Last week, all the bars for the Cold Process Soap Swap 2016 were swapped and sent. If you participated in the swap, keep your eyes out for your box of goodies soon! If you’re unfamiliar with the swap, the basic idea is that soapers send us 10 bars of soap. Then, we swap the bars and send 10 new bars back, each made by a different person.
So many amazing soaps were sent for the swap!
If you did not get the chance to sign up for this swap, we will have another one later this year. I wish we could have swaps all the time with an unlimited amount of soapers. But, it takes a lot of time to swap 100 boxes! =) If you’d like to be among the first to sign up for the next swap, sign up for the Bramble Berry newsletter. We will give advance notice to newsletter subscribers about when the swap will take place and how to sign up. Click here to sign up for the newsletter.
For this swap, I decided to be a participant. Ten random soapers will receive my Blue Bonsai Ombré Soap above. Likewise, I will be receiving 10 random soaps from participants in the swap. I can’t wait to see what kind of soaps I get. I will stream the unboxing live on Periscope on April 4th at 2 p.m., so be sure to follow me on Persicope. My username is Brambleberry. =) Below, the Blue Bonsai Ombré Soap is packaged with cigar band labels and shrink wrap soap bands.
My Blue Bonsai Ombré Soap being wrapped in shrink bands before being shipped off to soapers.
There were so many gorgeous soaps in the swap. It’s always fun to see how soapers use Bramble Berry fragrance oils to create such beautiful bars. Below is a soap made by Kirkland’s Creations. It’s scented with Summer Melon Spritzer Fragrance Oil and features melt and pour embeds on top. It reminds me of candy!
Colorful Summer Melon Spritzer cold process soap made by Kirkland’s Creations.
The beautiful Rose & Sandalwood Cold Process Soap below was made by Lavender & Lemon Co. I love the beautiful mica painting on top and the hanger swirl in the center looks amazing. Click here to see a better shot of the swirl on their Facebook page. This soap was made with a blend of English Rose and Sensuous Sandalwood Fragrance Oils.
Made with English Rose and Sensuous Sandalwood Fragrance Oils, this soap by Lavender & Lemon Co. is so sophisticated.
I was so impressed by this Heavenly Honeysuckle Cold Process Soap by Lily Bleu Soapworks. It can be tricky to achieve such a beautiful swirl and textured top in one bar, but Ami pulls it off beautifully. The subtle mica line really helps the layers pop. This soap was scented with Heavenly Honeysuckle Fragrance Oil, which is a great spring scent.
This colorful soap was made by Ami of Lily Bleu Soapworks. I love that colorful swirl!
This Rosehip Jasmine Cold Process Soap by The Olfactory Soap also features several layers of colorful swirls. It also has soapy frosting on top. This bar really demonstrates a mastery of trace. Made with Rosehip Jasmine Fragrance Oil, it has notes of rose and jasmine for a soft floral scent.
Made with Rosehip Jasmine Fragrance Oil, this soap made by The Olfactory Soap features lots of soapy techniques.
Speaking of colorful swirls, check out this stunning creation from Bethany of My Sweet Savon. It’s scented with Holiday Candy Fragrance Oil. Don’t let the name fool you, this fragrance works wonderfully for spring and summer as well. Bethany used a great combination of colors in this bar, in addition to lots of glitter on top.
Thanks to everybody who worked so hard to create stunning soap for this Soap Swap. In addition, a big thanks to my team who made this swap incredibly organized! Be sure to sign up for the Bramble Berry newsletter to be notified for the next swap in August. I can’t wait to open my box. =)
This sounds amazing! Do you have to be a seller to participate? Or can casual hobbyists also join the fun? I have so many bars of soap curing away and I think my friends and co-workers are sick of getting soap, lol. 🙂
Hi Nicole!
You don’t need to have a business to participate in the swap. You just need to have your soap properly labeled :). Be sure to sign up for the Bramble Berry newsletter if you’d like to be a part of the next swap, that’s where we announce it first!
Sign up for Bramble Berry Newsletter:
http://brambleberry.us8.list-manage2.com/subscribe u=5f458c38151804741776ae8de&id=4130d6c9f1
-Amanda with Bramble Berry
A big THANK YOU to Bramble Berry and all of the talented soap artist out there! I was on pins and needles waiting for my box to arrive, and I was not disappointed! Thank you for the wonderful fragrance samples, I can’t wait to try them out. I hope I get a chance to participate in the next swap!
You’re welcome Rondi! Thank you so much for being a part of the Soap Swap. We really enjoy it, and we’re glad to hear you do too! 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
I got my box yesterday – so many awesome designs, fragrances and packaging. It definitely has given me some inspiration. Receiving all those lovely soaps has made me a bit nervous – as I hope those who received mine enjoy it as much as I liked making it!
It would be great to have other types of swaps. Thank you Bramble Berry staff for making it happen, and of course to all those talented soapers.
The soap that came in is so inspiring! There are definitely some talented soapmakers out there. Thank you so much for sending your soap in Jill. Also, thanks for your kind comment!
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Sort of disappointed that I received three underweight bars, one was 2.8 ounces 🙁
I hope some new rules are in place going forward.
Yes, I had two bars with that issue too. It’s one of the hazards of participating.
Hi Mary and Michael!
Thank you so much for being a part of this year’s Soap Swap! We loved seeing your bars. 🙂
We do post guidelines and remind everyone of the expectations for the Soap Swap, including weight. We also spot check the soap as we open the boxes. However, we don’t feel like the spirit of our Soap Swap is to reject anyone’s soap. We want this to be a positive, encouraging, all-inclusive event.
I’m sorry you were disappointed in some of the bars you received. I hope you can see why we’ve chosen to do the swap the way we do. Thank you so much for your feedback.
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
I’m disappointed that people would send those in! How rude!! I mean, don’t sign up, if you are not going to follow the rules and do it right. One of mine was 3.9, but the rest I got were all over 4 oz.
The problem I have is the fragrance- I think people should write down the fragrance used (if not clear from the name of soap) and use full amount for strong scent. I got 2 soaps that I would call unscented, because I can’t smell anything AT ALL.
Thank you to Brambleberry staff for all the hard work and generosity. Love the packaging filler and the fragrance samples!!
Also, I’d love to see all your pictures from the people who got their boxes! Please, post on Instagram if you are on it. My soap was called “Honeysuckle” (from Wild Garden Creations) with Honeysuckle Surplus fragrance. 🙂
I’m sorry you’re disappointed Martina. We do make sure to post guidelines for the swap, but we don’t want to reject anyone’s soap. We think this is a really fun event and we want to keep it that way! It’s so exciting to open a box and see everyone’s creativity and unique packaging. 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Oh, I’m only disappointed in PEOPLE who don’t follow the rules. I love the swap, and I agree that of course nothing should be rejected and it should be positive experience for everyone. I loved getting all the different soaps. You guys are absolute best and I appreciate everything you do! 🙂
I just wanted to say Thank You to all the soapers who I received soap from, I don’t have Facebook or any social media accounts so I can’t reach out to them all to say how much I appreciate their artistry and hard work. I always get a variety of fragrances I’ve never tried before and that’s half the fun. And also thanks to the Bramble Berry staff who don’t get anything out of this, except our enjoyment 🙂
HERE-HERE!!! I too am Thankful for the beautifully presented box with gifts!
I’m much like you Michael and am wondering how easily I will be able to view Anne-Marie’s box opening on Periscope on the 4th! I’m really excited that it lands on my day off but am worried how it works with someone not tuned in to social media.
Hi Rae – in the past there is usually a link or the video will be posted in the blog after the fact. I too will miss the broadcast, I work for a living and can’t drop everything to watch videos at 2:00 in the afternoon, but hope to pick it up later.
Hi Rae and Michael!
So glad you loved your box! We really love seeing all the soap coming in. You can tell people worked really hard on their soap and we really appreciate it. 🙂
Also, if you aren’t able to catch the live stream, you can watch the recording any time you like on our Katch channel!
Katch: https://katch.me/brambleberry
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Thanks! I’ll check it out that day when I get home.
Michael, did you get one from me? “Honeysuckle” soap? 🙂
Hi Martina – no, I don’t think I received one of yours, I don’t have a Honeysuckle.
They do look wonderful! I can’t wait to get mine today. And I’m glad you posted those above- I never thought to try English Rose and Sensual Sandalwood together and I love both of those FOs! 🙂
The scent combination smelled really fantastic! Rose and sandalwood pair really well. Enjoy your box Martina! 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Is there going to be a melt and pour soap swap?
That’s something we’re definitely keeping in mind for future swaps Anna! Thanks so much for your suggestion. 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Wow! I see some beautiful soaps. I hope everyone enjoys the soap I made! Thanks again Brambleberry for the hard work!!!
You’re welcome Kristie! Thanks for being a part of the swap. 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
They all look simply wonderful!
Absolutely! We really enjoyed opening all the boxes to see what people sent. 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry