Anne-Marie Faiola, Author at Soap Queen

Goodbye Givember- 24 DIY Project Links

November 16, 2013 Filed Under: Bramble Berry News

Givember 2013 has come to a close (sob). Throughout the past two weeks, we offered six days of deals and coupons (include a surprise free shipping offer!) on our social media outposts, shown you 24 Christmas-related tutorials and (hopefully) managed to get you in the crafty spirit. This Givember has been a huge success, and it’s all thanks to YOU! I can’t tell you how much we appreciate your continued support of Bramble Berry, and I’m looking forward to many more Givembers. And for those of you that ordered at Bramble Berry, thank you (!); we are working through your orders as quickly as we can without sacrificing quality.

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Kiss Kiss

November 15, 2013 Filed Under: Personal Ramblings

“Brothers and sisters are as close as hands and feet.” — Vietnamese Proverb

This week has been such a whirlwind. Chris and the kids got hit pretty hard last week (so, like 13 days ago) with horrific colds. Just when I thought everyone was on the mend, Chris got taken out, hard, by some sort of what I like to affectionately refer to as the ‘Whatcom County Creeping Crud‘ or WCCC. It’s sort of all the pain of the flu without the actual real-deal flu-ness. He stayed home a few days from work but thankfully, he’s on the mend now but we are all looking forward to having a very low key weekend before Thanksgiving happens in just a couple weeks (yes, we’re hosting!).

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Facebook Photo of the Week (November 8th ~ November 15th)

November 15, 2013 Filed Under: Bramble Berry News

What a week! I hope you had a chance to take advantage of our #Givember sales and coupons. In fact, thanks to you, Givember has been so successful that we’re working overtime to get your order to you in the high-quality manner you’ve come to expect from Bramble Berry. It may take us a few more days, but it’s worth the wait!

To give you even more ways to interact with us, this week we rolled out the brand new Bramble Berry Help Desk Feature. Have a question? You can now chat with a live customer service person to get your issue resolved immediately! To learn more about this new tool, check out the blog post.

Have you gotten your order yet? Every order this month will include a sample of the delightfully sweet Cranberry Chutney Fragrance Oil. We’re hosting another Make It Month featuring the fragrance, so be sure to check out this post for all the details!

For now, are you ready to get up close and personal with the photo of the week?

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Sew Seasonal: A Givember Sewing Project

November 14, 2013 Filed Under: Home Crafts

These past two weeks have been full of crazy Givember activity, and we hope that you were able to take advantage of our special deals, coupons and holiday-themed tutorials. The last ensemble is super kid friendly and includes tutorials on soapy candy canes, bath fizzies, fun-colored Gingerbread Men, some swirly melt and pour and of course, these adorable little stockings. Happy giving!

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Finding your Inner Zen: Bramble Berry’s new Live Help Desk

November 13, 2013 Filed Under: Bramble Berry News

There’s no doubt that the holidays are stressful, and we’re doing all we can to bring a little Zen to your Bramble Berry experience. Over the past few weeks, we’ve been hard at work rolling out a brand new system to help and we’re finally ready to reveal it: say hello to the Bramble Help Desk! This new tool, accessible from the Bramble Berry homepage, offers you a way to live chat a fabulous customer care team member, as well as search through an ever-expanding list of frequently asked questions. With this new system, you’ll have yet another avenue to ask questions, find answers and resolve issues or concerns quickly and easily.

Using the Live Chat feature

One of the most exciting features of our new Help Desk is the ability to chat with a customer service team member. To live chat, begin by clicking the ‘Support’ tab on the left side of the Bramble Berry homepage.

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Givember Massage Oil

November 12, 2013 Filed Under: Bath & Body Tutorials

We’re continuing the Givember madness today with this fabulous massage oil. Jojoba Oil is a bit of a misnomer because it’s actually a liquid wax, but it’s known for its ability to absorb into skin and moisturize. Jojoba oil also has an indefinite shelf life, which make this an excellent, long-lasting gift.

This massage oil is part of our Romance Gift Ensemble, which includes tutorials on how to make bath salts, whipped shea butter, a spruce-scented candle and a pink salt scrub. Scroll to the end of this tutorial to learn how to make all four! Our Midweek Mayhem continues this week too, so be sure to sign up for our newsletter and follow us on various social media outlets to be the first to hear about all the deals.

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Cheery Cranberry Seed Melt & Pour Tutorial

November 11, 2013 Filed Under: Melt & Pour Soap

Fruity and sweet with a hint of tartness and spice, we love Cranberry Chutney Fragrance Oil in soap. It’s one of two fragrances we chose for all of our Givember projects, and throughout November, we’re featuring it as part of our Make it Month: #BrambleTart! Read on to see how you can use this wonderful fragrance to create an exfoliating bar of melt and pour soap.

This tutorial incorporates fun embeds and cranberry seeds to create a gentle, scrubby bar of soap. Made using our 4″ Silicone Loaf Mold, these bars are the perfect size for holiday party favors or stocking stuffers!

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Honoring our Vets

November 11, 2013 Filed Under: Bramble Berry News

“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.” -John F. Kennedy

Sunday Night Spotlight: Cinnamon Sticks

November 10, 2013 Filed Under: Bramble Berry News

I love to bake during the holidays, and one of my staple ingredients is cinnamon. Whether it’s cinnamon sugar cookies, cinnamon pinwheel rolls, or cinnamon bread pudding, there is nothing that says ‘holidays!’ to me like the warm, rich scent of this versatile spice (well, that and eggnog…).

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Facebook Photo of the Week Extravaganza

November 9, 2013 Filed Under: Bramble Berry News

It’s a very special Facebook Photo of the Week because today we’re celebrating one year of featuring your Facebook photos on the Soap Queen Blog. We’re delighted each week by the dozens of photos we see, and I’m so happy to be surrounded by such creative soapers and crafters. We wanted to take a chance to look back at some of our favorite Photos of the Week and share them with you.

Do you have any favorites from this past year? Be sure to leave a comment below with one that has inspired your soapmaking! If you have missed some of the past photos, you can see them all in the archives here. Scroll on to see 12 months of incredible photos!

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Soapy Social Media Roundup

November 8, 2013 Filed Under: Bramble Berry News

Winter seems to have hit us early on this very chilly and blustery Friday. We had an awesome office-wide pumpkin carving contest last week (scroll down to see our “scary” winner), and took Jamisen out for a Halloween party as well (with a bucket full of goodies by the end of the evening, Jamisen was much happier than he was in this photo!).

In other news, we’re smackdab in the middle of Givember 2013! If you’re not familiar, head over to this post to read all about how you can access 25 unique tutorials as well as get in on some super special deals and coupons. These are my favorite soapy social media things from the past couple of weeks:

Pins:

Clockwise:

This Coconut Lime Soap so totally makes me miss summer. Plus I love the very rustic-looking top. This would be perfect for a beach house by the seaside!
How cool are these little mini soap jewels? What a fun projects to try on a very blustery November day like today, and plus they remind me of our Geode Soap tutorial from awhile back.
I want this chair in my office! Such a good vintage find, and the colored stripes are subtle yet super fun. The price might be a bit out of my office decoration budget though!
I’m always game for easy kids projects, and these colored wooden blocks are no exception! Great for learning colors and building forts =)
If you haven’t gathered by now, I have such a weak spot for macarons! These lemon macarons with salted honey and thyme buttercream sound absolutely gourmet.
So it may be fairly flashy, but I am in love with this rainbow glitter watch from Kate Spade. It’s playful but still very elegant! Might have to add it to my Christmas wishlist.

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Givember 2013: Holiday Crimson Lip Stain

November 7, 2013 Filed Under: Bath & Body Tutorials

Perfect for holiday dinner party or sophisticated evening out to see The Nut Cracker, this Holiday Crimson Lip Stain is as pretty as it is lip loving. It’s made with our Nourish Lip Balm Base, which contains a luscious blend of coconut, sweet almond and avocado oils. Make it to enjoy yourself or give away as a fun stocking stuffer! This lip stain is part of our Givember 2013 ensemble of gifts.

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Selling Success at Fairs and Public Markets

November 6, 2013 Filed Under: Business Musings

By now the holiday craft season is in full swing, and you may be experiencing a bit of “seller’s fatigue” – it can be exhausting remembering to pack all your supplies, set up and take down your display, and be on the ball and ready to go week after week. Bronwyn Bacon, a soapy enthusiast who has worked in customer service and business management for more than a decade, has amassed a wealth of tips and advice for being successful at craft fairs and markets. Read on to learn how to sell for success! — A-M

Before You Go

If you’re still new to fairs, I strongly encourage you to set up your booth at home (or in your backyard) from top to bottom. Don’t guesstimate on how much time you’ll need; by setting it up for real, you’ll know exactly. Just to be super prepared, add a half hour for “issues” that always seem to crop up. Once you have as much of your booth set up as you can and it’s arranged to your liking, take photos so you have a reference to easily recreate your setup.

Expect the unexpected when taking your products on the road. Time yourself so you know exactly how long it takes you to set up and tear down your displays.

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Festive Holiday Potpourri + Free Label

November 5, 2013 Filed Under: Home Crafts

Heading to a holiday party and need a quick gift? This adorable holiday potpourri jar can be assembled in 10 minutes or less! This project incorporates plenty of holiday hallmarks, including cinnamon sticks, cloves and of course, the sweet and spicy fragrance of freshly baked pumpkin pie. Downloadable (free)! labels make this a complete gift giving tour de force.

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