Handcrafted Soapmakers Guild Conference

I think I am weird. I just don't get some things. I don't get why you need to buy tons of raffle tickets to get the opportunity to win something that you may never use. I don't get the need to go to parties where you need to act all crazy and dance through the isles. I don't get the need to tell me your life story and expect us to be best friends just because we both make soap...

That being said... I had a great time. I met some really great people (a few soapmakers from Florida and from Canada to be exact) and learned some really great things. I skipped most of the lunches and dinner events to hang out with C and his sister who graciously let me stay at her place for the week.

The first day was all about labeling laws. Boy, do I have some work to do. So as I use up some old labels and need to print new ones I will be making the needed changes. Who knew that Bug off soaps and lotion bars fell under the EPA and had different requirements than everything else, not me!

Then after lunch, I returned to take my Advanced Soapmakers Exam. The test was easy, but I worried about my soap that I submitted for review. The next day I learned that I passed!!! So I am now an advanced soapmaker... and will start my master's next month...

Day 2 started with a keynote speaker that mostly spoke about how to use the press to make yourself into an expert, and how to use what assets you have to differentiate yourself from the competition. She was funny and crude all at the same time, just proving that money doesn't buy class.

The next few hours we learned about the pending Safe Cosmetic Act legislation for 2011. The bill that dies in 2010 would have decimated the soapmaking community, but 2011 looks brighter, thanks to some serious lobbying from the guild. I won't worry about its impact on me till it is all said and done, but I know I will be contacting my local representatives and writing blog posts and newsletter articles on the facts as soon as the new bill is proposed.

Then it was onto Organic Certification, what all the certs mean (and which ones are meaningless). This is something else I will take up in a future blog post or newsletter just to try and cut through some of the crap and lies out there, both in the soap industry, and food as well.

Day three was a great talk about Essential oils and it really opened my eyes to quite a few myths that are out there. It was a compelling talk and I learned that there are now "all natural" fragrance oils on the market (not many, but some) which sounds like an oxymoron, but it isn't. But this info is changing the way I think about things and although I need a bit more research, I think it will be a new path for me in the future.

And then there was the seminar on Product Liability Insurance. Now I completely understand what my policy covers and how and when to make a claim. I also understand some riders I need on my home policy, and where I could bump up coverage to get the best bang for my buck.

Day 4 started with a talk about customer service. It was nice to hear that I mostly do it right, although no one is perfect. And then it was on to a chemistry of soapmaking lecture. I learned all about the crystalline structure and how it changes as the soap is forming, and why the way I make soap produces a harder bar. That lecture ended with me at the book table buying this big fat chemistry book to read later. I am such a geek.

That night was the Awards Dinner. The soaps I submitted did not win any awards, but I don't care. I also learned my soaps are featured in the 2012 Guild Calendar so C says I am now a pin up girl!

But now I am back and ready to apply my new found knowledge to the business and make you all new and better products. Can't wait!!!