My brother Erik and his beautiful wife Cheriss are expecting their first child any day now. We are beyond excited for them and were so happy to host their baby shower. Cheriss did not want a ‘traditional’ baby shower. She wanted a crafty, DIY, activity-based morning of fun that was less about “guess the new Mom’s circumference” and more about creating. We did a DIY Onesie Painting station, a DIY mimosa station, and an advice station.
Archives for June 2014
Sizzling Summer Hair Round Up
It’s officially summertime, and if you’re anything like that Bramble Berry team, that means spending lots of time at the beach (believe it or not, even the chilly waters of the Pacific Northwest warm up enough for some swimming this last week!). Or, if you’re like me and Chris, you’re spending lots of time outdoors (hiking and triathlons).
Summer sun can be tough on your hair, so that’s why we’re rounding up our Sizzling Summer Hair series. Featuring nourishing ingredients such as Argan Oil, Nettle Extract and Carrot Seed Essential Oil, this is a collection of tutorials that will keep your hair healthy year ’round.
The Sizzling Summer Hair collection includes four tutorials: Argan Oil Shampoo, Conditioner, Pink Sea Salt Beach Spray and Hot Oil Treatment.
Facebook Photo of the Week (June 21st ~ June 27th)
This week, we shared a collection of recipes designed to keep your hair silky and smooth. The Argan Oil Shampoo Tutorial uses hair loving ingredients like Nettle and Carrot Extract to nourish hair during hot summer months. To complete the routine, the Leave-In Argan Oil Conditioner Tutorial is incredibly moisturizing and great for de-tangling.
If going to the beach everyday this summer is not a possibility, you can easily recreate the texture of beach-hair with the Pink Sea Salt Beach Spray. Simply spray dry hair and “scrunch” to help define curls, and make your hair more manageable when creating up-dos. If you’re tired of the traditional pony-tail, included in this post is a simple hair tutorial that’s great for beating summer heat.
The warm weather has certainly inspired use of bright color palettes and fruity scents. The soap created for an upcoming Soap Queen TV short is a perfect example! On the other hand, our Facebook Photo of the Week from Shana of Bathvs features a classic color combination of black and white, resulting in a soap that is perfect for all seasons.
Sizzling Summer Hair: Pink Sea Salt Beach Spray + Hairstyle
You’re shampooed, you’re conditioned, and now it’s time to finish your do with a Pink Sea Salt Beach Spray. This simple spray recipe relies on Dead Sea Salt and Pink Sea Salt to give your hair body and volume while enhancing any natural waves or curls. Finish off the look with an easy-breezy up-do. Now you’re ready for a day at the beach!
Check out the other tutorials in this series: Argan Oil Shampoo & Conditioner
Sizzling Summer Hair: Leave-In Argan Oil Conditioner
Shampoo and conditioner go hand-in-hand, and we’re following up yesterday’s Argan Oil Shampoo with today’s Leave-In Argan Oil Conditioner. You can either use this conditioner like a leave-in de-tangling spray, or as a traditional wash-off product. It contains hair nourishing Carrot Extract, as well as DL-Panthenol, which is more commonly known as pro vitamin B5.
Check out the other tutorials in this series: Argan Oil Shampoo and Pink Sea Salt Beach Spray
Argan Oil Shampoo Recipe
Sunshine, ocean water and hotter temperatures are great for lifting your mood, but unfortunately they can be less than ideal for your locks. To help you achieve healthy, summer-ready hair, we’re rolling out a series of tutorials this week to rejuvenate and refresh your mane.
This Argan Oil shampoo is particularly loving to your hair and scalp. Argan Oil has long been used as an additive to hair products because of its high content of Vitamin E and essential fatty acids. The addition of Nettle and Carrot Extract provide some extra strand-nourishing power.
Check out the other tutorials in this series: Argan Oil Conditioner and Pink Sea Salt Beach Spray
Summertime Soap Queen TV
Summertime brings all kinds of exciting things: warmer weather, lots of trips to the beach and in our case, new episodes of Soap Queen TV! We spent last Friday afternoon filming a whopping four episodes. That includes two new tutorials, a SQTV short on a fun scrub and a quick primer on the best way to get the most out of your Birchwood Mold dividers.
Lily and Jamisen stopped by for a quick visit. Lily loves glitter — just like her momma!
Soapy Social Media Roundup
Can you believe the fourth of July is only two weeks away? I definitely can’t! At Bramble Berry we’re all looking forward to summer though, and earlier this week we featured a Fireworks Cold Process tutorial to get you thinking about summer-themed projects. Since the weather has been so nice lately, the kiddos and I have spent plenty of time outside either working in the garden or visiting the farmer’s market for fresh veggies.
Speaking of summer, keep your eyes on the blog, follow us on Facebook or subscribe to our newsletter to be in the know about an upcoming promotion. It features lots of fun tutorials to get beautiful, beach-ready hair =) Until then, take a look at my favorite pins, tweets and ‘grams from the week!
Pins:
Facebook Photo of the Week (June 14th ~ June 20th)
This week, several more guest bloggers shared their take aways from this year’s Handcrafted Soap and Cosmetic Guild Conference. First, Jodi from Empire Rose Soap Co. walked us through the process of creating your own nail polish. If you’d like to learn more about customizing your own nail color, the How to Customize Nail Polish Video is here to help.
Jean from SoapArt summarized a Soap & Cosmetic Guild Conference session about how to use a wide variety of exfoliants in soapy projects. If you can’t decide on a scrubby additive, the Exfoliant Sampler pack is a great way to try a wide variety. With this pack, you’re on your way to creating everything from Gardening Cold Process Soap, to a gentle Oatmeal Facial Scrub Mask.
With summer in full swing , we were inspired to celebrate Independence Day with a soapy project. Full of red, white and blue spirit, the 4th of July Fireworks Cold Process Tutorial features a soapy swirl with Gold Sparkle Mica painting. If you are looking for more Independence Day inspiration, the Easy 4th of July Star Tutorial and the 4th of July Mashup are sure to give you some ideas!
Creating soap for holidays and events is a lot of fun, but when soap making can support a cause, that’s even better. Created by Kerry of Sensually Soaps, this beautiful cold process was created as a fundraiser for Breast Cancer Research.
How to Use the Swirl Tools
I’ve been obsessed with the new Swirl Tools since we introduced them earlier this year. I love the precision I can get in a design across the entire surface of the soap. A few of the projects I’ve used them in so far have been the Peacock Swirl Challenge, Butterfly Swirl, and the Fall Sherbet Soap.
But we’ve been getting questions about how they can be used in different sizes of molds. So I created this video to show how easy it is re-size them for practically any mold.
Get the Comb Swirl Tool here, the Easy Swirl Tool here, or save and get the set!
Guest Post: Exfoliants in Soap
In addition to beautiful colors and fantastic fragrances, exfoliants can add a touch of interest to soap to make it extra special. Bramble Berry carries 19 exfoliants, from Bamboo Powder to Walnut Shells. Talk about choices! Our guest blogger Jean Horn did an excllent re-cap of a Soap & Cosmetic Guild Conference session about navigating the wide world of scrubby possibilities, as well as how to choose the best exfoliants for your bars. Scrub up! — A.M.
Here’s what I saw when I walked into this session:
4th of July Fireworks Cold Process
With little ones running around, I like to keep our 4th of July fireworks display kid-friendly — lots of Pop-Its and maybe a heavily supervised sparkler. To imitate the big booms without actually having to set one off, I created this fun firework-inspired soap. This soap features droplets of gold mica painting and lots of swirly red, white and blue soap to imitate even the most dazzling of fireworks displays. If you make it now, it will be nearly cured just in time the the fourth!
Guest Post: Nailing New Trends in Nail Polish
In this Soap Guild 2014 recap post, guest blogger Jodi Chen walks us through the ins and outs of creating your own nail polish. The session was presented by Christina Rose, owner and creative director of KBShimmer Bath and Body. Read on to learn all about creating an awesome nail polish that will stand the test of time. — A.M.
Walking into the conference room set up for Christina Rose’s presentation on handmade nail polish was a bit like walking into a candy store. An enticing array of glitters, micas, and pigments were laid out on a table, shimmering in the light. Bottles of nail polish base sat in tidy rows, beckoning like tiny blank canvases awaiting a creative touch.
Christina brought so many fun glitters to experiment with.
Sunday Night Spotlight: Peppermint Essential Oil
Sure it may remind you of Christmas and candy canes, but peppermint essential oils shouldn’t be limited to holiday-themed projects. Bramble Berry carries two types of peppermint essential oils, and while their differences are subtle, they can be important! Read on to learn more about both kinds of peppermint essential oil and how you can use them in a wide variety of projects.