Jamisen and Lily love to create!

Melt and pour is a great project to make with children. I recommend keeping the projects simple, with no complex layers or detailing. Also, make sure the children understand that liquid melt and pour is very hot. Jamisen loves adding fragrance, colors and other additives, but I usually prefer to pour the hot, melted soap into the mold. The gemstone soaps created in the Beginner’s Soapmaking video below are a great simple project that kids will enjoy. In particular, kids will love adding glitter to these gems! Jamisen started crafting with melt and pour when he was two years old (seriously; two! Adult supervision is a magical thing).

Another fun way for kids to customize melt and pour projects is to embed small toys into the soap. In the Embedding in Soap video on Soap Queen TV, cute eraser toys are placed into the liquid melt and pour. Then, after lots of baths, the kiddos can play with the toys inside. Other kid-friendly melt and pour projects include the simple Inspired by the Sea Melt and Pour Project, which involves only one color and pour per soap. For older children, the Doughnut Melt and Pour soap is easy to customize and results in an adorable final product.

Top, clockwise: Inspired by the Sea Melt and Pour Project, Super Soapy Crayon Tutorial, Doughnut Melt and Pour

To make bath time extra fun, bath crayons allow kids to get creative! Made with melt and pour and lab colors, the Super Soapy Crayon Tutorial creates crayon spheres that can be used to draw images on shower walls. Another option is to place the highly pigmented melt an pour into lip balm tubes to create crayons that are easy to hold. See how it’s done in the Melt & Pour Bath Crayon tutorial.

Bath bombs are another project that kids love. Mixing the baking soda and citric acid is incredibly fun, especially when bright colors are involved. The best part is seeing their faces when the bath bombs are thrown into the tub. My kiddos love the fizzing effect! When making bath bombs with kids, I recommend sticking to one color to keep things easy. The Sparkle Power Bath Bombs tutorial is a perfect option for girly-girls, with lots of sparkle, rose shape and hot pink color. If you’re looking for more floral inspired fizzy options, the Mini Flower Bath Bombs are perfect for small hands. The Mini Heart Bath Bombs are also the perfect size for kiddos; they can throw several in the tub at a time!

If your children love playing with bath bombs in the tub, the Hidden Color Bath Bombs add an element of surprise. Drops of colorant are placed in the center, with uncolored bath bomb mixture placed around it. Once the bath bomb is activated in water, the hidden color appears. A similar effect can also be achieved by layering different sizes of bath fizzies, as shown in the Sherbert Surprise Bath Fizzy guest post from Holly Port.

Top row: Sparkle Power Bath Bomb Tutorial, Mini Flower Bath Bombs
Bottom row: Hidden Color Bath Bombs, Mini Heart Bath Bombs

One extra special project that kids can’t resist are bath bomb cupcakes. Just make sure they know that it’s a bath fizzy…not a sweet treat! Depending on their age, the bath fizzy frosting may need to be created by an adult, but kids have a blast packing the bath fizzy mixture into the cupcake molds. Learn how to make this fun project in the Soap Queen TV video below.

If you have older children with steady hands and self control, creating nail polish is a fun and easy. Carefully add the Nail Polish Base to the bottles, and customize with various colors, glitter and even fragrance.

For more details on creating your own polish, check out the How to Make Nail Polish video on Soap Queen TV. The Talk it Out Tuesday: Nail Polish blog post is also full of great information. If you and your kids love glitter, the Peacock Glitter Nail Polish is full of color and sparkle. Want even more color? The Radiant Neon Nail Polish Kit brings the neon hues!

Left to right: Radiant Neon Nail Polish Kit, Peacock Glitter Nail Polish

What kind of projects do you like to make with your children? I can’t wait for Lily to get a little bit older so she can make more advanced projects, like nail polish!

The post Kid-Friendly Project Roundup appeared first on Soap Queen.

What You’ll Need:

32 oz. Shea Melt and Pour Base
32. oz. Aloe Melt and Pour Base
Liquid Violet
Lagoon Green Jojoba Beads
Jasmine Jojoba Beads
Sierra Sky Jojoba Beads
9 Cube Soap Silicone Mold
1 oz. Carnation Fragrance Oil

Click here to add everything you need for this project to your Bramble Berry shopping cart!

ONE: Combine two tablespoons of each jojoba bead color in a container and mix well. Set aside.

TWO: Cut 16 oz. Shea Melt and Pour base into small cubes. In a heatsafe container, melt the soap on 10 second bursts, stirring between each heat. Add .5 oz. of Carnation Fragrance Oil and stir.

THREE: Temperatures are very important in this project! If your soap is too hot, it will melt the jojoba beads. Allow the soap to cool to 125 – 130 degree F before adding the beads. Stir continually so the soap doesn’t form a skin on top.

FOUR: Once the soap has cooled, add 2 tablespoons of the jojoba bead mixture and stir.

FIVE: Fill each cavity so it is about 1/4 full. You’ll have to work quickly because the soap is so cool, so don’t worry if it starts to harden as you pour. Avoid reheating it in the microwave is you can, but if you absolutely must you can pop it in for 3 – 5 second bursts. Spray with isopropyl alcohol to disperse bubbles. Allow to harden for 15 – 20 minutes

SIX: Cut and melt 16 oz. of Aloe Melt and Pour Base. Add .5 oz. Carnation Fragrance Oil and 1 teaspoon Liquid Violet color. Stir well to incorporate the color and fragrance.

SEVEN: Once the white soap in the mold has hardened and the purple soap has cooled to 130 degrees F or below, spray the white soap with isopropyl alcohol to help the layers adhere. Then pour the purple soap into the mold. Fill the mold about halfway. Spray again with isopropyl alcohol to disperse bubbles.

EIGHT: Melt another 16 oz. of Shea Melt and Pour, and repeat steps 2 – 4, allowing the soap to cool and then adding 2 tablespoons of jojoba beads and fragrance. Be sure to spray the purple soap with isopropyl alcohol before you pour. Fill the cavities until they are about 3/4 of the way full. Spray with alcohol again to disperse bubbles

NINE: Melt another 16 oz. of Aloe Melt and Pour. Then repeat steps 6 and 7, adding the fragrance and color, allowing the white soap to harden, and then pouring the purple soap. Be sure to spray isopropyl alcohol between the layers, and then spray again with isopropyl alcohol to disperse bubbles.

Allow your soap to fully harden for 1 to 2 hours before unmolding. You may find that your layers are slightly uneven, but that’s all part of the fun!

Print

Carnation Cube Cuties Melt and Pour Tutorial

These cute layered soaps are made with natural jojoba beads for light exfoliation.

Author Soap Queen

Ingredients

• 32 oz. Shea Melt and Pour Base
• 32. oz. Aloe Melt and Pour Base
• Liquid Violet
• Lagoon Green Jojoba Beads
• Jasmine Jojoba Beads
• Sierra Sky Jojoba Beads
• 9 Cube Soap Silicone Mold
• .5 oz. Carnation Fragrance Oil

Instructions

• Combine two tablespoons of each jojoba bead color in a container and mix well. Set aside.
• Cut 16 oz. Shea Melt and Pour base into small cubes. In a heatsafe container, melt the soap on 10 second bursts, stirring between each heat. Add .5 oz. of Carnation Fragrance Oil and stir.
• Temperatures are very important in this project! If your soap is too hot, it will melt the jojoba beads. Allow the soap to cool to 125 – 130 degree F before adding the beads. Stir continually so the soap doesn’t form a skin on top.
• Once the soap has cooled, add 2 tablespoons of the jojoba bead mixture and stir.
• Fill each cavity so it is about 1/4 full. You’ll have to work quickly because the soap is so cool, so don’t worry if it starts to harden as you pour. Avoid reheating it in the microwave is you can, but if you absolutely must you can pop it in for 3 – 5 second bursts. Spray with isopropyl alcohol to disperse bubbles. Allow to harden for 15 – 20 minutes.
• Cut and melt 16 oz. of Aloe Melt and Pour Base. Add .5 oz. Carnation Fragrance Oil and 1 teaspoon Liquid Violet color. Stir well to incorporate the color and fragrance.
• Once the white soap in the mold has hardened and the purple soap has cooled to 130 degrees F or below, spray the white soap with isopropyl alcohol to help the layers adhere. Then pour the purple soap into the mold. Fill the mold about halfway. Spray again with isopropyl alcohol to disperse bubbles.
• Melt another 16 oz. of Shea Melt and Pour, and repeat steps 2 – 4, allowing the soap to cool and then adding 2 tablespoons of jojoba beads and fragrance. Be sure to spray the purple soap with isopropyl alcohol before you pour. Fill the cavities until they are about 3/4 of the way full. Spray with alcohol again to disperse bubbles.
• Melt another 16 oz. of Aloe Melt and Pour. Then repeat steps 6 and 7, adding the fragrance and color, allowing the white soap to harden, and then pouring the purple soap. Be sure to spray isopropyl alcohol between the layers, and then spray again with isopropyl alcohol to disperse bubbles.
• Allow your soap to fully harden for 1 to 2 hours before unmolding. You may find that your layers are slightly uneven, but that’s all part of the fun!

The post Carnation Cube Cuties Melt and Pour Tutorial appeared first on Soap Queen.

In this episode of Soap Queen TV, I show a fun melt and pour technique for creating soaps that look like over-sized dominoes. I used a luxurious blend of Honey and Goat Milk melt & pour soap to make the perfect ivory color.

To make this soap you will need:

• 18 oz Honey melt & pour soap*
• 11 oz Goat Milk melt & pour soap
• 0.3 oz Tobacco and Bay Leaf Fragrance
• Guest Square Tray Mold
• 1/8 teaspoon Black Oxide Pigment
• 1 Tablespoon Isopropyl Alcohol

Get everything you need to make this soap.

Note the video lists 16 oz of Honey M&P but we actually used 18 oz. using a little less in the final layer won’t ruin your soap, so if you only have 16 oz of honey soap – it will still work!

The post Domino Soap Video Tutorial appeared first on Soap Queen.

Really, this could be called ‘Human Massage Oil’ since it’s not just good for babies but boy oh boy, little babies do love it. =) In this Soap Queen Short, I show how to make a baby massage oil and then try it out on Lily. She loved it. If you don’t have a baby, this recipe is also a wonderful massage oil for anyone, especially those with sensitive skin. By the way, Lily nailed her part in this video on the first take – she’s a natural.

Note: The Bulgarian Lavender Essential Oil has been discontinued. The kit now includes Lavender 40/42 Essential Oil. 

To make this recipe you will need:

• 4 oz Calendula-Infused Sweet Almond Oil
• 3 oz Argan Oil
• 1 oz Fractionated Coconut Oil
• 1 mL Lavender 40/42 Essential Oil
• 1 mL Roman Chamomile Essential Oil
• 1 Eight Ounce Bottle

To make the infused Calendula oil follow the instructions in this video or in this e-book and use:

• 1/4 cup Dried Calendula Petals
• 5 oz Sweet Almond Oil

Get everything you need to make this project added to your Bramble Berry shopping cart by clicking here.

The post Baby Massage Oil Video appeared first on Soap Queen.

So pack up your sleeping bags and don’t forget the bug spray, because we’re super excited to announce Camp Bramble Berry — our own soapy version of summer camp. For the next couple of weeks, we’ll deliver awesome, kid friendly projects that are not only fun to make, but fun to play with afterward too!

Today’s Soap Crayon project is just one example of the awesome tutorials you can expect when you sign-up for the Bramble Berry Newsletter.

To get in on all the action, all you have to do is sign up for our email newsletter. Simply visit the Bramble Berry website and enter your email address on the right hand side. Don’t forget to click through the confirmation email you’ll receive to activate your subscription, and be sure to check your spam filter for emails from info(at)brambleberry(dot)com.

When Camp has ended, you’ll continue to receive our regular monthly newsletter which features coupons, an exclusive project and other special deals. It’s just one more way to stay update to date with the latest Bramble Berry news. Now, onto the crayons!

What You’ll Need:

13.5 oz. White Melt and Pour Base

Peach Lab Color

Periwinkle Lab Color

Green Apple Lab Color

Easter Purple Lab Color

Teal Lab Color

 Creamsicle Fragrance Oil

 Cucumber Melon Fragrance Oil

 Strawberry Fragrance Oil

Pearberry Fragrance Oil

Blueberry Fragrance Oil

9 Ball Sphere Mold

Click here to add everything you need for this project to your Bramble Berry shopping cart!

ONE:  Cut the White Melt and Pour soap base into similarly-sized chunks, each no bigger than about an inch. In a heat-safe container, melt the soap on short, 30 second bursts in the microwave and stir between each burst.

TWO: Divide the soap into five heat safe containers, with 3 oz. of soap in four containers and 1.5 oz. of soap in the fifth container.

THREE: Next,  add one fragrance oil per cup. Be sure to keep track of which fragrance oil goes in which cup or else your fragrances and colors will be mismatched.

These are fragrance and color mates we used:

3 mL Peach with  1 mL Creamsicle Fragrance Oil

3 mL Green Apple with 1 mL Cucumber Melon Fragrance Oil

2 mL Easter Purple with 1 mL Strawberry Fragrance Oil

2 mL Teal with  1 mL Pearberry Fragrance Oil

2 mL Periwinkle with 1 mL Blueberry Fragrance Oil

FOUR: Add in your colorants. Undiluted Lab Colors can be difficult to mix into soap, so heat the colors (particularly the blues and greens) in the microwave on 5 second bursts. After heating, make sure the cap is on tight and shake vigorously. Add one colorant per cup to its corresponding fragrance.

Tip: Be especially careful with the Teal because it tends to clump. You may even want to stir the colorant with a mini mixer so you don’t end up with spots of concentrated color in your finished soaps.

FIVE:  Now pour your soap into the mold. Each cavity will hold 1.5 oz. of soap, so you’ll get two soap crayons per color. One of your cups should only contain 1.5 oz of soap, so that will fill the remaining cavity. Spray with isopropyl alcohol to release surface tension and prevent bubbles.  Allow the soaps to sit for at least 5 hours before unmolding.

SIX: Test the soap crayons in a discrete area on your tub before unleashing your child’s creativity. Rinse away with a washcloth and warm water.

And there you go! Looks like you’ve earned your first Camp BB project badge =) Jamisen definitely had a ton of fun with these soapy crayons creations.

The post Welcome to Summer: A Camp Bramble Berry Project appeared first on Soap Queen.

What you’ll need:

2 Large 9 Ball Silicone Molds

11 oz. White Melt & Pour

11 mL diluted Bright Cherry Lab Color

7 mL Strawberry Fragrance Oil

Click here to add everything you need for this project to your Bramble Berry shopping cart!

 ONE: Cut the White Melt and Pour base into uniform chunks (about 1″ or smaller) and melt in a heat-safe container on 30 second bursts in the microwave, stirring between bursts. When it’s fully melted, add fragrance oil and stir until combined.

TWO: Add the diluted Bright Cherry LabColor and stir until fully mixed in.

THREE: Pour the soap into the molds, leaving just a teeny bit of room in each cavity for ease in unmolding. Spritz each of the cavities with Isopropyl (Rubbing) Alcohol and allow to fully harden. NOTE: The Strawberry Wax Tart Mold has been discontinued. It has been replaced with the Large 9 Ball Silicone Mold.

FOUR: After about 3-4 hours, unmold the soap and wrap using an air-tight method (I used plastic wrap using the wrapping technique from this SoapQueen.TV video). Enjoy!

The post Baby Sprinkle Series: Strawberry Tart Melt and Pour Soaps appeared first on Soap Queen.

The day started with a hilarious comedy of errors involving a miscommunication about the time that helpers were to arrive resulting in Bramble Berry Chief Marketing Officer Amber and Social Media Manager Kristen catching me practicing piano in my pajamas. After a good laugh and the arrival of a few other helpers, I was grateful to be able to slip away for a quick shower and a moment with Jamisen to say good-bye before he and daddy slipped away for a fun day of parks and truck-spotting.

In lieu of gifts, guests were asked to bring a bottle of champagne for the mimosa station. Choices to accompany champagne (or sparkling water) included assorted fruit and juices, Italian aperitif Aperol, and I even whipped up a delicious lavender syrup from scratch (!).

The food was amazing – the peppered cheddar + broccoli and bleu cheese + onion + leek quiches were a big hit, as were the strawberry scones, mountains of fresh berries, and the assorted cupcakes from my favorite local bakery.

After perusing Pinterest I happened upon a few tutorials for painting the insides of vases, which worked out perfectly with the pink and aqua color scheme and paired wonderfully with some seasonal flowers.

There was even an advice station where guests could write down sentiments on cards and tuck them into sweet little envelopes contained in a hand-made book.

After food and chatting, guests participated in a very special wrist binding ceremony, based on Navajo tradition, that called upon the wisdom of our mothers and grandmothers to bless the birth and bless the baby. It was very sweet as everyone shared their mothers’ and grandmothers’ names, and spoke a blessing for our upcoming day of birth and life with Miss Lily Leah.

It was a lovely day, filled with a lot of laughter and great advice. It was so nice that the Washington weather cooperated (not at all a sure bet in May) and the new house did a fantastic job entertaining. The inside-outside space flowed seamlessly and we were so happy that the home’s debut went off smoothly (thanks to many helping hands).

Those crafty details really gave the sprinkle that extra sparkle (snort) so to start off, Bramble Berry is offering a free kit of downloadable PDFs that will make any shower or sprinkle really shine. Included in the kit are small and large tags, half sheet note cards, and a customizable banner! Click here for your free kit, and check back on Soap Queen for more fun sprinkle action.

The post Bramble Girl’s Welcome Sprinkle appeared first on Soap Queen.

This week, I was inspired by all the fabulous photos of your soapy projects come in and one in particular caught my eye. Check it out and see if it catches yours as well!

This week’s photo comes to us from Ramona from Simply Sisters. Ramona’s gorgeous bath bombs caught my eye as soon as she had posted them on Bramble Berry’s Facebook page because of their fun and bright colors. She told us that they were all made from Bramble Berry’s fragrance oils, micas, salts and butters. Don’t they just scream spring (and sunshine) to you? And you should totally check out her new-and-improved website, it’s too cute. Thank you so much Ramona, for being such a great part of the soapmaking community on our Facebook page and keep your eyes open for a special little package being sent your way!

Ramona’s Facebook Page: Simply Sisters Bath Works

Ramona’s Website: Simply Sisters Bath Works

Would you like your photo or project to be featured on the blog? Come join us for soap talk, contests and lots of crafty inspiration on Bramble Berry’s Facebook page and share a photo of your latest project. Your handmade soap might be next week’s feature! Do you have a full tutorial to go with your soapy project? Submit your recipe to teachsoap(at)brambleberry(dot)com to get have a chance of winning a $10 Bramble Berry Gift Certificate, click here for more details!

The post Facebook Photo of the Week (March 22 ~ March 29) appeared first on Soap Queen.

I wholeheartedly agree with this Julia Childs quote.

This avocado pasta looks dee-lish!

Super fun and yummy April Fool’s day shenanigans with these undrinkable (Jell-o) juice cups.

I also had a fun soaping week with this Tiger Swirl soap for a fun soapmaking challenge that SOAP Panel participant and long-time soaping compatriot Amy from Great Soapworks started.

The lowdown on what I used to make the design and the fragrance that gave me the time to make it happen? Easy!

Crisp Apple Rose Fragrance Oil: https://www.brambleberry.com/Crisp-Apple-Rose-Fragrance-Oil-P5484.aspx

Electric Bubblegum: https://www.brambleberry.com/Electric-Bubble-Gum-Colorant-P4966.aspx

Fizzy Lemonade: https://www.brambleberry.com/Fizzy-Lemonade-Colorant-P4965.aspx

Titanium Dioxide: https://www.brambleberry.com/Titanium-Dioxide-Pigment-P4040.aspx

Activated Charcoal: https://www.brambleberry.com/Activated-Charcoal-P4956.aspx

The post Fave Pins of the Week appeared first on Soap Queen.

Recipe:

 3 oz Nourish Lip Balm Base

Fired Up Fuchsia Pigment

Cellini Yellow Mica

 Pineapple Lip Flavor Oil

 Papaya Lip Flavor Oil

20 Slidey Lip Tins

Drinking Straw

Clean Up Tool

4 Droppers with Suction Bulb

Click here to add everything you need for this project to your Bramble Berry shopping cart!

ONE: In a heat-safe container, melt the lip balm base on 30 second bursts in the microwave. If you attempt to just heat the base without stopping and stirring in between 30 second bursts, it’s possible to shatter glass so take a little longer and make your microwave happy. Split the base in half, each portion weighing 1.5 ounces.

TWO: Color one portion with 2 heaping mini-scoops of Fired Up Fuchsia and the other portion with 2 mini-scoops of Cellini Yellow Mica. Mix the colorants in well, eliminating any clumps.

THREE: Add 1.5 mL of Papaya Lip Flavor to the Fuchsia colored batch and 1.5 mL of Pineapple Lip Flavor to the Yellow colored batch. Mix well. NOTE: Both the Papaya and Pineapple Lip Flavor oils are unsweetened. To add a bit of sweetness, substitute 0.5 mL of the lip flavor with Lip Smacking Sweetener.

FOUR: Pour the Yellow  colored batch into 5 of the Slidely Lip Tins and the Fuchsia colored batch into the remaining 5 Slidey Lip Tins. Allow to fully harden.

FIVE: Using the pointed end of the clean-up tool, scoop out a line in the hardened lip balm base down the center of each lip tin. Reserve what you scoop out of each color to separate containers.

SIX: Using a drinking straw, create dots on either side of the line in a pattern reminiscent of a domino. Squeeze out of the straw what you remove from the lip tins into the same-colored reserved lip balm. TIP: Twist the straw in the way in and on the way back out, and the dot’s “plug” will generally come out with the straw (it took me a couple tries before I got the technique down). Squeeze the straw to remove and save the plug. Use a thick straw as opposed to a thin one so it’s more likely to retain its shape after all that squeezing. I got my straw from a place that rhymes with Barstucks. =) If your plug doesn’t come out with the straw, use the clean-up tool to pop it out.

SEVEN: Re-heat the reserved Fuchsia lip balm. Using a dropper, fill in the hollowed out lines and holes in the 5 tins with Yellow colored lip balm. Allow to harden. Repeat with the reserved Yellow lip balm. Using a dropper, fill in the hollowed out lines and holes in the 5 tins with Fuchsia colored lip balm. Allow to harden.

EIGHT: Finish the lip balms by gently going over the tops with a heat gun on low until the balm is a little bit shiny. This will fill in any gaps or bunches in the surface. Allow to harden.

NINE: Use the clean-up tool if there are any spots that need a little help. Replace the slidey tin lids and enjoy!

The post Domino Lip Balm appeared first on Soap Queen.