Bath Bomb Pricing Breakdown

How much does it cost to make each bath bomb cupcake?

Recently, a blog commenter asked great question about these bath bomb cupcakes and pricing them effectively. I’ve gone through and priced out all the materials either from Bramble Berry, or if we don’t carry it (bulk Cream of Tatar for example), priced from Amazon.com or your local Cash and Carry.

Citric Acid 50 lbs. $95 .12/oz

Baking Soda 12 lbs $18.29 .09/oz

Color 20 ml $7.65 .38/ml

Fragrance 16 oz. $24 .67/ounce

Cupcake Wrapper 50 $2.49 0.05/each

Powdered Sugar 4 lbs. $9.99 .16/ounce

Meringue 10 lbs $65.00 .40625/oz.

Fragrance 16 oz. $24 .67/oz.

Vanilla Color Stabilizer 8 oz. $5.64 0.71/oz

SLS 15 lb $52.50 .22/oz.

Cream of Tartar 15 oz. $8.99 .59/ounce

Jojoba Oil 7 lbs. $62.30 .56/ounce

Witch Hazel 7 lbs. $14 .13/ounce

Doing the math (and dividing the entire recipe to make 24 bath bomb cupcakes) I came up with this...

12 oz. Meringue: $4.92
14 oz. SLS: $3.08
4 oz. Jojoba: $2.24
16 oz. Powdered Sugar: $2.56
.7 oz. Cream of Tartar: $0.41
.5 oz. Fragrance Oil: $0.34
.5 oz. Vanilla Color Stabilizer: $0.35
32 oz. Citric Acid: $3.84
64 oz. Baking Soda: $5.76
Witch Hazel: $0.06
Fragrance: $0.35
Cupcake Liner: $0.05
Labcolor: $0.15

The total is $24.11 or right around $1 in ingredients for the bath bomb cupcakes.

I can make the entire recipe in about 1 hour total (including set up and clean up). Assuming I value my time at $28 per hour, this adds another $1.16 per cupcake bringing the total for the bath bomb cupcake to $2.16 with labor and ingredients. Assuming your overhead allocation rate (This is a fancy term that means you figure out your total overhead and divide by the number of units you make every year and then add this small figure to the total) runs under $.10 per cupcake and the wrapping ends up being $.50 or less (hang tag $.05, bag $.07, ribbon $.03) the total for your bath bomb cupcake is well under $2.75 with your overhead totally worked in. Assuming you wholesale the cuppies for $3.00, that is a 8.3% pre-tax net profit on each cupcake. You could make that 8.3% grow to 25% if you outsourced your labor to a $8/hour employee. And, if you sold these for the going retail rate of $7-$8 per cupcake bath fizzy? Over 100% net profit rate.

8.3% - 25% net profit on a product is adequate (8.3%) to wow! (25%) and 100% net profit is a triple wow! wow! wow!

Sunday's Indie Inspiration

I thought this would be a great video to watch if you're thinking of starting your own business. Check it out and take the Indie Beauty Pledge here.

When Success Comes Slowly

When Success is Slow, What Can You Do?
by Jack Canfield

Pop Quiz: Can success be sped up? Is there an antidote to slow outcomes despite arduous planning and actions taken? What's the secret for seeing huge results right now?!

I get versions of these questions frequently from people who feel frustrated at sluggish progress in their success journey - despite all the know-how and principles they rigorously employ.

Let's get one thing straight...

When we admire someone's success, or even our own, we often focus on the end result and not so much on the effort (and time) that it took to get there. This can cultivate unrealistic expectations, especially the idea that overnight success can happen through careful strategy and an execution of sound advice.

The truth be told, success typically follows a series of little events and achievements that can seem to take an eternity, that include a few disappointments along the way, and that challenge everything about you to the core - your stamina, courage, integrity, and even your willingness to keep going.

If you focus on what's not working, guess what: You're likely coming from a place of aggravation as your mind wraps around all that is wrong.

You may even have negative thoughts like "I'm not good enough," "It will never work," or "Something must be wrong with me."

What this mentally does is engender more of these counter-productive feelings. And given what we know about the Law of Attraction, you attract what you are feeling. So negative experiences, people, and results will beget more negative experience, people, and results. There's not much success in that.

The key, then, is to focus on what IS working. To do so, I recommend two simple practices: journaling and meditation.

Maintaining a journal (I call it an Evidence Log, Results Journal, or Gratitude Journal) is a great way to steer your attention to the positive and continually renew your vision for yourself.

Start each day with reflections on what you are grateful for in your life (list them out!) and end each day with notes on what went right (again, write them down), however small they may seem.

Spend time each day in quiet contemplation, prayer or meditation.

Meditation can be powerful tool for arriving at solutions to problems and shifting your attitude so you can attract success sooner rather than later. The magic of meditation is its ability to essentially shut down the outer layer of your judgmental, highly-critical brain and allow your unconscious mind to take over. This is where you enter a deeper state of inner peace and joy, tapping into a higher level of creativity that will help usher in the results you want. (Don't know how to meditate? Lots of books and materials are available to guide you this practice. It's easier than you think. )

Let's say you're doing ALL these things, but you still aren't happy with your results...

I'll ask you then, are you taking real ACTION?

You may be taking the actions you are used to taking. But if you keep doing what you've already done, then you'll keep getting what you've always gotten. It's a matter of practicing some new behaviors. Shake things up a bit and see if you can take new actions or modify existing ones.

Remember the Rule of 5.

Every day do five specific things that take you toward your goal. Change up the five actions regularly and be open to feedback so you know when you're off course.

Lastly, I want to remind you about patience.

It's natural to underestimate how long a certain goal can take, especially a profound one. When I set a goal to become a millionaire the year was 1983. How long did it take? Eleven years. It took time for Chicken Soup for the Soul to hit the bestseller lists. You could say our tenure on the New York Times list was more than a decade in the making. That's a lot of patience for someone who initially wanted overnight success.

So, yes, patience is a virtue. But keep at it, and in no time, you'll be only one week, or one day away from your ultimate success.

Remember... be grateful, reflect on what IS working and continue to take ACTION!

Jack Canfield, America's #1 Success Coach, is founder of the billion-dollar book brand Chicken Soup for the Soul© and a leading authority on Peak Performance and Life Success. If you're ready to jump-start your life, make more money, and have more fun and joy in all that you do, get your FREE success tips from Jack Canfield now at: www.FreeSuccessStrategies.com

Soapy (and spooky) Eyeballs

Exclusive Sneak Peak!
This is Soapylove's newest project. A special thanks to Debbie Chialtas for letting us share this fun project the day that her book hits the shelves!
Buy your copy now.

Here’s what you’ll need:
We just eyeballed the measurements
(trying not to laugh)

Clear Melt and pour
White Melt and pour
Cappucino Mica or Blue Green Mica
(or your favorite eye color)
Liquid Black Colorant
Pearberry Fragrance Oil
Sphere Mold

Step One: Melt 1 ounce of clear melt and pour and add 1-2 drops of liquid black colorant. Pour a dime sized drop into bottom half of the sphere mold (we used a little dropper). Spritz to get rid of the air bubbles and let cool.

Step Two: Melt 2-3 ounces of clear melt and pour soap and add the Cappuccino or Blue Green Mica (or whatever color you want your corneas to be). Spritz the first layer of soap before pouring your second colored layer. Pour to the size of a quarter, spritz with alcohol and let cool.

Step Three (crossing T's and dotting the Eye's): Now it’s time to add your fragrance of choice and pour the last layer. Spray your soap with rubbing alcohol and put the top half of the mold back on and secure it rightly with a rubber band on each end. Melt about 3-4 ounces of white soap base and add your fragrance oil. Pour the soap through the tiny holes in the mold or use a syringe if necessary (we used the syringe from PJ’s Soap Kit). If the holes are too small for your liking, you can drill them out with a drill to widen them.

Tip: We recommend using a non-discoloring fragrance (we chose Pearberry) but you can always use vanilla color stabilizer if you want to use a vanilla type fragrance. See Soap Queen TV on how to use Vanilla Color Stabilizer.

Check out other Soaplove projects here or shop Soapylove's Ezines here.

It's Here! It's Here!

Soapylove's squeaky clean book is finally here! Woohoo!
Get your copy today!

This book is packed with creative and fun soap projects in Debbie's signature cute, fun and bright style. Projects include soapsicles, alien soaps, plaid soap, embedding in soap and more!

Soap Queen TV Special Edition!

I know you've been missing Soap Queen TV and we've been hard at work.

In this episode, I show you how you can make your own custom mold using our Flexy Fast Molding Putty so you can make a really cool back-to-school gift for your teacher.

Back to School Special - Making Custom Molds from Soap Queen on Vimeo.

Here's what you'll need to make this project:
White Melt & Pour soap base
Non-Bleeding Liquid Red
Bubblegum Flavor oil
Vanilla Color Stabilizer
Flexy Fast Molding Putty
Vinyl gloves
Object to mold

Cold Process Soap with a Twist

Want to learn how to make this soap?

This recipe is featured in September's monthly newsletter.
Don't miss another free tutorial. Sign up now!

What? You missed this one? And you really really want it? Email us at info@brambleberry.com and we'll forward you a copy.

Friendly Reminder To Vote

The Saponifier Survey ends tomorrow (August 27th).

The Saponifier, an industry magazine, does its 'Best Of' survey yearly and gets feedback from soapers everywhere on who their favorite online vendor is in a variety of categories: fragrance oils, herbs, molds, packaging and many more.

Vote Here to make sure your vote gets counted. It's not too late. Now is the perfect time to take 5 minutes and share your enthusiasm for your favorite supplier.

Kristy's Lovely Lathers Part Deux

If you missed the first interview from Kristy's Lovely Lathers, catch up here. Now, back to Kristy and her fabulous soaps!

Anne-Marie: What’s your favorite soap to make?

Kristy: I would say it would be the floral musk that will be coming up on Etsy soon. It looks like a birthday cake, lol.

Anne-Marie: What type of things do you outsource? Or is it a one woman operation?

Kristy: I’m a one woman show.

Anne-Marie: What is the best advice you can give to someone who dreams about starting their own business?

Kristy: Test, test, test. People can get hurt if you don’t test your soaps long enough or do enough research on it before selling. Also, don’t expect people to handout everything to you, you learn more by doing things yourself. I made a lot of soap before I got it right. I had a lot of wonderful people on the forums help me with questions, but I had to learn things on my own too. Start out slow, not gung ho. You can go overboard and buy too many things you will end up selling later because you didn’t use it. Then you lose money.

Anne-Marie: What's your favorite Bramble Berry product?

Kristy: I would say my favorite product is the Lavender Chamomile Huggies Fragrance Oil, which I wish were in smaller batches. I also love the Oatmeal, Milk and Honey and Cherry Almond fragrance oils. They are the best! Omg, and the Chocolate Espresso! I love making tarts with this.

Anne-Marie: Anything we missed? Is there anything else you want Soap Queen reader’s to know about you?

Kristy: I always like to try to make something once. It might take me a while to get it right but once I do, I’m happy. I like to make liquid soap for our personal use and family members. I like to make transparent soap too. I have a tutorial on Miller’s Soap website for transparent soap if anyone wants to try it. It’s very rewarding to make soap you can actually see through. Don’t’ let the alcohol scare you. I also make lotion, lotion bars, and lip balms.

Anne-Marie: Thanks for chatting with us, Kristy!

Be sure to check out Kristy's Lovely Lathers and see the cuteness factor for yourself.

Lemon Lavender Goat's Milk Soap

Ocean Waves Goat's Milk Soap

Kristy's Lovely Lathers

Kristy is the owner of Kristy's Lovely Lathers, a "One Woman Show" soap company out of Ohio. I stumbled upon her Etsy shop one morning and instantly fell in love with her soaps. They were too cute not to buy. So (naturally) I bought 4 fabulous bars! Once I received my soaps I had to contact Kristy to rant and rave. I'm so happy she agreed to participate in a Soap Queen interview. SCORE!

Anne-Marie: How did you get started in Soapmaking? How long have you been making soap?

Kristy: I have been making soap for almost 3 ½ years. I started making soap after visiting my husband’s cousin’s wife, Bonnie, in Atlanta, GA. We went to stay for a week and I walked up to the bar in her kitchen and noticed these bars of something on a plate. I asked Bonnie what they were and she said “Oh those are soaps I made.” I asked “You made these?!” She explained the process to me and I went home surfing the net, bought a soap book and as soon as I got my supplies I made a batch. I was hooked!

Anne-Marie: Is this a full time job or a part time job? A hobby?

Kristy: It started out as a hobby then turned into a part time job. I had so many requests for my soap; I had to make it to sell. I still love it even though it’s a part time job.

Anne-Marie: What's the best part about being self-employed? The worst part?

Kristy: The best part is being able to stay home and do what you want and have fun doing it. The worst part is the marketing. I’m not good at it. I leave that up to my husband. He is always the one to open his mouth and say “Hey my wife makes handmade soaps, do you think you would like to carry them in your shop?” LOL.

Anne-Marie: Do you have any other outlets? Farmer’s market? Craft shows?

Kristy: No, I haven’t had the time to venture out and do that yet. I would love to though.

Anne-Marie: What’s your soapy inspiration?

Kristy: Actually, I get my inspiration from colors of nature or items I see in stores. I was in church one Sunday in the front row and there sat a bouquet of flowers under the pulpit. It had bright yellow lilies and plum colored carnations. I sat there the whole time thinking of a soap to make with those colors. I know I am so bad!

I also lay in bed for hours thinking up different soaps to make after buying new fragrance oil. I start with the name first, for instance Mandarin Bamboo. I think of green and orange, and then I go from there. Instead of sugar plums dancing in my head, I have soap bars dancing in my head! It drives me so crazy sometimes that I can’t sleep until I make the soap the next day. Then I can rest. LOL.

Anne-Marie: How long did it take to perfect the Love Note Soaps? We adore them!

Kristy: LOL, I tried this the first time and it worked perfectly, I haven’t been able to make them the same way since.

Anne-Marie: Tell us a little bit about yourselves on a personal level. What do you like to do when you are not working? Do you have any hobbies outside of soap? Do tell! =)

Kristy: I have a hobby greenhouse and like to start my own flower seeds indoors in the winter then move them in the greenhouse after transplanting. I have a garden going at the moment that is producing tons of corn, melons, tomatoes and cucumbers. I love bird watching also. I tried making candles and I’m not good at it. It’s just too difficult. I love making tarts.I also enjoy sitting on my deck every morning, eating my breakfast and watching the deer in my backyard. I currently have a mother and two fawns with spots that hop around and play in the backyard.

This is one of the fabulous soaps that I purchased.

Love Note Goat's Milk Soap. It smells fresh and fruity.

Marti Gras Goat's Milk Soap

Check back in tomorrow for round two. Kristy and I will be back with more fun and inspiring details from Kristy's Lovely Lathers. See you tomorrow!

Wooden Molds and Cutters

Above, I used our 2 pound log mold with wingnuts and lined it with butcher paper (which is a must). Here are the instructions for lining your mold.

These molds are locally made (in Bellingham, WA) from Baltic Birch plywood. The sides and base have a shallow groove notched out for a perfect tight fit. The entire mold is held together with easy to use carriage bolts and wingnuts. When using you don't need to take the mold apart - just loosen the wing nuts and slide your soap out! The inner mold dimensions are 7" x 2.25" x 3.25" and holds about 2 pounds of soap.

To cut my colorful rebatch soap, I used our Wooden Cutter for the 2 and 4 pound molds. This mold comes with the scraper/cutter below and a wooden removable spacer that allows you to cut 4 ounce bars instead of 5 ounce bars. In the picture above, I chose to cut my soap with my kitchen knife (Shhh. Don't tell my husband).

Other cutting options: The scraper/cutter or the (oh so popular) crinkle cutter.

My goal was to create a tutorial strictly on molds and cutting but my soap turned out super cool (if I do say so myself). I used our basic rebatch base with our Purple, Blue and Canary labcolors. Here's a tutorial on basic rebatch if this soap has inspired you. PS: If you want to try rebatch, now is a perfect time since it's on sale for a limited time.

Green Smoothies & You

One of my dear friends, the indomidable Jody Bergsma (middle. Erin Baker is on the left), swears by Green Smoothies (or what she calls 'Live Soup') to keep her energy up during the day. She introduced me to 'Live Soup' in a big way during our Hawaii trip earlier this year and since then, I've tried different versions of it and come up with a perfect, phytonutrient pack of sustained energy. I drink this Live Soup daily. Daily! And swear that my energy is better because of it.

Jody's strong belief is that if you don't heat up the vegetables, they retain all of their essential enzymes. And, this viewpoint is backed up by science that proves cooking vegetables causes the vegetable to lose 30-50% of their nutrients and 100% of their minerals. The more raw you keep your veggies, the more healthy and enzyme-dense they are for you.

It's a simple recipe and if you drink 16 ounces of this throughout the day with a few servings of lean protein, you will end your day feeling just as energized as if you had just your first cup of coffee.

Cut into manageable bits and place all of this in a blender:

1/2 Avocado

1 Tomato

Juice of 1 Lime (more lime is better)

Sprinkling of Salt

Sprinkling of Garlic Salt

1/2 Zucchini

1/2 Cucumber

6 ounces Spinach

8 ounces Water

Optional: 1 ounce fresh Cilantro

Blend all of this in the blender until smooth. The combination of the Avocado and Zucchini make for a smooth shake. If you don't have those two ingredients, the green smoothe ends up splitting apart and becoming more like a really thick, strange blanket of green vegetable mush with water on the bottom.

The Avocado is a full 161 calories (or so). If you don't include it, it's literally an 82 calorie drink, chock full of natural fiber, phytonutrients and antioxidants. If you do include the avocado, it's 243 calories. I always include it because Avocados are a great source of healthy fats that nourish your body. To compare this to other drinks you might consume during the day:

Starbucks 16 oz. Caramel Latte 260 calories

Coke 12 oz. 140 calories

Vodka Tonic 200 calories

The Live Soup is chock full of good stuff - natural, fresh from the earth and essential building blocks for your body. Do yourself a favor and blend one up, drink it all day and have 2-3 clean protein servings (3 eggs, low fat yogurt, low fat swiss cheese, low fat Greek yogurt) during the day and you will be astounded at the energy you have. And, as a bonus, one serving of Live Soup plus three clean protein servings is very few calories (compared to a traditional day of eating) so you might lose a couple of pounds in the process.

Extra! Extra! Read all about it!

Let's Get Soapy E-Zines are available now!

Created by Debbie Chialtas, owner of Soapylove, these E-Zines are full of melt and pour projects, tutorials, design tips, techniques, product reviews and much more.

Each E-Zine has several step-by-step tutorials with clear photographs and loads of tips to inspire you. Each page is jam packed with useful and fun information that crafter's of every experience level will enjoy.

Get your Let's Get Soapy E-Zine today!

Let's Get Soapy is a quarterly E-Zine so be sure to check back for the freshest issues!

Sneak Peak Soapylove Project

Reserve your copy now for the Soapylove melt and pour book.
Send us an email and we'll hold a book just for you.
Email us here!

Check in next Friday for an exclusive sneak peak project from Soapylove.

Pumpkin Shimmer Eyeshadow

As the days begin to cool, I am eagerly looking forward to the autumn colors and crisp air. In anticipation of the fall splendor I wanted to share this recipe for a warm shimmery pumpkin orange eyeshadow and instructions on how to use it. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Shimmer Eyeshadow Recipe:

2 mini scoops Sericite
1 mini scoop Copper Mica
1 mini scoop Cappuccino Mica
1 mini scoop Peach Shimmer
1 mini scoop Bronze Mica

Directions: I used the mini .15cc pigment scoops sold here. But you can use any measurement as long as you keep the proportions the same.

It's easy to make this color: place all of your measured powders in a container (like a lip balm pot) and mix well.

That's it, you're done! I did a show on Better TV last year and you can see how easy it is to mix. We did that, plus talked about 2 other projects - all in 3 minutes! You can watch that video here.

Contour Eyeshadow Directions:

For this look, I used the Pumpkin Shimmer eyeshadow blend along with the Light Brown and Dark Brown recipes from our Mineral Makeup Guide Book.



1. Apply Pumpkin Shimmer on center of lid to outer edge up to crease.



2. Apply Light Brown eyeshadow to inner lid and brow arch blending well.


3. Apply dark brown eyeshadow to outer edge of the eyelid and along crease. Also apply along the lower lash line but only 3/4 of the way across. Again, blend well.

4. Reapply a little more Pumpkin Shimmer to the center of the lid if you have blended it in and want a little more coppery goodness to show!

Making eye shadows is super easy. You can buy all the ingredients seperately or you can buy the comprehensive starter kit we've put together here. No matter how you look at it, making your own make up is affordable, easy and fast. You can create what you love, make it your own and have fun doing it!

If you've created any eye shadow recipes you'd like to share with the Soap Queen Community, post them here. I'd love to try them out myself this fall season.

Smooth as a Baby's ... Tooling

Thank you everyone that responded on the tooling die marks post issue. We tried everything you suggested: heat, chemical etching, coating, buffing, sandblastic and plastic overlays. In the end, a combination of resetting our CNC machining tool paths, finer grit sandpaper and a mechanical buffing machine did the trick. Since it was a combination of answers, I've sent out some people care packages for their help and definitely owe Diane some goodies for her contributions as well.

Thank you everyone for your kindness. We couldn't have solved this without you. Expect to see some exciting new mold designs in the next month ...

Accountability Matters

My Mastermind Group has mini accountability groups within it (not sure what a Mastermind Group is? Article on that is here. Or curious about what an Accountability Group does? Article is here.). My goals are always pretty simple - flossing, working out, yoga, meditations daily - simple, clear and achievable. They're always good goals to have and actions that I might not undertake if I didn't have a weekly check in with people I like, respect and admire.

I've been researching the training program for running a marathon (no, I'm not ready to commit. I'm just looking) and one of the keys that keeps coming up in the training is that consistency is everything; the little daily tasks matter.

Jack Canfield says the first step towards keeping your accountabilities to others is to always, unfailingly, keep your commitments that you've made to yourself. If you're one of those people that consistently breaks promises, arrives late to everything, always has an excuse about why you missed a deadline or disappointed someone, this advice is key. You have to start somewhere and keeping your promises that you've made to yourself is the first place to start.

If you're in business for yourself, accountability starts with you. You can't look at your employees and expect them to magically say "This is my fault and I will fix it" or "I said that I would do it and my word is my bond" if you're not delivering on these principles yourself. Everything in an organization is top down. So, if you're not conscientious with your words and actions, the team around you won't be either.

In order to grow yourself personally and your company professional, it is imperative that you identify and get rid of lack of accountability within yourself and your corporation.

You do this with a simple 1, 2 plan.

1. Make and set goals yourself.

2. Keep them no matter what.

It is that simple. If you can't keep your promises to yourself, how do you expect to keep them for your friends and family?

For more on improving personal accountability, the epitome on accountability is the QBQ! book by John Miller. Or consider starting your own Accountability Group for whatever goals you'd like to make. Start small, keep your commitments to yourself and start down the one path achieving astonishing results in business and at home.

New Micas at Bramble Berry

We've added a whopping six new micas for your soaping pleasure. The colors are sooooo glorious. And, they're 'Surplus' items (great deals, limited quantities) so get 'em while they're here:

Matte Yellow (lip & eye shadow safe)

Super Green (eye shadow safe)

Emerald (eye shadow safe)

Super Blue (eye shadow safe)

Deep Blue (eye shadow safe)

Copper Penny (lip & eye shadow safe)

Lavender (lip & eye shadow safe)

Not pictured: Chocolate Shimmer (lip & eye shadow safe)

And I Like my Cognitive Function

A study published in June in the journal Neurology found that older people who exercise at least once a week are 30% more likely to maintain cognitive function than those who exercise less.

Time Magazine, August 9 issue

Soap for Video Game Enthusiasts

These entertaining Pac-Man soaps were made by Bramble Berry employee and packer extraordinaire, Zach!

Here's what Zach used:
White Melt and Pour
Clear Melt and Pour
Liquid Yellow Colorant
Liquid Black Colorant
Basic Round Mold
Kumquat Fragrance Oil
Droppers

Let's make Pac-Man come to life*...

Step 1: Melt about 1 ounce of clear melt and pour soap. Add 1 drop of liquid black colorant. Then use a dropper to drop a dime size of black soap into each cavity of the mold (this will be Pac-Man's eye). Let soap cool.

Step 2: Melt about 14 ounces of white melt and pour soap, add your liquid yellow colorant and your kumquat fragrance oil. Mix well. Spritz the black layer of soap in your mold with rubbing alcohol and pour your yellow layer. Spritz with rubbing alcohol to get rid of any air bubbles.

Tip: Make sure your yellow soap is no hotter than 120 degrees when you pour (any hotter will melt the black layer soap).

Fragrance Tip: We recommend 1/4-1/2 ounce of fragrance oil per pound of melt and pour soap base.

Step 3: Once the soap has cooled completely, pop the soap out of the mold. Then cut out Pac-Man's triangle mouth using a knife or soap cutter.

Game Over

* or as lifelike as you can make a bar of soap that's designed to be used up completely

Miscellaneous Monday

It's past 6:00 p.m. and I'm completely confused as to where the entire day went. I swear, it feels like I've maybe been at work for an hour (tops). In between emails, essential oil sourcing, fall season planning and an impressive deluge of emails, some things that struck my fancy today are:

* Artwork made from obsolete technology here

* Article on working well with developers (this applies to all developers from graphic design to website development) here

* New Bramble Berry fragrance - Lavender & Herb - is up for sale here It would be lovely with the fabulous Lavender Mold here

* Interview with graphic designer & illustrator Blanca Gomez here

* DieLine blog always is a hit of packaging inspiration here

* Funfetti Cupcake recipe at CakeSpy here for mid-afternoon sugar high

* This home filing system here is awfully cute but what I actually purchased was a DIY File Memo kit here

* A really interesting post on the Teach Soap Forum about using stearic acid in CP soap here

* A blog post on black walls in bedrooms (probably not for me but still interesting) here

* Tutorial on how to print your own fabric (I'm in love with this idea for packaging) here

* Photos with tiny felt sculptures. Engaging. Cute. Time-consuming. Here.

And now, I'm going to go home and do something mundane like clean the house because I'm hosting Book Club tomorrow. Until tomorrow (or until later tonight if you follow my tweets), happy soaping!

Butternut Squash Turnovers - Recipe

I am so lucky to have an amazing family - my brother Erik manages Bramble Berry's retail store, my Dad was my first mentor for Bramble Berry and my Mom was my first salesperson. This weekend, Dad and Mom came up to visit and make good on a Father's Day gift that we promised: a 6 course meal!

After starting our day with an awesome boot camp fitness class, my sister in law (Cheriss) and I cooked all day on Saturday. We made many yummy dishes and documented much of the day in photos. I am excited to share all the recipes with you over the next few months, starting with the undisputed favorite of the evening: Butternut Squash Turnovers.

I got this recipe from 'Food & Wine' magazine and followed it exactly the way the instructions suggested, with mouth-watering results.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

3 large leeks, white parts only

1/2 pound shiitake mushrooms

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 tablespoons thyme leaves

salt & pepper

2 pounds butternut squash

14 ounces all butter puff pastry

3/4 pound goat cheese

1 large egg, beaten

Step 1: Preheat oven to 375. On the stovetop, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet. Dice the leaks into 1 inch cubes and add to olive oil. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until softened (around five minutes). Add shiitake and cook, stirring often, until liquid has evaporated (about another five minutes). Stir in chopped garlic and thyme and cook for an additional two minutes. Season with salt and pepper and transfer to a bowl.

Step 2: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and lightly oil the parchment. Peel the squash (we cut the squash into manageable pieces and cut the skin off. Using a vegetable peeler didn't even make a dent). Toss the squash with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, season with salt and pepper. Spread the squash on the baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes until the squash softens and begins to brown. Add this browned squash to the leeks and mushrooms and toss.

Step 3: Roll out pastry puff flat (we bought ours in sheets so got to skip this step). Cut the pastry into 4" squares. Spoon as much of the mixture as you can safely fit into the pastry squares, leaving room for a generous dollop of goat cheese. The recipe suggested 2 tablespoons of vegetables and 2 tablespoons of goat cheese but there's no way we could have fit that much into the little pastry puffs. Lightly brush the edge of the squares with beaten egg (the egg acts like a glue). Fold the squares over to form triangles and crimp the edges with a fork for a snazzy finished look.

Step 4: Put turnovers on a baking sheet (mine stuck so make sure yours is non stick or generously oiled). Brush the top of the turnovers with the remaining beaten egg. Bake for 25 minutes or until pastry is golden brown. Serve warm and wait for the accolades to roll in.

The entire recipe took about 90 minutes to prep, stuff and cook and was well worth it. The turnovers were delicious!