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Resolutions to Have a Life in 2010

January 1, 2010 Filed Under: Personal Ramblings

It’s my favorite time of year – goal setting, reflection and planning. If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you know that I plan all year long and use tools like Mastermind Groups and Accountability Groups to help keep me on track. Despite external challenges last year, it was still a blessed year with love, laughter and joy. As I said in this blog post (My New Normal), “I’m not waiting around for the market to turn around to lay plans for my better future.” My better future involves all the intangible work-life balance things that are so difficult to master and even more difficult to practice regularly. This upcoming year, I will be focusing on business (as usual) but focusing even more on the underlying things that make me truly happy (family, friends, hobbies, community). For me, these things boil down to:

1. Resolve to spend more quality time with family – My family is first in my life. I find joy and reward in spending time with them. They help to keep things in perspective and I genuinely like them. I resolve to spend at least 6 weekends with my family in 2010.

2. Resolve to eat more colorful foods – The studies are clear; diet matters for your energy levels and life longevity. It boils down to non-processed, no soda, no additives and eat as many fruits and vegetables as possible. I resolve to eat five servings of fruits and vegetables per day.

3. Resolve to give back – Bramble Berry has always given a percentage of profits to worthy non-profits; it is a foundation for our company. My husband and I also donate our money and our time volunteering. It feels good to help others and 2010 will continue and build on our commitment to gratitude and sharing.

4. Resolve to be diligent with work outs – If you follow me on Twitter, you know I’m faithful with my workouts. They’re essential to my sanity and my staff like working with me much more when I’ve exercised. This year I resolve to try new forms of working out like paddle boarding and Zumba.

5. Resolve to do meaningful things with friends – It can be lonely being self-employed. Opening up to a select group of trusted friends has been a wonderful stress outlet and 2010 is going to continue on this by doing meaningful (defined as over 4 hours doing an activity like hiking, spa time, group goal setting) activity with close friends monthly.

I have an entire list of goals around work that I will execute on faithfully this year but the personal work-life balance is where I struggle. I’m excited to share these goals with you and want to hear what your goals are for a better future in 2010. This year, I want to interact even more with the Soap Queen Community and I’m kick-starting the year off right with a contest! Anyone that posts a comment on this post **with one or more goals for your better future** will be entered to win pack of carefully curated goodies from me (including a sneak peak at SoapyLove’s new mold design!).

What are you goals this year? Post them and inspire us all!

Copper Penny & Emerald Mica Tests

December 31, 2009 Filed Under: Bramble Berry News

Patti has done another incredible batch of soap and I wanted to share her comments about soaping up with some of our new micas. The batch below was made with White Pearl Mica, Green Chrome Oxide and Emerald Mica. The Emerald Mica and Green Chrome acted so similarly that she decided to do another batch.

This time it was pretty clear which was which – the Emerald Mica went a gorgeous light green and the Copper Penny Mica is a glamorous shade of copper and sparkles.

The Emerald Green starts out a lot more green when you first put it into the soap but then slowly turns into a beautiful pastel green. It is a lovely color and would work well with lots of springtime fragrances.

Patti also made this exotic looking bar with our Luster Black Mica, Sparkle Gold Mica and (sadly discontinued) Blue Pearl Mica. Though the fragrance she used will discolor, she’s thrilled about the discoloration because the colors will ‘pop’ even more with the discoloration. The contrast will highlight the micas even more.

Thanks for the report, Patti!

Holiday Gold Nailpolish

December 30, 2009 Filed Under: Tips & Tricks

Did you miss the tutorial on making your own nailpolish? Check out what we whipped up for holiday parties using our heavy metal gold mica. Here’s the original tutorial on customizing clear nail polish to make it your own.

Jazz up your polish in two easy steps…

One: Pick your favorite holiday red or maroon color to paint your nails.

Two: Add your clear top coat and sprinkle on the mica for a fabulous holiday accent.

Tip: Use an eye shadow brush to tap on the mica. This will give you an evenly sparkled look!

Inventory & SoapQueen TV

December 29, 2009 Filed Under: Bramble Berry News

Soap from our Cold Process Line

My apologies for the short blog post today. It’s been a fabulous day with lots of progress made on inventory (almost done with the counting! yay!) and we are loving the fun questions about projects you’re making over your winter breaks. Judging from the phone calls today, a lot of you are making Cupcake Bath Fizzies.

Over our inventory break, we’ve continued working on the new season of SoapQueen TV in earnest and have the scripts done up for an episodes on Rebatch soap, Massage Candles and more. You will be able to watch those shows in early February (if not sooner!). If you’re a fan of SQTV and like the projects, you might want to check out these extra long SQTV tutorials over at Bramble Berry. Two of them feature SoapyLove‘s exclusive projects that turn out great every single time.

I’m also planning a trip to Saudi Arabia with the Entrepreneur’s Organization for business classes. I’m excited about the opportunity to learn from some of the top business minds in the world on subjects like Cross-Cultural Entrepreneurship and Women Entrepreneurs in Saudi Arabia. I’ll be out of the country the 15th through the 25th of January, leaving the blog in Amber’s capable hands on the days I am not able to post.

Again, apologies for the short post today; look for a blog post tomorrow on Copper Penny & Emerald Mica tests in CP soap. Until then, happy soaping!

Crafty Wonderland Field Trip – Guest Blog

December 28, 2009 Filed Under: Bramble Berry News

Greetings! I’m Amber and I help out here at Bramble Berry with Soap Queen TV, the website, photography, and whatever else I can get my hands on. I would put a picture of myself on this post but there are none to be found because I’m always behind the camera.

And while Anne-Marie is in Saudi Arabia mid-January for business, I’m going to be helping out with the Blog, too!

I jumped the gun a little though with this post. I visited a regional craft show called ‘The Super Colossal Crafty Wonderland Holiday Sale‘ and I had such a great time talking to other vendors and taking pictures that I wanted to share my experience. It was a great show filled with interested and excited customers and tons of high quality arts & crafts. I went to help my cousin, Heather, set-up and work her booth. We made many new friends and reconnected with old, we both had so much fun we can’t wait for next year.Crafty Wonderland used to be a monthly craft show, but it grew so big they now just do 2 colossal shows a year at the Convention Center in Portland, OR. It was so well attended, there were 2,000 people in line just to get into the show! Heather and I got there 3 hours before the show started and had plenty of time to wander around after getting set-up.

First I talked to Inger of MeMe Cosmetics.

Her primary interest is formulation, she loves coming up with the perfect recipe. She used to make products for Lush and now has an aversion to bath bombs, which made me laugh. In addition to the fabulous array of lotions, cremes, and body butters she makes the most adorable bubble bath cupcakes.

Next I visited with Margaret from Ma Nao Books.

I studied bookbinding in college and totally fell in love with her work. She uses gorgeous papers and book board to make unique home decor, albums and boxes. She is also a letterpress printer and has made quite a few book editions, needless to say I was in heaven as I pored over her creations.

Near the end of the show I talked to Laurie of Magpie Ethel.

Her booth was pretty much swarmed by a mob for most of the show. She makes the most adorable little ornaments and decorations from tinsel, glitter, and vintage finds. Her space was so bright and shiny you couldn’t help but smile and pick-up a little something. Being an enthusiastic recycler myself, I was even more enamored of her work when she pointed out some of the cast away items she uses to assemble her pieces.

By the time 7 o’clock rolled around we were all tired and incredibly hungry! So, we met up with some of my old friends from the show including Jenn of Chet and Dot and Jenny of Robot Candy at the Screen Door restaurantwhere we devoured plates and plates of delicious fried things.I want to thank all of the fabulous artisans who took time to talk to me and let me take their pictures. I hope I was able to share a little of the fun I had at the show with all of you. I’m looking forward to guest-blogging for a bit while Anne-Marie is away in January. Until then, I’m content to hang out behind the scenes.

— Amber

Merry Christmas!

December 25, 2009 Filed Under: Personal Ramblings

Merry Christmas from my family to yours. We are enjoying a snowy holiday at Whistler and have taken sleigh rides in the snow, walked the entire Whistler Village and eaten entirely too much food.

I hope you’ve had an equally enjoyable family-filled special day.

Holiday Schedule at Bramble Berry

December 23, 2009 Filed Under: Bramble Berry News

Thank you to all of our Bramble Berry friends and fans who have been such a big support this year. We love working with you and for you and feel so delighted, thrilled and humbled to be surrounded by such great customers and inspiration.

We are taking a couple days off to relax and laugh with family and friends before coming back to the warehouse to do inventory.

Inventory is a laborious process that involves counting every single item in the warehouse; literally, hand-counting out all of the bottles of essential oil, weighing all the partial drums of fragrance, combing through the colorant racks to get an accurate count of everything and then crawling up and over mountains of bottles in the the ‘bottles’ room to count each and every bottle. The entire process usually takes the Bramble Berry team 2 days to count and then 1 day of recounts. Any initial count that is more than 10% off gets counted again. And again. And again by different people each time. Though we hope to be done with the inventory process by the 30th and shipping orders on that day, we don’t want to over promise. When you go to our homepage, you’ll see our handy dandy “If I order today, when can I expect my order?” shipping chart. This is how you can determine the worst-case scenario of when your order will arrive at your door. This chart is updated daily to give you the most information possible.

Right now, we are officially “closed” for shipping orders until inventory is finished (best case: December 30th; worst case: January 4th). If you have any questions, you can always email us at info (at) brambleberry (dot) com or phone us at 360.734.8278. We will be answering phones and emails during inventory to take orders, answer questions and chat soap. If you need anything, please don’t hesitate to call or email.

I hope you and your family have a wonderful, safe and happy holiday. Thank you again for your support and loyalty in 2009. It means so much to all of us.

Merry Christmas from all of us here at Bramble Berry

Bramble Berry Cookie Exchange

December 21, 2009 Filed Under: Soap Queen Cuisine

This afternoon is Bramble Berry’s holiday party. The entire staff is doing a White Elephant and a Cookie Exchange (I’m super excited). I found this fabulous recipe in Food and Wine Magazine and got to work Sunday night so I could impress my fellow coworkers. I decided to plunge into Gingersnap Sandwich Cookies with Lemon Cream Filling (drool). I’ve already sampled a few and the verdict is: DELICIOUS! Here’s the recipe in case you need cookies for a last minute cookie exchange. The photo below was taken by the experts at Food and Wine Magazine. My cookies, I trust, taste just as good but eh hem, um, don’t look quite the same.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1/4 cup unsulfured molasses
Filling
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

ONE: Preheat the oven to 350° and position racks in the upper and lower thirds. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.TWO (the cookies): In a bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon and salt. In the bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with the paddle, beat the butter and sugar at medium speed until fluffy, 3 minutes. Beat in the egg and molasses. Add the dry ingredients and beat at low speed until incorporated, scraping down the bowl.

THREE: Working in 2 batches, drop scant tablespoons of the dough onto the baking sheets, 3 inches apart. Food and Wine says to bake the cookies for 20 minutes on 350° (I baked mine for 15 minutes and they still got a little bit crispy), until risen and fallen and slightly firm; shift the sheets from top to bottom and front to back halfway through for even baking. Let cool slightly, then transfer the parchment paper to racks and let the cookies cool completely. Bake the remaining cookies.

FOUR (filling): In the bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with the paddle, beat the butter with the confectioners’ sugar at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the lemon juice (I doubled the amount of lemon required for a more tart taste – worked out great).

FIVE: Arrange the cookies in pairs on a large work surface. Spoon or pipe 1 rounded tablespoon of the lemon filling onto the flat side of half of the cookies. Sandwich with the remaining cookies, pressing them together so the filling spreads to the edge.

Make Ahead: The sandwich cookies can be stored in an airtight container between sheets of wax paper for up to 1 week.

Check out the original recipe online here

New Year’s Eve Party Favors!

December 21, 2009 Filed Under: Melt & Pour Soap

Wash Away 2009 – Hidden Surprise Soap

The idea with this fun project is to wash away 2009 and start fresh and clean in 2010. I originally got this hidden surprise soap idea from Soapylove’s Halloween tutorial. For this project, I painted 2009 on top of the soap so it would wash away in the first use. After 3-4 washes, 2010 will slowly appear to ring in the new year! This fab soap is appropriately scented with our bubbly, Champagne Fragrance Oil! I’m posting this a little earlier than New Year’s so you have time to make these favors for your friends and family.

Ingredients

Clear Melt and Pour
White Melt and Pour
Champagne Fragrance Oil
Basic Rectangle
Light Gold Mica
Heavy Metal Gold
Brownie Pan
Craft KnifeSoap Paint
2 parts Liquid Soap
1 part Clear Melt & Pour Base
1 part Rubbing Alcohol
1 part Light Gold Mica

ONE: Melt 5 ounces of white soap base in the microwave (in 30 second intervals) and pour the soap into the brownie pan mold. Spritz with rubbing alcohol to eliminate bubbles. Let cool for 15 minutes.
TWO: Once the soap has cooled, release it from the soap mold and place it on a cutting board. Use your craft knife to cut out the numbers 2010. You can either trace them using this technique or cut them by hand. I printed out 2010 from a Word document and traced the numbers. Set the numbers aside to use later. Hint: Bigger, more bold, sans serif fonts are easiest to trace. Oh, and no coffee before cutting. The shaking won’t add to the smooth look of the numbers.

Variation: Want to shave some time off of this project? Try using cookie cutters to cut out the numbers or our Alphabet Mold to easily create your soapy numbers.

THREE: Melt 4 ounces of clear soap base in the microwave (in 30 second intervals). Mix in 1 ml of Champagne Fragrance Oil and 2 heaping pigment scoops of Heavy Metal Gold Mica. Mix well.

FOUR: Pour thin thin 1/8 inch layer into one rectangle cavity and spray with rubbing alcohol. Let the thin layer cool in the mold which should only take about 5 minutes. While this layer is cooling, frequently stir the remaining soap so it doesn’t form a skin; we’ll be using it soon.

FIVE: Spritz the first layer of soap with rubbing alcohol and pour another thin layer of soap on top. Spritz your numbers with rubbing alcohol and place them into the thin layer of soap. Let the soap cool for about 5 minutes. Then fill the mold up the rest of the way with your gold soap.

Hint: The numbers should look backwards and read from right to left when you put them in the soap (we don’t want backwards numbers in our final product).

SIX: For a finishing touch, paint 2009 on the top of the soap to be washed away. After a couple of uses, 2010 will appear into soap giving you a “clean” start into 2010.

Soap Paint: In a small mixing bowl, combine 2 parts liquid soap, 1 part clear melt and pour soap, 1 part rubbing alcohol, 1 part Light Gold Mica. Heat in the microwave for 15 second, mix well and start painting. Check out our Soap Paint tutorial HERE.

Did you notice my little penguin friend giving me a hand? Check out his other penguin friends here. They are just too cute for words!

Eggnog Christmas Cocktail (Light)

December 20, 2009 Filed Under: Personal Ramblings

Snuggle up on the couch with a guilt-free holiday cocktail. My hubby and I sipped this light eggnog drink with my brother and sister-in-law. It started snowing outside so we all plunked down for game night, which is always full of laughs and “friendly” competition.

I love eggnog but the calorie content is horrifying. I found this great recipe by Bethenny Frankel on Health.com and it only has 148 calories! I can live with that!

Beat 2 egg yolks until lightened in color. Add 1/3 cup sugar, beating until dissolved; set aside. Combine 2 cups 1% low-fat milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and 1 dash each cinnamon and nutmeg in a saucepan over high heat; bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.

Remove from heat, and gradually whisk into egg mixture. Return to pot, and cook to 160°. Remove from heat, stir in 1/4 cup white rum, and pour into a bowl; set in the refrigerator. Beat 4 pasteurized egg whites in a separate bowl until soft peaks form; with mixer running, gradually add 1 tablespoon sugar, and beat until stiff peaks form. Whisk egg whites into chilled mixture; sprinkle with cinnamon.

It tasted delicious – and practically full-fat. Everyone was a fan at Game Night.

Here’s the link to the original recipe

Tweet Ya’ Later

December 18, 2009 Filed Under: Bramble Berry News

If you don’t follow me on twitter, here are this weeks business-y tweets that ya’ missed. Enjoy!

Reading @MichaelHyatton presentation tools:http://bit.ly/6ywQm I’m checking out all his links but probably won’t go Mac.

Sweat wicking sheets – there’s a market for everything: http://ow.ly/MLMV

Blurring the lines between public and private lives – libel in the age of Twitter:http://is.gd/5spZT(via @queenoftheclick)

Entrepreneurial success should not come at the expense of having a healthy personal life:http://ow.ly/MLTtGreat advice.

Reading @indiebusinessblog about effective tips for being your own media:http://bit.ly/5qg9bx

RT @elfindustrial: Yikes – I would hate to be this man – the man who turned down the Snuggie:http://ow.ly/N7KD

“Etsy saved my life but this is the hardest job I’ve ever had” – On Qutting Your Day Job:http://bit.ly/5bdVI7

Totally agree about the point of analysis paralysis being a common trap:http://ow.ly/M2iQ

Zero Dollars, A Little Talent & 30 Days – a free e-book on starting an online business:http://ow.ly/M26M

Opening a specialty niche store in a recession – there’s never a better time:http://ow.ly/M1JF

Reading about @incmagazine Entrepreneur of the Year:http://ow.ly/KmOZ

Debunking the myth that women ‘eat 7 pounds of lipstick in their lifetime’. It’s bullocks: http://bit.ly/88v

Our soapmaking iPhone App is getting an update – a much requested NOTES section. Yay! http://bit.ly/6KOe4N

How to avoid being blindsided by ‘idea aura’ (or what we call ‘Look! A shiny penny!’ in our office) http://ow.ly/M2oQ

Opening a specialty niche store in a recession – there’s never a better time: http://ow.ly/M1JF

“A lonely sort of joy in pressing on the thorn.” On the soul of entrepreneurship – resilience: http://ow.ly/KnUw

“Many times, people overlook their own hobbies and don’t realize that there’s a business there waiting to be built.” http://ow.ly/KnQF

Reading a column on the DIY Economy by Friedman in the NYTimes: http://bit.ly/4ocKhg

Why introverts make good managers: http://ow.ly/Knz4

10 Rules for being a start up (including: no one will give you money): http://ow.ly/L84T

If you want more random business advice, personal ramblings and periodic Bramble Berry updates, follow me on Twitter here.

Coordinated Christmas Packaging

December 17, 2009 Filed Under: Home Crafts

I was in a pinch this year to get my presents wrapped and out the door (but, of course, didn’t want to settle for run of the mill wrapping paper since my handmade gifts certainly weren’t run of the mill). I dug through my gift wrapping box and found some adorable paper that I could use to coordinate my entire ensemble of gifts. This project works with any sort of wrapping paper and looks incredible. Just don’t tell anyone how easy it was!

Do you like the wrapping paper I used? Check out Smock Paperon Etsy.Ingredients and Tools
(paperboard) Lunch Boxes
Cellophane Bags

Oatmeal, Milk & Honey CP Loaf Soap
Soap Boxes
Sea Salt
Blue Mix Labcolor
Cranberry Fig Fragrance Oil
Wrapping Paper
Ruler
Craft Knife/Scissors

SEA SALTS: Bath salts are an easy gift with simple ingredients. I just mixed 3 cups of Dead Sea Salt with 2 ml of diluted Blue Mix Labcolor and 10 ml of Cranberry Fig Fragrance Oil. Just mix them well and they’re ready to give away. For the packaging, scoop the salt into a cellophane bag and fold down the top. Fold a piece of wrapping paper over the top and staple on both ends.

PAPER LUNCH BOX: I found these cute little lunch boxes on sale at a local craft store and they’ve been in storage waiting to be used. To snaz them up, I cut a 4 inch wide strip of wrapping paper, wrapped it around the box and secured it with clear tape.

SOAP BOX: Our plain white soap boxes are blank canvases for creativity. Above, I cut two strips of paper and wrapped them around the soap box in opposite directions, securing the ends with clear tape. The paper I used is double sided but you could use 2 different, coordinating pieces of paper as well. Check out our Finished Cold Process Soap if you don’t have time to make your own.

CARDS: My cards turned out so cute that I had to make extras to keep on hand. With a glue stick, adhere a strip of paper over the blank card. For an extra special touch, I added a Merry Christmas Sticker to the bottom that I got at my local rubber stamping store (so much faster than rubber stamping). Trim the edges of the card and you’re done with the card. Pack your goodies in the lunch box, close up the box and your present will hold its own under any tree!

Here are some great Ety sites to shop adorable paper…

White Mouse Design
Crafting Bug
Paminboots
Feterie’s
The Paper Addict

On Dealing with Disappointment

December 16, 2009 Filed Under: Business Musings

Waiting in the airport hoping to catch an early flight back home and I’m thinking about how my meeting didn’t go quite as I had hoped. But I took away so much positive from it and already have my awesome action plan for improving the next meeting. I realized that I am seeing the optimistic side right off the bat because I’ve trained myself to have that point of view. So, I thought I’d write a quick post before my flight about how I deal with disappointment and set-backs. Like all of my ‘experience-sharing’ posts, take it all with a grain of salt and feel free to share your experiences too!

There’s a reason clichés are …. cliché. There are many experiences that are universal. Yes, I’ve watched a pot not boil. I too have counted my chickens before they hatched and had my back against a wall because I bet my bottom dollar barking up the wrong tree.

And, the ‘When God closes a door, he opens a window’ characterization is equally true.

When you are in business, there are often doors closed, shut and slammed in your face. And sometimes, it’s hard to see the window at first. Here are my favorite tips for recovering when you are disappointed in a business situation:

1. Have a pity party. Acknowledge you are disappointed. Your feelings ARE justified. You just had your favorite store say ‘No’/(insert your experience here). Wallow. FOR ONE DAY. No more than that. Another pithy yet true saying Bramble Berry’s business coach says is “Celebrate your successes for one day. Mourn your losses for one day. After one day, move on.”

2. Call your trusted friends and advisors. Talk it out. Tell them about the experience. If you’re on Day One, you can wallow and whine about how unfair it all is. Good friends are awesome for this. They’re on your side no matter what. But, if you’re not still on Day One, suck it up and start to problem solve with them.

3. Action. So you didn’t land the sale/get into the juried craft show/get product placement in a big magazine; that’s okay. And what’s your plan to change it and make it better next time? Rip that scab wide open and Monday morning quarterback. What went wrong? If there is someone to ask, be sure to ask your account rep/media contact/decision maker why you didn’t make the sale or why you didn’t get product placement rather than speculating. Then, move into planning: what is the action plan to fixing it next time? WRITE IT DOWN. Action plans are useless if you don’t write them down and commit to being accountable.

4. Work off that stress and tension. Like the song says, “move it move it.” When you work out, you give your body something to do while your brain can zone out and process without you constantly second guessing yourself (you already did that, remember?). Physical activity is a great stress relief no matter if it’s walking, running or weight lifting. Just do something to get yourself out of your house/office and in a different situation. Move your body. Let your brain wander as your limbs work out your stress and dismay.

5. Fake it ’til ya’ make it. Just like the ‘Shopping is Psychological’ post, what is the way you can reframe this in your head?

You didn’t get the account: “Wow, I didn’t walk out with a Purchase Order but I sure am closer to one the next time!”
You were promised placement in magazine/tv and it didn’t happen: “We didn’t get placed this time but I am so excited that I have this contact for next time.”
You didn’t get into a juried show: “Well, that’s okay. They have my stuff for next year and man, look at the cute designs I thought up just for the show. They will be great on Etsy/my own site/Artfire/another craftshow/to send to potential wholesale accounts”

There will be another chance. Just think how much you learned. Work on those takeaways. And, be sure to look out for that window. It will open up. I promise.