cooling sensation on your feet, while the Epsom Salts are calming and soothing.
The Round Bath Bomb Clam Shell Mold acts as both the mold and the packaging for these little bombs, and you can complete the entire project by attaching the cute tag, which is available for free as a PDF download.
This project is part of the Happy Feet Home Pedicure series. See all the projects here: Moisturizing Heel Balm, Rose Clay Foot Mask, Cranberry Seed Foot Scrub and Summer Shimmer Nail Polish.
Back in April we challenged you to show us your creations made with Sunny Herb Garden and Carnation Fragrance Oils. We were blown away by the creativity and overall excellence of the projects we saw! Participants made projects using April’s Sample of the Month, Carnation, or May’s Sample of the Month, Sunny Herb Garden. Then, they posted them on our Facebook wall with the hashtag ‘#BrambleGarden.’ Our four favorites are below:
Top left, clockwise: Lotion tins by Alicia, Seed Packet Melt & Pour by Mandy, Garden Visitor by Sandra, Sliced Cucumber Cold Process by Yurie
When the weather heats up, nothing is better than a refreshing glass of iced tea. And what is more refreshing than ginger, mint and a bit of citrus? This easy way of making flavorful iced tea is my go-to method. All you need to do is throw the ingredients into a pitcher, let the flavors combine and add ice! Simple and delicious.
Welcome to the weekend, everyone! The weather in Bellingham has been just gorgeous lately, and that means I’ve been spending plenty of time outdoors. We even took Jamisen fishing for the first time! Don’t worry, no fish were harmed in the process.
Meanwhile at Bramble Berry, we’ve been working on a series of projects to treat your toes. Be sure to sign up for the newsletter so you’ll be in the know about the tutorials, as well as special deals (yes, deals!)
I’m off to enjoy the sunshine, but before I do here is a roundup of my favorite pins, tweets and ‘grams from the past two weeks.
Pins:
This week, three guest bloggers shared their experiences at the 2014 Handcrafted Soap and Cosmetic Guild conference. Gates from Burly Stone Soap Co. shared his overall impression of the guild as a first time attendee. Dawn from Horsing Around Soap shared tips she learned regarding how to price your products. Next, Jean from SoapArt shared what she learned about testing natural colorants in cold process. If you are looking for more business tips, check out the Business Musings category.
A look at a 2014 Soap Guild session. The conference rooms were packed for the 3 day conference, which was held May 20 – 22 in Tucson, Arizona.
We also shared a tutorial featuring a sweet mold. Featuring the new Doughnut Half Mold, these adorable Strawberry and Vanilla Melt and Pour Doughnuts are a great project for those who love treats. Scented with Vanilla Select and Strawberry Fragrance Oil, these doughnuts look and smell realistic.
If you love the look of these doughnut soaps, you have the opportunity to win the new Doughnut Half Mold, along with four new fragrance oils and the 13# Stainless Steel Scale. To enter, leave a comment on the Resolution Check In post by Tuesday, June 10, 2014, and let us know about your New Year’s resolution progress.
Many of your New Year’s resolutions involved exercising more, and eating more fruits and vegetables. Our Facebook Photo of the Week from Hilary of Slice of Delight was clearly inspired by summery fruits. Made with poppy seeds and scented with a fresh strawberry scent, Hilary’s melt & pour Strawberry Kiwi Poppyseed Soap is full of color and texture.
We’re taking today off from our normally scheduled cold process tutorial to show you this fantastically thorough recap of a session at the 2014 Soap Guild. Our guest blogger Jean Horn attended Ruth Esteves’ session on natural colorant testing in cold process. Natural colorants are a beautiful option for cold process soaping, but it’s important to know how they behave and which ones will stand the test of time. Read Jean’s excellent recap of the session, and then give natural colorants a try. — A.M.
Ruth was fighting a cold the day she presented, but she was happy to let me snap a picture of her anyway. She did an excellent job on her presentation, and she is co-owner of The Nova Studio in California.
Have you ever thought about moving toward using mostly natural colorants? Is this something your customers are asking for? If so, the information presented in this session will be extremely helpful to you.
Which natural additives will withstand the rigors of cold process? What is a natural colorant? Ruth’s presentation on testing natural colorants contained some great information addressing both of these issues.
Some natural ingredients that can add color to CP soap include plants, spices, Herbs and Botanicals, Clays, vegetables, and fruits. This Brazilian Clay Sampler from Bramble Berry is an example of the beautiful colors that clays lend to Cold Process Soap. Wow. Aren’t those soaps gorgeous?
