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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!

Soapy Social Media Roundup

Filed Under: Bramble Berry News

Winter seems to have hit us early on this very chilly and blustery Friday. We had an awesome office-wide pumpkin carving contest last week (scroll down to see our “scary” winner), and took Jamisen out for a Halloween party as well (with a bucket full of goodies by the end of the evening, Jamisen was much happier than he was in this photo!).

In other news, we’re smackdab in the middle of Givember 2013! If you’re not familiar, head over to this post to read all about how you can access 25 unique tutorials as well as get in on some super special deals and coupons. These are my favorite soapy social media things from the past couple of weeks:

Pins:

 

Clockwise:

  • This Coconut Lime Soap so totally makes me miss summer. Plus I love the very rustic-looking top. This would be perfect for a beach house by the seaside!
  • How cool are these little mini soap jewels? What a fun projects to try on a very blustery November day like today, and plus they remind me of our Geode Soap tutorial from awhile back.
  • I want this chair in my office! Such a good vintage find, and the colored stripes are subtle yet super fun. The price might be a bit out of my office decoration budget though!
  • I’m always game for easy kids projects, and these colored wooden blocks are no exception! Great for learning colors and building forts =)
  • If you haven’t gathered by now, I have such a weak spot for macarons! These lemon macarons with salted honey and thyme buttercream sound absolutely gourmet.
  • So it may be fairly flashy, but I am in love with this rainbow glitter watch from Kate Spade. It’s playful but still very elegant! Might have to add it to my Christmas wishlist.

[Read more…]

Soapy Social Media Roundup

Filed Under: Bramble Berry News

Halloween is just around the corner, and we’ve been taking full advantage of the season. We took a fantastic trip to the apple orchard last weekend, and picked a ton of apples — if you’ve got any good festive apple recipes, I’d love to hear them! And of course, no Halloween is complete without pumpkin carving.

Between all the holiday festivities, I attended a super fun charity event for Blue Skies for Children (Bramble Berry sponsored the event) with my besties and then it was off to Las Vegas for an awesome business conference. I even got to meet one of my idols, Ram Charam, author of “Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done” and “Global Tilt: Leading Your Business Through the Great Economic Power Shift.” I highly recommend any of his books to small business owners, and I am still in awe that I got to meet him face to face.

As usual, there’s all sorts of exciting things going on in social media too. Take a look!

Pins

First column, top: Love the idea of using fruit baskets as a way to display soaps and other bath & body products at craft fairs. This reminds me of our visit to the orchard.
Bottom: This is one of my favorite motivational quotes as of late. Hopefully you’ll be rewarded ten-fold for the time you put into working toward your dreams.

Second column, top: For quick and easy Halloween decor, these little modge podge blocks are adorable. This would be a great craft project for a blustery night in.
Bottom: I have a weakness for scones, and these Sweet Potato Scones look absolutely delicious. I am loving the sweet potato trend lately too — from french fries to these scones, they seem to be everywhere!

Third column, top: These are so totally not part of my healthy eating plan, but they looked too good not to post: homemade twix bars! How much would the neighborhood kids love me if I passed these out instead of regular old Halloween candy?
Bottom: This Fall Soap from Chrissy B Soap is absolutely gorgeous. I love the color palette, and Arabian Spice, the fragrance oil she used, has such a warm, sensuous scent.

Instagrams

We went on a soapmaking marathon a few weeks ago, and here we are cutting two soaps from that session. The left one is our Shades of Grey inspired soap scented with Indian Sandalwood and the right one is the Dandelion Zebra Swirl we submitted for the Great Cakes Soapworks Soap Challenge.

Jamisen cutting his first soaping project! He was so elated, and he is budding into an excellent little soaper. =)

This was our first attempt at the Bird Wing, a technique we borrowed from the world of paper marbling. This didn’t turn out quite like we’d hoped, so we soaped it up again today and while we didn’t get it perfect, it got closer. Hopefully the third time will be a charm on that one.

Tweets

  • I’ve been searching for a recipe for this forever, and I’ve finally found one that sounds absolutely delicious: paleo dark chocolate! Might have to head to farmer’s market and pick up some local honey for this.
  • Around this time of year, some of the most common questions my team and I hear pertain to how to price soapy products for craft fairs and markets. If you’ve ever wondered how to set your prices, take a look at these four questions to consider.
  • This quote rings particularly true when we’re up in the soap lab experimenting with new designs and recipes!
  • Interested in learning a new thing or two? Take a look at these 15 awesome (and free!) online courses on everything from statistics to artificial intelligence.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone! To keep up with the latest soapy social media throughout the week, you can follow me on Twitter, Tumblr, Vine, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube.

Soapy Social Media Roundup

Filed Under: Bramble Berry News

Wedding bells were ringing last month for Alesia, the manager of our retail store Otion. She married her fiancee, Jhustin, on Sept. 8 at Evergreen Gardens in Bellingham, Wash. We wish her all the best, and if you’re ever passing through Bellingham, drop by Otion and say “Hi!”

In baby news, Lily is growing so quickly! She is the happiest baby, and already loves to dress up (not kidding — she had the biggest grin on her face while wearing this fluffy tutu! The tutu was a gift from author Kayla Fioravanti. Thanks Kayla! ). Jamisen is having a great time in preschool, and this weekend we took a wonderful family outing to the beach (X 3; we went three days in a row!). I have been feeling thankful for family this week, that’s for sure.

We’ve been making lots of batches of soap lately, and we’re trying to experiment with new color and fragrance combinations. Not every batch works out, but at least they’re all learning experiences. Expect some exciting new tutorials on the way! If you want to see previews of those tutorials, make sure to follow me on Instagram. I post in-process videos frequently.  For now, check out my favorite things from planet soapy social media.

Pins:

  • Left: I cannot get over how good this Spicy Sausage, Potato & Kale Soup tastes! I haven’t eaten meat in years, but I subbed organic chicken sausage and skipped the heavy cream (I’m off dairy currently) and I’m eating it today. It is such a cozy meal for a cold day! Bonus, I was able to use some of our potatoes from our garden.
  • Top right: This festive pumpkin dip sounds super intriguing. You mix canned pumpkin with taco seasoning mix, a bit of garlic powder, a bell pepper and cream cheese and you get a spicy dip. Might be a fun twist on the traditional chips & dip, and I love the idea of serving it in a hollowed out pumpkin.
  • Center: This is such a beautiful example of the mantra swirl technique from Challene, owner of the Meadow Creek Boutique. She used coffee grounds as a lovely exfoliant and scented it with patchouli, which is a personal favorite scent of mine!
  • Bottom: When it gets too cold to keep your garden outside, bring it inside! These mini gardens are super cute, and they’re a great way to reuse old mason jars.

Instagrams & Vines:

This week we tried a fresh green tea-inspired recipe. We used our Green Tea Fragrance Oil (which performed beautifully) and finished it off with a cute crosshatch pattern. I can’t wait to cut it!

I may be super excited for Thanksgiving and Christmas, but we can’t forget about Halloween either! Yesterday we made a very spooky soap with shades of grey and an orange layer for a bit of color contrast. Check it out:

This month’s Great Cakes Soapworks Challenge is such a cool design. It’s called the Dandelion Zebra Swirl, and I’m anxiously awaiting the cut of this one because I can’t wait to see how the layers turned out.

Tweets:

  • There’s apps for tracking just about anything these days, and this Happiness Diary is one of the most interesting ones I’ve seen yet. This seems like an excellent way to find patterns in your thinking, and I might give it a try.
  • This is the ultimate riches to rags story: Eike Batista, a Brazilian entrepreneur, went from having a $34.5 billion fortune to nearly bankrupt in a matter of years. A good reminder to never be too attached to fortune because it can be gone in an instant.
  • We all know the importance of learning a second language (or even a third or fourth!), and this video illustrates the importance of learning a new kind of language: computer coding. It’s never a bad idea to start teaching kids early!

To keep up with the latest soapy social media throughout the week, you can follow me on Twitter, Tumblr, Vine, Instagram, Pinterest andYouTube.

Soapy Social Media Roundup

Filed Under: Bramble Berry News

Welcome to the end of September, everyone! It seems like just yesterday it was summertime, and we’ve been taking advantage of the changing seasons by getting out and about as much as possible. We enjoyed an evening out on the beach and have been taking plenty of pre-dinner walks throughout our neighborhood. In fact, the changing scenery is what inspired our newest melt and pour project!

In Soap Crafting news, I am very excited to say that we’ve reached the number 1 selling book on Amazon in three categories: soapmaking books, candlemaking books and candlemaking Kindle ebooks. Myself and the team are overjoyed by this news, and I am so excited to share my passion with others through this book.

In baby news, a new Brambleberrian has joined our family! Our Social Media Manager, Kristen, gave birth to her first child, Ewan Montgomery Clawson on Saturday, September 21. Both momma and baby are healthy, and they stopped by the office yesterday to say hi. Ewan is so tiny, and it’s hard to believe that Lily was that small just a few short months ago! I was so awestruck and gobsmacked that I didn’t get one picture (!). She’s promised to stop by next week so expect a photo of the littlest Bramble Fan soon.

For now, sit back with a nice cup of hot apple cider and enjoy this week’s Soapy Social Media Round Up.

Pins:

Clockwise from top left:

  • You know the holidays are around the corner when you start seeing an influx of red and green-hued soaps, and this is one of my favorites so far. The red, which can be difficult to achieve in cold process, is absolutely stunning and I love the dusting of glittery mica on top.
  • How cute are these lace mason jars? I love burning candles in the fall and winter months, and this is a fun project with such an elegant result.
  • Timeless, classic and super chic, rose body products never go out of style, which is probably why I am in love with this Peppermint Rose Lip Balm. This recipe is super simple, and infusing the fresh rose petals is a great way to practice infusing oils, which is a technique I use all the time in various recipes.
  • The writing is (literally) on the wall — it’s fall! Thinking about hanging this cute little banner in the office somewhere to celebrate.

Instagrams and Vines:

It’s getting colder around here, but that didn’t stop us from creating this bright, flower-inspired cold process frosting recipe. Soap frosting is super fun and way easier to whip up (pun intended!) than it looks. Check out a tutorial we did for soapy cupcakes with frosting to try it for yourself.

Our first holiday inspired soap of the season! This is our Holiday Holly design, made in our Square Tray Mold and garnished with real Cranberry seeds.

Tweets:

  • This list of business (and life!) lessons from Bella Lucce is so inspiring. I love thinking about her first tip — passion is a great equalizer. Don’t let the fear of failure or the unknown scare you away from starting a business around something you love.
  • I could not believe this when I first saw it: an Odwalla Super Food smoothie has as much sugar as FIVE Krispy Kreme Doughnuts. How unbelievable is that? I love comparisons like this because they cause me to pause and examine all those “healthy” food claims.
  • This blog post shows that even some of the world’s most successful corporations still haven’t nailed down social media yet. Social media sites such as Pinterest aren’t just for posting pretty pictures (although how many hours have we all spent looking at pretty pictures on Pinterest!); they represent very real ways to build and maintain a loyal customer base.

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone! To keep up with the latest soapy social media throughout the week, you can follow me on Twitter, Tumblr, Vine, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube.

Soapy Social Media Roundup

Filed Under: Bramble Berry News

Welcome to a very special edition of our Soapy Social Media Roundup. Why is it special? It’s Friday the 13th! Hopefully you haven’t crossed paths with any black cats or broken any mirrors today. This superstitious day has gotten me thinking about Halloween and the quickly approaching holiday season, and we’ve been busy planning plenty of seasonal tutorials (and dreaming of Pumpkin Spice Lattes)! While I’m excited for fall, I’ve also been trying to soak up the last of summer fun. Chris and I went on a fantastic hike over Labor Day, and we’ve been working to totally overhaul our garden. The hard work is paying off — look at the size of these potatoes!

I’ve got lots of goodies for you this week, including sneak peaks of two new soaping projects. Take a look!

Pins:

Clockwise from top left:

  • Okay, so how gourmet does this sound: Grilled Vanilla Bean Marscapone Peaches with Salted Bourbon Caramel… just let that sink in for a minute! It sounds perfect to bring to a sophisticated fall celebration.
  • I love the simple elegance of these crepe-paper flowers. The best part is they won’t wilt and die like real flowers so you could keep them up year-round.
  • You can’t have a conversation about fall without having a conversation about roasted pumpkin seeds. They’re the quintessential fall treat, and while they’re obviously good for eating, they’re good in bath and body products as well (like this Pumpkin Seed Exfoliating Mask, for example). I can’t wait to try this recipe for cinnamon sugar roasted pumpkin seeds.
  • One of the many snapshots taken at the Soap Crafting book release party two weeks ago. Lily was the little life of the party, and I was thrilled to meet so many of my fellow soapers!
  • So these Marcia Moran earrings are definitely on my wishlist. The champagne-colored gems are just gorgeous.
  • A quote to live by! Practice excellence to make it a habit =)

Instagram Videos:

We went on a rainbow kick this week (consider it a final sendoff to summer). The one below is our Super Squirty Rainbow Swirls, and we scented it with our brand new Amazon Lily & Rain Fragrance Oil.

This one is the Swirled Rainbow Layers. Two colors were swirled within each of the three layers — I can’t wait to see what it looks like when it’s cut!

Tweets:

  • Once Instagram introduced the ability to shoot video, we jumped right on board (obviously, see above!). These are some great tips for creating stellar Instagram videos, and it’s incredible how much thought and consideration goes into a quick, 15 second video clip. I love the idea of doing more with stop motion videos.
  • Gift-giving season is almost upon us, and these are some excellent tips if you plan on setting up a booth at your local holiday market or craft fair. Making a great first impression is totally the key to maximizing your sales this holiday season.
  • This is a fascinating look at the new Yahoo CEO, Marissa Mayer. I love her personal proverb, ‘It’s not what you know, it’s how you think.’ Knowing how to ask the right questions and make the right observations will make you an innovator in any field.
  • Kids + fruit = always adorable!

I hope you all have a wonderful (and lucky?) Friday the 13th!

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: Bramble Berry News

I hope everyone had a fantastic Fourth of July with lots of friends, food and of course, fireworks. We just wrapped up our 4th of July Make It challenge, and we received a number of fantastic entries. The variety was incredible! We saw lip balms, bath fizzies, all kinds of soaps and even some patriotic nail polish. You can check out the winners here.

We’ve also added a new social media outlet to our quickly growing roster. Bramble Berry is now on Wanelo (which is a combination of “want,” “need,” love,” — cute!) You can search for products, stores and even key words, and Wanelo aggregates results from all across the web. It’s a great place for one stop shopping.

Here is the Soapy Social Media Roundup for this week.

Pins:

Top left: How awesome do these Curry Vegan Kale Chips look? They’re the perfect alternative to regular potato chips at summer backyard barbecues.

Center: It’s here it’s here, it’s finally here! If you couldn’t tell, I am elated about the arrival of the advance copy of Soap Crafting. The book won’t ship out until August, but you can pre-order a copy here. Our international friends can email sma(at)brambleberry(dot)com to request their copy.  Each pre-order comes with some awesome extras (two exclusive videos, two never-before-seen recipes and a complete guide to colorants — hint hint!), so don’t miss out.

Bottom: This elegant penny ball serves two purposes — it looks great in your garden, and it also (supposedly, at least according to Pinterest) keeps slugs away. Whereas salt only dehydrates slugs,  the tiny amounts of copper in pennies repels them completely. It’s a great way to keep those summer strawberries safe and sound.

Right: Something to keep in mind each and every day!

Vines and Instagrams:

Making the Mantra Swirl for the Great Cakes Soapworks Challenge club. We decided to go with high contrasting colors — black oxide, titanium dioxide and Fizzy Lemonade! The best part? It’s scented with our brand new Cucumber Oak Fragrance Oil =)

And then everyone’s favorite part, the reveal! I love the way this turned out.

Soap Challenge Mantra Swirl

This is one we’re calling the “Hawaiian Shirt” soap. Even if you can’t take a Hawaiian summer vacation this year, you can still dream about a tropical paradise. Keep your eyes peeled for a tutorial on this one coming up soon. (Tip: this video doesn’t play automatically, so be sure to click the start arrow!)

Looking for more Bramble Berry videos? Check out Vine and Instagram online. If you have the apps on your phone, my username is @BrambleBerry!

Tweets:

  • This is a thought-provoking blog post on how the age-old phrase “boys will be boys,” can be problematic. Sometimes it takes a group of preschoolers to teach us all a valuable lesson about respect and compassion.
  • We all know exercise is important, but this article emphasizes how the type of exercise you do should be tailored to your health goals. Looking to control your weight? Go for a run. Trying to stave off heart disease? Walking reduces the risk of heart disease by nearly 9 percent!
  • If you have to give a big presentation at work, consider these tips to help hammer home your message. How you frame a topic can make it or break it.
  • With temperatures pushing 90 in Washington this week, these adorable ice eggs  were just the thing to cool off and have a little fun.

Our warehouse was closed yesterday and we have a skeleton staff today, but we’ll be back running at full capacity catching up and fulfilling orders on Monday. I hope everyone enjoys the rest of the holiday weekend!

Soapy Social Media Roundup

Filed Under: Personal Ramblings

It’s still baby mania around here! I’ve been trying to get back into my normal routine (with Lily always in tow, of course), and I’ve been making it into the office for at least a few hours every day. Lily is the unofficial Bramble Berry mascot these days. She loves being walked around the warehouse. We also received some exciting news this week. Team Bramble Berry was the top referrer of new members to the Handcrafted Soap and Cosmetic Guild for 2013! I can’t say ‘Thank you’ enough to the HSCG board and volunteers. Their conference is an event I look forward to each year (curious about our coverage of this year’s conference? Check our archives here!). As a gift for referring more than 30 new members, they even sent me a fantastic cheese basket! They know the way to my heart; if I had to live on only three things in life, they would be cheese, bread and cupcakes.

Baby Lily Works

In the social media world, everyone is abuzz because you can now use hashtags on Facebook! The tags work the same way they do on Twitter or Instagram. The reason to use them is that they give you a quick and easy way to search and find groups of posts. We’re going to start using hashtags such as #brambleberry, #soapqueen and #soapcrafting, and we’d love for you to do the same when you post relevant content on your Facebook business pages.

Use the hashtags when you add a photo, comment on our Facebook page, or use a Bramble Berry product. My hope is that you’ll be able to search the tags and be rewarded with a wealth of information and awesome photos from your fellow soapers =)

This week was fun in social media. Here are my favorite Pins, Tweets and Vines of the week:

Pins.

Top left: How cute is this Bentley Ruched Short Dress? I love the bright fuchsia color! And, it looks figure flattering for post-baby.
Top right: Rain is something we’re used to in Washington State (they didn’t coin the term ‘Juneuary’ for nothing!) and this is an inspiring quote no matter where you are.
Bottom left: I’m such a fan of foodie themed soaps, and these cupcakes from Jennifer’s Handmade Soaps are some of the best I’ve seen. Bright, fun colors and excellent attention to detail make these really stand out. Want to see more of Jennifer’s work? We interviewed her earlier this week!
Bottom right: It’s been hard to find a spare minute to get back into the kitchen, but I am just dying to try these Southwest quinoa stuff peppers. Quinoa is a great source of protein and fiber, and I eat it at least once a week if not more. The rest of the family hardly notices when I slip it into random things, like pancakes, cookies and burgers.

Vines:
With dreams of a summer vacation on my mind (and no, with a newborn and a 2 year old, that will not be happening this year!), I made a Hawaiian shirt-esque cold process soap yesterday. Keep your eyes peeled for a full tutorial coming to this blog. We scented the soap with our brand new Shave and a Haircut Fragrance Oil, which was one of the winning scents chosen by our 2013 S.O.A.P. Panel. It performed admirably, giving me plenty of time to get a perfect design in the soap below.

Here is the final photo from the Instagram feed here.

Tweets:

  • These are some excellent tips on raising girls to take charge and become leaders.  I especially like numbers 3 and 5. Good things to keep in mind as Lily grows!
  • With so much going on around here lately, reading about these 8 things I can cut out of my day to make it more productive was particularly insightful. Habits like multitasking during a meeting or checking my phone every few minutes and seeing one million new notifications are doing more harm than good.
  • Do you make and sell your own soapy products? Consider this article about how important color is in determining customer purchases. Color is 85% of the reason a customer is interested (and purchases) a particular product.
  • If you have little ones too, you know how important it is to stay active and engaged in their lives. These 5 tips are just little things you can do to stay connected. I especially like number 3 — and want to incorporate nightly dinners more into our routine.

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend. Chris is doing his first triathlon tomorrow (!!) and Lily, Jamisen and I will be there to cheer him on at the finish. What projects do you all have in the works? If you’re looking for some inspiration, try your hand at our newest Make It Challenge. This one has a patriotic theme, and I’d love to see what you all come up with on our Facebook page.

Soapy Social Round Up: May 10

Filed Under: Personal Ramblings

The week is technically over but there is still so much to be excited about! We announced a new Soap Swap, our Bramble Girl is almost due, and my book is ever closer to publication. In fact, here is a Vine video I shot last week while making a super secret bonus project that goes along with the book:

This week we also worked on a fruity Strawberries & Cream soap using fresh strawberry puree and real cream. Keep your eyes peeled for a tutorial =) [Read more…]