Faux Swirl Melt and Pour Cubes
- Difficulty:Easy
- Time:40 minutes
- Yields:6 Cube Soaps
Yes, there is an easy way to swirl melt and pour soap. All you have to do is get your soap to the sweet spot temperature and it couldn’t be easier. We call it the “Faux Melt and Pour Swirl”. Check out the original melt and pour swirl on Soap Queen TV. If you make this soap (or a variation of it) I want to see it. Post pictures on the BB Facebook Fan Page!
Ingredients
32 oz Clear Soap Base
24 oz White Soap Base
1 Teaspoon Electric Bubble Gum Colorant
1 Teaspoon Tangerine Wow Colorant
1 Teaspoon Fired Up Fuchsia Colorant
3 Tablespoons Liquid Glycerin
1 oz Cherry Blossom Fragrance Oil
Tools
3 heat safe containers
Spray Bottle of rubbing alcohol
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Color Prep
Orange Colorant
1 Tablespoon Liquid Glycerin
1 Teaspoon Tangerine Wow
Bubble Gum Pink Colorant
1 Tablespoon Liquid Glycerin
1 Teaspoon Electric Bubble Gum
Fired Up Fuchsia Pink Colorant
1 Tablespoon Liquid Glycerin
1 Teaspoon Fired Up Fuchsia
Mixing the Colorants: Blend the colorants and the liquid glycerin together with a mini mixer. Be sure to stir a little bit with the mixer before turning it on, otherwise you’ll be standing in a pink cloud of colorant. If you’re unsure about pre-mixing colorants, there’s a “SoapQueen Short” video about it here.
Faux Swirls
ONE: Melt 32 ounces of clear soap in the microwave on 30 second burst until fully melted. Then mix in .25 oz of Cherry Blossom Fragrance Oil.
TWO: Once the fragrance is mixed in, separate the soap into two heat-safe containers. Mix in 10 drops of your glycerin and tangerine colorant mixture to the first container of clear soap . I dropped the colorant in with a mini scoop (I’ve been using it a lot lately for my colorants- loving it). Mix well and cover the orange soap with plastic wrap to keep it warm. Add 8 drops of your glycerin and bubble gum colorant mixture to the second container of clear soap. Mix well and cover with plastic wrap. Set aside.
THREE: Melt 24 ounces of white soap base in the microwave on 30 second bursts until the soap is completely melted. Add .75 oz of Cherry Blossom Fragrance Oil and 8 drops of the glycerin and fired up fuchsia colorant mixture. Mix well.
FIVE: Pour a little layer of orange soap into 6 cavities of the cube mold, about 1/8th inches thick. Next, a little of the clear pink soap on top of the orange soap. Try pouring each layer into a different corner of the cube cavity for more color variation in the final soap. Next, pour a little opaque pink soap on top of the pink and orange layers. Again, pour the soap into the opposite corner of the mold cavity to create color variation and swirl. Keep rotating soap pours until all six cavities are full.
Tip: We’re not doing layers so you don’t need to spray each layer. But I kept my spray bottle of rubbing alcohol on hand and sprayed a layer or two on occasion to get rid of any air bubbles. Just remember to move quickly so the layers don’t set up. The magic temperature is between 130-135 degrees.
SIX: Let the soap cool for 4-6 hours before attempting to unmold.
Bramble Berry Athletic Club: Apply Now!
Bramble Berry donates 5% of our profits every year to worthy non profits (and has since 1998). This year, we would love to bring you into the mix with a portion of our charitable giving. Rather than have you vote on what charities to give to, we’re hoping to involve you in a personally meaningful way. If you’ve been reading the blog for a while, you know that I am an avid exerciser and healthy living fanatic. Because fitness is something that I enjoy and believe is the foundation to running a successful business, I thought it would be fun to connect with Bramble Berry customers that share the same passion for giving back coupled with a desire to get moving. Let me introduce to you, for the first time in Bramble Berry history, the Bramble Berry Athletic Club! BBAC is a new group of sponsored athletes that will participate in various athletic events for charity.
I’m so excited about this! I can’t wait to support your athletic events and charities that are important to you. See details below to apply.
BBAC Perks
- Up to $550 to spend on entry fee and charity donation.
- BBAC schwag including team shirt to wear in your event.
- Soap Queen Blog feature including your story, charity, pictures and link love!
- BBAC surprise goody bag.
How to Apply
Email bbac(at)brambleberry(dot)com and tell us your story: Submit email by February 24th and we’ll announce the team on February 31st!
- Tell us about the race or event you plan on competing in this year.
- What charity does the event support?
- Why is this charity important to you?
- Please include a picture of yourself.
- Send us your charity page or a link to the race if you already have one set up.
Fine print
- The donation money will cover your entry fee for the event and the rest will go to the event’s supporting charity. We will cut the check directly to the charity.
- We would love a picture of you in your BBAC team shirt at the race (nothing would make us prouder) and we want to hear all about the event so we can blog about it!
- We will be choosing between 6-10 applicants.
Jake Locker and I at a Run for Hope benefit. See blog post here.
Talk It Out Tuesday: Colorants
Welcome to the first in a series of posts we’re calling Talk It Out Tuesday!! This is going to be in basic Q and A format, and we’d love to know what you think! And, of course, what questions you would like answered.
This Talk It Out Tuesday, we’re going to explore some frequently asked questions regarding colorants. They can add character to both melt and pour and cold process soaps, and even to your lotions and lotion bars. But have you ever run into a coloring situation and not known how to proceed? Check out these answers to the most common questions we get about colorants!
What type of colorants does Bramble Berry carry?
Bramble Berry carries a wide variety of colorants, including Oxides, Micas, and LabColors. Check out this video on Soap Queen TV. It’s all about the different colorants that we carry. And you can see them in action! All of these colorants can be used in soaps, lotions, scrub and other bath and body products but while they all work, some are better for certain types of products than others. We also sell LabBomb Colorants that are specifically designed for bath bombs and Candle Colorants that are specifically designed for candles and are not skin safe. (more…)
Vegan Juice Pulp Crackers
The green ones in the back are Simona’s, the red ones in the center are Amber’s and the little curly ones in the front are mine.
I love juicing vegetables. I am fully addicted to it and love how I feel when I start my morning with a big glass of veggie juice. Whenever I juice though, I’m left with all the fibrous pulp from the vegetables and I hate throwing it out. My friend Jody Bergsma taught me how to make “Raw Crackers.” There are a lot of different types of recipes on the internet to make raw crackers. The reason I like this one is because it gives me something to do with the veggie pulp. (more…)
Craxy Week 2: Recap
Crazy Sexy Diet, 21 Day Cleanse: Week 2
Jamisen and I are juicing. He loves it!
Craxy Week in Review
Can you believe that we are almost three quarters of the way through our journey? Eight more days to go and I hope you all are feeling as revved as I am. This week has been GREAT! I can’t believe we have over 50 participants involved in the cleanse now. It has been amazing to hear inspirational and encouraging words from all of you. Here in the BB office, we are all feeling happier, more energetic and even slimmer. Weight loss is one of the lovely side effects to our nutrition reboot. It’s almost impossible NOT to lose weight when you cut out sugar, alcohol, dairy and gluten (wheat). Though we are on our “cleanse high” we do have to keep our long term goals in mind. I would really love to hear some of your plans, tips and goals for after the 21 days. (more…)
LOVE Soap Mold Debut Tutorial
- Difficulty:Easy
- Time:30 Minutes
- Yields:4 Love Soaps
Loveable soap is easy to make. In truth, all soap is loveable but this tutorial will teach you how to make the LOVE soap pictured below. If you have never made melt and pour soap before, this project is for you! Check out the fool proof layering tips below and follow the step by step instructions for beautiful results.
4 oz Clear soap
12 oz White soap
15 drops Liquid Violet
6 Mini Scoops Red Blue Mica
1 teaspoon Tangerine Wow Neon
1 teaspoon Electric Bubble Gum Neon
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(more…)
All You Need Is Love
Swoon!
Check out Bramble Berry’s new Love Mold, ready to make it’s debut to the world tomorrow, Friday 1/27/2012! I know what you’re thinking, “Where’s the tutorial, Anne-Marie? It’s tutorial THURSDAY!” Hang tight, Soap Queen Pals, we’re going to show you how to make the fabulous soap above. You’ll just have to wait until tomorrow. One. More. Day. =) How about a little baby love to keep you entertained?
I remember bubbles in childhood as fun and magical. Naturally, I wanted to introduce Jamisen to this fun and magical concept.
Whoops. Is that a look of terror on his face? 
Hm. Still terrified. Wait, if I can remember bubbles, how old was I when I played with those bubbles? 
But, proving he is my son, he did eventually warm up to the bubbles and even tried to use his slow baby reflexes to catch a few.
That’s my boy! Check back tomorrow for the LOVE tutorial. I swear, it’s coming!
How to Sell Consignment
Recently on our Facebook Page, someone asked about selling their products consignment. If one person is having that question, you can bet others are. Selling consignment is often a first step to getting into a retail store. Consignment means that a store owner will take your product and instead of buying it, they will pay you for the product when they sell it. You own the product, in their shop, and are responsible for stocking the store shelves. You and the shop owner work out a deal for a percentage of the sales – generally a 70/30 or a 60/40 split with the store getting 30% or 40%. The reason that the store gets less than 50% is because you, the small business owner, are taking all the risk. First you will need a contract with the shop owner.
(1) The percentage split – Are you getting 70% of the sales price? Less?
(2) Rent or extra fees – Is there administration cost every month? Is there any rent that the owner would like you to pay for your part of the store?
(3) Theft and damage – Mistakes happen and unscrupulous people happen. Who pays for that inventory? You or the shopowner? Or, is it a split?
(4) Payment – How often are you paid?
(5) Removal – If things aren’t selling, when and how can you pick up your products?
(6) Inventory – Are you keeping track of inventory or is the store? What if there is a discrepancy?
(7) End Date – How long does this contract last? Under what circumstances can you get out of the contract?
Other things that you will want to take into account are general business questions – is this store in a good location? Will the store owner give you good placement in the store? Can you work with them on in-store promotions? Will you be proud to have your merchandise in the store?
It’s important for you to do the research into the store before you approach the shop owner. Is the store in good traffic location? Will the store owner do a good job promoting her store (and your products)? Your soap will be tied up in the store, while you still own it. It is a big risk and that’s why you are normally paid more than 50%. If you get a chance, talk to other people that are consigning in the store about how their products are being treated in the store and how their products sell through. Past experience predicts future experience.
Summer 2012 S.O.A.P. Team [CHEER]
Announcing the new S.O.A.P. Team for Summer 2012!
[APPLAUSE]
Andi from We Love Soap: Twitter, Blog
Alanna from Peach Blossoms Cosmetics: Facebook
Dawn from EcoSations: Etsy, Facebook
Rose from Brooklyn Bath: Blog, Etsy
Jean from Soap Art: Website, Blog
Nicole from My Quest for Health: Blog, Facebook
April from April’s Soap: Blog, Facebook
Lucky Lucky Neko: Artfire, Blog
Attention S.O.A.P. team: Please email SOAP(at)brambleberry(dot)com with your contact and shipping information! We’ll be packaging up your fragrances and getting them out the door by the end of the week. Oh the suspense of not knowing what fragrances you’ll receive! Could one be Bacon? Or Wet Dog? You’ll soon find out!
[LAUGH] (more…)
A Birthday Dinner Without Sugar
We’re officially into Week Two of Crazy Sexy Diet Cleanse. Woooooo HOOO! And in our office, all of us made it through Week One with **no** slip ups. We are so lucky to have each other to cheer us all on AND to peer-pressure us into staying on the straight and narrow. There’s something to be said for being inspired by others’ successes. I am sending out daily updates to our email group of virtual cleansers with recipes, experiences and support. If you’re missing those emails, be sure to post and let me know and I’ll get you on for the last 14 days of this great experience. The most positive part about the entire first week? I have found *so many* amazing vegan and gluten free blogs online with inventive and interesting recipes. This week has got me back in the kitchen and excited to be there!
Dad's Birthday Dinner
I had a fun challenge this weekend. It was my Dad’s birthday (happy birthday Dad!). I wanted to make him a fabulous birthday dinner but needed to do it vegan, gluten free AND sugar free. Holly in Customer Service is doing the Crazy Sexy Diet Reboot with us (and she’s been incredibly inspiring to do it with – I love her exuberant attitude!). She had a great suggestion: poached pears! Voila, my Crazy Sexy Vegan No Sugar Poached Pear recipe below! (more…)
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