Everything's Better in Cali (New Soapmaking Classes + eBook Retail Partner!)

You may or may not know it, but I was born and raised in Phoenix, AZ, even though I currently call Kansas City, MO home... there's something about the west coast that is always calling my name!

In the fall of 2014, I was beyond excited when I was asked by the lovely ladies behind The Nova Studio to head on over to California teach a full weekend of soapy goodness. (Yes! Sunshine!)

We set the dates for January 23 through 25, 2015, and I started planning a full whirlwind of soapmaking, from beginner soapmaking all the way to the business of slinging soap.

Here we are, a week after the bootcamp, and I'm dying to tell you all about the fun we had in Point Richmond, California.

A recap of the full weekend of soapmaking classes at The Nova Studio

Cold Process Soapmaking 101 Demo Batch

On Friday, we kicked off with Cold Process Soapmaking 101 where I dished out the real deal history of soapmaking (hint: Mount Sapo is myth...), the chemistry behind saponification, and how to safely create handmade soap at home.

We finished off the three hour soapmaking class with a demo of the process and each student dove in to their own mini batch of cold process soap.

The fully detailed handouts kept the students learning after they left the classroom with more than they probably ever wanted to know about soapmaking.

Saturday was crammed with three lovely classes, starting off with Creating with Color: Using Colorants in Soapmaking.

In two hours, we covered each type of colorant out there, and how to use them in soapmaking, including tips and tricks for using them in soapmaking and examples of finished soap designs with each type.

And of course, I had to be the soapmaking fairy and make sure each of the amazing students took home a sampler pack of a variety of colorants for their own testing and trials and a copy of Swatch Mania, my first ebook of over one hundred colorants tested in cold process soap.

Hands-On Scent Blending

Next, we dove into Crafting Custom Scents: The Practical Approach to Blending for Soapmaking where we talked about the various fragrance materials available, where they come from, and special guidelines for using them.

After we had a solid foundation of knowledge, we got hands-on to get started on creating blends right there in class.

Every single group of students swooned over my favorite Patchouli essential oil, declaring they had a new-found love. (Turning Patchouli haters into lovers since 2011!)

Each student took home some starter blend ratios, my ebook with 50 more essential oil blends, and a custom half ounce blend created specifically for the class.

Topping off a 40 lb batch of soap

To wrap up the day, we started talking big batches and discussed how to scale soapmaking into a production with Scalable Soap Designs: Turning Pretty into Profit.

After we talked about various design techniques, and how they can be used in production of all sizes, I brought out the big molds and made a 40 lb. batch of soap demonstrating the various pouring techniques.

On the third day of the bootcamp, I hung out with 15 amazing soapmakers as we talked about the art and science of taking an itty bitty soap dream and making it a big reality with The Business of Soapmaking: Scaling Production & Masterbatching.

The fabulous students of the Business of Soapmaking Class at The Nova Studio

We sliced up the gigantic batch from Saturday's class, made a new big batch of 40 lbs. of cold process soap, and talked about the extreme importance of efficiency in production and how to accomplish that gigantic task.

Every student received a copy of my masterbatching ebook so they could remember all the details of the full day without forgetting the little details, like suppliers or ratios.

By Sunday night, my brain felt like it was oozing out of my skull, but I know that I helped a classroom full of soapmakers follow their dreams. Just look at those smiling faces!

Missed out on the weekend of soapmaking classes?

We had a blast and I'm so sorry if you missed it!

The good news is that The Nova Studio is hosting me again! So, if this past weekend sounds like a weekend in soapy heaven for you, you might want to check out The Nova Studio and snag your seat.

Register for my June Bootcamp at The Nova Studio today!

Prepping for the weekend with Tyler and Preston of Gratitude Soapery, my teacher's assistants (Yes, they'll be there again in June!)

Registration for my January bootcamp sold out in just a couple weeks, and The Nova Studio is already seeing registrations for June (oh, my!).

Do not wait, make a trip of it - I am! ;)

Can't travel to the west coast for your own weekend of soapmaking?

The best news of all, for any soapmaker near or far, is that I also get to welcome The Nova Studio to the retail family of Modern Soapmaking! Each and every ebook from the Learning Library can now be found at The Nova Studio's website, 24/7.

So, if you were crossing your fingers hoping to get your hands on one, there you have it!

Snag the eBook you've been eyeing at The Nova Studio!

I'm looking forward to a fun-filled weekend in June, once again, and am thrilled to have another partner to bring you the Modern Soapmaking goodness you know and love. ;)