Happy Sunday everyone! I hope you’re all recovering well from the holiday weekend. It’s a little crazy that Christmas has come and gone. Now it’s time to focus on the new year! Today, I plan on taking it easy with the kids. The weather has been fairly rainy and grey, so we will most likely be spending the day inside playing with the new Christmas toys.

While I’m sad the holidays are over, I’m excited to get crafting projects for Valentine’s Day and spring! Be on the lookout next week for several tutorials that would be perfect for Valentine’s Day. I also created a new Valentine’s Day Pinterest board to collect ideas for the upcoming holiday. I just love love =)

Pinterest:

Left to right, clockwise:

• I love veggies, and try to eat as many of them as possible. These Oil Free Rainbow Roasted Vegetables are such a beautiful way to prepare and cook a wide variety of vegetables.
• This Honeysuckle Soap by Hallowell Soap Works features Melissa’s signature “strong arm swirl.” To learn more about Melissa and her soapy business, read my interview with her here.
• This tutorial for Homemade Glitter Gak looks so fun! I bet LabColors would work great.
• The yellow colors in this Walking on Sunshine Soap by Empty Nest Soap Company are so pretty. The name is perfect too.

Instagram:
Now is the time to get soaping for Valentine’s Day! If you’re looking for some inspiration, these Lavender and Rose Pink Salt Bars would be a great way to show your love this year.

I love working with natural colorants. So much in fact, that I wrote a whole book using natural colors! It’s available for pre-order here. In the meantime, check out this blog post for tips and tricks on using clays and more.

Twitter:

• If you have been eating a lot of sugar lately (the holidays will do that!), this article looking at the link between sugar and cancer may convince you to go sugar free.
• Handmade Beauty Box made the Examiner’s list of Best in Beauty 2015, yay!
• We all experience failure. Donna Maria of Indie Business Network has great advice for turning failures into success.
• Who would have thought that a healthy gut is something that can help fight weight gain? According to this article, a healthy gut helps burn more calories while sleeping.
• The Mast Brothers caused quite a stir in the chocolate world this week. They have been excused of inventing their backstory, and lying about their chocolate production.
• Is it possible to have a truly balanced life? This article argues that the individual only has so much control, and that companies need to stop rewarding workhorses. What do you think?

I hope you’re enjoying the last day of the holiday weekend! To keep up with the latest soapy social media throughout the week, you can follow me on Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram, Pinterest, Vine and YouTube and Snapchat. To watch my ‘stories’, which include sneak peeks into future projects, add me. I’m Bramble-Berry on Snapchat. Don’t forget to tag your soapy projects on Instagram with the hashtag #SoapShare so I can see what you’re making! =)

Happy weekend! Between getting ready for Christmas and thinking ahead to 2016, this week flew by. On Wednesday night, the Bramble Berry team and I shopped for a local charity. It was a lot of fun to shop for the items on each person’s wishlist, and make sure they have a wonderful holiday. I’ll post more about our shopping extravaganza next week! Below, Lily and I were making our way through the aisles searching for the perfect gift. I love the cute little scowl on Lily’s face, haha! I promise it wasn’t there the entire time =)
Next week I’ll also share images from the annual Bramble Berry “Cookiepalooza.” It was a great success; so many Bramble-Berrians brought cookies and swapped recipes. I’ll share my cookie recipe with you soon! If you follow me on snapchat (user name: Bramble-Berry) there are some awesome videos of the cookie extravaganza.  In the meantime, here are my favorite ‘pins, ‘grams and tweets from the week.

Pinterest:

Top left, clockwise:

• I love the contrast of the black and pink colors in this Patchouli Cinnamon soap by Jennifer’s Handmade Soap. It’s so elegant!
• Holiday flavors are delicious, but I can’t wait for fresh berries to be in season. This Blueberry Pie Cheese Ball will be on to-do list!
• I really want to give this DIY Marbleized Makeup Brushes project a try. It would look great with nail polish made with the new Queen’s Purple Mica. =)
• Now is the time to plan ahead for Valentine’s Day. I love the simplicity of the Red Heart Soap by Linda of Mimi and Boo.

Instagram:
This week I experimented with Wax Dye Blocks to make the perfect rainbow colors for candles. I’ll share the tutorial with you soon. =)

Has your skin been feeling dry and irritated from the winter cold? Checkout the easy tutorial for Creamy Cucumber Lotion! It feels fantastic on the skin.

Twitter:

• This list of 5 Things Millionaires Do That Most People Don’t is full of great advice.
• Do you have an Elf on the Shelf in your household? We have one, and the kids love it. This story of How the Elf on the Shelf Ruined Our Christmas is a reminder that sometimes even a “white lie” to your children can backfire.
• Have you ever wanted to start a blog? This post by Pinch of Yum can help get you started.
• Success requires willpower. People are not born with willpower; it’s a muscle that requires training. Learn how here.
• I’m putting together my list of favorite books from 2016. The Calorie Myth is a fantastic read and was one of my favorites from last year.

I hope you’re having a great weekend! To keep up with the latest soapy social media throughout the week, you can follow me on Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram, Pinterest, Vine and YouTube and Snapchat. To watch my ‘stories’, which include sneak peeks into future projects, add me. I’m Bramble-Berry on Snapchat. Don’t forget to tag your soapy projects on Instagram with the hashtag #SoapShare so I can see what you’re making! =)

Happy, happy weekend! I’m so glad to be back home after a short trip to Washington, D.C. earlier in the week. Traveling can be fun, but there is nothing like the comfort of your family. I’m trying to get caught up on Christmas stuff this weekend. I finally gave up on trying to find our well-hidden Elf on the Shelf from last year and bought a new one and the Christmas tree still isn’t up. Luckily there are still a few weeks until the holiday. =) Are you feeling a little late to the Christmas party as well? It really snuck up on us this year!


Above, Chris, Lily, Jamisen and I visited City Hall last week to spend some quality time with each other and see the gorgeous trees. It really got me in the Christmas spirit! Check out my favorite links on Pinterest, Instagram and Twitter below for more holiday inspiration.

Pinterest:
Left to right, clockwise:

• These cute Tea Light Snowmen would look great hanging on a Christmas tree.
• I love gingerbread everything this time of year. These Gingerbread Pancakes look so delicious, and the post includes 14 other gingerbread recipes.
• The Holly Berries soap by Katie of Royalty Soaps are stunning. Her piping work and attention to detail is always amazing.
• The layers in this Rosemary, Mint and Lavender Soap by Mimi and Boo are so beautiful. I love the beachy color palette.

Instagram:
With all the holiday sweets around, I was inspired by a Swedish ginger cookie to create this Orange Spice Salt Scrub. It smells amazing and leaves skin feeling soft and clean.

I know it’s hard to think about projects for next year when Christmas isn’t over yet, but now is the time to start planning for Valentine’s Day. Below is heart-shaped soap made with pink sea salt, rose clay and Hungarian Lavender Essential Oil. It will be on the blog soon. =)

Twitter:

• The type of people you surround yourself with are crucial to your happiness and success. Here are the 8 kinds of people that you should keep far, far away.
• Vitamin A, D & E seem to get all the attention…but don’t forget about vitamin B! Learn why it’s so important here.
• You’ve probably heard of a business mission statements and manifestos, but what about creating a personal mission statement? It could really help with becoming a better you for the New Year!
• Peas in cookies? You bet. These Green Pea Cookies are so delicious. I have two boxes in my office at this very moment. They are wrapped super cute too so they make great gifts.
• If you’re a fashion lover and have a few extra million dollars laying around (hah!), you may be interested in purchasing the library collection of Yves Saint Laurent’s business partner.
• The Avery & Austin subscription box is a really fun way to get crafting with your kids; I had a blast with the most recent box.

I hope you’re having a great weekend! To keep up with the latest soapy social media throughout the week, you can follow me on Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram, Pinterest, Vine and YouTube and Snapchat. To watch my ‘stories’, which include sneak peeks into future projects, add me. I’m Bramble-Berry on Snapchat. Don’t forget to tag your soapy projects on Instagram with the hashtag #SoapShare so I can see what you’re making! =)

Happy Saturday; I’m feeling conflicted about the joyous day I’m having with our family when I contrast it to the sadness in Paris. Our thoughts, prayers and tears are with all of France as they pick up the pieces after yesterday’s terrorists attacks.

Today the kiddos and I are spending the day inside building LEGOS at the library. The weather has been rainy and gray, so we are happy to be dry and warm. I love that Bellingham has activities that bring together the community. Jamisen and Lily are grateful as well, because…LEGOS! Duh. =)

Yesterday the team and I wrapped up three book-preorder Soap Queen TV videos. If you missed my most recent video, click here to watch it. It’s a Lavender & Lemongrass Hot Process Soap recipe. It smells so good! The videos filmed yesterday feature recipes from my upcoming book, Pure Soap Making. The book is available for pre-order now, and will be published in early 2016. The videos will only be available for early supporters that pre-order the book. Speaking of natural soap making, I recently chatted with Biconi about the rise of popularity of natural soap making, check it out here. Bottom line: consumers are becoming more aware of what they are putting on their bodies. Homemade beauty products are a great way to have 100% control. If you’re in need of some crafty inspiration, check out my favorite tweets, ‘grams and pins from the week.

Pinterest:

Left to right, clockwise:

• I’d love to spruce up my desk this coming year, and this cute DIY Gold Foiled Pencil Cup would be perfect. =)
• This Farm Harvest Sensory Bin is such a fun and cute idea. It’s perfect for the cold months when gardening is a little bit less enjoyable.
• The bright blue color of this Bergamot & Blue Soap by The North Street Bubble is gorgeous! It really pops against the warm colors of the herbs on top.
• I’m completely fascinated and inspired by the Ghost Swirl Soap by Auntie Clara’s Handcrafted Cosmetics. It’s the perfect combination of science and art.

Instagram:

This week I attempted the Clyde Slide cold process technique, made popular by Clyde Yoshida of Vibrant Soap. I’m excited about how it turned out! I think next time I may create fewer layers in the pot to prevent the colors from blending together.

I hope you all had a wonderful Veterans Day, and had a chance to thank the veterans in your life. On the left is a photo of my grandma and grandpa Louis, who was a RN in World War II. On the right is a collection of brightly colored soaps…I just love working with rainbow hues. =) For tips to make your soap more vibrant, check out this blog post.

Twitter:

• If you’re a small business owner, you know how much time, resources and money advertising can take. Steffanie Housman argues that direct mail is not the answer handmade business, and I think she makes some great points.
• Need a little extra pep in your step in the morning? Here are 5 ways to start your day on the right foot.
• If you love dramatic “Before and After” photos, this post is an inspirational jackpot!
• I think we have all felt a little self conscious at the gym before. According to this study, 75% of women put off exercise for fear of what others think. That really bums me out.
• Looking for holiday gift ideas for the beauty junkie in your life? This list has you covered.
• Saying no can be hard. If you need help telling people “no,” click here.

I hope you’re having a great weekend! To keep up with the latest soapy social media throughout the week, you can follow me on Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram, Pinterest, Vine and YouTube and Snapchat. To watch my ‘stories’, which include sneak peeks into future projects, add me. I’m Bramble-Berry on Snapchat. Don’t forget to tag your soapy projects on Instagram with the hashtag #SoapShare so I can see what you’re making! =)