Birthday Treats. Sweet treats are synonymous with birthday celebrations. Take some inspiration from popular scents that are associated with delicious birthday indulgences. To complement a birthday celebration inspired collection, a birthday cake fragrance is an obvious choice. Mix up more soapy recipes with other birthday cake inspired scents such as cherry, chocolate and vanilla. Aside from birthday cake, other goodies like candy, cookies, ice cream and cupcakes are also popular at birthday parties! ‘Bake’ up some soap cupcakes to complete your birthday party inspired collection. Soap cupcakes are easy to make and fun to use. With the right fragrance, they can look and smell good enough to eat! To add some festive fun to the cupcakes, use actual cake toppers to really set your soap cupcakes apart. Birthday treat inspired products will complement any handmade retail collection. 

Birthday Presents. Birthdays are not complete without presents! Taking inspiration from birthday gifts is a great way to find ideas for product packaging. Packaging bar soaps with vibrant wrapping paper and colorful ribbon is not only fun, but also attention-grabbing. For more birthday present inspired ideas, use small gift bags in your product packaging. Fill the gift bags with tissue paper or crinkle paper to add flair. Cellophane bags are also a good idea if you do not want to use a standard birthday gift bag. The cellophane bags can be tied with colorful ribbon to continue the birthday party theme. Product packaging can be fun and easy with these birthday gift inspired tips. 

Decoration Inspiration. Bring the birthday celebration to your soaps, lotions, bubble baths and bubble bars. Formulating with glitter in bar soaps and lotions can give products a celebratory twist with a little bit of sparkle. Confetti is also a great inspiration for handmade recipes. Embedding thin strips of colorful soap into a white or clear soap loaf can create pops of color that resemble party confetti or Funfetti® birthday cake. Finding inspiration in party decorations can add a fun pop to your products. 

Inspired By Sprinkles. A color palette inspired by candy sprinkles is the perfect source of inspiration for a birthday party themed collection. The primary colors (blue, yellow, and red) can be paired with complementary colors like green, purple, and pink to round out a sprinkle inspired color theme. In 2015, Sherwin-Williams® announced a new color palette, named Unrestrained, which utilizes sprinkle-inspired hues. In this color palette traditional sprinkle colors are joined by bright greens and oranges.  Brightly colored bar soaps, lotions and liquid washes will look perfect in any birthday cake inspired product line. 

Inspiration from Major Retailers. Researching major retailers’ product lines is a great way to be inspired for your own collections. Bath & Body Works® has a new line called Bourbon Street Buttercream. This product comes in hand soaps and nourishing hand creams. With scents of golden butterscotch and whipped vanilla bourbon cream this product will smell just like a cupcake. The skincare retailer, philosophy®, also has a birthday inspired line. Their vanilla birthday cake shampoo, shower gel, and bubble bath are great inspirations for your birthday inspired products. Recreate these products by adding fragrances of vanilla or birthday cake to your lotions and bubble bars. Creating handmade imitations of major retailers’ birthday-inspired lotions and soaps is a great way to stay on trend this summer.

Birthdays are a time of celebration and fun. With these few tips you can make any birthday inspired products stand out with bold primary colors. Fun accents such as glitter, confetti, frosting and sprinkles can put an exciting twist on soaps and lotions. Fragrances will bring sweet treats to life for customers, and packaging can create the appearance of gifts. Birthday inspired treats can be a sweet surprise in any crafter’s handmade collection. 

References:
philosophy. N.p., 2015. Web. 3 May 2015. <https://www.philosophy.com/on/demandware.store/Sites-PHILUS-Site/en_US/Search-Show?q=birthday>. 

“Bourbon Street Buttercream.” Bath & Body Works. Bath & Body Works Direct, Inc., 2015. Web. 3 May 2015.
<https://www.bathandbodyworks.com/product/index.jsp?productId=57563946&cm_vc=200>. 

“2015 Color Forecast-Unrestrained.” Sherwin-Williams. The Sherwin-Williams Company, 2015. Web. 3 May 2015. <https://www.sherwin
williams.com/homeowners/color/find-and-explore-colors/paint-colors-by-collection/color-forecast/2015/unrestrained/>.