Christmas Archives - Page 6 of 8

2009 Stocking Stuffer: Lotion

November 30, 2009 Filed Under: Bath & Body Tutorials, Lotion

Did you get your 2009 Stocking Stuffer Kit yet? Yes, it comes with the label template to print out the labels below on your own printer. Make professional-looking candles, lotions and salt scrubs for your friends, family and co-workers and it couldn’t be easier! The hardest part will be choosing between our Sweet Kit and our Spice Kit. Check out the Tuesday’s post with the salt scrub recipe and Wednesday’s post with the candle recipe.

This lotion is easy to make as-is but our tips will make it even easier. To start, pour 16 oz. of Beeswax Lotion Base into a large plastic baggie and drop in 2 ml of Fragrance Oil. You have to really shake the bottle to get all the lotion out but even then, some is left in the bottle no matter how hard you shake. Seal the plastic baggie and mush it around with your hands to combine the ingredients. Once fully incorporated, snip off a small (small!) corner of the plastic bag and squeeze the lotion into the containers. Cap ‘em, label ‘em and give ‘em away!

Tip: If you want to split up the 2 fragrances between your lotion, just add 1 ml of fragrance oil to 8 ounces of lotion like we did. Works like a charm!

Free Christmas Labels!

November 22, 2009 Filed Under: Bramble Berry News

Are you a Bramble Berry newsletter subscriber? If not, sign up HERE. Don’t miss out on FREE holiday labels available to newsletter subscribers only. The newsletter goes out early Tuesday morning so sign up and confirm your free subscription so you don’t miss the boat!

If the spam filter eats up your newsletter on Tuesday morning, toss me an email at info (at) brambleberry (dot) com and I’ll forward you my copy. I wouldn’t want you to miss out on the super cute holiday labels we designed for you.

Christmas Tags – Don’t Throw ‘Em Away!

November 12, 2009 Filed Under: Melt & Pour Soap

What do you do with all of your Christmas tags? We like to use ours!

Ingredients
Clear Soap Base
Brownie Pan Tray Mold
Liquid Green
Yellow Mica
Iridescent glitter
Merlot Mica
Red Blue Mica
Kumquat Fragrance Oil
Microwave safe container
Cutting board
Freezer or wax paper
Craft knife (exacto)
Cookie cutters (optional)

ONE: Melt 8 oz clear melt and pour soap base. For a fun lime green color, add 4 drops of Liquid Green and 1 mini scoop of Yellow Mica and mix well. Then, for an extra special touch, add 3 scoops of iridescent glitter.

TWO: Once the colors are fully mixed in, add your favorite Christmas fragrance oil. We chose Kumquat. What? You don’t get kumquats in your stocking?

THREE: Pour the soap into a brownie pan mold and let cool (approximately 20-30 minutes).

FOUR: Remove the cooled soap from the mold and place on a cutting board.

FIVE: You can use a cookie cutter or use your craft knife to cut out Christmas tag shape. Get creative and remember they don’t have to be perfect. Once you have your Christmas tag, cut out a letter or object in the middle either by hand or with a cookie cutter. Depending on the size, you should be able to get 6-8 tags out of one sheet.

SIX: For an authentic Christmas tag detail, use a straw to cut out a hole at the top for the ribbon. Use your finger to smooth out the edges of the soap.

Tip: If you decide to use a cookie cutter, just smooth out the edges of the soap with your finger when you’re done. My cookie cutters didn’t leave me with the smoothest edges. Yours might be better than mine.

SEVEN: Melt 3 ounces of clear melt and pour and add 3 mini scoops of Red Blue Mica and 1 mini scoop of Merlot Mica. This is my favorite combination for an awesome hot pink color. We’ll be using this color to fill in our letters.

EIGHT: On a flat surface, place your soap on top of your smoothed out freezer paper or saran wrap. Firmly press the soap so that it sticks to the freezer paper. We’ll be pouring soap into the center and we don’t want it to leak.

NINE: Spritz the green soap with rubbing alcohol and fill in the hole with the hot pink soap. Spritz again with alcohol to get rid of any air bubbles. If you go outside the lines don’t panic, just use a scraper tool to scrape off the soap once it has hardened.

Stop Me Before I Buy Again

November 7, 2009 Filed Under: Personal Ramblings

It’s a rainy day here in Bellingham, Washington but even with the rain, it’s been an exciting morning. It started early with a meeting at Bramble Berry with a contractor to talk about adding on to the Bramble Berry warehouse. We’re going to move forward with a designer next week and see if our dreams of building on to our existing building become a reality. We all have our fingers crossed. I’ll be sure to keep you all posted if we really do start to build (eventually!).

Since it’s raining, this afternoon I’ve been stuck inside with a hot drink, in comfy clothes and shopping on Etsy. It’s been a lovely way to pass the afternoon. My love of letterpress borderlines on obsessive (previous purchases here, here, here, here, here, here, here and our wedding invitations were letterpressed as well) and matches up to my sincere feelings that snail-mail notes are the best way to make an impression.

I purchased the above letterpress cards today by SweetBeets, Ave9River, and LuckyBeePress. I’m excited to send these beautiful missives out into the world and only wish they were here today because a rain day is a perfect excuse to stay inside and write thank-you-cards.

Soap Queen TV: Holiday Candle Travel Tins

November 5, 2009 Filed Under: Home Crafts

Grab some hot cocoa, get comfortable and prepare yourself for some candle making fun! In the final episode of my Holiday Series I show you how to make cute little travel candles perfect for the gift giving season.

When filming this episode I tried to include as much helpful information as possible, which resulted in a nearly 13 minute long video (hence the get comfy recommendation). I demonstrate how to use our liquid candle dyes and wax dye blocks as well as show many common candle problems and how to fix them. Although I mention it in the video, I really want to emphasize how important it is to use heat safe containers both for your mixing container and for the final candle container. I love keeping a few of these travel candles on hand for last minute hostess gifts or ‘just because’ gifts to give through out the Holidays.

Download the free PDF label template here to print out and make labels just like the ones in the video.

Soap Queen TV Special Edition: Holiday Travel Candles from Soap Queen on Vimeo.

To make 4 candles you will need:
16 oz Soy Container Wax (C-3)
1 oz Cinnamon Stick Candle Fragrance
Few drops Hunter Green Liquid Candle Dye
or a few shavings of Red Wax Dye Block
4 Candle Tins
4 WU-250 wicks
8 Pencils
Double Boiler
Heat Safe Container

Chocolate Milk Soap

November 2, 2009 Filed Under: Bramble Berry News

SoapyLove’s latest E-Zine with instructions on how to make all kinds of great projects is available for sale here.

My favorite project from the issue is the Chocolate Milk Soap. You’ll be enchanted with the new techniques she used to make the white ‘cup’.

Mmmm…Caramels…

September 15, 2009 Filed Under: Business Musings

Last Monday, my girlfriends and I started the Fat Flush Plan by Ann Louise Gittleman. We’re doing a two week liver detox that consists of lean protein, fruit, cranberry water and lots of veggies and greens (no alcohol, no coffee, no flour, no dairy among other delicious food categories). Yum, yum (cough, cough)! It’s an extreme and rigorous two weeks but in the end, my liver will be clean as a whistle. Thank goodness for my girlfriends though; I don’t think I would have lasted one day on my own.

In anticipation for our last day of the diet (which is next Sunday the 20th- not that I’ve been counting), I bought these decadent Honeyed Lemon and Tarragon Fleur de Sel Caramels from La Bella Caramella.

Did I mention I’m getting a 1/2 pound box? Yes, I will be sharing with the other liver detox troopers. These will be a perfect (small) treat for after our celebratory salmon dinner on Sunday to rejoice that our 14 days of Liver Detox is over, and yes, feel proud of ourselves for sticking to it in spite of numerous opportunities to fall off the wagon. Hopefully this will help bring us back to normal eating in the real world. Whether or not they help usher in our new and improved eating habits, they will taste delicious! Five days until Caramels & Carbs …

Spoon Sister Finds

May 3, 2009 Filed Under: Personal Ramblings

If you’re anything like me, you’ll agree when I say that duct tape fixes everything! With this “designer” duct tape, you’ll not only be able to fix things but you’ll be able to fix things with style!

Next on my want list are the Graffiti T-Shirts. These just seem like such a fun party activity. Yes, I know these are for kids, but don’t I deserve to have a little fun too? I could totally get creative with these!

Gotta love Spoon Sisters

Merry Christmas

December 25, 2008 Filed Under: Personal Ramblings

Merry Christmas from our family to yours. May your holiday be filled with the joys and laughter of the season.

Christmas Makes the Best Soap

December 24, 2008 Filed Under: Personal Ramblings

Merry Christmas Eve! I’m snug in Olympia, Washington with my family and rejoicing in the family-togetherness joys of the season. My Dad went through a “Top Christmas Movies of All Time” list and rented quite a lot of them so we’re on a game playing, DVD watching spree – complete with homemade peppermint-filled shortbread and caramel and nut shortbread cookies. We’ll need to be rolled out of this home after Christmas and have a little more togetherness by going on a family diet.

In the meantime, before all the calorie-laden gaiety ends, check out these great Christmas Soap finds:

Vegan cold process Holiday Mint soap by Layla for $4

Handpainted soap by PaintedKreations for $4
Felted Christmas Soap by PoofNoggin for $10

Coal Soap from SunBasilGarden for $5

Yuzu Naughty Soap by Grumpy Girl for $2.95

Cranberry Bounty Essential Oil Soap by Crowley Manor for $5

Holiday Balsam Pine soap by LaveMeSoap for $5.40

Remember, handmade soap always is a welcome and perfect gift for anyone and any occasion, especially Christmas.

Money Soap for Last Minute Gifts

December 19, 2008 Filed Under: Melt & Pour Soap

A bribery idea – Trying to get your kids to wash their hands more? In this project we put a dollar bill in a lip balm container then embedded it in a bar of soap. Once the soap is all used up you get the dollar that has been safely stashed in the lip balm pot. This is a perfect last minute Christmas Gift or Stocking Stuffer. No more hastily shoved dollars in cards – instead, make this easy soap to give any amount of money (or jewelry or secret messages) and reap the rewards when your child can’t wait for bathtime!

What you will need:

Clear Melt and Pour
Clear Lip Balm Pot
Money
Rubbing Alcohol in spritzer
Fragrance
Mold

Instructions
1. Cut melt and pour soap into 1” cubes and put into microwave safe container (about 5oz should be enough for one bar). Cover with saran wrap and microwave for 30 second intervals until soap is melted. Stir in the fragrance oil at approximately .25 – .5 ounces per pound of soap (new to melt and pour? Click here to be taken to TeachSoap for basic instructions).

2. Pour the clear soap into your mold until the cavity is about 1/3 of the way full and spritz the soap with alcohol to get rid of any floating bubbles

3. Get your closed lip pot container w/ the note or money folded up inside and spray it on all sides with the alcohol and set it down into the melted soap base and give the whole bar one more spray to make sure there are no pesky little bubbles.

4. Let the soap sit for a few minutes until there is a skin on top that is semi-stiff when touched. Then take the rest of the melt and pour soap (pop back in the microwave if needed) and add your color, stir until color is mixed through. Then spritz the top of bar of soap with your alcohol.

5. Make sure that your colored melt and pour is not too hot (it is not steaming and you can comfortably press and hold your hand against the bottom of the container) then pour the colored melt and pour over the bar of soap, filling the mold up the rest of the way and give the bar one final spray to pop any bubbles.

6. Let your bar sit and harden for a few hours before removing (the longer you wait the easier it will be to remove from the mold). Wrap with saran wrap and prepare to amaze and delight the recipient of the Hidden Monday soap.

Voila! You have a nice bar of soap with a fun hidden surprise inside!

Cost Analysis for Mistletoe Soap

December 16, 2008 Filed Under: Bramble Berry News

I just did the cost analysis for this fun Mistletoe Soap project (here, here and here). If you own the molds already (jelly roll pan and basic shape), it’s only $1.46 for each 5 ounce bar *including the colors, glitter, fragrance and ribbon*!

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.

Mistletoe Soap – Part Three – The Berries

December 12, 2008 Filed Under: Melt & Pour Soap

In the first part of this project, we worked on making and embedding the mistletoe leaves and in the second part, I showed you how to finish the soap with a ribbon for hanging.

Here are some alternatives and including how to add berries (just in case the plain green leaves aren’t good enough for you!).

In the example to the right, we just pierced a hole in the ends of three cut-out soap leaves with an embroidery needle. Then we threaded them on a piece of red embroidery floss and tied a knot to keep them in place. Don’t tie your knot too tight or the string can break through the soap.

Hang this up in your doorways for the ultimate conversation starter and room deodorizer.

To add little white Mistletoe berries, melt a few ounces of clear melt and pour soap and add Pearly White mica. Using a dropper, make little groups of three dots of soap in the base of the brownie pan.

Once they’ve set-up (which will only take seconds), spritz with rubbing alcohol and pour your your green soap as directed in step 1. Just be extra careful that your soap isn’t too hot or else you’ll melt all of your little dots. The ideal temperature is around 120 degrees for most of the Bramble Berry melt and pour bases.

You can also add little berry dots using this technique right before you embed the leaves in your mold (do this before step 4). The image at the top of the first mistletoe post is an example of this technique.

And finally, you can use some of your home made soap paint to add little berry dots. Instructions for making soap paint can be found here.

There are lots of options for making your home look and smell good with soap for the holidays. I hope you enjoyed this three part tutorial on making Mistletoe Soap.