Thank You Bramble Berry

As a soapmaker, I am only as good as my supplies. One of my favorite suppliers is Bramble Berry. There are many reasons why I look to this company as an example of how I want to grow. I love how they offer opportunities to help you grow as a business. Over the past few months, there have been fun blog contests to enter that run the gamut for soap & cosmetic makers (Nail Polish, Bath Bombs, Naturally Colored Soap, Packaging, etc.)

Recently, I was honored with a Photography Challenge- Props Award for my Ocean Soap. The other awesome soaps pictured here were also winners. See how inspiring this is?

 

My Giant Lolly Soaps also were one of the Soap Sculpting Winners. 

 

Looking at other's work is inspiring and trying to come up with a unique, fun entry is a great challenge.

Thanks, Bramble Berry for the recognition and the inspiration!

Happy day,
Jill
Calise Soapworks & Such

Thank You Bramble Berry!

Much to my surprise, I received an unexpected delivery Friday. The outside sticker gave me a huge clue as to where the box came from, but I hadn't ordered anything. Hmmm.....

The suspense was building as I opened it. Notice the branding?

Wow! A thank you for participating on the Fall S.O.A.P. Panel.  

I now have a couple of fun, creative soap recipes with samples of what the finished product should look like, some activated charcoal (one of my fav colorants:), a fragrance oil and a gift certificate! A great haul for participating in something fun and rewarding. Thanks so much, Bramble Berry! 

Jill

Calise Soapworks & Such



Final Thoughts on the Fall Bramble Berry S.O.A.P. Panel

First of all, I want to give a huge ThAnK yOu to Bramble Berry for selecting me to choose the fall fragrances. It has been a blast and an amazing experience!

Soaps are in scent order from #1 (red & beige in the front) to #8 (the last soap on the right).

What I learned:

You may end up liking a fragrance even if you don't like it initially. That's how I felt about #2. My initial reaction was not so lovely, but it is now my second favorite! It fragrance has developed wonderfully in the soap and I think my customers will love it.  

Yes, you can make cp soap pops! If you want to swirl, you need to pour at a thick trace or the depth of the mold blends the colors together. Also, I did cpop the soap pops. This made unmolding easy, but you do need to be careful not to leave the oven on too long or you end up with dimpled soaps like the blue one or pink one.

Soaping is like a box of chocolates because you never know what you're gonna' get!

Happy Soaping!

Jill

Calise Soapworks & Such

Testing, Testing S.O.A.P. Fragrances 7 & 8

The third time is the charm! Since I CPOP (cold process oven process) most all of my soap I figured whipping up these Soap Pops for Bramble Berry's Fall S.O.A.P. Panel would be a breeze. Well, there is a bit of a learning curve for CPOPing single cavity molds (tips below).  First, the good part- thoughts on the last two Bramble Berry Fragrances.

Scent #7-  Evergreen Boughs

Initial Reaction- inviting and full bodied. Full of spruce, juniper and fir and maybe just a hint of citrus (bergamot?). #7 brings back childhood memories of hiking through the snow on a crisp, wintry day to find the family Christmas tree. 

After Thoughts- This scent soaped beautifully. It did set up a bit fast after pouring, so it may speed trace a bit with warm oils. So far, there is no noticeable discoloration. Colored with chromium green oxide.

Scent #8-  Hearthside

Initial Reaction- this reminds me of a campfire, fireplace- smoke and leather. Warm & intriguing.

After Thoughts-  I was worried that this fragrance would be lost in the soap. It actually disappeared when I first mixed it into the soap batter. Surprisingly, after unmolding, the fragrance is holding strong. This fragrance had a long play time. I had to wait about 10 minutes after pouring before the soap was firm enough to hold up the craft sticks. The uncolored soap has turned a nice light cream color so far. Colored with gold mica.

I'll update in a few weeks on how the scents and colors are behaving. I'm also going to play around with my leftover fragrances in some other goodies. I am having a blast so far. Thanks, Bramble Berry!

Tips for CPOPing Single Cavity Silicone Molds

11 minutes seems to be the magical number to leave the oven on at 170 degrees for molds about 3 ounces in size. Then, turn the oven off and let soaps sit in the oven overnight or several hours until cool.

For more noticeable swirls, pour at a thicker trace into deep molds.

Thoughts on S.O.A.P. Scents 4-6

Keeping with the Soap Pop theme, I’m ready to test the next three Bramble Berry S.O.A.P. Fall Panel fragrances. This time, I’m using clays for color. Oh, I have been adding the fragrance before coloring to be sure I have the same amount throughout the soap and to give it more opportunity to act up.

Scent #4- Groovy Geranium

Initial reaction- geranium! This is a deeper, earthier floral compared to #3. There is some sweetness, but that’s on the back burner.

I was thinking this fragrance would also accelerate trace, but not really. It did turn the soap almost day-glo orange when I initially mixed it in. Colored with Sea Clay.

After thoughts- So far, the scent seems to be staying pretty true. The soap has discolored to more of a khaki tan.

Scent #5- A Few of My Favorite Things

Initial Reaction- Out of the bottle, this is one of my favorites. It is similar to #1, but a little less sweet and a little more spice with maybe some fir.

I noticed maybe the slightest acceleration with my room temp. oils & lye solution, so this one may be a bit of a stinker sometimes. There was a slight yellowing of the soap in the pot. Colored with Australian Red Clay.

After thoughts- I'm still getting a few (very few) spices notes, but floral notes predominate now which is peculiar because I didn't smell any floral initially. A lot of the sweetness is gone and the scent is flatter now. There is some yellowing, but I think that may be more operator error somehow as it is inconsistent.

Scent #6- Breezy Day

Initial reaction- similar to #2, but fewer floral notes. I akin this scent to a fresh linen or cotton.

This fragrance had a huge amount of play time. I had to wait on it to thicken a bit and I should have even waited longer. No noticeable color change in the pot. Colored with French Yellow Clay.

After thoughts- #6 has mellowed quite a bit. It seems to have lost some of the top notes so far, but the scent is still pleasant. Yep, all the white, white color is ash. I think it is because this soap cooled too quickly. Notice there is no ash on the side of the soap pop that is laying down or on the colored clay parts. I took all three of these batches out of the oven because I was worried about the soaps getting too hot. Now, they cooled too quickly! Lesson learned.

I can't wait to see how #7 & #8 turn out!

The Low Down on S.O.A.P. Scents 1-3

I tried to look at Bramble Berry's S.O.A.P. Panel testing from a scientific perspective. My control was my favorite soap recipe. Yes, it is a bit of a fast tracing recipe (cocoa butter and I do water discount); however, since this is the main recipe I use, I know it well. I soaped at room temperature, stirred with a whisk and added a one color swirl to each batch so I can see any discoloration while still having a bit of color. My fragrance load was ½ oz. per pound of oils (what I normally do) and I am making sure all soaps go through gel. Since I need variety, each swirl is a different color and I opted for a soap pop mold (I’ve longed to make cp soap pops).

Scent #-1 Holiday Berry Sangria (These names are of my own imagination)

Initial reaction- a sweet, spicy candy with berries. While soaping, I was getting hints of cassis and stronger berry notes- sort of like a berry wine.

Moderate acceleration during trace.

After thoughts-  There is a bit of discoloration (yellowing), but not too bad so far. The scent has held pretty well. I am getting more of the spice notes now and still lots of berry. Some of the higher sweet notes have taken a back seat.

Scent #2- In Flight

Initial reaction- a cleaner floral. There’s a top note that doesn’t sit well with me, but there are middle and base notes that are pleasing. I’m sitting here with an empty open bottle and it is rounding out nicely

This fragrance thinned my soap out. I’m thinking this one would be great for multi-colored swirls or the currently popular spoon or column swirl.

After thoughts- I poured this one thin so you can see how liquidy it actually was. See how the swirl is more of soft gradations? Some of the top notes have faded on this one, but I think that is a great thing. There is a soft loveliness about this scent that I think a lot of people will like. No noticable discoloration at this time.

Scent #3- A Rose by Any Other Name is Still a Rose

Initial reaction- at first all I was getting was rose, rose, rose, but there are also sweet notes and maybe palmarosa? I’m now thinking it smells like sugared grapes with rose.

I was thinking this one would accelerate trace due to the floral notes, and sure enough it did.

I have all three in the oven and when I open the door, the combination is amazing! And I’m smelling sweet patchouli- ha!

After thoughts- See how craggy this soap is? It must have super heated. (I put all three batches in the oven at the same time for the same amount of time. While it appears 17 min. is too long before turning the oven off, you can see the other two soaps still look somewhat respectable). Much of the complexity of this scent has disappeared. I am still getting rose, though :) There is a medium amount of discoloration thus far (yellowing).

**side note- BB's neon colorants really need to be mixed in oil or glycerin. I tried alcohol and I'm sure you can see the speckles in Soap #3 and that was with straining! We just moved and I haven't unpacked (found) my mini-mixer yet, so I thought I would try another way. Bad idea.

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