home crafts Archives

DIY Bourbon & Beeswax Candles

September 18, 2017 Filed Under: Bath & Body Tutorials, Home Crafts

Candles are particularly comforting during the fall and winter. This Bourbon & Beeswax Candle is the perfect addition to your home for autumn and beyond. It’s made with the new Kentucky Bourbon Fragrance Oil, which features notes of spicy clove, leather and oak cask.

This candle is made with yellow beeswax, which has its own natural scent. The yellow beeswax and Kentucky Bourbon Fragrance Oil smell amazing together. The end result is a rich, warm and inviting scent. If you prefer the fragrance oil on its own you can use white beeswax, which does not have a strong scent.

Because beeswax has such a high melting point, you’ll have some extra considerations when working with it. It can be melted in a double boiler or in a microwave. Just make sure your container is suitable for such high heat.

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Creating the Perfect Gift Set with Shana of BΛTHVS

February 3, 2017 Filed Under: Home Crafts, Tips & Tricks

Today, Shana of BΛTHVS is sharing her tips for creating a cohesive and thoughtful gift set. Shana is a pro when it comes to creating cohesive branding – take a look at her website and you’ll see what I mean! These gift sets would be perfect for Valentine’s Day, but Shana’s tips apply to every type of gift. If you’re a small business owner, Shana’s tips are great for putting together collections of products for customers. – A.M.

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Hello! My name is Shana and I am the owner and creator of BΛTHVS. I started with cold process soapmaking and now make a bit of everything. I enjoy the packaging process almost as much as the making process. I typically favor clear packaging so that my customers know exactly what they are getting, but the gift boxes I make are the exception. Since the customer can’t see or smell the products within, I have to make sure that every detail is visually appealing and well put together. I’m here to show you how I put together a professional, creatively curated Valentine’s Day gift box! Perhaps you can take a few of my tricks and apply them to your products for your favorite gift-giving holidays or put a spin on your general everyday packaging!

Curating the Gift Assortment

Proper curation is key when putting together anything that has a particular theme. Try to have a good idea of what you want to put together and the audience you want to please. For this Be My Valentine Gift Box, I am assuming that most recipients are going to be women and that this box would either be given to them by a partner, or by family and friends. Maybe someone would also purchase it for themselves in an act of self-pampering.

Above on the left is a photo of the final selection and packaging of products for the gift box. On the right is each product and their individual product shots – they don’t necessarily look like they should go together on their own. I chose the more romantic of the pink, passionfruit scented Candy Heart Bubble Bars and set them aside for the boxes, and I also packaged the Cacao Lip Balm in a small glassine bag with XOXO themed washi tape to tie into the theme. To me, the Cacao Lip Balm sort of represents the classic Valentine’s Day box of chocolates, so it had to be included! I packaged the Passion Rose soap like my usual soaps, and I put some shrink wrap around the Wife of Bath Bomb so it would not leave any crumbs in the gift box!

Picking the Perfect Paper

The gift wrap you choose is important, since it will be the first thing someone notices when they look at the box! I like to buy my paper from designers on Spoonflower.com. You can always find a design to fit your theme, and it is easy to reorder it when you run out! This is very important if you sell an item – if you buy your paper from a retail store, it’s unlikely that you will find it again! Shoutout to Caja Wong-Chung from caja_design on Spoonflower for her beautiful design!

Putting it All Together

We got some pink and red crinkle paper to fill in the gaps and coordinate with our Valentine’s Day theme. It also helps keep everything nice and snug so that each product is protected – if you’ve ever worked with bubble bars, you know they can be a fragile craft, and we don’t want any broken hearts, both literally and figuratively!

For the inside of the box I also throw in a business card and a detailed card stock list of what is inside with descriptions of each item. I like to also add pictures of our most photogenic items on this list. When selling in person it is useful to tuck a matching list under the ribbon on the outside of the box so that your gifter knows exactly what is in the box!

Wrap up that box and put a ribbon on it! Don’t tie it yet though, because we need to make hang tags.

I like hang tags that are nice and sturdy, so I chose heavyweight stock paper and print my label onto a sticker. I can just put the sticker directly onto the paper and cut it out. One side has the name of the box and my brand, the other side will be a nice pearlescent pink that can be written on!

Instead of just punching a hole into the tag to run the ribbon through, I like to fasten metal eyelets into the tag—it just looks nicer and has a more professional look. Tie that tag into the ribbon on your box, make a pretty bow, and you’re done!

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Hangable Valentine Soap Packaging with Tania of Soapish

February 1, 2017 Filed Under: Home Crafts, Tips & Tricks

Today, Tania of Soapish demonstrates an adorable soap packaging option for Valentine’s Day. The project shows you how to create a hangable bar that’s a great way to gift your product or display it in a retail store. Tania really went the extra mile and included a free “Cootie Catcher” printable (Get it? Soap catches the cooties! Haven’t heard that term since about 6th grade #throwback), along with a video tutorial at the bottom of the post. Be sure to check out more Soapish videos here on Tania’s YouTube channel. – A.M.

Hello! I’m Tania, creator of Soapish in Los Angeles California. I just love Valentine’s Day! Not only is it my wedding anniversary, it’s a great occasion to gift bath and body products to everyone I care about! Part of the excitement of making my own products is coming up with creative ways to wrap and package everything.

Today I’m going to demonstrate one fun way to wrap soaps for gifting. It has quite a few steps, but once you make one, you’ll see that its a pretty simple process with awesome results. Let’s get started!

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How to Make Custom Stenciled Bags with Linda O’Sullivan

January 30, 2017 Filed Under: Home Crafts, Tips & Tricks

This week, some of my favorite soapers are demonstrating unique and creative packaging ideas with Valentine’s Day flair. How a product is packaged can completely change the look and feel, and is especially important for soapers selling their products. Today, the amazingly creative Linda O’Sullivan is demonstrating a cute technique for dressing up muslin bags. I love how this technique can be customized in so many different ways! -A.M.

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Hi, I’m Linda, the soapmaker behind the Linda O’Sullivan website and the Instagram account mimi_and_boo. Today I am going to show you how to embellish muslin bags with fabric paint using a DIY custom-made stencil.

I tend to use two types of packaging for my soaps. Mostly I wrap them with pretty paper dressed with colorful ribbons. However, if I am selling at a market, I like to keep things simple by popping each soap into a muslin bag. I like the muslin bag solution for various reasons. The soap is totally protected, the packaging is minimal and re-usable – so no plastic, no wastage. And last but not least, it’s a very easy option because all you have to do is pop your soap in the bag, attach a label and you’re done!

Muslin bags are very versatile. They are like a blank canvas – you can keep things simple by just stamping them with your logo or design or you can decorate them in various other ways. I like stamping them but sometimes I prefer the brighter, more vibrant colors you can get with fabric paint. As Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, it seemed fitting to choose a Valentine’s Day theme for this project, so let’s get started.

Supplies:
Muslin Bags
Freezer paper
Heart paper punches (I have 3 different sizes)
Pieces of scrap cardstock cut to fit inside your bag
Fabric paint (pink and gold)
Artist paint brush (or a sponge dauber)
Iron

For this design, we are going to paint random little hearts all over the bag. To start, insert a piece of card in your muslin bag. This is so the paint does not bleed through to the back of the bag. Next, we are going to make our own ‘stencils’ using freezer paper. If you are good at drawing and using a craft knife, you could do it that way. I’m not, so I tend to stick to simple, easy designs!

I cut up a few small rectangular bits of freezer paper and used a heart paper puncher to punch a little heart in each bit of paper. You want your bits of paper to be big enough so that there is some space left around the punched out heart. That blank space is important because it is the bit that will stick to the bag, thus creating your stencil.

Place your heart ‘stencils’ shiny side down all over the muslin bag, making sure that the heart shapes do not overlap. Next switch your iron to medium and carefully but gently press over the freezer paper until the heat of the iron makes the shiny side of the freezer paper stick to the muslin bag. You may find it easier to do a couple first, iron over them, then do the next couple and so on.

When your stencils are fixed to the bag, use a small brush to dab fabric paint onto your heart stencils.

When you’re done, slowly remove the stencil and allow the paint to dry. Once the paint is dry, you can remove the scrap of cardboard from the bag.

Below are further examples of how I decorated my muslin bags.

Tip: If you want to do a simpler design, such as just one big heart in the middle, you can make several stencils in one go by placing several pieces of freezer on top of each other. I was able to do 5 in one go with no trouble at all.

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Can I Add Soap Fragrance to My Candle?

May 11, 2016 Filed Under: Tips & Tricks

Candles are a crowd pleaser. They fill a room with your favorite scent, and can really “set the mood” for the space. If you’re looking to create a cozy atmosphere, a spicy warm candle like the Chai Tea Latte Candle does the trick. On the flip side, the Purple Blackberry Flower Candle adds a sweet smell to the room. There is a candle for just about every occasion.

The most common candle making question I receive is, “can I add soapmaking fragrance oils to my candle?” After all, the most important property of a candle is the scent. The short answer is yes! All fragrance oils and essential oils at Bramble Berry can be used in your candle project. The small caveat is these fragrances were tested specifically for soap, and were not tested in candles. The scent may change once the candle is burned, or may not give off the best scent throw.

Soapmaking fragrance oils can be added to candle projects, but they may not have been tested for scent throw.

When using a new fragrance for candles, I strongly recommend making a small test candle first. From our tests, we know that Pineapple Cilantro and Pink Grapefruit Fragrance Oils don’t smell very good in candles. In addition to the scent changing when burned, sometimes fragrance oil can separate once the candle has cooled. It’s important to always thoroughly mix in the fragrance oil into the melted wax. And if your fragrance starts to separate, do not burn the candle. This can be dangerous, as you don’t know how the fragrance oil will behave when introduced to direct flame. If you’re making a gel candle, there are a few fragrance oils we do not recommend because of their low flashpoint. You can find that list here.

Flavor oils are fragrance oils which are safe for the lips. These fragrances are also safe to use in candles, but have not been tested and the scent may change when the candle is lit. On the flip side, if you buy a candle fragrance oil, it may not be suitable for soap or other products applied to the skin. Candle only fragrance oils are held to different (lower) standards of safety because they are not used on the body.

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DIY Wedding Favor Candles

March 10, 2016 Filed Under: Home Crafts

Making your own wedding favors can seem a little daunting, especially if you’re having a large wedding. My biggest piece of advice is to give yourself plenty of time. Crafting at the last second can be stressful. I also recommend choosing a project that suits your skill level. Wedding favors may not be the best time to try an advanced project if you’re a beginner. =)

Candles are a great favor option. They are relatively quick and easy to make, and who doesn’t love a candle? For this tutorial, I made five candles featuring two different color and scent combinations. One candle is scented with Sweet Pea Fragrance Oil and colored a light pink for a feminine option. The other is uncolored and scented with Tobacco and Bay Leaf Fragrance Oil.

The recipe and tutorial below makes ten candles total. If you need to make a lot more, you may consider melting your wax in a large sauce pot over medium-low heat. This way, you can use a larger container than what may fit in your microwave. Then, use a ladle or smaller container to pour the hot wax into each candle container to cool and harden. I recommend pouring the wax on a counter space where the candles can cool and harden without moving them. Once the hot wax is in the container, moving the candles can be tricky!

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Lavender and Fir Wax Tarts + Carpet Freshener Tutorial

January 28, 2016 Filed Under: Bath & Body Tutorials, Home Crafts

One of the best things about a clean home is a crisp, fresh scent. It’s so nice to walk into a room and smell lavender, lemon and fir. This is especially true in areas where people spend a lot of time, like the living room. Natural ingredients are perfect for freshening a room.

The Natural Carpet Refresher is made with baking soda and cornstarch, which absorb odors. The recipe also contains washing soda, which can help get rid of carpet stains. A mixture of lavender 40/42 essential oil and lemon essential oil add a relaxing citrus scent. To use, lightly sprinkle the powder on a carpet or rug, let sit for 5-10 minutes, vacuum and enjoy the pleasant aroma!

Like any cleaning product, make sure to keep it away from children and pets. You don’t want anybody walking on the rug or carpet after the product has been sprinkled on. Make sure to vacuum the powder up thoroughly – in our tests we went over the carpet twice to be extra careful. In addition, you should test a small area of your rug or carpet with the powder before covering the entire surface. The amount of essential oil in this recipe is quite small, but you want to make sure it will not leave any oil marks on your floor before using. In addition, you can download and print these free Natural Cleaning Labels to give your products a professional look.

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Natural Potpourri Squares Tutorial

January 27, 2016 Filed Under: Home Crafts

Homemade potpourri is such an easy and fun project. I love having sachets for my clothing drawers. They make my clothes smell fresh and clean. Making your own potpourri also means that you can customize your blend with any fragrance or essential oil you prefer. I love the classic scent of lavender.

For these Potpourri Squares, I filled organza bags with a mixture of salts and botanicals scented with Lavender 40/42 Essential Oil. Then, I sewed the bags to create a cute square shape. This step is optional; you can always just pull the ties on the bags to seal them but I like the extra security sewing provides; no spills! This recipe makes about 6-10 bags, but it will vary based on how full the bags are and if you choose to seal them.

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DIY Nail Polish Painted Champagne Flutes

January 6, 2016 Filed Under: Home Crafts

Making your own nail polish is a fun and easy DIY project. It’s also a really awesome party idea; last May I threw a nail polish party for a few of my friends and it was a blast. Check it out here. If you’re looking for another party activity, you can use your nail polish as paint! The Bramble Berry team and I recently created these painted champagne flutes for New Years and Valentine’s Day using homemade nail polish. It was a fun and super simple crafting session. This project can also be done with nail polish you already own.

To make these glasses, I used Q-tips to apply the nail polish directly to the glasses. Once they are painted and dried, I recommend hand washing them. I wouldn’t recommend placing these glasses in the dishwasher. The heat from the dishwasher may cause the paint to come off. We didn’t use a sealing spray, but you can if you like. I also recommend keeping the nail polish and the sealant spray toward the bottom of the glasses if you plan to drink from them. If they are just for decoration, feel free to decorate to the brim!

If you’ve never made nail polish before, it’s incredibly easy. Simply fill the bottle with the mica of your choice, then fill the bottle with Suspending Nail Polish Base. Shake until the colorant and nail polish base are completely mixed together. Then, it’s time to get painting! To see the process in action, check out this Soap Queen TV video.

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Pure Honey Beeswax Candles

November 30, 2015 Filed Under: Home Crafts

Beeswax is an amazing option for handmade candles. Not only is it natural, but beeswax smells amazing. These Pure Honey Beeswax Candles are made with the sweet and delicious Pure Honey Fragrance Oil. The combination of the fragrance and yellow beeswax creates an incredibly warm and comforting scent. We test a lot of candles here at the Bramble Berry office, and these candles wowed everyone! Just make sure to put them on a plate or other surface to catch the melting wax.

The rustic shape of these candles was created by recycling used milk cartons. Depending on the size of your container, you may need to use a different amount of wax to fill it. Just make sure the container is watertight and won’t melt from the high temperatures of the melted beeswax. If you’re looking for more ways to use recycled containers for your projects, check out the How to Recycle Your Recyclables post for more ideas.

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Make Your Own Scented Pine Cones

November 19, 2015 Filed Under: Home Crafts

During the holidays, I love to fill my home with a warm and comforting scent. Pre-children, you could always find several candles and wax tarts in my living room. =) But toddlers + open flames = nothing good. So this year, I found myself reaching for scented pine cones at a local craft store. Then it hit me…why not create scented pine cones with my own custom scent?

As it turns out, scented pine cones are extremely easy to make. All you need are pine cones, fragrance, droppers and gloves. Scented pine cones at the craft store are usually scented with cinnamon. I love making them myself because I can customize with my favorite fragrance. I scented half of these pine cones with Cinnamon Sticks Fragrance Oil for a spicy and sweet scent, and half of the pine cones with Christmas Tree Cybilla Fragrance Oil for a classic Christmas scent. They smell absolutely amazing together! Half of the pine cones are in a bowl as a centerpiece in my living room, and the other half are nestled into my tree for extra scent.

In my tests, the scent was the strongest for the first 2 weeks. After two weeks they still smelled amazing, but were not as strong. I found my pine cones during a weekend stroll, but if you live in an area where pine cones are hard to come by, you can find them online. I’m so excited that this project turned out so well. Next year, I plan on making my scented pine cones into a wreath like this one. How cute would that be? Not to mention it would smell amazing! =)

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Stocking Stuffer Ideas & Inspiration

November 18, 2015 Filed Under: Bath & Body Tutorials

I love making and giving presents for Christmas. Sure it’s fun to receive gifts, but the feeling of giving loved ones a thoughtful gift is unsurpassed. Stockings are one of my favorite ways to spread holiday cheer. Picking out the small trinkets, candies and other goodies to fill the stockings is even more fun than opening them!

I’m also a huge fan of stockings because many bath and beauty products are the perfect size. Small items such as lip balm, nail polish, eye shadow and guest soaps fit perfectly in even the smallest of stockings. When properly wrapped, scrubs, bath bombs and lotion can also fit into stockings. If you’re looking for ways to upgrade stockings for your family, kids, and friends, I’ve got you covered.

Stockings are incredibly easy to make! Click here to learn how, and get a free PDF stocking pattern here.

If you want to create your own stockings this year, they are easy to make. I’m not a master seamstress by any means, but even I could handle this cute stocking project. =) Click here to learn how to make unique stockings with felt fabric and get a free PDF stocking pattern here. Now that you’ve made your stocking, it’s time to fill it up!

Stockings are great for all ages, but kids find them especially magical. If you’re looking to create some cute stocking stuffers for the kids, the Melt & Pour Bath Crayons make bath time really fun. They are made with melt and pour soap and LabColors, and can be used to draw on the tub or shower. These Soapy Crayons are another fun spin on this project if you don’t happen to have lip balm tubes on hand. For more fun projects that kids will love to receive and make themselves, check out the Kid-Friendly Project Roundup post.

The Melt and Pour Bath Crayons are a fun stocking stuffer for the kiddos. They make baths and showers a perfect place to get creative!

Most bars of soap will fit nicely into a stocking. If you want to fill the stocking with several bars, guest soaps are the perfect size. If you’re looking for a guest soap that’s holiday themed without being too “Christmas-y,” the Chocolate Mint Melt and Pour Squares look and smell like real chocolate candies. For the mustache-d men in your life, the Movember Mustache Melt and Pour is a fun way to celebrate facial hair. If you’re looking ahead to spring, both the Monarch Butterfly Melt and Pour and the Lemon Goat Milk Melt and Pour Bars are bright and cheerful.

Top left, clockwise: Chocolate Mint Melt and Pour Squares, Lemon Goat Milk Melt and Pour Bars, Monarch Butterfly Melt and Pour, Movember Mustache Melt and Pour

When packaged correctly, bath bombs are another great stocking stuffer option. They are a great way to pamper yourself! The Orange Creamsicle Bath Truffle is made in the Disk Mold and Package. The package protects the fizzies, making it great for stockings. You could also place small bath fizzies in a jar or shiny cellophane bag before popping them into a stocking, like the Mini Heart Bath Bombs.

Left to right: Orange Creamsicle Bath Truffle, Mini Heart Bath Bombs

Another small bath and beauty product that’s perfect for stockings are lip products. If the recipient is a makeup junkie, they will love the Radiant Red Lipsticks. The lipstick gives rich red colors on the lips. Learn how to create them in the Soap Queen TV video below!

If you’re looking for lip products with a softer color, the Creamy Marsala Lip Tints and the Beautiful Bronze Lip Tint give sheer color. Both of these projects use the Nourish Lip Balm Base, with a small amount of other oils. Adding oils or butters to the base is an easy way to create a customized and unique product. If you prefer to make lip products from scratch, the How to Create Lip Products post has lots of tips and tricks.

Left to right: Creamy Marsala Lip Tints, Beautiful Bronze Lip Tint

Speaking of beauty junkies, nail polish is another great stocking stuffer for those who love nail art. The Holiday Glam Nail Polish set includes four different nail polish shades that are perfect for the holidays and beyond. The Rose Gold Cosmetic Collection includes a gorgeous pink nail polish, in addition to eye shadow and lip shimmer. Looking to pamper your nails and cuticles? The Nourishing Nail Oil Recipe is made with nourishing oils to keep nails in tip-top shape. You can also add a small amount of oils directly to the polish base, as shown in the Nourishing Nail Polish Formula Tutorial.

Top left, clockwise: Holiday Glam Nail Polish, Nourishing Nail Polish Formula, Nourishing Nail Oil Recipe, Rose Gold Cosmetic Collection

What are you filling your stockings with this year?

Easy Handmade Advent Calendar

November 10, 2015 Filed Under: Home Crafts

Have you started crafting for the holidays? They will be here before you know it, so now is the time! In particular, if you’re planning on making soap for holiday gifts…start soaping! =) Today I’m switching gears from soap to a fun DIY project that will fill your house with Christmas cheer. If you’ve never counted down the days until Christmas with an advent calendar, they are a fun way to build excitement and anticipation! In particular, kiddos love opening a small surprise everyday.

The great thing about this DIY is that it’s surprisingly easy to make. I bought a corkboard from the craft store, along with some simple red ribbon and push pins. Each muslin bag is stamped with a number to represent the days until Christmas. Then, you can fill each bag with whatever small goodies you’d like! For the kids, small candies and dollar store items are fun and cost effective. You could also give the advent calendar as a gift itself, and fill each bag with small gifts. They are so easy to customize depending on the person and their interests. =)

One thing I love about this advent calendar DIY is that it’s reusable. Many store bought calendars must be thrown away after each day is opened, but this can be used year after year. You could also remove the bags and use the cork board all year round. =)

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Silver Glitter Candle DIY

October 6, 2015 Filed Under: Home Crafts

With temperatures dropping, it’s officially candle season! I love lighting candles around my home to create a warm and cozy atmosphere. Candles are also great design elements, and these Silver Glitter Candles will add interest to any room. This project only requires painters tape, glue and glitter in addition to basic candle supplies. Simply lay down the tape in the pattern you’d like, apply glue and cover in glitter. Once dry, remove the tape to reveal a crisp and clean design.

I used Christmas Tree Cybilla Fragrance Oil for a classic holiday scent, but you can customize with any fragrance oil. The only thing to keep in mind is that while all Bramble Berry fragrance oils are safe to use in candles, not all fragrances have been tested in candles and may smell a little different when burned. I recommend making a small test candle to see what you think of the fragrance first, just to be on the safe side. For a real life example of “it’s candle safe but smells terrible”, we don’t recommend Pink Grapefruit or Pineapple Cilantro – they smell unpleasant when burned. You can also use fragrances specifically made for candles if you’re looking for a tried-and-true option.

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