Search Results for: Make it Monday

Make it Month: Sunny Herb Garden & Carnation Fragrance Oils

April 28, 2014 Filed Under: Bramble Berry News

After a brief break from our Make it Month contest, we’re bringing it back in full force! Throughout the month of May, you’ll receive a complimentary .5 oz. sample of Sunny Herb Garden Fragrance Oil with every order. It smells like fresh picked herbs with a subtle floral scent. It holds up wonderfully in cold process soap, and it’s refreshing scent for scrubs body washes.

We’re switching this Make it Month up a bit because in addition to making projects with Sunny Herb Garden, you can also use Carnation Fragrance Oil, which was April’s Sample of the Month.

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LabColor Makeover

October 24, 2013 Filed Under: Bramble Berry News

Vibrant, reliable and fun to use, LabColors are super concentrated dyes that are fantastic soapy colorants. LabColors are an excellent choice for coloring your melt & pour and cold process soaps.

We’re making some minor changes to our LabColor line, but have no fear — we’ve reformulated them to make them easier to use than ever. To get everything packaged and ready to ship out, we’re temporarily taking all LabColors out of stock today, Thursday, October 24th. You will not be able to purchase LabColors at this time. However, when LabColors come back in stock on Monday, October 28, you’ll simply log in to your Bramble Berry account and place an order for LabColor like normal.

Check the Soap Queen blog on Monday, October 28 to learn more about how to use the new and improved LabColors!

Make it Month: #Baby Powder

February 4, 2013 Filed Under: Bramble Berry News

It’s February already? Where has the time gone? If you were as busy as I was last month, you might have missed some blog posts. You can check out all of January’s blog posts here, including the announcement of our Bramble Girl and read all about the book I’m writing. This month, I have a brand new contest for you. It’s a little different then the past Make It Mondays because it’s a whole month long. Here’s the challenge: make something with your free fragrance oil sample and share it with us on Bramble Berry’s Facebook page. Are you ready? Let’s go!

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Monday Round-Up

July 21, 2008 Filed Under: Bramble Berry News

The Mineral Makeup Blog reviewed our Mineral Make up Kit and the results are in:

They loved it! YES!

They especially liked one of Bramble Berry’s own creations and described it as a “gorgeous shimmery light brown”. It’s one of our favorites here as well. We had a blast testing and creating different eye shadow recipes for the book (see previous Mineral Makeup Play) and I am relieved and pleased that they appreciated the color.

In other Monday news, SoapyLove, Alicia Grosso and Paula from PJ’s Soaps are all safely back to their homes. It was a mad-dash day of airport hopping and travel planning. But, there was still time for soap. Bramble Berry’s custom cupcake molds arrived today and I just made the first batch this evening. They didn’t turn out perfectly but it was a good first attempt.

Capping off a hectic but pleasing Monday, I ate a leftover cupcake from the Soap Intensive weekend for dinner and am currently delightedly reading over Alicia’s notes from class. You can see her write up here.

Monday Round-Up

February 25, 2008 Filed Under: Bramble Berry News

After a long weekend away to Portland and back, it’s hard to get in the swing of things. Not to worry, the mound of mail and stack of bills is enough to swing me right back into tempo.

Thankfully, I had a little “prize” at the end of my mail pile. Nahia Creations in Pullman, WA sent me a little care package with two beautiful soaps! The photo taken with my phone, on a messy desk, clearly doesn’t do the soap justice.
The custom stamp is an especially elegant touch. Shelley sent me Chocolate Espresso and Chai Tea, both made with Bramble Berry Cybilla Fragrances.

She also made my day by trying a recipe posted on the Soap Queen – “Sugar Scrubs the Bakima Way.” Over on her blog, she says: “I used White Tea & Ginger fragrance and it was *amazing*. (I think this might be my new favorite fragrance.) I also added rice bran and adzuki bean powder as an exfoliant (my favorite exfoliants). This actually turns out to be quite heavenly…”

Have you tried to make the scrub? If you did, we want to hear how it went!

Red Envelope, the purveyor of beautiful and pricey items, has massage candles for sale! This little set is on sale for $38. If you haven’t tried to make your own, you can find instructions here.

Bramble Berry has new essential oils – Sage (Dalmation), Citronella, and Sweet Southern Birch.
Mosquito season is almost here so the Citronella essential oil is sure to come in handy. Remember, if you are making cold process soaps, now is the time to make your Skeeter Beeter Camping soaps. With cure time, summer will be almost here when your soap is ready to sell.

This week on the Soap Queen, I’ll finish up the lipstick tutorial and start on a fun springtime soap project. Expect a post this evening with more information on making your own lipstick at home.

Random Monday Musings

February 4, 2008 Filed Under: Personal Ramblings

Thank you Donna Maria from Indie Beauty Network for a nice write up this weekend. And, Joanna from Product Body also gave a shout-out. Thanks ladies. You both make me blush.

Today is a busy Monday. Finally, we almost have a full staff at Bramble Berry after having a case of the Sickies run rampant through our team. We’re only short 1.5 people so meeting our 24 hour turnaround goal will be a breeze.

Despite being such a busy day, I am determined to fit in a work out, somehow! Get yourself inspired about physical activity with this article from the Times on daily exercise. Despite my Nike running tracker being somewhat dormant, I’ve still been working out almost daily with yoga, weights but not much running. The snow and ice around my house make running outside a bit daunting.

As DailyGood pointed out this weekend, “Take care of your body. It’s the only place you have to live. — Jim Rohn”

Things in the blog-o-sphere that I’m liking today:

Seth Godin’s post on Free
Design Sponge’s artist highlight on Mia Pearlman’s papercut sculptures (photo on left)
BeautyBrain’s wrap up about Aloe Vera Gel’s healing properties Best quote from article: “don’t buy products that use reconstituted powdered aloe vera because it doesn’t contain the same 0.5% of goodies that make the aloe work.” You want Aloe Vera Water (Gel) like is sold here.

Finally, I came across this video on Friday night and just cracked up laughing. Given that laughing has so many health benefits, I thought I would share. Enjoy!

Natural Colorant Testing & Inspiration

December 16, 2015 Filed Under: Tips & Tricks

Adding color is one of my favorite parts of the soapmaking process. Color in soap can convey different places, scents, themes or moods. If you prefer to keep your soap as natural as possible, there are a wide variety of colorant options. Various clays, herbs, botanicals and powders can give soap surprisingly vibrant hues. If you’d like to browse natural colorant options, click here for clays and here for herbs and botanicals.

To demonstrate various natural colorants in cold process soap, I uploaded this photo onto Instagram. I was so blown away by the response (!). Because of that excitement level on Instagram, I decided to do a more in-depth post about the process and usage rates. Check out the natural colorant tests below. Aren’t they gorgeous? In particular I adore the way that rose clay, purple Brazilian clay and green zeolite clay look in cold process soap. I love working with natural colorants and ingredients in cold process soap so much, I wrote a whole book about it! My new book, Pure Soap Making, is available for pre-order now and only uses natural and nature-identical colorants (like pigments and oxides).

Top row, left to right: Olive Leaf Powder, Purple Brazilian Clay, Comfrey Leaf, Medium Red Brazilian Clay
Middle row, left to right: Rose Clay, Alkanet Root Powder, Orange Peel Powder, Sea Clay
Bottom row, left to right: Madder Root Powder, Yellow Brazilian Clay, Green Zeolite Clay, Indigo Powder

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Bath Bomb Questions & Answers

October 19, 2015 Filed Under: Bath & Body Tutorials, Bath Fizzies, Tips & Tricks

Bath bombs are great project for both beginner and advanced crafters. Making bath bombs is an easy process, but it takes practice. Bath bombs are sensitive to moisture and can be finicky. Without the right mixture of ingredients bath bombs can crumble, fall apart or fizz incorrectly. Below are some of the most common bath bomb questions we receive, along with links to other bath bomb posts!

Bath bombs consist of baking soda and citric acid. When these two ingredients are combined and introduced to water, they create a fizzing reaction. Click here to read more about baking soda. The standard ratio is 2 parts baking soda to 1 part citric acid. Once the dry ingredients are combined, a small amount of liquid is introduced to create a moldable, wet sand texture. The liquid is usually witch hazel, but oils and butters can also be added for moisture and additional skin benefits. The bath bomb mixture can be further customized with fragrance, color and the shape of the mold. Now, let’s get to the questions!

Bath bombs are created using baking soda and citric acid.

1. Why is my bath bomb crumbly or cracking?
If you find that your bath bomb is crumbly, the mixture may be too dry. Adding more witch hazel or oils will give the mixture a more moist texture, which will be less likely to crumble and crack once removed from the mold. If your fizzy is cracking after it’s been in the mold, it’s possible that it was too wet and the mixture is expanding as it sits in the mold.

The correct amount of moisture is crucial to a firm yet moldable bath fizzy.

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12 Days of Christmas Project Roundup

December 1, 2014 Filed Under: Bramble Berry News

With Thanksgiving behind us, the countdown to Christmas has officially begun. If you’re feeling a little behind in holiday gift preparation, don’t fret. There is still some time to create unique, handmade gifts for your family and friends. But don’t wait, it’s time to get crafting!

The 12 Days of Christmas series featured twelve easy to make projects that would make fantastic gifts. From melt and pour and wax tarts to lip scrub and nail polish, you are sure to find a gift option for everybody on your list. Looking for packaging inspiration? Check out the Packaging Inspiration video on Soap Queen TV, along with the #Make it Monday: Packaging photo gallery on Facebook.

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Halloween Project Roundup

October 6, 2014 Filed Under: Bramble Berry News

With Halloween a few short weeks away, now is the time be inspired by ghosts, ghouls, witches and yes, soap! Keep your eyes on the blog for a festive Halloween melt and pour project tomorrow. To whet your appetite, here are several fun and spooky Halloween projects to get your creative juices flowing.

If you are a cold process soaper, the Cold Process Spider Webs project is created by utilizing squeeze bottles and a simple chopstick-tool technique. Made with contrasting black and white hues, this project also looks great with eerie greens, purple or orange tones.

Cold Process Spider Webs
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5 Tips to Create Professional Looking Soap

September 29, 2014 Filed Under: Tips & Tricks

When making soap to sell or give as a gift, it needs to look polished and professional . Unfortunately, not every batch comes straight out of the mold this way! Whether the soap has a bit of soda ash or uneven edges, there are several tricks to making each and every bar picture perfect. Here are my top five finishing touches to create soap that looks professional and finished.
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Facebook Photo of the Week (April 26th ~ May 2nd)

May 2, 2014 Filed Under: Bramble Berry News

This week the sun came out in full force, warming up cloudy Bellingham to 70 degrees! All this sunshine certainly inspired new projects and recipes, including a delicious twist on kale salad. Using roasting chickpeas instead of croutons, the Roasted Chickpea and Kale Cucumber Salad is the perfect lunch on a hot day.

Speaking of heat, the Jazzed about Gel Phase post is full of information regarding what happens when your soap heats up. Gel phase has great benefits, particularly when you gel with LabColors. If you’d like more information on LabColors, this post will get you up to speed.

Does soapy inspiration ever strike while you are away from your computer and enjoying the sun? The newly updated Soap App for Androids makes it easy to collect and formulate cold process recipes. You could even use it to formulate recipes for the Make it Monday Challenge! Simply share your project using the Carnation Fragrance Oil, or the Sunny Herb Garden Fragrance Oil with the hash tag #BBGarden for a chance to be featured on the blog. Projects can be shared on the Bramble Berry Facebook page, Twitter or on Instagram until May 30th.

The Facebook Photo of the Week was inspired by all this talk of hot summer days days and impending summer vacations. Called “Birds of Paradise,” it’s a bright colored soap reminiscent of exotic beaches.

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Show Your Love: Creative Packaging

February 1, 2014 Filed Under: Tips & Tricks

Aside from actually making the products, one of the best parts of crafting is creating fun packaging to enhance your soaps, bath bombs or scrubs. As part of Show Your Love, we’re giving you a few simple ways to jazz up the bail jars that make great containers for the Mini Heart Bath Bombs or the Pink Sea Salt Foot Scrub (tutorial coming soon on the blog!).

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Facebook Photo of the Week (January 11th ~ January 17th)

January 17, 2014 Filed Under: Bramble Berry News

This week we made two exciting announcements, including the winners of our S.M.A.R.T. Goals Post. Thanks again to everyone who shared their 2014 goals with us — we had such a fun time reading them.

We also announced the beginning of our 2014 Soap Swap! In case you are unfamiliar with our Soap Swap, it’s a fun way to swap your creations with fellow soap makers, learn new techniques and receive 12 bars of unique soap. Hurry and sign up now, spots are filling up quickly.

An Instagram collage of some of the lovely soaps we received during last year’s Spring Swap.

This week we also shared our Honey Kisses Sheer Lipstick Tutorial, which is an inexpensive way to recreate my favorite store bought lipstick. Looking for more lip recipes? First, learn all about the process in our Talk It Out Tuesday: Lip Balm post, then give these tutorials a try! We also have you covered when it comes to cleaning up your lip balm project.

As for the Facebook Photo of the Week, this whimsical swirl caught my eye. Bonus points for their awesome use of natural colorants!

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