Soap Queen

Tutorials on soapmaking, bath fizzies, lotions and more

Tutorials by difficulty level:

Soapy Social Media Roundup

Filed Under: Bramble Berry News

Welcome to 2014, everyone! I have so many goals both personally and professionally for this year, and I’m excited to put them in motion. In fact, I’m inviting everyone to join me in my goal-setting mission. Earlier this week I wrote about SMART goals and how I make them work for me, and I encourage you to set your own goals in a similar format (as an added bonus, we’re offering a prize to three commenters for sharing their goals). My plans for this year include placing a higher priority on personal fitness (yay treadmill desk!) as well as taking a few Friday mornings off per month to spend more time with Jamisen (he’s gotten less time with me after baby Lily was born).

Over at Bramble Berry, they’re back running at full capacity busily getting orders packed and shipped. If you placed an order over the holiday period (between Dec. 24 – Jan. 1), rest assured that your order is on it’s way =) For now, take a look at my favorite pins, tweets and ‘grams:

Pins:

[Read more…]

Soapy Social Media Roundup

Filed Under: Bramble Berry News

Welcome to the end of a very chilly week, everyone! We’re packing up the kids this weekend and driving 4 hours out to the coast for a mini vacation at a cute little cabin. The kids have never been in the car for that long, so it’s going to be an interesting drive for sure. We’re bringing one of Jamisen’s good friends along, and we’re prepared for an energetic — I’m avoiding the word ‘exhausting!’ — weekend.

We’re also gearing up for hosting Christmas at our house this year, so I’ve got the holidays in mind. I definitely started playing Christmas music in the office the day after Thanksgiving (and would have started before that if the team had let me). Before all the holiday hustle & bustle hits, take a look at my favorite pins, tweets and ‘grams from the past two weeks.

Pins:

 

[Read more…]

Soapy Social Media Roundup

Filed Under: Bramble Berry News

Welcome to the second-to-last-week of November, everyone! I can hardly believe that next week is Thanksgiving, and I’ve got a ton of prep to do because this year I volunteered to host both Thanksgiving AND Christmas at our house (in retrospect, what was I thinking?!). Needless to say, it’s been a happily chaotic week.

As a side note, we’re still busy getting out orders from the Givember rush, and we appreciate your patience as we soldier on through this busy holiday time. We have a dedicated warehouse team that lovingly packs each order by hand, and they’re working ’round the clock to get your goodies shipped out. To tide you over, take a look at our favorite soapy social media items from the past two weeks.

Pins:

Clockwise:

  • Such a great quote. Just more reinforcement that doing nice things for others is often times the best medicine for yourself too.
  • These past few days we’ve been waking up to freezing temperatures which means winter weather has arrived (booo!). Cold winter air means chapped lips, and this Winter Clementine Lip Balm provides the perfect barrier against the chilly cold.
  • My mouth is watering as I type this because these peanut butter fudge squares look too good to resist! I’m trying (very hard!) to cut sugar out of my diet, but I might make an exception for these treats!
  • These are cute little thank you tags that you can easily whip up after the holiday gift-giving season ends. I often find that it’s the little things like these little tags are the things people appreciate most.
  • As a contrast to those indulgent peanut butter fudge squares, these Sweet Potato Chocolate Chunk Cookies are probably more up my dietary alley!
  • Why wrap presents in wrapping paper when you can turn the whole package into a confetti bomb?! These are four great ideas for spicing up holiday packaging.

Instagrams and Vines:

The warehouse has been so busy these past few weeks so we hired a few of our Givember Gingerbread Men to help us out. They are providing comic relief for the whole team.

Here is a quick look at how we made that super cool Mt. Mica Lava soap that came out in the newsletter yesterday. Subscribe to our newsletter so you don’t miss out on future awesome projects!

Tweets:

  • If you tend to carry around all sorts of credit, debit and gift cards like I do, you might be interested in a new service called Coin. It allows you to combine all your cards into one super card! I pre-ordered mine last weekend 🙂
  • I’m always looking for strategies to help keep me organized. Evernote is great, and Penultimate looks pretty interesting too.
  • If cats could soap, I’m sure this little guy would be soaping up a storm!

Have a wonderful weekend everyone, and try to stay warm!

Bramble Business Series: How To Set Up & Use A Twitter Handle

Filed Under: Business Musings

Twitter is one of many online social networking services that allows you to ‘microblog’ (or tweet) text and picture-based  messages in 140 characters or less. There are more than 340 million tweets sent daily and 500 million registered users as of last year (and that includes me; follow me here). Twitter is one of the top three social media sites (along with a blog and Facebook) that I recommend to small business owners when creating an online presence. Needless to say, Twitter was the obvious next choice to cover in our Bramble Business Series!

Setting up a Twitter is quick and easy. It can be done in 20 minutes or less, and you can get started tweeting in no time.

Twitter is a versatile business tool. You can use it to create relationships between you and possible customers. You can use it to monitor trends. You can use it to see what your fellow soapers are up to. But, my favorite part about Twitter is the relationships: because the point of Twitter is to keep it short and simple, you can easily engage in two-way conversations with customers and potential customers and create a dialogue. After all, doing business is all about relationships and this is a great way to strengthen relationships and build new ones. You can also use Twitter to research trends in your industry (and others). And, of course, you can instantaneously highlight your products (with links), as well as sales and coupons (but you only want to do this after you’ve built relationships; Twitter isn’t a one-way tweet with you just broadcasting and never being helpful. Want to hear more about that? My social media philosophy here).

Through the use of #hashtags, Twitter is an easily searchable platform that can be accessed on a number of devices (iPhones, Androids, desktops and laptops).  Read on to learn more about how you can create and use a Twitter handle to benefit your business.

ONE: To sign up for your Twitter handle, click here. Enter the full name you want to use on Twitter (not your ‘handle’ or username; this is the name that people will see when they see who is the person doing the tweeting), the e-mail address you want attached to the account and a password. Remember to write all of this down so you don’t forget it later. Once you’ve filled out this information, click the bright yellow button that reads “Sign Up For Twitter.”

TWO: After you’ve clicked the “Sign Up For Twitter” button, it will lead you to the ‘Create an Account’ page where you finish filling in the rest of the information. Be sure to choose a Twitter handle that represents you and your business, and like Facebook and Etsy, you will want to make sure it reads correctly and appropriately for your business (Example: Don’t use the acronym for ‘Anne-Marie’s Sassy Soap’).

THREE: Once you’ve submitted the correct information, you will get an e-mail at the address you provided asking you to confirm your account. You need to confirm your account in order to access Twitter and get notifications. The e-mail will look similar to the photo below, so don’t delete it!

FOUR: Once you’ve confirmed your account, a set-up guide will walk you through the steps to personalize your account. A profile picture is particularly important to have. Choose something that represents your business as well as yourself. Most people choose head shots, but you can choose a picture of your soap, bath bombs or any other bath & body product that you make.  Be sure to give a quick description of yourself so that people know who you are (in 140 characters or less, of course!). You can also include the URL to your website, blog or shop as well as your location.

FIVE: Once you’ve setup your account, start Tweeting! Tweet photos, upload Vines and Instagrams all to your Twitter account so others can see what is going on in your corner of the world. Just remember, you have a 140 character limit, so use tools such as Ow.ly to help shorten any links you plan on sharing. You can even tweet news articles and other things that you find interesting. In order to appeal to the widest range of recipients and not alienate potential customers, consider the following rule when Tweeting from a business handle: no religion, no politics, no sex.

Tips & Tricks

  • Be Active. As with any social media account, you can’t just open it up and let it sit there. Be active in your community. Respond to other soapers’ tweets, retweet what you find interesting and interact with those around you.
  • Hashtags. Hashtags are a unique feature of twitter that have become ubiquitous in almost every other social media platform. Hashtags are a word or phase that is preceded by a hash mark (#)and used within messages to identify a keyword, topic or interest. Some of my favorites are #DIY, #soapcrafting, and #soapmaking. Hashtag your tweets so they appear in searches and your customers have the best chance of accessing your relevant information!
  • Linking. Link back to other social media platforms such as Vine, Instagram, Facebook and your own blog. The more unique and original your posts, the more they will be retweeted and favorited.
  • Services. Are you looking for an easy way to streamline your twitter account and preschedule tweets? My favorite two services for easy management of my twitter account are Buffer and Hootsuite – both are free for basic services! Use these tools to easily post and share links, products and blog posts with your followers.

Do you have a Twitter account for your business? We’d love to see what you are Tweeting, so share a link to your account below! I’ll start; I’m @brambleberry!

Soapy Social Media Roundup

Filed Under: Bramble Berry News

Welcome to the end of August, everyone! Although I am sad to see summer go, and I’m getting excited for fall and all the great things we have planned. Thursday was our Soap Crafting book release party at Village Books in Fairhaven (and the launch of the Soap Crafting Club). I was beyond thrilled to see so many of my fellow soapers in attendance. It’s always a pleasure to chat with the folks who have helped Bramble Berry become what it is — we wouldn’t be here without all of you!

In baby news, Lily is growing more and more everyday, and I can really tell that she is actively trying to explore the world around her. We took a trip to the zoo last Saturday with my Entrepreneur’s Organization Group and she was fascinated by all the animals. Jamisen had a wonderful time too, and fell in love with not the exotic lions or tigers or bears — but a group of baby ducks! Needless to say, it was adorable.

And now, the latest and greatest from Planet Social Media!

Pins:

Top left: If you’re like me, you somehow seem to be a magnet for stuff. Sometimes my junk drawer seems like it’s becoming more of a junk room! To tame the junk problem, I decided to try my hand at making these cute and easy fabric bins using just a cardboard box, some scissors and a bit of glue. I hope they’ll help me stay organized and look good while doing it!

Center: So to be totally honest, I’m not sure how practical this is, but I could not get over how cute these tiny books are. I love the idea of building a mini library that you can hold in your hand! There’s a tutorial at the link but I’m not sure I have the patience or dexterity to try it.

Top right: It’s impossible for me to not highlight a delicious dessert whenever I collect my favorite pins, and this week’s dessert is truly delightful: it’s a gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan Brownie Pudding Cake. It sounds so decadent and rich while still containing lots of healthy ingredients. Might be something to try out this weekend =)

Bottom: Gemstone soaps seem to be trending this week! On the blog, we borrowed a fabulous tutorial from Otion on how to make geode soap, and then I came across this awesome handcut gemstone soap tutorial from soaping duo Jean and Oliver Pelle. These soaps are so simple and yet so pretty.

Instagrams:

We made many, many Peacock Swirls this week (not an exaggeration, we made at least six!)  in order to get the perfect batch to release on camera as we shot Soap Queen TV today.  With each batch, I was mesmerized by the In-The-Pot swirl technique that we used to form the base. Check it out below!


This is a two-for-one: this video demonstrates how to unmold soap in our 2 lb. Wood Loaf Mold and it also reveals our very spooky eyeball-inspired soap.


Tweets:

  • So Jamisen needs to wait a few years before trying to hold Lily…
  • These are four excellent things to keep in mind if you’re trying to build a great workplace. On the flip side, they are also great things to consider if you’re experiencing struggle in your own workplace — chances are, the struggle is happening because of one (or more) of those four factors.
  • This is a great quote. You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take!
  • The holiday season is upon us (okay, so maybe it’s not… it is still August after all) and I can’t stop thinking about all the baking I have planned. These chocolate chip cookies are definitely going to be a staple in the gift baskets I give to family and friends this year.

We are so thrilled that two of our customers (and friends! I’ve met both of these talented soapers in person) are in on the Martha Stewart American Made contest. You can vote for Etta + Billie and Bathhouse Soapery here and here.

I hope everyone has a fantastic Labor Day weekend. Please keep in mind, the warehouse and our customer service department will be closed on Monday, so we won’t be shipping orders out and we may be a bit slower to return your calls and emails. However, we will work hard to catch up on Tuesday and as always, you can always ask us questions on our Facebook page. Enjoy the holiday!

Find me on Twitter here, Pinterest here and Instagram here.

Soapy Social Media Roundup

Filed Under: Bramble Berry News

Another week has come to a close, and we started to catch the first glimpses of autumn (it rained for what felt like the first time in months). We rounded out our Soap Crafting-inspired tutorials this week with a citric-acid Shampoo Bar recipe. If you missed the other tutorials, you can check them out here, here and here. Speaking of Soap Crafting, we’re planning something exciting at the end of this month (I may or may not be signing the book at a local bookshop in Bellingham *winkwink*). As usual, we had plenty of activity on planet Soapy Social Media, so take a look at a few of my favorite things from the past two weeks.

Pins:

Top left: This is a great little primer on how to frost beautiful cupcakes. Bonus points: these tips apply to frosting soap cupcakes too!

Center left: This sandwich is so pretty that I would almost feel bad eating it. I love the idea of incorporating edible flowers into simple meals, and lately I’ve been trying my hand at growing some of my own.

Bottom left: You might have to do a double-take with this one — it’s not just a glass, it’s an edible glass! Better yet, it’s made with ingredients that complement the drink itself.

Center: Some excellent advice to keep in mind each day. If I’ve learned one thing from being in business for 15+ years, it’s that things don’t happen if you sit around and wait for them.

Top right: I am so in love with this awesome rainbow soap by Amathia Soapworks. The soap in the front left was made with a cool leopard spot technique, and I tried my hand at it for week four of the Great Cakes Soapworks Challenge.

Center right: So letting a two year old go wild with finger paints may not be the best idea, but this touch painting project still looks like so much fun. It could be something fun to try on a sunny weekend afternoon (out in the garage, with plenty of newspaper down, as far away from the kitchen as possible, of course!).

Bottom right: Who doesn’t love a bit of gold glitter to spice things up? I love mixing a bit of gold glitter with a clear nail polish base for a little pop of color.

Instagram:

Believe it or not, we’re already thinking about Halloween. We worked on a very spooky eyeball-inspired soap this week.

More Soap Crafting awesome-ness! This is the Neon Swirl.

Even though it was sad to realize Fall is approaching, we got some much need rain in the Pacific Northwest this week. Jamisen couldn’t wait to play outside in it!

Tweets:

  • I’m a sucker for fun fonts, and this font by ElliotSix is adorable. The catch? According to the font description, it was created by a boy named Elliot, who is (you guessed it) only six years old.
  • I typically stay as far away from Taco Bells as possible, but this caught my attention: they’re adding waffles to their menu. And by that I don’t mean they’re serving breakfast; I mean they’re creating some kind of taco-waffle-monster hybrid! Is this the best marketing decision of all time, or the worst? Only time (and a lot of waffles) will tell.
  • You may have heard the adage that smoke is attracted to beauty, but does the same hold true for mosquitoes? A new study aims to find out.
  • I’ve been thinking a lot about this quote lately. With patience and perseverance you can do anything.

Find me on Twitter here, Pinterest here and Instagram here.

Soapy Social Media Roundup

Filed Under: Bramble Berry News

Welcome to August, everyone! This week we wrapped up our collection of Home Spa tutorials, which will hopefully keep you refreshed, relaxed and revitalized as warm summer days begin to turn into cool fall evenings. We also chatted with a fellow soapmaker about her delightfully tropical bath & body products and started wrapping up our August Soap Swap.

Outside the office, my parents celebrated their 41st wedding anniversary! My dad surprised my mom with that yummy looking berry cake, as well as a rather fun note (“Still happy to be married at 41 years to a hot babe!”). They are both great examples for me on how to be as individuals and also how to be completed in a relationship.

There was plenty of activity on social media too. Take a look below for my favorite tweets, pins, and ‘grams of the week.

Pins:

Top left: I think half the fun of creating your own bath & body products is creating the packing that goes along with them. Your presentation is just as important as your product, and I love this simple, elegant cardboard design.

Top right: Breezy summer evenings call for breezy summer tops, but why spend money on pretty blouses when you can make them yourself? These tops are super cute, and you can customize them any way you want. Definitely a good weekend project for me to practice my sewing skills!

Center left: I’ve been a devout vegetarian for 36 years, and I’m always looking for ways to incorporate more iron and protein in my diet. My secret weapon? Beans! They really are the magical fruit =) We have a local Bellingham store (The Market on Lakeway) that has the most amazing bulk food section I’ve ever seen with beans of all colors, shapes and sizes. Our household has been dining on delicious homemade chili all week thanks to the inspiration at The Market bean station.

Center right: It’s always exciting to give new life to old household items, and this old toolbox re-purposed into a garden planter is an excellent example of that. It has a such a rustic, old farmhouse look.

Bottom left: These dulce de leche cookies look like they are to die for. Nothing wrong with satisfying your sweet tooth every once in a while!

Bottom right: I’ve been spending what little free time I have working on my garden lately, and this Rose Geranium Sea Salt Scub has inspired me to look to my garden for both bath & body ingredients as well as tasty snacks. I’ll start with the trellis of sugar snap peas Jamisen and I built last week. And, I just happened to plan a fresh Rosemary bush last week too.

Instagrams:

Here’s a look at the Firedrop Swirl, from the Soap Crafting book. Want to try this for yourself? You can order a copy of the book, with full color photos and instructions for this recipe and 30 others, here!

More soap cutting madness; this is the Goat Milk In-The-Pot Swirl, another Soap Crafting recipe. It’s scented with a lovely (and pleasantly surprising) blend of peppermint and patchouli:

Tweets:

  •  This is an insightful article on something we all love so much: soap! From laundry soap to liquid soap to the evolution of the artisan soaps we see today, this is an excellent read for anyone who wants to delve a little deeper into how the bath & beauty industry grew to be what it is today.
  • We’ve all heard the phrase you are what you eat, but this article frames that idea a little differently. For entrepreneurs and other people in high-profile or high-stress positions, being in the workplace is like being an athlete in competition. You must eat like an athlete to perform like one, so that means lots of fruits, veggies and lean proteins.
  • Bramble Berry took a trip to a Bellingham Bells game on Tuesday! It was a perfect evening for baseball, and Lily sure enjoyed her first game. Jamisen even got to throw the first pitch! We may have the next Walter Johnson on our hands =)
  • This is a nice reminder that learning takes place at every age and in every stage of life. Learning on the job is something that should never stop.

Have a great weekend everyone. We’re headed to either a children’s festival or a tractor exhibition today. It will all depend on the whims of a two year old. Find me on Twitter here, Pinterest here and Instagram here.

Soapy Social Media Roundup

Filed Under: Bramble Berry News

Welcome to mid July! I saw a funny little photo on Facebook this morning; it showed cars under snow with the message “Don’t complain about the heat. This is just 16 weeks away.” Yikes!  The summer is flying by, and there has no shortage of activity around here. We’ve been busy planning a super secret collection of tutorials for the end of this month, rolled out a Free Beginner’s Guide to Butters and Oils and (somehow) Chris and I managed to take the kids on a train ride. It may be organized chaos, but it sure does make for a fun workday and life.  For now, sit back, relax, and take a look at my favorite things from the past two weeks on planet soapy social media.

Pins:

Top left (going clockwise): I love how elegant and charming salt soap can be. The pink salt in this soap adds a pop of natural color and acts as a wonderful exfoliant.

Center: Something to add to my wishlist: this collection of mint-colored dishware from Cambria! I (eh hem) may or may not have placed an order for half of them this week. Our dishes at home are 16 years old and we don’t have a full set anymore, after many years of breakage, cracks and chipping.

Right: I’m constantly on the hunt for the perfect summer scent for my soaps. Year after year though, I find myself returning to Lemongrass Essential Oil. It has incredible staying power in cold process soap, and the slight citrus note grounded by a more earthy tone make this a complex, all around fantastic essential oil.

Bottom right: This is such a cute motivational poster. If you do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life! So thankful that I tripped on this truth when I was just 20 years old and founded Bramble Berry. #Lucky

Bottom left: What a fun twist on decorating Easter eggs — these are not only painted, they’re also filled with glitter! Such a clever way to fill an eggs while keeping the shell (mostly) intact.

Left center: Some Lemon Sugar Cookies to compliment the Lemongrass Essential Oil (coincidence is completely unintentional, I swear!). These look absolutely delicious, and so perfect for summer. I had a work party last weekend and brought everyone sugar cookies from Pure Bliss Desserts. I had one on an empty stomach for breakfast. That was not a good choice but I’m ready to go at it again  (maybe with a little food in me next time!) with this delicious recipe.

Instagrams:

We’ve been hard at work on a fun collection of tutorials (we’re channeling the idea of a day filled with relaxation and pampering). Expect lots of special deals coming at the end of this month too, but for now, here’s a mini preview give you an idea of what’s to come! (P.S. Interested in making this lovely scrub yourself? Buy the kit with everything you need on Bramble Berry.)

No spa experience is complete without a flickering candle flame. Here’s a behind the scenes look at how to make a layered candle. Full tutorial coming soon!

Tweets:

  • This is an excellent (and galling) example of why we need more women in office: women make up the bulk of voters in Virginia but there are no elected female officials statewide.
  • We’ve rolled out a brand new feature on the Bramble Berry website — product reviews!  If you absolutely can’t live without a product (or maybe you had a not-so-great-experience with it), let us – and your fellow soapers – know on the product’s page.
  • This is a fantastic article on how one company has funded an incredible number of startups and shaken up the crowdfunding game in the process. Their secret? Cut out the middle man!
  • If you need some help organizing your thoughts or deciding which direction to take a big project, check out this mind mapping software. It looks super helpful when you have lots of ideas floating around.

Find me on Twitter here, Pinterest here and Instagram here.

Soapy Social Media Roundup

Filed Under: Personal Ramblings

Between the arrival of Miss Lily and getting recaps from our HSCG Conference guest bloggers (here, here and here), there has been serious excitement in the air here. Let’s take a look at some of my favorite happenings this week in social media. I have been making it online in between feeding Miss Lily seventeen trillion times a day.

Favorite Pins

[Read more…]