Facebook has become a ‘must have’ for business. If you’re on Facebook with your business, there are tips and tricks that you can follow to help increase your user engagement and create a connection with your customers. Given how quickly Facebook changes their business practices, it’s important that you keep up with their policy and layout changes after setting up the page and reading this blog post. I make sure to check in at Mashable every few weeks to ensure I’m not missing anything major.
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Making Fingerpaint with Bramble Berry Colors
Thanks to Pinterest, every crafty idea I see, I want to immediately turn into a reality. And not just any reality but one that I drag my entire family into. With all the fun Toddler Art projects floating around, making fingerpaint from scratch was just a matter of time. Add Valentine’s Day in there and it’s a recipe for reds, pinks and fun messes.
Fingerpaint Recipe
2 cups flour
1/4 cup salt
3 cups boiling water
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil [Read more…]
Hot Process Series: Crock Pot Camo
Ever wondered what the difference is between CPOP, HPOP, and CPHP? I’m hoping to set the record straight when it comes to various methods of using heat to aid in the soapmaking process. Or, at the very least, I’ve set out to tell my own accounts of what happens when I attempt these different methods. We’ve already visited CPOP, so next up let’s take a look at CPHP.
CPHP: Crock Pot Hot Process. This method of using hot process calls for heat being applied through the use of a crock pot (or a double boiler or jacketed soup tureen). Like the oven’s purpose in CPOP, the crock pot in CPHP facilitates holding the temperature of the soap at or above 160 degrees, speeding up the saponification process. Remember from the CPOP post that according to Professor Kevin M. Dunn, author of Caveman Chemistry and Scientific Soapmaking, heat speeds along the saponification process. The major difference is that CPHP cooks the soap before it goes into the mold instead of after, which gives the finished soap a more rustic look. Scroll to the end of the tutorial for some FAQs!
Click here to tweet this tutorial!
Falling for Pumpkin Pear Soap
This fun, multi-step project was a hit when it went out with the Bramble Berry newsletter (not a subscriber? Sign up on the right hand side of the Bramble Berry Homepage). Just in case you aren’t a subscriber, I wouldn’t want you to miss out on the fun. This project definitely evokes a warm fall color palette with matching scents, but I can see this translated to any time of year by changing up the colors and fragrances.
Phase 1 Recipe:
6.0 oz. Palm Oil
20.0 oz. Pure Olive Oil
8.0 oz. Coconut Oil
1.2 oz. Castor Oil
4.8 oz. Rice Bran Oil
5.5 oz. Sodium Hydroxide (lye)
13.2 oz. Distilled Water
3 teaspoons Titanium Dioxide
3 tablespoons Sweet Almond Oil (or another liquid oil)
3 tablespoons Paprika
2.7 oz. Pumpkin Spice Fragrance Oil
Click here to add everything you need for both phases of this project to your Bramble Berry cart! [Read more…]
Impressionist Soap Tutorial
This pretty and unique soap is inspired by impressionist paintings. It utilizes a unique “swirl” technique created with…of all things…squirt bottles! Don’t forget to bring a little bit of patience along. Squirting the soap can take up to 10 minutes, but it is SO worth it. Get ready to fall in love.
Happy Fourth of July
Happy Fourth of July, or Independence Day! We had planned a Fourth of July party at our home for some friends to watch the awesome Bellingham city fireworks – until we realized that they started at 10 p.m. One clear indication that you have a baby in your home is the desire to get to bed before midnight. =) So, our new plan is that Chris and I are doing an afternoon date (okay, that’s a lie or perhaps just an optimistic euphemism; we’ve hired a baby sitter so we can get 3 hours to clean the garage and 1 hour for a date afternoon. Between that and the no party situation, we are a barrel of fun). Rest assured, my goal is for Jamisen to be wearing his bow tie onesie all day. Judging from his expression below, I’m not quite positive that’s in the stars (ha! Get it? Punny!).
We’re hoping for some baby park time (Jamisen loves the park) and some serious craft time. Look for crafting photos later today. We had a great time eating blueberries and eggs this morning and then jetted out for a quick hike to the beach before morning nap time. [Read more…]
LOVE Soap Mold Debut Tutorial
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
Buy everything you need in the click of a button! [Read more…]
Almonds, Chocolate and Lavender (CP Soap Tutorial)
Remember when Amber did a guest post on the homemade Almond Milk (which also inspired a Blueberry Almond Smoothie and Strawberry Almond Thumprint Cookies)? She inspired us to make Almond Meal Soap with the leftover almond meal from her almond milk making. The almond milk byproduct of almond meal is a gentle exfoliant and a lovely way to get a little more cleaning power from your bar. The fragrance oil blend of chocolate and lavender is a gourmet candy like combination (think sophisticated foodie chocolate). Enjoy this luxurious recipe!
Caramel Apple Soap Tutorial
With Halloween “creeping” up on us, I’ve been thinking I should get a head start on my Halloween gifts. These Caramel Apple Soaps look and smell delicious. I felt like I was making real caramel apples! Let these be your Fall hostess gifts this year whether it be a Halloween Party or just a fun get together with your friends. I think these would be really adorable molded from little crab apples to make mini guest-size caramel apple soaps, too.
Soapylove Neon Bonanza
Recently I received a wonderful surprise in the mail – the new neon colorant sample pack from Bramble Berry! I guess Anne-Marie really knows me since neons are my favorite colors! So yesterday while my kids were happily at Grandma’s house, I hit the kitchen with my Soapylove molds to take the neons for a spin. Here are my projects and some tips to get super bright, clean details in your next project!
Supplies needed for all projects:
Testing 1, 2, 3!
Yes, I know I’m always declaring that this or that is my favorite. But I really mean it this time. . . for now, anyway. I love our new 12 bar square silicone mold. It is so perfect for testing soaps but also makes 12 perfect bars of soap in a flash! We do a lot of soap testing to ensure that each fragrance we carry is safe for use in cold process soap. For every fragrance you see at Brambleberry.com, we’ve tested at least 100 more (really, I swear, that is not an exaggeration) that didn’t make the cut.
Rather than go over the basics of how to make cold process soap again, I’m just going to share my basic technique for testing fragrances. If you’ve never made cold process soap before please learn about the safety precautions and basic steps first. My series of 4 videos about how to make cold process soap would be a great place to start. Episode 1: Lye Safety, Episode 2: Basic Terms, Episode 3: Using Fragrances, and Episode 4: Using Colorants. And if I catch you making soap without goggles, may the Soap Fairies forever take away your soaping luck.
Next, I weigh out all of my fragrances. It is really important when testing fragrance oils, like I am here, that everything is accurately weighed so that you can duplicate your successes .And, when all the fragrances are weighed out, you can just do a quick ‘dump ‘n’ stir’ – you need 12 little dishes if you’re working on 12 individual fragrances.
Next I mix my lye and oil and bring it to a very light light trace, after everything is prepped. Then I weigh out 4 ounces of soap batter into each container. I fill all 12 containers before moving on to the next step. You may have noticed that this recipe makes a little more than 48 oz. This is because you can never get every last drop of soap out of the pot, and with this recipe you are sure to have 4 full ounces for each bar.
Finally, I thoroughly mix in the fragrance into one of the cups (by hand with a spoon) and pour it into the mold. Then move on and do the next one. I have 12 individual spoons waiting to go. It’s the only way to ensure no scent contamination.
For clean-up there are a couple of ways you can tackle the job. You can wipe out the wet soap with a paper towel and then immediately run very hot water into the cups to wash the oily mess down the drain. Or you can wait a couple of days and wash the fresh soap out the cups. The waiting method is easier – but it only works if you have the space and enough containers that you don’t need them for a few days!
Do you have other testing tips and techniques? I’d love to hear them!
Thinking About Opening a Store?
An interview with … me (!) about opening a craft store. This interview was done for a small business advice book that (to the best of my knowledge) was never published. I didn’t want it to languish in the archives forever so am dusting it off to share with you!
is considering opening a craft store?
you had known before you started?
owner?
business?
Epic Epicurean Eats
It’s another Bramble’versary. Amber, our resident marketing genius, designs our rotating home page photos, our newsletter, lays out our e-books and takes the best photographs of anyone on the team. She started out as my part time assistant five years ago but didn’t stay there long; it was apparent she had skills that exceeded what I needed in an assistant. I’ve never replaced that assistant position and Amber’s never looked back. We’re lucky to have her. And, for her five year Bramble’versary, I wanted to make something that was befitting of how complicated and multi-faceted her job is. Behold, the Salted Caramel Bacon Brownie.
He Started Selling Soap From a Van?!?
Friday at the Soap Guild Conference kicked off with a bang. Ambassador Carol Mosely Braun gave the key note address. Her message was simple. She preached a core message of sustainability and told us that “Change starts with one, you. ” She was passionate about sustainability and absolutely a riot to listen to. Her sense of humor was incredible. I can see how she made it in government for so long – she could laugh at anything!
Then, Josh Onysko from Pangea Organics spoke to us. He started selling soap out of the back of his truck and has grown the company to be a multi-million dollar company, selling soaps, lotions and lip balms. He said that their best selling item is their lip balm. His story was incredibly unique and his passion for sustainability came through in everything he talked about. I loved two things about his story: 1. He started out of a van. Out of a VAN! 2. He loves his staff. He is such a fan of his employees that Pangea has an official organic garden to give their employees free produce 7 months out of the year.
I taught a Liquid Soap class where we actually made a batch of soap paste in class and diluted a batch of paste in class. Many soapers who attended the class came up to me afterwards telling me that they were shocked at how simple the process is. Either they had been too intimidated to try it or they had tried it a few times and it had never been successful. We made soap in 2 hours. You can do it too. I’ve got a downloadable e-book complete with photos and a tried-and-true recipe HERE. It costs as little as $.32 per 16 ounces of liquid soap to make it from scratch AND it’s easy. Try it as your next soap foray.
That’s me with David Fisher from About.com (right) and his namesake twin, David Fisher on the left (who had some helpful liquid soap tips to share with the class as well). Thanks to the helpful guild clean-up crew, clean up from the class only took an hour and boy, do I have a lot of paste to ship home!
I finished the evening with a quick chick wrap up dinner with Kayla from Essential Wholesale and Donna Maria from Indie Beauty Network. And then, it was off to a romantic anniversary dinner with my husband. He even had roses and tulips (my two favorite flowers) in the hotel room. He’s a great guy to come to a soap conference for our anniversary trip, isn’t he?
I’ll blog more later this weekend. I’ll have a round-up on Kayla’s talk on ‘Formulating your Dream Business’ and more show reporting. Until then, happy soaping!