New items at Bramble Berry!
Emulsifying Wax (generic – lower price point than name brand)
I’ve had a super fun weekend so far (holiday parties, college football games and soapmaking!) and hope you are as well.
Catching Up on the News
Soaps of Christmas Past
Christmas is four weeks away. EEEEK! It’s time to get started on your Christmas Projects!
Check out some of our holiday favorites!
Other Holiday Favorites
Snowflake Soap TutorialRemember, nothing says “I thought of you” like handmade. =)
Key Lime Pudding Filled Cupcakes (Recipe)
Ever since Bramble Berry was a wee thing, I’ve celebrated employees’ Bramble’versaries by baking something that they would like. Some things are a hit (Choco Salted Caramel Beer Cupcakes), some things were just a ‘nice attempt’ (Bacon Caramel Cupcakes). In this case, Kelsei has been with Bramble Berry for a year as a fulltime Puller. This means that she walks up to 3 miles a day in our warehouse pulling your orders. Her favorite dessert is Key Lime Pie so I decided to make a Key Lime Cupcake (which falls strongly into the ‘Hit’ category).
This recipe is a bit complicated but totally worth it. There are graham crackers ground up into the cupcake batter and a key lime pie filling swirled in throughout the cupcake. If that’s not enough craziness in a cupcake, you pop the cupcake tops off and fill them with a lime pudding! Whooosh!
Makes 30+ cupcakes.
Step 1 – Make the Cupcake Batter
•1/2 Cup butter (room temperature)
•1 Cup sugar
•3 eggs
•1 Cup milk
•1 Cup flour
•1 1/2 Cup graham cracker crumbs
•1 tsp baking soda
•1 tsp baking powder
•1/8 tsp salt
•5 egg yolks
•14oz sweetened condensed milk
•1/2 Cup lime or key lime juice
Preheat your oven to 350; line your cupcake pans with cupcake liners.
Beat the butter until creamy (about 30 seconds). Add the sugar and mix for approximately three minutes until it is lighter and more fluffy. Add the eggs and mix on medium for an additional 3 minutes.
Grind the graham crackers up into tiny bits (they’re headed into the batter). I used a food processor but you could smoosh ’em with a rolling pin or a meat masher thingy.
Sift the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt) if you’re really into absolute precision baking. I’m not (I figure this much sugar and butter in a recipe is enough to make anyone overlook a few mini lumps).
Add a bit of this into the butter mixture, mix up, add some milk, add some more dry, add some milk and keep this up until it’s all in there. Mix until it’s all combined.
Now it’s time to make the traditional tart and amazing Key Lime filling (yum yum!). In a separate bowl, mix the egg yolks (only the yolks!), sweetened condensed milk and lime juice. Whip this. It gets to be a beautiful pudding like consistency.
Add this Key Lime filing into the graham batter and stir just a bit. You don’t want to mix in the Key Lime filling all the way. You’ll want chunks of it throughout your cupcake.
Fill your cupcake liners up about 2/3 full. These cupcakes don’t puff out like a normal cupcake. They sort of end up a bit like a sponge cake. Be sure to that each cupcake as a good mix of Key Lime pie filling and graham cracker cupcake batter.
Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full. Make sure each liner has a nice distribution of key lime liquid and graham clumps. Bake at 350 for approximately 20 minutes or until you can put a knife or knitting needle into the cupcake and it comes out clean.
Step Two – Lime Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe
•8 oz package of cream cheese (room temperature)
•1/4 Cup butter (room temperature)
•4 Cup powdered sugar
•1 tsp lime extract
(True Confessions: I couldn’t find Lime Extract but I did find Lime Juice so I used that instead)
Mix the cream cheese and butter. Whip in the powdered sugar and lime extract/juice. Take a huge finger swipe. Isn’t that good?
Step Three – Filling
1box (4-serving size) Lime instant pudding and pie filling mix
1 1/2 Cups whipping cream
1/4 Cup Key lime or regular lime juice
4drops green food color
1 1/2 Cups powdered sugar
Make the pudding mix; whip in everything else and get ready to fill your cupcakes.
You’re almost done! Almost there! Just take a knife and carve out a little upside down rounded triangle out of your cupcake. Cut the ‘point’ off the cupcake. Eat it. Isn’t that insanely yummy? Now, fill up a baggie with your Filling. Cut off a very small tip. You want to be able to control the flow. Fill up the cupcake holes.
Then top the filling with your little cupcake hats.
Now, you’re ready to frost. Fill up a baggie with all of your frosting and snip a teensy tip off the frosting bag and frost your cupakes in a circular fashion.
Are they all frosted? Have a bite. You’ve earned it.
What is a Fragrance Oil Made Of?
Q: What exactly is a fragrance oil made out of? I went to buy some today and noticed there was no ingredients listed.
A: Fragrance Oils do not have full ingredient disclosure; they fall under ‘Trade Secret’ status with the FDA and so simply putting “Fragrance” on an ingredient list will suffice.
There are over 3500 materials (aroma chemicals, essential oils and essential oil components) that are approved for use in fragrance oils. Fragrance oils are not policed by the FDA; rather, they are a self-regulated body. Each individual ingredient is tested for things such as irritation, solvency, absorption, to physical characteristics like flash point, specific gravity, and flammability as well as more serious things, such as carcinogenic indicators etc… Once an ingredient is fully tested, the results are published in a peer-reviewed journal. A group called ‘RIFM’ performs all the tests (RIFM stands for Research Institute for Fragrance Materials).
The International Fragrance Association (IFRA) is an international organization that represents fragrance manufacturers. IFRA takes the data and reports from RIFM, evaluates it and publishes guidelines for usage. IFRA will make recommendations for which raw materials are safe to use in fragrance oils; often, what is safe for potpourri will not be safe for the skin. Your supplier should follow IFRA’s guidelines and use only RIFM approved materials in their fragrance oils. Of course, Bramble Berry follows IFRA’s guidelines and uses only RIFM approved materials in our fragrance oils. =)
Curious to learn more about safety, sustainability and the technical details behind fragrance oils? Chemist Stephen Herman has a great article that he wrote for Perfumer & Flavorist that you can read here.
Curious to learn more about safety, sustainability and the technical details behind fragrance oils? Chemist Stephen Herman has a great article that he wrote for Perfumer & Flavorist that you can read here.
Orange You Glad? New SoapQueen.TV Episode!
Here’s another fun project perfect for the holidays on Soap Queen TV!
In this episode I share how to make Orange Slices, which you may remember from this series of blog posts I did in 2008. Using our Orange Spice Fragrance Oil, this project has been transformed into a wonderful Holiday treat.
Orange Slice Soaps from Soap Queen on Vimeo.
Ingredients:
Jute Bags (optional)
Click here to add everything for this project to your Bramble Berry shopping cart (you can always add or remove items before checking out)
Other tools you’ll need:
Heat safe container for melting soap
Microwave (or a double boiler)
Spoon or stirring implement
Spray bottle with Rubbing alcohol
Knife or soap cutter
Note: The Orange Mica has since been discontinued at Bramble Berry, but you can use the brand new Perfect Orange Color Block to get a similar color! Try it and other color blocks out here.
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!
Dressing and Soaping Green
I was super impressed with my order from Dress Green on Etsy. So, of course, I have to give the creator, Lauren, a soapy shout out. I love everything especially my Tricky Lip Lush and CP Soaps (Cocoa Addict and Cucumber & Guava). Her packaging was darling, her branding consistent and she even stuck in a couple of samples for me. I also ordered Fresh Start Skin Serum and Grapefruit Bergamot Body Cream. Yum! Thanks Lauren!
Here’s a little more Lauren and Dress Green. Enjoy!
Anne-Marie: Tell us a little bit about yourself. What keeps you busy when you’re not making soap?
Lauren: My name is Lauren and I’m currently living in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Although I’m a native Michigander, I just recently moved back after spending the last few years exploring various other states and areas including Washington, Oregon, Arkansas, and Panamá.
It’s rare that I get out of my work studio, but when I do, I can usually be found spending time with my partner, Justin, and our pup, Porthos; on a hiking trail; at a great local brewery; sitting in my backyard with a cup of coffee (and even better if there’s chocolate involved too); or just reading in a corner. Oh and I’m also now found at the local community college taking classes in my *spare* time (this semester is Chemistry).
Anne-Marie: What inspires your recipes? Do you follow trends? Listen to your customers?
Lauren: My background is in mechanical engineering and industrial design, and my interests have always tended toward product design. I love combining the practical, problem-solving aspects of engineering with the aesthetic, user-focused aspects of design. These two worlds come together perfectly, allowing me to create all facets of my line – from the product ‘designs’ (recipes) to the packaging and labeling solutions.
I try to keep the focus of DressGreen products on not only effectiveness, but also user enjoyment. And I always try to choose sustainably-sourced and organic ingredients when available. Most every product I make is inspired by either a personal need I have had, or by a request from a friend, family member, or customer. I like to hear (and really do listen to) feedback, and always appreciate thoughts on new products people would like to see in the line.
Anne-Marie: What’s your favorite product (that you make or sell)?
Lauren: My facial care products! I can’t begin to describe how my skin used to freak out at most commercial products before I started the DressGreen line. It has been such a relief to have products that not only keep my skin from reacting negatively, but actually keep it healthy. Staples in my bathroom cabinet are the Calming & Clarifying Facial Cream, unDressed Facial soap, Toning & Clarifying Facial Serum, and Delicate Toner.
Anne-Marie: What’s your favorite fragrance?
Lauren: Hands down my Grapefruit Bergamot blend. I’ve literally been using this same scent for my body cream for years now, and still haven’t gotten the least bit bored with it.
Anne-Marie: Oh I agree. The Grapefruit Bergamot is fabulous. I’m so glad that I ordered the Body Cream! And I am loving the Fresh Start Facial Serum. I’m even using it on my belly to maybe stave on stretch marks. Thanks again, Lauren for the fabulous products!
Shopping. Planning. Shopping.
We’re hard at work planning our Summer 2011 line. Our Spring 2011 line has been determined (thanks S.O.A.P. panel!) and will be announced soon. One of the ways I work to plan future seasons is by reading a ton of magazines, walking the mall (color trend, scent trends, bottle shapes and sizes all play into that) and buying from a bunch of different vendors to see what they are making (what they’re trending towards, are they making traditional products with a twist, what colors seem to be hot, what new ingredients have caught their eye). So, lucky me, it’s part of my quarterly job to seek out cool bath and body products to buy and yes, use.
My first purchase yesterday was from Angel Face Botanicals out of Portland, Oregon.
Then I went over to Nature’s Art and grabbed some all natural toothpaste that I had my eye on. And, since you can’t just buy one thing, I tossed a couple other things into my cart.
I also ordered from LUSH to see what’s going on in their trendy world (I am looking forward to trying their solid conditioner). I can’t wait to use the products, be inspired and get some new Shout-Out to Soapmakers Interviews up and running for you to read and get energized by.
Freeform Purple Gemstones
This project is colorful, fun and easy! It is truly a creative piece of art that takes a couple different steps and layers of soap in preparation. It’s a project of imprecise measurements with unique and random soapy shapes. The first step is to make small soaps that are swirled, cut, colored and layered. Then we embed all of those soapy pieces into a loaf mold and use the swirling, embedding and geometric techniques. Intrigued?
Get everything you need for this project with the click of a button!
Here are some suggestions for your rocky (embed) pieces...
(Leave me a comment and let me know your different techniques!)
First choose a color scheme. Having a clear color scheme really helps the final outcome look nice. I went with different shades of purple using Amethyst Purple Mica, Liquid Violet, Lavender Mica, Ultramarine Violet Oxide and Liquid Blue. I also used a little bit of Fuchsia LabColor and Super Pearly White Mica for contrast. You’ll also need 2 pounds of Clear Melt and Pour and 1 pound of White Melt and Pour.
OPTION ONE: Start off with a couple rectangle bars of purple colored soap. Cut it up in to random chunks (the more angles the better). Then embed those chunks into a different colored purple soap. Don’t worry about temperatures just make sure that you spritz the soapy chunks with rubbing alcohol before embedding.
OPTION TWO: Pour a thin layer of soap into a Silicone Brownie pan and let cool for about 10 minutes. When the soap seems to be hard but is still warm, take the soap out of the mold and tear it into small chunks with your hands. Use these pieces to embed in soap.
OPTION THREE: Try pouring two purple colors at once. Cut into uneven pieces and embed.
Fragrance Oil: I used Coconut Citrus Sorbet. Just add a little bit of fragrance oil to your first couple layers of plain purple soap (you don’t need to add fragrance to the soap that has already been scented). Then add fragrance to the layers in the loaf mold.
Keep repeating the cutting and embedding cycle until you have several different layers and colors in one hunk of soap. The more embedded soap chunks you have the better.
Then use a combination of the Geometric Soap technique, the Swirling technique and the Embedding technique to embed all of your random soap chunks into a Plastic Loaf Mold. Repeat these steps until you have a full loaf mold and let your creative juices flow layer after layer! Then let the soap cool and unmold the masterpiece.
I like to leave some soapy chunks sticking out of the top.
The key to cutting the soap is lots and lots of random angles. No two soaps will be the same, which is why I love this project. Cutting the soap is SO exciting! You’ll have a bunch of scraps left over after you cut your soap which you can use in your next batch.
Lucky Number Seven
Seven new fragrances are up on the Bramble Berry website as of RIGHT NOW! Want to try them all? Click the button below to purchase a 1 oz size of each of the new fragrances.
This fragrance smells positively edible! It’s a full bodied and smooth beer fragrance blended with Creamy Oatmeal, Orange Peel, Butterscotch, Farm-fresh Milk, Nutty Almond and Rich Vanilla. Are you salivating yet? Soaps beautifully in cold process soap and discolors to a medium brown color.
This beer scent is a favorite in the Bramble Berry warehouse. Fall in love with the magical and warm blend of Pumpkin Puree, Fresh Ginger, Crushed Nutmeg, Warm Cinnamon, Vanilla Sugar and Sparkling Rum. Behaves wonderfully in cold process soap and discolors to a dark brown.
This sweet beer type fragrance is a fruity and sweet mixture of Ripe Strawberries, Sweet Apples, Grape Concord, Sparkling Citrus, Honey and Spiced Vanilla. You’re going to LOVE this unique blend. In cold process soap it loses some of the sweet honey notes leaving you with a fresh, fruity and crisp scent. Soaps beautifully in cold process soap and discolors to a light tan color.
This fruity beer fragrance smells so crisp and clean you’ll want your whole house to smell like Raspberry Porter. It’s a fresh combination of Sun ripened Raspberry, Squeezed Lemon and a winey fruit scent with hints of Green Leaf and Rose. Behaves wonderfully in cold process soap but loses some of the sweet notes leaving you with a spicy raspberry scent. Yum! Discolors to a light tan.
If you’re a chocolate lover you’d better sit down before smelling this fragrance. It will whisk you away to another place and time. The top note is a nutty almond paired with powdered baking chocolate, creamy milk, powdered sugar and vanilla. It’s love at first sniff! Behaves beautifully in cold process soapmaking and discolors to a dark brown. Check out my soap recipe for Hot Cocoa with Marshmallows.
This fragrance is sweet, tart, fresh and delicious! Grapefruit, Lime and Orange are the top citrus notes toned down by Cranberry, Cinnamon, Jasmine and Leafy Greens. Raspberry, Musk and Vanilla are the base notes that hold it all together. Has not yet been tested in cold process soap (we’ll keep you posted).
A fruity, berry, citrusy, herbaceous type with top notes of orange blossom, grapefruit, mixed berry and lemon, middle notes of thyme, raspberry, and jasmine, with a powdery, fruity white musky base note.
Mojito Melt and Pour Soap Tutorial
I love reading each and every blog comment posted by Soap Queen Readers. Thank you for all of your input and inspiration- It really makes it fun for me! Mid July, I posted a tutorial on Watermelon Soaps and received a comment from SweetMadeSoap that she had made a delicious Mojito Soap with shades of green and white scented with Lime and Peppermint Essential oils. I just had to give the Mojito soap a try (as my mouth started watering just reading the comment). And the results are in…
Ingredients
White Melt and Pour (optional)
Scalloped Round Mold (discontinued)
NOTE: The Scalloped Round Mold shown in this tutorial has been discontinued. This kit now contains the Round Mold.
Glossy Silicone Tray Mold
NOTE: The Scalloped Round Mold shown in this tutorial has been discontinued. This kit now contains the Round Mold.
Glossy Silicone Tray Mold
Get everything you need for this project by clicking the ‘Buy It Now’ icon below.
You’ll also need cookie cutters and a sharp knife to cut out ice cubes and mint leaves.
Mint Leaves: For my dark colored mint leaves, I used clear melt and pour mixed with Liquid Green Colorant and a sprinkle of Yellow Mica. Then I poured a thin layer into a brownie pan tray mold. Once it cooled, I used my mini leaf cookie cutter to cut out the leaves. Try adding a little bit of white soap base to the mix if you want a lighter mint color. As you can see, I did both!
Ice Cubes: For my ice cube color, I used clear melt and pour soap base with 1/2 drop of Brilliant Blue Labcolor, and a sprinkle of Aqua Pearl Mica. You can either pour a layer (1/2 inch thick) into a tray mold and cut your cubes by hand our use a flexible ice cube mold. Either way will work.
Essential Oils: Since Peppermint Essential Oil is pretty strong, I used 1 part Peppermint Essential Oil to 3 parts Lime Essential Oil. It really does smell delicious and refreshing. Trust me, you’re going to love this blend!
Assembly: Pour a thin layer of clear melt and pour (that has cooled to 130 degrees) into your scalloped round soap mold. Spritz four mint leaves and add them to the soap base. Then add another thin layer of clear melt and pour. Spritz three or four ice cubes with rubbing alcohol and add them to the soap, on top of the mint leaves. Then start the random assembly. Add more mint leaves and ice cubes until the mold is full and you have mint and ice sticking out everywhere. Repeat with the other cavities and remember that they’re not all going to be the same. There are no two Mojito Soaps alike (in my experience).
Has anyone else made Mojito Soap? I would love to hear about them!
Red White and Blue Massage Bars
My brother, Erik (from ELF Industrial, Otion and The Soap King blog), designed 2 massage soap molds: The Round Massage Mold and the Oval Massage Mold. They have been a huge hit so far so I thought I would do a last minute 4th of July project with them. This project literally took me 10 minutes, it couldn’t have been easier. Give it a try!
Ingredients for the soaps pictured above
.25 oz. Coconut Citrus Sorbet
Grab everything you need for this project by clicking HERE!
ONE: Melt 1 ounce of white melt and pour in the microwave and use a dropper to fill in the dots. Let cool for about 5 minutes.
TWO: Melt 11 ounces of clear soap base in the microwave and add .25 ounces of your favorite summertime fragrance oil (I used Coconut Citrus Sorbet). Mix well and separate the soap into two separate containers. Color one container of melted soap with Liquid Blue and the other with Perfect Red Color Block. Mix both colors well.
THREE: Once the melted blue soap has cooled to 125 degrees, spray the first layer of white soap with rubbing alcohol and fill up two cavities with the blue soap. Spritz with the rubbing alcohol to get rid of any air bubbles and repeat with the melted red soap. Let cool for 4-6 hours.
Try different variations using the Round Massage Mold with different layers and fragrances. And be sure to check out other Red, White and Blue Projects: Embedded Stars, Solid Bath Sugar Cubes, Pinwheels, American Flag Soap, President’s Day Soap.
Eco Chic Candles
Get back to the basics by using natural products like Bramble Berry’s new Naturewax. It is skin safe, 100% vegetable based and made from soy which is an environmentally friendly renewable resource. Reuse your old canning jars, mason jars or baby food containers for a variety of eco-friendly container candles.
Eco-Friendly Candle Ingredients:
16 oz Naturewax
Glass Baby Food Containers
1 oz Orange Essential Oil
1 oz Lime Essential Oil
Spoons
10 pencils (optional)
ONE: Melt the Naturewax wax in the microwave in a heat safe container. Make sure to melt it in 1 minute bursts, stirring in between with a spoon. Normally we recommend a double boiler for wax melting but his particular wax has a melt point of 125°F so it melts nicely in the microwave. Also, for paraffin based waxes, I always recommend specialty candle containers. Again, because of the super low melt point, they are not needed for this Naturewax based project. For more tips on candle making, check out the Soap Queen TV Episode on Travel Candles.
TWO: Fill one jar with melted wax, leaving at least 1/2″ from the top of the jar. Mix in your essential oil blend (we used 5 ml Orange EO, 4 ml Grapefruit EO, 3 ml Lime EO). Blend well. Note: we used a 4 oz. baby food jar and found it held 3.2 oz. (by weight) of Soy Wax.
THREE: Dip the base of the wick into the melted wax and center on the bottom of the container.
TIP: If you’re having problems with leaning wicks, make sure that your wick can stand on “dry land” before putting it in your wax, bending the wick if necessary. Once the wick is centered in the candle, place 2 pencils horizontally on the jar on each side of the wick. This will give the wick a little support as you pour the wax and the candle cools.
FOUR: Repeat steps two and three and let cool for 4 to 6 hours. Trim the wicks to 1/4″, light the candle, and enjoy.
Customize this project with the resources that you have available. Let us know how your eco candles turned out!
Mother’s Day Bath Tea
Mother’s Day is coming up (and coming up quick!). This is an easy project for you to make with kids too (eh hem, Dads…). Let mom relax this mother’s day with herbal infused bath time. I have two fabulous recipes to pick from that are both relaxing and moisturizing. Your mom deserves it (I know my mom does)!
RECIPE ONE: Healing Orange Bath Tea
1/4 cup Chamomile Herb
1/4 cup Calendula Herb
8 mini scoops of Orange Peel Powder
3 ml Vitamin E Oil
6 ml Orange ValenciaEssential Oil
Small mixing bowl
Iron
ONE: In your small mixing bowl, combine the Chamomile, Calendula, Orange Peel Powder, Vitamin E Oil and Orange Valencia Essential Oil.
TWO: Mix ingredients together so the oil is evenly distributed. Use your fingers to fill the tea bag with the herbs.
THREE: Seal the open ends of the tea bag with a hot iron.
RECIPE TWO: Relaxing Rose and Lavender Bath Tea
1/4 cup Lavender Grade One
1/4 cup Pink Moroccan Rosebuds
2 ml Vitamin E Oil
Small mixing bowl
Iron
ONE: In your small mixing bowl, combine the Lavender, Rose Petals, Vitamin E Oil and Hungarian Lavender Essential oil.
TWO: Mix ingredients together and fill the tea bag with the herbs.
THREE: Seal the open ends of the tea bag with a hot iron.
*Note: It’s normal for the oil to soak through the tea bag just a little. It’s the price we must pay for a fabulously scented and moisturizing bath. Leave the oil out of the recipe if you do not want the oil marks on the tea bag.
Neroli Gone Wild
Neroli Fragrance Oil is our choice for a fantastic orange, citrus scent that’s not too sweet but not too bitter. It’s just right. Vickie L. just posted on our Facebook Fan page today that Neroli “smells just like orange blossoms *swoon*”
Neroli Essential Oil is highly prized for its therapeutic properties including sedative, calmative and a natural sleep aid. However, this wonderful oil is very expensive in the all natural essential oil and doesn’t last very long in cold process soap. So, we created a fragrance blend that smells as close the natural thing as we could find.
This exclusive Bramble Berry fragrance blend which contains some Neroli essential oil and is strengthened with notes of Cinnamon, Dill weed, Eucalyptus and orange fragrance. The Neroli blend is green on top and its heart is a fruity citrus accord. This fragrance lasts and lasts in cold process soap and better yet, it’s more cost effective than essential oil!
Try my top five favorite blends using this fabulous fragrance oil!
3 parts Neroli, 2 parts Indian Sandalwood Cybilla