This blog is staying up, so you can still refer back to it whenever you like. However, all new projects will be posted on the Bramble Berry website. If you have any questions you can contact our customer service team.

Make sure to bookmark In the Studio for new DIY bath and body recipes, helpful articles, and how-to videos!

The post The Blog Has Moved! appeared first on Soap Queen.

If you’ve ordered a wood mold from Bramble Berry, there’s a good chance Oryx made it. She’s been with Bramble Berry since 2012. Along with wood molds, Oryx makes products like the Swirl Tool Kit and the Heavy Duty Column Mold. That’s all done under the supervision of her dog, Theo.

Oryx’s love of DIY doesn’t stop when she leaves work. She knits, quilts, bakes, and experiments with fermented foods like sauerkraut. Learn more about her and get a behind-the-scenes look at our warehouse in this video.

The post Meet Oryx from the Bramble Berry Warehouse appeared first on Soap Queen.

We’re welcoming a fresh look to Bramble Berry, and because you’re the heart of our business, we want to introduce it to you. Just like you, we’ve been feeling creative—wondering about a softer color here, a brighter word there, and a fresh new logo. You can now see some of those changes on Bramble Berry along with our social media outlets. Soap Queen will also be getting a face lift in the upcoming weeks, so be on the lookout.

Behind the scenes, not a thing has changed. We’re still in the lab, testing recipes and looking for your next favorite ingredient. And the commitment to our conversation with you is stronger than ever. We’re still us, just with a bit more style. Now that you know what we’ve been up to, be sure to tell us about your creative journey too.

The post New Look, Same Love appeared first on Soap Queen.

Just take a look at all the yummy cookies! Below are Tina’s “Apple Fritter Cookies,” made with buttery shortbread and spiced apples. They were absolutely delicious, and a great spin on a traditional apple treat.

Below, Mike, Ed and Rachel look over their cookie options before diving in. Ed is obviously super excited with all delicious treats, and I don’t blame him!

These scrumptious cookies dipped in chocolate were made by Rachel and Caitlin in customer service. They went extremely fast….I’m sure you can see why =)

Below from left to right, Ryan, Haley, Austin and Rachel load up their plates with cookies. It was a blast to eat cookies and take a little break from the hustle and bustle of the season. Everybody left with at least one new cookie recipe to try out.

How fun are these colorful cake pops? Made by Haley, they are a great example of her creativity! I love how the bright purple pops against the blue. These treats may have inspired a new soapy project!

Below, Caitlin, Ryan, Rachel and Mike share a laugh while hanging out around the cookie table. It’s hard to be in a bad mood with so many sugary, delicious morels around.

In addition to swapping cookies, the office celebrated  Norm’s birthday. He has been eyeing a remote control helicopter drone for a while. He was so excited to receive it! Norm has been flown it around the warehouse several times since the party. It’s hilarious to see him so excited over his new toy.

This year, I went rogue and made a savory cookie! Okay, maybe they are technically crackers, but  it was nice to have a savory option with so much sugar around. I found the recipe in the latest issue of Martha Stewart Living, and they were a big hit! Super cheesy and a little soft, these “cookies” are like goldfish crackers for adults; so incredibly tasty.

What You’ll Need (Recipe from Martha Stewart Living):
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. course salt
2 tbs. cold, unsalted butter (cut into small pieces)
1/2 cup finely grated sharp cheddar
1/2 cup finely grated Gruyère
1/4 cup whole milk
1/4 tsp. Dijon mustard

ONE: In a bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Work in butter until a crumbly dough is formed. Add cheeses and combine.
TWO: In a separate bowl, whisk together Dijon mustard and milk. Stir into dry ingredients with a fork until dough forms. From dough into a 2 inch wide log, wrap in plastic wrap and freeze for at least one hour.
THREE: Preheat oven to 350° F. Cut log into 1/8″ rounds and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 14 to 16 minutes. Remove from the oven, and allow to cool on a wire rack. Enjoy!

What kind of cookie is your favorite during the holiday season?

Print

Cookie-palooza + Cheesy "Cookie" Recipe

These delicious cracker recipe from Martha Stewart living are perfectly snackable! The original recipe includes poppy seeds, but they have been omitted from this version.

Course Snacks

Author Martha Stewart Living

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. course salt
• 2 tbs. cold unsalted butter (cut into small pieces)
• 1/2 cup finely grated sharp cheddar
• 1/2 cup finely grated Gruyère
• 1/4 cup whole milk
• 1/4 tsp. Dijon mustard

Instructions

• In a bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Work in butter until a crumbly dough is formed. Add cheeses and combine.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together Dijon mustard and milk. Stir into dry ingredients with a fork until dough forms. From dough into a 2 inch wide log, wrap in plastic wrap and freeze for at least one hour.
• Preheat oven to 350° F. Cut log into 1/8″ rounds and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 14 to 16 minutes. Remove from the oven, and allow to cool on a wire rack. Enjoy!

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Each team member received a list for a specific person to aid their shopping.  This list included what type of items the recipient wanted, along with any sizes or personal preferences. Below, Joe and I skim the coupons for any extra savings. More savings means more presents!

Ashley in production strolls down the aisle, shopping for clothes for a few teenage girls. Each wish list included sizes for tops and pants, making clothes shopping much easier.

Lily was full of smiles as usual, and had a blast “helping” us shop. Below, Lily tries on a pair of rain boots. She is already quite the little shopper! She absconded quickly down the aisles with quite a few things she wanted to take home and had so much fun letting me chase her around to get her ‘treasures’ back.

With wish-list in hand, Katy stands by the cart ready to get shopping; below on the left, warehouse manager Mike looks for a pair of shoes for a young girl. On the bottom right, Lindsey consults her family’s wish list, who was looking for a “talking educational toy” for a 3-year-old girl.

(Left to right) Grant, Lindsey and Amber share a few laughs while shopping. The annual shopping trip is a great chance for the entire team to converse and get to know one another. During the hustle and bustle of the work week this can be difficult, so it’s a blast to get the opportunity to chat.
Ryan and Elizabeth shop for various items for their families. In addition to toys and clothes, many families were in need of kitchen gadgets, housewares and furnishings.
Below, Lily and I peruse the Christmas aisle to grab wrapping paper. On the left, Natasha, picks up a pair of adorable rain boots. On the right, Emily strolls through the kitchen department to cross items off her list.
George fills up his cart with items for a young boy. His gifts include a basketball, remote control cars and Legos. Sounds like a great Christmas morning!

Lily and Chris take a little break from shopping in the home furnishings department. Such a smiley little girl =) Jamisen stayed in the play area of the store during the shopping trip;  he had never spent time in the daycare area and had a blast playing with all the new toys. He was soooooo sad when it was time to leave.

Katie picks out a couple winter coats to ensure the kiddos stay warm this winter. Shon and Grant shop for some shoes for a young boy…how cute are those sneakers?
Take a look at that line of Brambleberrians! Luckily, Fred Meyer’s was prepared for us, and devoted a register at the end of the store for our transaction. Below on the left, is a cart filled to the brim with toys and clothes. On the right, gift cards are loaded up to provide families money for groceries.
Customer service manager Tina loads up the belt with her items, while Ari and Emily wait for their turn. Once the items were rung through, the team waited to help load up the cars with presents. Below, from left, Natasha, Grant, Amanda Kelsey, Ashley, Mike and Katy wait patiently while the remaining items are scanned.

After each group of items is ran through the register, it’s quickly bagged and labeled so the correct person gets their gifts. This is not an easy task when the items are heavy housewares, or as shown below, car seats!

Once all the items were run through the register, Fred Meyer was kind enough to give us 10% off all clothes and toys, putting the total below budget. The leftover money was used to purchase gift cards for the families to purchase food.
Then came the best (and most nerve wracking!) part of the trip…sliding the credit card!
The final receipt was huge, over five feet long! Below, our awesome cashier prints the receipt. As you can see, the receipt was taller than Caitlin in production, and almost taller than me!

After all the items were loaded in the cart, it was time to squeeze everything into carts. Austin, along with Caitlin, Ari, Emily and Tina head to the parking lot.

The shopping crew!
With bags and bags of clothes, toys and other items, Mike’s Subaru was filled to the brim with goods. We almost fit everything, but eventually needed a backup car to bring all the items to the Salvation Army. This years shopping trip was one of the best yet! Check out some shopping trips from the past here, here and here.

I’m so thankful to have such a fun group of team members that are willing to donate their time to help others. I hope all the families love their gifts, and have a fantastic Christmas morning. I also want to give a big thank you to our customers for supporting us in 2014. Your support is the reason we are able to do the annual Salvation Army shopping trip!

Do you have a favorite way to give back during the holidays? 

The post Salvation Army Shopping Extravaganza 2014 appeared first on Soap Queen.

Bramble Berrians on deck! The team enjoyed having a reserved patio section during the game. It was a great space to watch the game, and enjoy food catered by a local restaurant.
Snacks included classic summer fare such as hot dogs, pulled pork sandwiches, chips and macaroni, yum! We invite all the Bramble Berry alumni to the game as well; it’s fun to catch up with everyone. This year, Lily stayed home with dad while Jamisen and I enjoyed some one-on-one time. The past few years Jamisen has been too young to understand the game, but this year  he was fascinated with all the rules and action. Of course we took some breaks to run around and burn off some energy.
Our section was lucky to have several visits from the Bellingham Bell’s Mascot, Dinger the Bellinghamster. Below, Mike has some fun goofy around with Dinger. The mascot was a big hit, especially with Jamisen!From left to right, Mark, Viet, Stewart, George and Tylor enjoy the game, food and beverages. Because it’s difficult to get to know everybody in the company during the workday, this event is great opportunity for the warehouse, office, and family and friends to come together.
 Our accountant Linda poses for a photo with Dinger the Bellinghamster. Courtney, the Handmade Beauty Box Director, and Dinger hit it off and enjoyed an impromptu dance party!
Right to left, Kris, Brittany, Tina and I share a laugh. It’s always a nice change of pace to get out of the office and discuss non-work related topics!
We can’t wait until next summer’s Bellingham Bell’s baseball game! It was an awesome evening full of good food, warm weather and amazing company.

What is your favorite outside summer sport? Or, are you ready for football? The state of Washington certainly is #12thMan

The post Bellingham Bells Baseball Game Fun! appeared first on Soap Queen.

About a month ago, the Soap Guild Conference and Bramble Berry gave a special gift to attendees. Every conference-goer got a mini-cold process kit that included our brand new 4″ silicone loaf mold and various colorants & scents. You can check out the full tutorials and ingredients here. We didn’t want you to miss out on all the fun, so we made it available for everyone!

Soap Guild Cold Process Kit

Who doesn’t love new stick blenders (now available in green and white), as well as a brand new smokin’ hot stand mixer that comes with an awesome 5 quart glass bowl. Looking for just the bowl on its own? We’ve got you covered there too! These mixing bowls are great for large soap batches, and they even give you enough room to do a generously sized in-the-pot-swirl.

Top Row: Stand Mixer with 5 Quart Glass Bowl & 5 Quart Glass Mixing Bowl with Lid

Bottom Row: Green Stick Blender & White Stick Blender

Trying new molds is one of the best parts of soaping, and there’s almost a dozen new ones for you to experiment with. Experiment with the Pirate Mold for a fun summer party for example, or the 4″ silicone loaf mold for those recipes you’ve been dying to just try out (it holds just 18 ounces when filled to the brim, perfect for test batches). The Silicone Liner for 18 Bar Mold will save so much $$$ in time alone (no more lining that mold!).

Top Row: Guest 5 Hearts Mold, Medium 9 Ball Silicone Mold, Rounded Oatmeal Mold

Middle Row: Pirate Face Mold, Guest Lotus Mold, Tray Carved Heart Mold

Bottom Row: 4″ Silicone Loaf Mold, Large 9 Ball Silicone Mold, Silicone Liner for 18 Bar Mold

Looking for a new book to help boost your business? We’ve got ’em! Good Manufacturing Practices by Marie Gale and Efficiency in Scaling by Kendra of Amathia Soapworks are excellent for high volume soapmakers who want to streamline their processes. Our very own Kathryn Hackney also wrote the Cold Process Colorant Master Class for those of you looking to hone your soap coloring skills.

Top Row: Craft, Inc. Revised Edition, Craft Inc. Business Planner, Good Manufacturing Practices

Middle Row: Chick Days, Small Business Accounting Simplified, Branding Basics for Small Businesses

Bottom Row: Soapmaker’s Handy Reference Guide, E-Book Cold Process Colorant Master Class, E-Book Efficiency in Scaling

The newest issue of Let’s Get Soapy from Soapylove is now available. Neon colorants and geometric patterns are all the rage right now,  and the tutorials are perfect for fun summer projects. The magazine comes with a set of color blocks, sent to your house, to get you started on your perfect neon soap tutorial.

 Soapylove E-Zine Neon Kit

These downloadable cards add a great finishing touch to any Father’s Day, Mother’s Day and Valentine’s Day bath & body products.

4th of July Day Cards Digital Download, Mother’s Day Cards Download & Valentine’s Day Cards Download

We’ve also introduced a triple-threat of new oils. Get ready to soap with Argan, Canola and Chia Seed Oil! These lightweight oils will add that extra touch of skin-loving goodness to your cold process and balm recipes, and you’ll be wondering how you ever soaped without them.

Argan Oil, Canola Oil, & Chia Seed Oil

With a whole line of botanicals, you can try your hand at a new project — potpourri! You can also use these botanicals to infuse your oils to create all-natural colorants for your soaps. For more on how to infuse, check out this e-book.

Top Row: Cloves (Whole), Cinnamon Sticks, Juniper Berries (Whole)

Bottom Row: Rose Hips (Whole), Cedarwood Chips, Orange Peel (Ribbon Cut)

Never made potpourri before? Try Nature Fix, the ultimate fixative to make the scent of your sachets last longer. It is a great alternative to other fixatives like benzoin and orris root which have been known to increase skin sensitivity and cause an allergic reaction.

Nature Fix

You’ve been asking and we finally got them back in — plastic bail jars in both the 4 and 8 ounce sizes.  These jars are great for bath bombs, scrubs, salts, and more. Let us know what you use them for on Bramble Berry’s Facebook page!

4 oz Plastic Bail Jar & Short 8 oz Plastic Bail Jar

If you need another all natural colorant, these Cambrian Clays perform beautifully in cold process soaps. They come pre-dispersed so you can add them to your batch without having to worry about cracking, accelerating trace or separation.

Cambrian Blue Clay (wet) & Cambrian Yellow Clay (wet)

Cera Bellina Wax is natural derivative of beeswax and will give any lip balm, lotion bar or emulsion and nice smooth and luxurious texture. Try using the wax in the Tutorial for Everything Balm or the Lotion Bar Love tutorial to feel the difference for yourself.

 Cera Bellina Wax

We have a surplus of Olive Oil Melt & Pour and we wanted to share it with you! Our Olive Oil Melt & Pour Base is super gentle and provides a deep, creamy lather. If lotions are more your thing, we’ve also included an Aloe Lotion Base.

Surplus Olive Oil Melt & Pour Base

After weeks of testing by members of our S.O.A.P. Team, we finally revealed the winners. Check out this blog post for more info, and welcome Tart Apple, Shave and a Haircut and Spring Meadow Fragrance Oils to our fragrance family. And because we love new scents so much, we’re also introducing Cucumber Oak Fragrance and Green Tea & Cucumber Fragrance Oil, as well as our newest essential oil, Red Brazilian Mandarin. If you lean more toward lip balms, we’ve brought back a reformulated  Coconut Flavor Oil, and added a Winter Clementine Flavor Oil.

Have you tried any of Bramble Berry’s new products? If so, let me know in the comments what you thought, how you used it, and what you’d like to try next!

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