Brambleberry S.O.A.P. Team, Fall/Winter 2012

I am so excited to announce that I have been chosen to be part of the S.O.A.P. testers team for Brambleberry.com! I was over-the-moon excited about getting chosen... To be part of such an elite group really validates me as a soap artisan!

Brambleberry sent me a huge package of 10 mystery fragrance oils, all smelling like the delicious smells of autumn and winter. My job was to evaluate the fragrances at first sniff, then test them out in a few different mediums, like cold process soap, bath bombs, or candles, and report back on the fragrances (how they performed, scent changes, my favorites, etc.).

So, after loads of thought, I decided to test out my fragrances in cold process soap, and I took video of the entire process!

Part One of Three: Making my base soap

Part Two of Three: Fragrance Oils #1 - #5

Part Three of Three: Fragrance Oils #6 - #10

I've been taking photographs of the different soaps as they cure, and I made a small bar of soap off-camera to act as my control bar to compare each fragrance to. I plan on making a fourth video in the next few days to see the results of my tests... I cant wait to see the final products!!

New Fragrances and... Bath Fizzies!

It's that time again... The exciting moment when I place an order for new supplies! My favorite time of year! As always, I placed my order with AromaHaven.com and it arrived lightning fast! I ordered Sunday night and my package was on my doorstep by Tuesday. They have fantastic customer service!

I am so excited about my four new fragrances, and I have big plans for them! The first one on my list of "must-haves" was Blackberry sage. I have heard loads about this rich, herbal fragrance, and was dying to stick my nose in it! :o) The blackberry is a sweet, light high note, followed by the rich, warm, herbal scent of sage. It is going to make a lovely soap, but I am really dying to try it in wax tarts (which I am hoping to expand into this summer!)

My four new scents!

One fragrance that I definetly wanted to invest in is a rich Christmas scent. Last year during the holiday season, I snagged a great 3-D Christmas tree mold, and I am already anxious to give it a try. So, my second fragrance of choice is one called "Country Christmas." I've actually smelled this in candles before, but never placed it. The scent is a great mixture of all of the wonderful things about Christmas: mulberry, cranberry, pine, and rich spices.

Third, and the one that I am most anxious to soap with, is a simple fragrance called "Granny's Green Apple." It is the perfect representation of a granny smith apple, to the point where my mouth waters when I sniff! A few months back, I had an interesting idea for a Halloween soap based off of the poison apple from "Snow White", and I cannot wait for you all to see it! (Hint: no poison, just loads of apple goodness!)

My fourth and final fragrance was a tough one, but I made the perfect choice... My in-laws own a dairy farm in East Tennessee, and every summer and fall they attend county fairs and participate n dairy cattle shows. My mother-in-law has been encouraging me for the past three years to set up a booth to sell my wares, and this year, I am going to do it. So, I will be making dairy cattle inspired soaps! I just needed to find the right scent... and I found it in "Clover Fields and Aloe." It is light, arid, and reminds me of the sweet smells coming from the fields after a cool rain.

Bath fizzy base... I cannot wait to dig in!

Along with my new fragrances, I picked up two pounds of premade bath bomb base. For months, I have been researching how to make bath bombs and bath fizzies, and I've been weighing my options between premade bases or bases made from scratch. Once our move is complete next week, I'll be making my first bath bombs, so look for a blog post soon!!

I am so excited about my new supplies, and my hat goes off to AromaHaven and their fantastic products and services! Thanks so much!

Happy Crafting!

New Supplies for January!!

Translucent Lip Balm Tubes

For my birthday this year (I celebrated my 28^th on January 2nd!), my husband gifted me with a supply order for my shop! Best. Gift. Ever!

The very first thing that I grabbed up was a set of translucent lip balm tubes with caps, as well as tamper-evident wraps for the finished product. Since I started making lip balms, I've had a few people (my sister was the most vocal!) who have asked for tubes instead of tins. So, I obliged!

Next, I knew that I wanted to add to my lip balm line with a new, fresh flavor. I wanted to pick one that was different from my other flavors... So, I chose this fantastic Cherry Berry! It smells like sweet, tart cherries, with a mix of strawberries and blueberries. To make the lip balm perfect, I am going to tint the balm with either a rosy pink or a nice red.

New Fragrances and Flavors! Yum!

One of the great things about ordering from Rustic Escentuals is that when you order more than $15 in product, you get the option of picking out two 1 oz. Fragrance oils for free! When choosing my fragrance oils, I decided to go a more masculine route and picked Green Irish Tweed and Lumberjack. Green Irish Tweed is a classic cologne scent that smells sweet and musky. I felt pretty confident about the GIT, but the Lumberjack was a bit more of a leap-of-faith. And I am so glad I took that leap! The Lumberjack scent smells amazing! It is very woodsy, and reminds me of a fireplace burning pine logs with a hint of sweet floral undertone. It was a fantastic leap of faith!

The single best thing about Rustic Escentuals is their amazingly quick shipping! I ordered from them early monday morning, and my package was in by wednesday! And their customer service on their facebook page is some of the best that I have ever encountered!

All in all, I am silly excited about my birthday present! I cannot wait to get started on some great smelling men's soaps and some berry awesome lip balm!

Happy creating, dolls!