Search Results for: candle

Salvation Army Shopping Trip

December 15, 2008 Filed Under: Bramble Berry News

For the last 11 years, Bramble Berry has adopted a family or two through the Salvation Army to keep them in toys, clothes and food for the Holidays – this year we got 5!

We love making handmade soaps and candles for the families as well as terrorizing our local shopping center for one fantastic evening. Giving back to the community is important to me and everyone at Bramble Berry. In fact, “Be Socially Responsible” is one of our five guiding principles at Bramble Berry. This year nearly all of the Brambleberrians volunteered an evening of their time to choose fabulous Christmas gifts for our adopted families. A few even brought their children to start them early on the idea of giving back. All I had to do was swipe my credit card at the end!

The entire Bramble Berry gang gathered just inside the doors – a possible fire hazard – and received their assignments. This year it was extra fun due to the addition of many children. They were particularly helpful in picking out adorable baby clothes and the coolest toys. Left to my own devices, I fear that my choices for toys would be wooden, old-fashioned or book-related.

We all exchanged cell phone numbers in case someone needed emergency assistance – what is an RC Hauler anyway? – and barreled into the clothing department like a herd of wild buffalo! The laughter was so loud from certain not-to-be-named employees that it was like a honing beacon if anyone got lost. Who needs cell phones when you have hilarity to guide you with?

Traffic jam in the toy department.

After 2 hours and much mayhem and laughter we were ready to check-out.

Yes, the entire line is Bramble Berry. We had 11 full carts and our very own line.

Patiently waiting.

Gleefully making the purchase.

This year we had our own “experienced” cashier and check stand! She was so organized and on top of it – not a single cart set-off the door alarm as we left the store (which was good since Norm had accidentally taken the receipt with him as he exited the store).

Our final receipt was taller than Chloe and Titan, two our kidlet helpers.

It’s our favorite time of the year for many reasons and the Salvation Army Shopping Trip makes it much sweeter for the whole Bramble Berry team. A heartfelt thank youfor supporting us throughout the year so that we can give back and make Christmas brighter for others.

A Gift for Everyone on Your List

November 25, 2008 Filed Under: Bramble Berry News

1. ‘Cupcake Soap Tutorial I Blissfully Domestic’ – blissfullydomestic_com_creative-bliss_cupcake-soap-tutorial, 2. Hybrid-Living, 3. Soap and Candle Making Budget Conscious Gift Ideas & Kits’ – candleandsoap_about_com_od_holidayprojects_tp_BudgetSoapGiftProjects_htm, 4. ShoppingByMail

Thank you About.com & David Fisher, Blissfully Domestic, ShoppingbyMail.com and Hybrid Living for recognizing that Bramble Berry has great instructions and kits that are perfect for everyone on your list for Christmas. You can use them to make awesome, from-the-heart gifts or give them away to family and friends.

Click here for the DIY Mineral Make Up Kits and here for all of our other kits (including the fun lip balm kit and Father’s Shaving Kit).

About.com said this about our $97 Holiday Gift Series Kit:

The world is in financial crisis – times are tough for everyone. Now, more than ever, it’s time to hearken back to our frugal candle and soap making roots and celebrate the fact that we can make wonderful holiday gifts very frugally! Here are some wonderful pre-assembled kits from Bramble Berry with everything you need to make some amazing gifts. Whether you use a pre-arranged kit, or put them together yourself, you’ll be able to create wonderful gifts and save money too.

Fizzies, Lip Balms, Seizing Soap – Oh My!

November 23, 2008 Filed Under: Bramble Berry News

1. 4 test candles with different waxes, 2. Testing new lip flavor, 3. Bath Fizzies, 4. Seizing Soap! Oh no!

Today was a busy day. I spent this afternoon with our newest Customer Service team members at Otion. We did a basic overview of the main things that Bramble Berry and Otion customers make. First, we did a batch of Cold Process soap. That pinkish purple in the photo above was acheived with a heavy dose of Ultramarine Pink Oxide. Unfortunately, the test fragrance accelerated trace a bit too quickly to get a triple-color swirl done and we ended up glopping the entire thing into the mold. The soap will probably not be taking any “Best Of” prizes anytime soon. On the plus side, the test fragrance (a Banana Leaf floral mix) smelled delicious, even while wrecking havoc on our batch. I’ll work on reformulating it and hopefully bring it in for Spring 2009.

To show the difference between Cold Process and Melt and Pour, we did a quick and easy Citrus Melt and Pour loaf. Holly in Customer Service was delighted at the instant gratification of melt and pour.

Then, we made two different lip balm recipes – one with deoderized cocoa butter and one with regular cocoa butter to compare the smell in the final product. We used this opportunity to try out some of our edible essential oils. We even tried including the lip tingling Clove essential oil in a few of the tubes, in the hopes of creating the next lip plumper. Our lips tingled but they didn’t look a whole lot more plump after application.

We also made two batches of bath fizzies. One using micas (Violacious Violet with Lychee Red Tea fragrance) and one using La Bomb (Lilac La Bomb with Cybilla Yuzu fragrance). Holly in Customer Service was particularly surprised to see the color changes with the La Bomb batch once the color was fully dispersed in the batch.

Finally, we finished with four test candles. The purpose of making four was to educate and show the Customer Service team at Bramble Berry the various burn rates of the different waxes we carry. On Monday, we’ll have a “Burn Off” and see which wax burns the longest, the fastest, the hardest and gives the best throw. Our offices will be smelling especially good tomorrow. I predict the 100% beeswax candle will be the last one standing.

Once I got home, I made a batch of delicious (well, I think it’s delicious) Carmel Fudge to bring to work. High doses of sugar are a great way to start out any slow Monday.

Just a reminder: Bramble Berry is closed Thursday and Friday this week for Thanksgiving.

Be Original for the Holidays

October 22, 2008 Filed Under: Bramble Berry News

A big thank you for a great shout out from Alpactate2008 – a rancher in Texas with over 100 acres of land and “six alpacas and two guard llamas right now to enjoy, plus our lab mix dog, April.”

They said:

When not cleaning pastures or painting chicken coops, I have been looking into the idea of making my own soaps and lotions. It is not difficult and you eliminate the preservatives and extra ingredients that can be harmful. I discovered a wonderful website called Bramble Berry. I have the link in the left hand column. They have instructions, online ”classes” and tutorials, products to make the soaps (remember soap on a rope? they have the rope; you make the soap), sugar scrubs, bath fizzies, candles, makeup, and more, plus soap molds as well as packaging materials and labels, and gift sets (you make the product, they provide most of the ingredients and all gift packaging). Sign up for the newsletter and read the blog, order something to get started. Be sure to find the Soap Making Forum for “getting started” info and ongoing conversations. Note that the bar soaps must “cure” before using, like 4 weeks or longer, so get started now to give a try to a new hobby. You can also make some money by marketing them at the local farmers market or holiday festivals. I am so excited to find them because they are the first I found with EVERYTHING I need to get started in one place. I am making up a list of supplies today and ordering so I can have holiday hostess gifts, as well as family and friends Christmas gifts, ready by Christmas.

Of course, we think our ultra cool $97.99 Gift Set Ensembleis the perfect way to make your own goodies for family and friends this holiday season. It makes a full 10 yummy handmade gifts.

Tutorial: Pistachio Balm Recipe

October 8, 2008 Filed Under: Lotion

Pistachio Body Balm

I created this recipe for our October Newsletter (not on the Newsletter? Sign up here for specials and cool “insider” opportunities) and it was such a hit I wanted to share it with everyone on the blog.

.5 oz. Candellila Wax
1 oz. Cocoa butter
1 oz. Pistachio butter
1 oz. Avocado oil
1 oz. Jojoba oil
.1 oz. (1 tsp.) Tapioca Powder
a few drops Vitamin E oil
1 ml Orange Spice fragrance

Measure out all of your ingredients by weight before you begin.

The safest way to melt down the ingredients is in a double boiler – but you can use a microwave as well. Just watch your mixture very carefully (remember the exploding microwave?). And I always pull my container out of the microwave and stir to melt down the last few bits which helps to avoid overheating your ingredients.

Melt the wax until liquid then add the Cocoa butter. Once the Cocoa butter is completely melted add the Tapioca Powder and mix until there aren’t any lumps (hint: a little whisk helps with this). Finally add the Pistachio butter, remaining oils and fragrance to your preference. Mix well and pour into a 6 ounce tin.

If you’re not signed up to our newsletter, you should – it has cool how-to’s as well as aggressive sales for newsletter subscribers only. Sign up here.

Iron SoapMaker

July 15, 2008 Filed Under: Business Musings

The ISOCAN Iron Soapmakers Challenge:
Brought to you by the Illinois Soap and Candle Conference

If you have a competitive spirit and are up for a challenge, the ISOCAN Iron Soapmakers Challenge is for you. All competitors will receive the same box of ingredients including oils, butters, colorants, fragrances, lye, molds, etc. With only five minutes of preparation time, the soapers are off to create the best bar of soap they can in hopes of bringing home first prize!

Participant’s soaps will then be pictured on the ISOCAN.org website where the public will cast their votes and pick their favorite. And yes, the winner will be rewarded with a prize!

But wait, there are more perks to this competition! Participants can pay just $10 and receive a bar of soap from every one of their competitors or just participate for free! I want to pay money to get all of the soaps too! Is there any way that I can do that?
On your mark…Get set…Start soaping! Can you handle the pressure? Get more information and the official rules here.

Doin’ the Burn Tests…

July 7, 2008 Filed Under: Home Crafts

For each fragrance that Bramble Berry adds, we’ve tested a minimum of 100 more. These are a couple of the burn tests I did this weekend. Notice how poorly the one on the left performed? These are two fragrances we won’t be adding (burn and poor throw). For the record, they were a Blueberry Martini and a Pomegranate.

What are we looking for with Burn Tests?

* Throw – This is the main hurdle to clear in a Burn Test. Does the scent fill the room? Does the fragrance strongly convey a pure smell or does it mutate into a horrible smelling sad version of its former self?

* Burn – Does the fragrance affect the burn? Some fragrances make the wax harder or softer or promote an uneven burn. We’re looking for an even, smooth, clean (non-soot-promoting) burn. What does the fragrance do to the wax?

* Seepage – Even if you mix the fragrance in fully, the fragrance can start to pool inside pockets in the wax causing sputtering, flame flares or overcome the flame, putting it out.

You can find Bramble Berry’s line of fully tested candle fragrances here or Candle Supplies here.

Weight Versus Volume

June 26, 2008 Filed Under: Cold Process Soap

The candles below are an example of the weight-versus-volume.

Both of the candles have the same weight (8 ounces) yet look at the difference in volume (height).

The candle on the left is a traditional paraffin based wax. The mottled looking candle is made out of a palm stearic soy combination.

This example illustrates why soapmakers prefer measuring oils by weight to ensure precise lye usage.

Soap, Sun & Thunderstorms

June 15, 2008 Filed Under: Personal Ramblings

Day Two of the Alabama Soap Meeting did not disapoint (click here for Day One). Jen Merk, the 10 year (outgoing) President of the show kept things running smoothly. The Demonstrations were particularly interesting on Day Two.

My favorite demonstration was one on hand dipping candles. Who knew it was so easy? Or time consuming? The demonstration was very hands-on, with most everyone in attendance getting a chance to dip.

Mid-day, an amazing thunderstorm of Biblical proportions struck the little town of Pratville. The skys opened up with such force that I feared for the roof of the convention center. My husband text-messaged to say that it was a beautiful sunny day in Bellingham. Ah, the ironies …

The food on Day Two was stupendous. Every single item was cooked in multiple sticks of real butter. The potatoes were swimming in little pools of butter, the green beans were wading through golden rivers of fat and the broccoli cassrole was a double whammy with mountains of cheddar cheese and ponds of melted butter. It was one of the best meals I’ve ever eaten and I safely should only eat such a meal once every ten years. My arteries have never seen so much pure butter in their entire lives.

Being a soap show, of course the soap was wonderful. I especially liked this checkerboard soap. The creator (Darlene English) shrugged off all compliments and generously shared her technique. I can’t wait to try it.
I was especially tickled to see Karen White’s key differentiators. She said she bought them because she saw them on this blog. Awwww … (no wonder I liked them!)

We ended the night with the board generously taking me out to dinner (thanks!) at an amazing restaurant. I had Fried Green Tomatoes for the first time. Everyone swears they were fried in Olive Oil. And, when the waitress came out and said they had run out of Red Velvet cupcakes? I was bummed but stuffed…. only, she had lied! The Board had conspired to custom order an entire platter of Red Velvet Cupcakes.

It was a perfect way to end the evening – laughter, conversation and cupcakes.
Thank you Alabama Soapers for a a once-in-a-lifetime trip.

Soap Sunday!

June 1, 2008 Filed Under: Bramble Berry News

I spent Sunday soaping. Batch one was a Cold Process batch made with Cappuccino Mica (the brown colored soap in the photo) and non-colored soap (the ivory). I used a vegetable peeler to peel little curls off of pre-made melt and pour soap. The green swirls are colored with Emerald Green LabColor and the yellow swirls are Canary LabColor. I’m interested to see if the colors migrate into the cold process soap soap.

The second batch was to test a prototype loaf mold for the Bramble Berry Flexible Mold Line. The light brown is made with Cappuccino Mica with lighter little swirls of Apricot Blush. The color didn’t do well in the cold process soap. I used a lot of color and it faded quickly but I’ll wait to judge until gel phase is done and the soap is cut. The peaks are made by dipping a whisk 1/2″ down into the soap and pulling up to create texture. There is too much air in the batch. The air bubbles rising to the surface make the over-blending obvious.

Finally, this batch is a lovely 3 color pour made with Cappuccino Mica, Apricot Blush and Orange Mica (discontinued) scented with Peach Fragrance Oil. Again, I was too excitable with the stick blender and blended the Cappuccino-colored soap too much. A few heavy taps got rid of most of the bubbles. Hopefully the rest will migrate to the top and out of the soap during gel phase.

I did mar our kitchen table by setting down a cup with dripping fresh soap. It ate the wood and finish on the table. But, it’s not the first time this table has been abused (if you don’t remember the beeswax spill, click here and here) and won’t be the last. Hopefully my husband will be his normal easy-going self when viewing the lye stain.

Have a question about this blog post? Come join us at Bramble Berry’s Facebook page and we can help you out with any of your soapy questions!

Weight Versus Volume

April 21, 2008 Filed Under: Tips & Tricks

This is a candle I made with 100% Stearic Acid. Why Stearic Acid? Because I saw some candles at a high end gift shop that were made with “Palm Wax.” They were very expensive candles and I thought, “Gosh, Stearic Acid is derived from Palm Oil. I wonder if I could just use Stearic Acid for my candle?” The natural Palm Wax candle at the store had a cool, crystallized look. The candle in the photo, though difficult to see, does have a crystalline, unique look that is high end and sophisticated. Success!

I measured out 16 ounces volume of Stearic Acid for my candle. For this project, I used Stearic Acid, Carrot Cake (discontinued – see all our candle fragrances here), the cotton core WU-250 wick and a Bramble Berry’s Candle Container.

Check out what 16 ounces volume looks like melted down! This illustrates why it’s important to always use weight when making any recipes. It’s a more precise crafting method. Precision and predictability is important for crafters. You can cost better and ensure less batch variation when you weigh out products rather than using volume.

I fragranced the candle with a full .5 ounces of fragrance. I like my candles strong and use a full 1 ounce of fragrance per pound (weight) of wax. Then, I carefully poured the wax, taking care not to spill all over the table. Finally, I positioned the wick in the center, propped up the wick on either side to ensure that the wick would remain straight and waited.

The candle burns well but next time, I’ll either use the WU-150 wick or experiment with a little Soy Wax addition to soften up the wax for an easier burn. The 100% Palm Stearic Acid candle is harder than I expected so the candle isn’t burning fully out to the edges. But, overall, the experiment is a success. The candle looks unique and interesting, burns well and has excellent scent throw.

Green! Green! Shamrocks!

March 10, 2008 Filed Under: Personal Ramblings

In honor of the upcoming Green Holiday, here are some fun indie Etsy sellers with the ubiquitous color celebrating St. Patrick.

Seller BrandyWine Design made this Sandalwood, Vanilla & Pine scented Palm-Oil based candle. Buy it for just $8 here.
After your crafting projects, you’ll need some Eco-Sponges, made of cotton, from seller ShutterKate. For $14, you can pick up three hand-knit sponges and feel good about your carbon footprint.

This Citrus Lime Basil Soap is an appropriate shade and hue for the season. Eden Village’s flourish of a deeply imprinted stamp makes this bar unique and textured. Just $4 here.

While this soap dish is sold out, there are 22 others to choose from here for $14 per handmade dish.

Fresh Baked Bread

March 7, 2008 Filed Under: Bramble Berry News

According to the trivia question of the day from local station, Praise 106.5 FM, the smell of bread baking is the favorite scent of men and women alike. This article in the Oakland Tribune echoes this assertion.

Bramble Berry has a delightful Fresh Baked Bread fragrance.It’s absolutely amazing in scrubs and I can’t wait to try it in candles soon.

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.