We just celebrated Lily’s birthday. Like all parents, I can’t believe that she is already two years old. It seems like just yesterday that she was a newborn, sleeping in her carrier next to my desk in the Bramble Berry offices. It has been ridiculously fun to watch her personality emerge. She is the sweetest, most happy baby and makes Chris and I smile every day with her charming temperament.
To celebrate the occasion, I made butterscotch, butterscotch, butterscotch cupcakes. Butterscotch is a family favorite thanks to my dad (you can read about his love for butterscotch here). The cupcakes were a combination cake mix and homemade ingredients. They were easy to make (though were multiple steps), and most importantly, tasted amazing!
Archives for May 2015
Soapy Social Media Roundup
Happy weekend =) Today the family and I are busy getting everything sorted into our new home. There is still a lot of work to do, but it’s slowly coming together. Last weekend was Lily’s 2nd birthday (post on that tomorrow), and it was great to start filling the new house with family memories.
In soapy news, the winners of this month’s Great Cakes Soapworks Challenge were announced. Bramble Berry gave the grand prize winners $100 each, and new fragrance oils for the runners up. Below is the grand prize winning soap, made by Teressa of Nourishing Handmade Body Care. I was blown away by the detail in these adorable mini dessert soaps. It’s hard to believe they are not edible! If you’re looking for more soapy inspiration, check out my favorite tweets, pins and ‘grams from the past week.
Left to right, clockwise:
- I love the fresh green color of this Cucumber Aloe Vera Soap by Riens Hnadmade Soap. The textured top makes it look so creamy!
- These Easy Refrigerator Dill Pickles look awesome. I love adding pickles to salads, or having them for snack.
- Francois et Moi made this beautiful Pull Down Style Botanical Wall Hanging out of wrapping paper. It looks so professional, chic and classy.
- Brussels sprouts are one of my favorite veggies. This Pesto Pasta with Chicken Sausage and Roasted Brussels Sprouts looks right up my alley.
Instagram:
On Thursday, the tutorial for this American Flag soap went out via the Bramble Berry Newsletter. It took three tries until I was happy with the final soap…those layers were tricky! Click here to sign up for the newsletter to receive exclusive tutorials and information about new products and upcoming sales.
I made these lavender and lemongrass hot process bars for Soap Queen TV last week, and have been using them non-stop since. I can’t wait for you to see the video. On the right, Jamisen “helped” me make butterscotch cupcakes for Lily’s birthday. Look for the recipe tomorrow =)
Twitter:
- Facebook’s new “Critics’ Reviews,” will allow reviews on select restaurant pages in the US. I wonder how this will affect Yelp in the future.
- Speaking of food, this oatmeal hack could totally change your breakfast.
- This list of 25 Businesses You Can Start for Less than $100 is incredibly interesting. Also, soap making made the list!
- Contouring with face makeup seems to be all the rage right now. If you don’t have an hour for makeup in the morning, this 1-minute Contour Look is helpful.
- I don’t have a TV in my house, and this list of 10 Reasons You Should Stop Watching TV reaffirms my decision.
I hope you all have an fantastic weekend! To keep up with the latest soapy social media throughout the week, you can follow me on Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram, Pinterest, Vine and YouTube and Snapchat. To watch my ‘stories’, which include sneak peeks into future projects, add me. I’m Bramble-Berry on Snapchat.
Facebook and Instagram Photo of the Week (May 23rd ~ 29th)
The spring-inspired tutorials continued this week with projects like the Butterfly Sparkle Surprise Bath Bomb. Along with fizzing in your tub, the bath bombs will release Iridescent Glitter and a butterfly eraser. They will also add a sweet smell to the tub from a mix of Crisp Apple Rose Fragrance Oil and Pure Honey Fragrance Oil. It’s a perfect project to make with kids.
Honey Bee Funnel Pour Cold Process Tutorial
One of the sure signs of spring is honey bees floating from flower to flower. This Honey Bee Funnel Pour Cold Process Soap is inspired by the yellow and black stripes on a bee. The soap is then topped with fluffy cold process frosting, a Honey Melt and Pour Base bee embed and a golden melt and pour honey drizzle. It is scented with Pure Honey Fragrance Oil. The sweet and warm honey scent pairs perfectly with the bee-inspired colors.
This soap is made using the funnel pour technique. Yellow, white and black soap is poured through a funnel, creating the unique layers. Check out this Funnel Pour Soap video on Soap Queen TV to see how it’s done.
If you’ve never made cold process frosting before, check out the Whipped Cold Process Soap Frosting episode on Soap Queen TV. The key to soap frosting is to allow the lye water and oils to completely cool to around 60-70 °F.
Nail Polish Party + Nail Polish Colors and Free Templates
A few months ago, I threw DIY party at my house. It was a ton of fun; my friends and I created a Winter Gardenia Sugar Scrub, along with various colors of nail polish. Nail polish is one of my favorite projects to make with friends because it’s simple, easy to customize, and just about everybody loves nail polish. Making nail polish doesn’t require precise measurement or heat, which makes it easy to set up and clean up after.
I recommend planning on each person making about three bottles of nail polish. To give your guests plenty of color options, colorant sampler packs are a great way to go. For this party, I used the Brights and Pastel Micas Sampler Pack. I also brought along some glitter to add plenty of sparkle.
First, I showed everybody how to create a bottle of nail polish. Then, I gave them each printed instructions along with a template to test their nail polish color throughout the mixing process. I also had labels printed out, so my friends could write the name of their custom shade on the bottle. Coming up with fun polish names is one of my favorite parts!
Butterfly Sparkle Surprise Bath Bomb
It’s so fun dropping a bath bomb into the tub and watching it fizz away, especially for kids. This Butterfly Sparkle Surprise Bath Bomb is even more fun because it has a secret stash of Iridescent Glitter and a butterfly eraser inside. Partway through the fizzing, the bath tub will be full of sparkle and a fun toy. Imagine your child’s delight and surprise!
Along with the hidden goodies, the bath bombs contain chia seed oil to moisturize your skin. They have a bright yellow hue from Daisy Yellow LaBomb Colorant. A combination of fresh Crisp Apple Rose Fragrance Oil and sweet Pure Honey Fragrance Oil will make the bath water smell like springtime. See these bath fizzies in action in the video below!
Memorial Day
Today, we are reminded of the great sacrifices that the men and women of our Armed Services make everyday to protect our way of life. Today is also a day to remember those who have lost their lives in time of war. I hope that today you are able to take a moment to give thanks, and spend time with friends and family. Personally, I’d like to thanks my dad and grandpa for their service.
Curious how to make this soap? Find out in this week’s newsletter, click here to sign up!
Bramble Berry will be closed today in honor of Memorial Day. Orders placed today will begin being processed tomorrow, May 26th. I hope you have a wonderful Memorial Day!
Honey Roasted Peaches Recipe
Spring and summer are my favorite seasons for many reasons. These seasons mean warmer weather, outside activities and fresh produce. Peaches are beginning to come into season, and I’ve started to experiment with new ways to use them. I love peach pie and peach cobbler, but wanted a healthier, lighter option. These honey roasted peaches have all the sweet and juicy flavor of peach desserts without calorie-filled crust or crumble topping.
I love to eat these peaches warm on yogurt, or ice cream if I want to indulge. They are also delicious on top of pancakes or granola or, yum, on crepes (seriously, drooling right now thinking about a great European-style crepe with these peaches rolled up inside). Ripe peaches work best, but if your peaches are still firm, the roasting process creates a soft texture and sweetness. I can’t wait to try this technique with other fruits like strawberries, pineapple or even apples.
Soapy Social Media Roundup
Happy Memorial Day weekend everyone! I hope the weather is allowing you to get outside to barbecue and enjoy the outdoors. Yesterday, the team and I filmed four full-length Soap Queen TV videos. The projects include a bath fizzy, cold process, hot process and eye product. I can’t wait to share the videos with you.
Jamisen and his buddy enjoying the sunshine! I hope you’re able to enjoy the weather this Memorial Day weekend.
Tomorrow is Bellingham’s annual Ski to Sea race, and this year Bramble Berry is participating. The race has seven legs, including running, biking, canoeing and sea kayaking. It’s an intense race, and I can’t wait to cheer on our team. I’m not participating this year…but maybe next year. =) If the weather has you stuck inside, check out my favorite pins, ‘grams and tweets for some crafty inspiration.
Pinterest:
Left to right, clockwise
- These Bahn Mi Spring Rolls look amazing! I love spring rolls; they are a great alternative to salad.
- I love the orange and white color palette of this soap made by Titania’s Dreamy Delights.
- The marbled effect of this Melted Crayon Rock Art is beautiful! Jamisen and Lily would have a blast with this project.
- Now that I’ve tried the petal technique with soap, it’s time to try it with cake! The blue color palette on this Blue Ombre Petal Cake is stunning.
Instagram:
Have you tried hot process soap before? On the left is a hot process project scented with the yummy Espresso Fragrance Oil. On the right are some of the salts that you can use in your bath and beauty projects. Click here to learn more about salt.
Weekends are for fun! Last Saturday, Jamisen and I had a blast putting together a pillow and blanket fort.
Twitter:
- What’s the right amount of exercise per week? This article suggests 150 minutes per week.
- Eating healthy doesn’t have to be complicated! These simple rules for healthy eating are both useful, and totally doable.
- The Cannes Film Festival banned some women not in heels from the red carpet. Unsurprisingly, there has been plenty of backlash.
- Do you use hashtags? Learn the do’s and don’ts of hashtags here.
- If you’re scared of spiders, you probably shouldn’t click this. Hint…spiders falling from the sky. Eeek!
I hope you all have an fantastic Memorial Day weekend! To keep up with the latest soapy social media throughout the week, you can follow me on Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram, Pinterest, Vine and YouTube and Snapchat. To watch my ‘stories’, which include sneak peeks into future projects, add me. I’m Bramble-Berry on Snapchat.
Facebook and Instagram Photo of the Week (May 16th ~ 22nd)
Spring is an inspirational time of the year. The flowers are blooming and the sun is shining (in between the rain of course). This week featured several spring-inspired tutorials, including the Monarch Butterfly Melt and Pour Tutorial. Orange and black soap – classic monarch butterfly colors – are piped into the Guest 5 Butterfly Mold. The butterfly details are topped with a shimmery blue base, and the soap is scented with my current fave, sweet and warm Pure Honey Fragrance Oil.
Monarch Butterfly Swirl Cold Process Tutorial
With gorgeous orange, yellow and black wings, the monarch may be the most recognizable type of butterfly. It lives in warm climates such as Mexico, California and along the Gulf Coast, and is known for its annual migration from Eastern North America to Mexico. This Monarch Butterfly Swirl Cold Process was inspired by these gorgeous insects. Layers of monarch-colored soap are poured into the mold and swirled with a hanger swirl tool to create the effect of butterfly wings.
The fun part about the butterfly swirl is that every bar looks unique. When the bars are placed side by side, the butterfly image really pops. This technique was created by Zahida of Handmade in Florida, click here to read our interview with her.
How to Infuse Oils with a Crock-Pot
A simple handmade cold process soap is made up of oils, butters and sodium hydroxide lye. Various oils give handmade soap different properties, so each combination of oils will make a unique bar. Click here to learn more about the various properties of common soap making oils. To take your soap making oils to the next level, they can be infused with dried herbs such as lavender, chamomile, marigold and so many more. Infusing oils with herbs can add color, a light scent or skin-loving properties to your oil. If you’d like even more in-depth information on infusing oils including working with teas and clays, check out my E-Book Infusing: Herbs, Spices, Teas & Clays.
There are several different methods of infusing oils. These include infusing the oils on the stove top, in a Crock-Pot and cold infusion. When infusing oils with heat, such as on the stove or in a Crock-Pot, the process takes anywhere from 20 minutes to 4 hours. The time will depend on how hot your oils are and how concentrated you’d like the infusion to be. With cold infusion, herbs are added to room temperature oil and set aside for 4-6 weeks. If using the cold infusion method, be sure to use an oil with a long shelf life.
In addition to herbs, powders can also be infused into oil. Infusing powders in oil prevents speckles of powder that can occur when the powder is added directly to the soap. Popular powders for infusing include madder root powder, olive leaf powder, alkanet root powder and safflower powder. Indigo powder is an interesting ingredient, as it benefits from being added to reconstituted lye water rather than oils. The result is a darker, more intense blueish gray color.
Top row: Safflower Powder, Alkanet Root Powder
Bottom row: Olive Leaf Powder, Madder Root Powder
Common oils used for infusing include sweet almond, olive oil, avocado oil and chia seed oil, but almost any lightweight liquid oil can be used. When selecting your herbs, it’s best to use dried herbs. The moisture content of fresh herbs could promote mold and bacterial growth in your oil. Generally, hard oils such as coconut or palm are not infused, although they can be used if using the stove or Crock Pot method.
Infused oils can be used in cold process soap and other projects that include lightweight liquid oils. This includes bath bombs, massage oils, lotions, lip balm and scrubs. For example, calendula is infused in sweet almond oil in the Infused Lip Balm video on Soap Queen TV. For cold process soap specifically, it’s debatable if the skin-loving properties of herbs survive the saponification process, but it’s fantastic from a marketing and label standpoint. If you’re looking for more recipes using infused oils, check out the tutorials below!
Baby Massage Oil on Soap Queen TV
Sensuous Rose-Infused Massage Oil
Hot Oil Hair Treatment
I love using a Crock-Pot to infuse my oils because the temperature remains steady for long periods of time, and the bottom of the Crock-Pot will not burn the herbs. The amount of time it takes to infuse your oils will depend on your Crock-Pot. It will also depend on your personal preference. It’s important to remember that infusing oils is not a concrete science; the amount of oil and herbs used will depend on your recipe and how strongly you want to infuse the oil. In general, a good place to start is 1 tablespoon of herb per ounce of oil.
For this infusion, I’m creating a blend of both chamomile herbs and calendula petals. Both of these herbs are known for their gentle, skin-soothing properties. I’m using 16 oz. of sweet almond oil with 8 tablespoons of calendula petals and 8 tablespoons of chamomile herbs. Roughly, that was about .6 oz of chamomile and .2 oz of calendula. Place both the herbs and oils into the Crock-Pot, stir and set the Crock-Pot to low. If you’d like, you can add your herbs into a sealable tea bag. This extra step means you won’t need to strain the oils later.
Cover the Crock-Pot with the lid and allow the oils and herbs “cook” for about 30 minutes. After that time, you may notice the oils start to slightly change color. At this point, you can strain the oils from the herbs, or you may choose to infuse them a little longer. I let my oils and herbs infuse for another hour to get all the benefits from the herbs.
Once you are finished infusing the oils, allow them to cool slightly. Pour the oils through a strainer and into a heat safe bowl. If you find that small pieces of the herbs are still in your oil, you can pour them through a cheese cloth, coffee filter or thin paper towel to remove them.
Transfer your oil into a sealable container and write the date in which it was infused. Store in a cool, dark place to ensure your oils last as long as possible. The shelf life of the infusion will be the same as the shelf life of your oil. Find shelf lives for common oils here. The oil can then be used as normal in your soap, lotions, balms and more.
Curious about some more infusing options? The list below has a few common infusing herbs, and what they add to your soap. Do you have a favorite oil to infuse?
Common Infusing Herb Properties:
Alkanet Root Powder: Adds a grey-ish purple color to cold process soap.
Annatto Seed: Adds an orange tint to cold process soap.
Chamomile Herb: Known for its calming and soothing properties.
Indigo Powder: Gives soap a blue gray hue; we recommend reconstituting indigo powder in your lye solution.
Lavender Buds: Known for its relaxing scent.
Madder Root Powder: Gives a reddish color to cold process soap.
Marigold (Calendula): Known for its skin-soothing properties. Can give a slight yellow/orange tint to soap.
Olive Leaf Powder: Gives a greenish-grey color to cold process soap.
Rose Petals: Great for marketing; does not add much scent.
Safflower Powder: Gives a yellow hue to cold process soap.
Monarch Butterfly Melt & Pour Tutorial
With spring comes warmer temperatures, blooming flowers and ripe produce. The influx of flowers brings forth honeybees and butterflies. These Monarch Butterfly Melt and Pour soaps were inspired by the classic monarch butterfly colors, orange and black. These guest-sized soap are great for visitors or traveling. The scent of Pure Honey Fragrance Oil is luxuriously warm and sweet.
Due to the small details in this soap, this project is for advanced melt and pour soap makers. The injector tool works great for filling in the small details, but be sure to have a cup of extra hot water nearby to unclog the tool after each color. Temperature is also important in this project. Because the details are so small, they can melt easily if layers on top are poured hotter than 125 °F. Patience is key!
Kid-Friendly Project Roundup
I am an over-the-top ridiculous, messy crafter. If you left me in a Michaels craft store for a month with enough microwaveable meals and water, I could happily live there, exploring all the different arts, crafts and crazy skills they have to offer (seriously though, I’ve always wanted to learn how to solder; doesn’t that seem fun yet also, useful?!) Arts and crafts promote creativity and problem solving skills in every age – but, especially in our kiddos. Creating art projects with your kids is also a great bonding activity. There are so many fun projects that you and your little can create together, including melt and pour, bath fizzies and nail polish. The project you choose will depend on your child’s age and skill level. In general, I recommend keeping the projects simple. That way the activity stays fun, easy and stress-free. My favorite activity craft subscription boxes are Kiwi Crate, Koala Crate, Messy Play Kit (pictured below, top two photos) and Handmade Beauty Box (of course!).