I hope your week has been great! I had a big announcement this week that I was so excited to share with you all…if you haven’t heard the news, check it out here. And now onto our Facebook Photo of the Week winner…
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Beauty in Haiti
Guest blog by Amanda Griffith, from the Lovin’ Soap Blog, author of the Lovin’ Soap E-Zine series (check out Volume 1, Volume 2 and Volume 3) and creator of the Pourable Silicone Kit + e-book. She has also authored many popular blog tutorials like the Buttermilk Bastille Baby Bar and the biz-related post The Importance of Keeping Customers. One of the kits she created, Sunset Over Water is here. -Anne-Marie
On January 10th, Marla Bosworth and I traveled to Haiti to teach a group of women how to make soap. These women live in a government-owned tent camp with no electricity and no running water. They have very little to their names, but they had the desire to learn to make soap. They hope that by making and selling soap – and other beauty products – they can improve their lives one step at a time and eventually move out of the camp into their own place.
The women range in age from 18 to 82 years old. They met after the earthquake and decided to stick together and create a community – that they could be stronger as a supportive group for one another. They began meeting under a tree in the tent camp to support and encourage each other with hope and possibility. They named their group OFEDA (Organisation des Femmes Devouees en Action). [Read more…]
Fruit and Veggie Wash Soap
I’m a huge fan of fruits and veggies of all types! From green smoothies to kale salads, I rarely meet produce that I don’t like. And of course, for me using soap to clean my veggies goes together like…peas and carrots (pun intended!). You’ve probably already noticed that many of your soap making oils are also common oils used in food preparation, and many can be found in your kitchen. Common fixed oils like Coconut, Palm, and of course Olive Oil are food-grade and often used in cooking. Sodium Hydroxide is even used in food preparation. True story! Pretzels, bagels, and lutefisk all have preparation methods involving lye. Sodium Lactate is also a food additive (FDA listing here). That being said, fixed oils from Bramble Berry aren’t meant for use in your food, because our warehouse isn’t certified for food storage and handling practices. But for a wash-off product like this fruit and veggie wash, the vegetable oils will do just fine!
A(nother) Big Announcement!
We’ve been full of big news lately, from finding out that we’re having a baby girl (eek!) to launching this year’s Bramble Berry Athletic Club, there’s been a lot of happy hustle and bustle and I couldn’t be more excited. But before you go thinking that’s all I’ve been busy with, there’s another big announcement…a secret I’ve been keeping for almost a year now:
I’m writing a book!!(!!!!!!!!!)
I’ve been working with the fabulous team at Storey Publishing on my new print book, Soap Crafting. It has been an amazing, mind-blowing, grueling, exciting experience so far (really, a little bit of everything). The book contains 31 Soap Queen designed and tested Cold Process soap recipes that I hope will knock your socks off. The book shows how to infuse natural colorants, how to dilute and work with LabColors, incorporate fun additives and even includes a glossary of soapmaking terms. Plus, for beginners, there is a ton of introductory information about making Cold Process soap, a basic beginner recipe AND a breakdown of common soap making oils. Whew!
The book is due to come out in August (three months after Bramble Girl is due to arrive if you’re keeping track!), which feels like such. a. long. time. But as the book comes together, I’ll be giving regular updates on its progress. [Read more…]
Bramble Berry Athletic Club: Bonnie Garrity
Here’s another one of our BBAC 2012 athletes! Bramble Berry is committed to donating a portion of our profits to charity (and has been ever since we opened our doors!). BBAC is all about bringing YOU in on our charitable contributions. Today’s interview is with one of our star athletes from last year’s team, Bonnie Garrity, owner of Good Earth Spa. You can catch Bonnie’s BBAC teammate Andrea Edgar’s feature here. I hop you feel totally inspired after reading (I know I do!). There’s still plenty of time to apply to be a part of BBAC 2013! Check out the details here.
Why a Newsletter is a Must
Newsletters aren’t new. They’ve been around ever since the postal service was first created. Donna Maria from Indie Business Network (a trade organization for the handcrafted soap and cosmetic industry) has blogged about the importance of having a newsletter (as have many smarter business people than I). But, this subject just came up in a phone call I was having with a customer who was trying to determine what to best spend her limited marketing time on. After all, there are SO many social media outlets. This is what I suggested for her limited time allocation – by priority. And, if she can only get to 1 or 2 … just do the two most important:
(1) Blog
(2) Newsletter
(3) Facebook
(4) Pinterest
(5) Tumblr
(6) Twitter
There’s a method to my madness putting an old school, boring newsletter in my top two content marketing (aka: communication) strategy and this post will cover newsletters – why they are important, some best practices and how a newsletter is your strong foundation for a good content marketing strategy.
Facebook Photo of the Week 1/11 – 1/18
What an exciting week we’ve had here at Bramble Berry! I’ve enjoyed watching the hundreds of photos coming in from our newest Make it Monday contest and awed and inspired by your creativity. We still have another week to go and I can’t wait to see what you have in store for us. We’ve also released another new SQTV episode featuring Jeanee from Dirty Laundry — check it out here. Are you ready for this weeks winner? Check below…
How to Make Petit Four Soap Video
This is the second video I made with Jeanee Duval of Dirty Laundry (if you missed the first one see it here). In this video, I show her how to make some cute little Melt & Pour soaps that I designed just for her. As you can see from the outtakes at the end we had a great time making this video! Jeanee is a blast to work with and so talented! Check out her stylish blog and cute Etsy shop to see for yourself. She is also the author of a wonderful e-book on how to sell your handmade goods called How to be a Craft Show Genius. And best of all, she designed a custom box template for this video that fits the cube soaps perfectly; you can find it here.
Note: The Rainbow Sprinkles have been discontinued. This kit now comes with Red Jojoba Beads. [Read more…]
Bramble Berry Athletic Club 2013: Get in on the Action!
Last year was the inaugural year of the Bramble Berry Athletic Club, where we brought YOU in on Bramble Berry’s annual charitable contributions. Check out last year’s team here, and our spotlight on team member Andrea Edgar here (other team member spotlights coming soon!). BBAC is the perfect fusion of Bramble Berry’s commitment to social responsibility and my love of health and fitness. It was a blast to follow along with the BBAC 2012 athletes, get to know them, and read their stories. So we’re doing it again, and this year we’ve added a twist: we’re opening up the entries to BrambleBerrians who work at Team Bramble Berry! Double the fun!
Anyone who follows me on Twitter or has read this blog for a while knows that I’m dedicated to health. I believe life is a marathon and running a business is a grueling (but fun!) part of that marathon. I’m already so proud of Bramble Berry team members who have taken initiative and focused on healthy eating habits as personal goals in the last year, and I’d love to encourage them even more by having them join in the fun of BBAC with you guys. [Read more…]
Facebook Photo of the Week 1/7 – 1/11
It’s Friday and you know what that means! It’s time to announce the winner of our weekly Facebook Photo of the Week. This week was a particularly creative week on our Facebook page. Keep those soapy pictures coming! They make us all drool (for soap).
This week’s photo comes to us from Becky Sheffler. This is her Faux Funnel Soap using Bramble Berry’s Neon Colorants. She said she was super pleased with the outcome and noticed that the soap even looks like it is smiling at you. I love the bright colors that she used in her soap! Thank you so much, Becky, for sharing your photo with us and we can’t wait to see more from you. A little fun and soapy package is being sent your way.
Missed previous Facebook Photo of the Week posts? Check out our winners here:
1/4: Jasmine Hales
12/28: Crystal from She Dragon Body Products
12/21: Linda from the Enchanted Bath
12/15: Kira and Cody from Oak Street Soaps and Candles
12/7: Lisa Bilik
11/30: Marcy from Kiku’s Creations
11/23: Juli from Inspiri Body
11/16: Mike from Soap Passion
11/9: Brooke from Her Best Apple
Would you like your photo or project to be featured in a blog post? Come join us for soap talk, contests and lots of crafting inspiration at Bramble Berry’s Facebook page. Share a photo with us of your latest project and your handmade soap might be next weeks feature!
Tutorial for Everything Balm
On its own, this everything balm is excellent for many applications. Because the oils used in this recipe are all lip-safe, it makes a great lip balm as well (though, you’ll want to ensure any essential oils you use are lip safe as well if you go that route). Try it on your cuticles, or on stubborn winter dry patches (like elbows and knees) for intensive moisture. Check out the end of the tutorial for some of my favorite additives to kick the benefits up a notch!
Note: The 8 oz. Glass Bail Jars have been discontinued. The kit now comes with Tall 8 oz. Plastic Bail Jars.
Recipe:
1.5 oz Beeswax
2 oz Cocoa Butter
5 oz Avocado Butter
8 oz Sunflower Oil
1 oz Tamanu Oil
6 mL Hungarian Lavender Essential Oil
2 mL Egyptian Geranium Essential Oil
Click here to add everything you need for this project to your Bramble Berry shopping cart!
Hidden Color Bath Bombs
Here’s a fun idea for a colorful surprise hidden inside a bath bomb. This tutorial is perfect for getting kids to take a bath, because there’s enough colorant in each bath bomb to color the bath water. And since you can’t see the color until the bath bomb is activated, you have to be in the bath to get your surprise! I originally came up with this idea … well, you’ll have to see why this weekend. =)
Scroll down to the bottom of the post to see a mini fizzy coloring water!
Recipe:
1.5 cups Sodium Bicarbonate (Baking Soda)
1 cup Citric Acid
12 mL Baby Powder Fragrance Oil
Witch Hazel (in a spray bottle)
2-3 Stainless Steel Bath Bomb Molds
Mesh Strainer
Click here to add everything you need for this project to your Bramble Berry shopping cart! [Read more…]
Making Soap for AmeriCares
AmeriCares is a disaster relief and humanitarian organization that distributes donated items to those in need both locally and internationally. Their founding story is pretty amazing; you can read it in full here. It speaks of founder Bob MaCauly’s first endeavor into humanitarian aid, which involved a completely selfless act assisting children in need that wound up putting him in a large amount of personal debt. After the rescue, his wife was quoted as saying, “The bank got the house and Bob got the kids.”
From the AmeriCares website: “AmeriCares assembles product donations from the private sector, determines the most urgent needs and solicits the funding to send the aid via airlift or ocean cargo to health and welfare professionals in the indigent locations…Because we deliver donated medicines and medical supplies from our corporate partners to an established and trusted network of locally based clinics, hospitals, and health care providers around the world, the impact of the contributions of supporters is multiplied many, many times over. Historically, for every $1 donated we are able to deliver $25 in humanitarian relief to people in need.” Since it’s start in 1982, AmeriCares has delivered over 10 billion dollars in aid to over 164 countries. [Read more…]
Facebook Photo of the Week 12/31 – 1/4
2013 is here and is it just me, but does 2012 seem very long ago now? I had fun looking back on some of Bramble Berry’s achievements of 2012 in this post. Onward and upwards in 2013; we’ve already posted a few tutorials (click here and here), a brand new Soap Queen TV episode, and we’ve already seen some incredible bath and body products shared with us on our Facebook page. Speaking of Facebook, our Facebook Photo of the Week! Drum roll please…
This week’s photo comes to us from Jasmine Hales. We first met Jasmine when she posted a comment on the Hot Process Series: Crock Pot Camo tutorial. She told us that she had just started soaping with goat’s milk (her family raises goats) and that she is 15 years old. I was totally stunned, and knew I wanted to know more about her. Since then, Jasmine has become part of Bramble Berry’s Facebook community and I’ve really enjoyed seeing her interact with other soapers and post her gorgeous soapy pictures. Jasmine told us that this soap is a Cucumber Puree Soap made with coconut milk and scented with Bramble Berry’s Sleigh Ride Fragrance Oil. Thanks for being part of our Facebook page and keep your eyes on the lookout for a fun little package being sent your way!
Would you like your photo or project to be featured in a blog post? Come join us for soap talk, contests and lots of crafting inspiration at Bramble Berry’s Facebook page. Share a photo with us of your latest project and your handmade soap might be next weeks feature!
You still have a chance for your soapy recipe to get featured on the Teach Soap website (and a chance to get a $10 Bramble Berry Gift Certificate)! Send us an e-mail with a full tutorial, including pictures at [email protected].