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.
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Facebook and Instagram Photo of the Week (May 9th ~ 15th)
Making soap is a lot of fun, but there are many other products out there you can make by hand. This week focused on simple DIY projects like the Monster-Be-Gone Magic Spray. If your child is afraid of monsters, you know how hard it can be to get them to bed at night. Spraying the Monster-Be-Gone Spray can help them conquer their fear of the dark. It will also leave a subtle floral smell from the rose water. Light Gold Mica adds a bit of shimmer, and Royal Purple LabColor adds a soft purple hue.
Facebook and Instagram Photo of the Week (May 2nd ~ 8th)
This week was full of colorful inspiration, with a vibrant cold process tutorial and information on mica colorants. Micas are a mineral-based colorant that work great in a variety of products, such as melt and pour soap. They are fine textured and usually have a light to intense shimmer. While some micas can morph in cold process soap, they can still be used for mica lines or mica painting. Read more in the Sunday Night Spotlight: Mica Colorants post.
Facebook and Instagram Photo of the Week (April 25th ~ May 1st)
Spring is here, which means it’s a great time for cleaning. This week featured several cleansing recipes, including Fizzy Toilet Fresheners. The fizzies are made with sodium bicarbonate and citric acid, which help protect against stains. They also make your bathroom smell fresh from a combination of Lemon Essential Oil and Peppermint Essential Oil, 2nd Distillation. They’re an easy way to freshen your bathroom in between cleanings.
Facebook and Instagram Photo of the Week (April 18th ~ April 24th)
The past few weeks have been full of projects involving milk. This week featured cold process soap made with cow milk. The Creamy Cow Milk Cold Process Tutorial has a classic black and white color palette. The swirls inside are made by plopping different size spoonfuls of soap into the mold. The soap is scented with a fresh and earthy combination of Vanilla Rosewood and Grass Stain fragrance oils.
If you’re looking for a milky melt and pour project, you’ll love the Lemon Goat Milk Melt and Pour Bars. The Goat Milk Melt and Pour Base used in the tutorial is made with 10% fresh liquid goat milk. The project also features lemon peel and Lemon Essential Oil, which give the bars a fresh smell and creamy color.
Milk can also be used in other products, like face masks. The Silky Coconut Milk Face Mask uses coconut milk powder to give the recipe a silky feeling and subtle coconut scent. Vitamin E oil and Evening Primrose Extract are used to add moisturizing and soothing properties. For a little bit of exfoliation, colloidal oatmeal is added to the mask.
If you plan to sell your milk recipes, Instagram is a useful tool. Instagram allows you to share pictures of your products and connect with other crafters. Taking the time to edit your photos can really help them stand out. Setting the soap up nicely and using props can help as well. Find out more in the Instagram Tips and Tricks post.
Thoughtful editing can also be used for pictures of your culinary creations, like the Spinach and Blueberry Yogurt Popsicles. The simple recipe is made with blueberries and vanilla Greek yogurt. Because they’re sweet and healthy, they’re a great way to get your kids to eat their fruits and veggies.
While the popsicles are a cool treat, the Facebook Photo of the Week is full of fire. Kristie with Seven Seas Soaps scented her soap with smoky Dragon’s Blood Fragrance Oil.
The yellow and red colors in Kristie’s soap look stunning against the black base. It’s topped with whipped soap and a flame for a unique and beautiful look. If you’re looking for more fiery projects, click through to the Dragon’s Breath Cold Process Soap Tutorial. For a lava-inspired soap, click through the CP + MP = Magma Soap.
Above (clockwise, top) are Kristie’s swirled soap, chocolate soap, orange cream soap and sweet pea soap. For more flowery inspiration, click through the Purple Blackberry Flower Candle Tutorial. Flowers also look adorable on the Pikake Flower Bath Bombs.
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This week’s Instagram Photo of the Week is full of bright color as well. The collection of soap by Hallowell Soap Works is full of color, texture and accents like rose petals. The wood provides an interesting and natural background for the soap. Check out more stunning photos on Hallowell Soap Works’ Instagram page.
Post pictures of your crafty creations on the Facebook page each week for a chance to be featured on the Soap Queen blog and receive a sweet soapy package from Bramble Berry. Photos are chosen based on consensus from the Bramble Berry staff, so the best way to increase your chances of winning is to show us lots of photos!
To participate in the Instagram contest, hashtag your pictures with #soapshare. Each Friday, I will pick a photo on Instagram to win a copy of the Soap Crafting book, and share on the Bramble Berry Instagram account.
Facebook and Instagram Photo of the Week (April 11th ~ April 17th)
More milky projects went on the blog this week. You can use a variety of milks in your recipes, like coconut milk. The Lime in the Coconut Milk Cold Process Soap, inspired by the popular song, is made with coconut milk powder. The coconut milk powder adds moisturizing properties to the soap, while a combination of Lime Essential Oil and Coconut Lemongrass Fragrance Oil add a fresh scent.
Facebook and Instagram Photo of the Week (April 4th ~ April 10th)
Using milk in cold process soap gives it a luxurious and creamy feeling. For the next couple weeks, the blog will be full of projects made with milk. Adding milk to your cold process soap is different than using distilled water. If milk gets too hot, it can scorch. That creates an unpleasant smell and can discolor your soap. To prevent milk from scorching, it helps to freeze it beforehand. Then, add the lye slowly and stir well. Learn more in the How to Add Lye to Milk for Cold Process Soap Post.
Facebook and Instagram Photo of the Week (March 28th ~ April 3rd)
The warmer temperatures and sunny days this week inspired tutorials that are full of color. The Dragon’s Breath Cold Process Tutorial has orange, red and yellow colors, which are inspired by the fire emitted from a dragon’s mouth. It is accented with a smoky scent from Dragon’s Blood Fragrance Oil. To get the fiery layers, the Tall Narrow Wood Loaf Mold is set on its lid to keep your mold tilted. Click through the post to see how to make the soap.
Facebook and Instagram Photo of the Week (March 21st ~ March 27th)
The longer you soap, the more soapy supplies tend to build up. Before you know it, your house is overflowing with oils, fragrances and molds. This week had tips on how to use and care for your supplies. For instance, if your wood molds get messy, you can use a soap scraper/cutter to remove any hardened soap and polish them with Simple Citrus Furniture Polish. Silicone molds are easy to maintain, and can be cleaned with 99% isopropyl alcohol, dish soap and warm water. Read more tips in the How to Care for Silicone and Wood Molds post.
Facebook and Instagram Photo of the Week (March 14th ~ March 20th)
As many of you know already, it was a hectic week for my family and I. We are currently working on cleaning up after a boiler in our house exploded. The great news is my family is safe and doing well. You can read more about that in the Soap Queen Has a Mess to Clean Up post.
One of my favorite ways to reduce stress is crafting, so I’ve been squeezing that in when possible. This weekend I will be speaking at the Central Soapers Workshop, so crafting is definitely on the agenda! One of my favorite recent projects is the Mermaid Tail Cold Process, which uses squeeze bottles and a spoon to create scales. It takes a bit of planning, but once you get going the technique is simple. It creates an interesting and unique look. The soap has some sparkle from Iridescent Glitter and smells fresh from Crisp Cotton Fragrance Oil.
Facebook and Instagram Photo of the Week (March 7th ~ March 13th)
The weather here in Bellingham, WA has been gorgeous. The sunny days and warm temperatures have us thinking of sandy beaches. If it’s still cold where you live, you can bring the beach to you with our Sweet Sea Dreams promotion. As part of the promotion, several colorants are 15% off with the code: SWEETSEA. To see all the sale items, click here.
A combination of Cellini Blue Mica and Gold Sparkle Mica create a sea-inspired blue that makes the Mermaid Shell Melt and Pour Soaps stand out. To get a realistic clam shell look, several thin layers of soap are poured into the mold and a fork is used to create texture. The soap is finished with a fresh smell from Crisp Cotton Fragrance Oil.
Facebook and Instagram Photo of the Week (Feb. 28th ~ March 6th)
There are so many new bath and beauty products on the market. It’s intriguing and inspiring to see all the options for pampering yourself, including in-shower moisturizer. In-shower lotion is basically a conditioner for your skin. To use it, apply the lotion, rinse lightly and pat dry with a towel. The Rose and Aloe In-Shower Lotion hydrates your skin and leaves a sweet floral scent from Crisp Apple Rose Fragrance Oil.
Facebook and Instagram Photo of the Week (Feb. 21st ~ Feb. 27th) + Spring 2015 S.O.A.P. Panelists
Thanks to everybody who entered to be a part of the Spring 2015 S.O.A.P. Panel! It was beyond hard to choose only eight panelists out of nearly 100 entries. We are excited to announce the new panelists, and can’t wait to hear what they have to say about the mystery fragrances. Scroll down to find out who made the panel.
Spring 2015 S.O.A.P. Panel
Estrellita of The Mama Juju
Kevin of Devinely Designed Products
Jennifer of Skyline Soapworks
Candice of Candy Body Factory
Andrea of DJ’s Creek Farm
Maureen of Reeny’s Butterflies Blooms and Bees
Shelly of Lion and Rose Soap
Eren of Eren’s Creations
Congrats panelists! We are thrilled to have each of you on the S.O.A.P. panel, and can’t wait to hear what you think about the eight new mystery fragrances! Please e-mail us at sma2(at)brambleberry(dot)com with your shipping information so we can get you the mystery fragrances. We will package and ship the fragrances out no later than March 3rd.
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Facebook and Instagram Photo of the Week (Feb. 14th ~ Feb. 20th)
This week was all about color inspiration, whether it’s monochromatic ombre or rainbow hues. The Rainbow Hearts Melt and Pour on Soap Queen TV has six colorful hearts inside, along with plenty of glitter. The colors are complemented by Pink Grapefruit Fragrance Oil, which gives the project a fruity and sparkly scent.