Photos added

I've updated each post from the Handcrafted Soapmaker's Guild conference with photos.
I had a great time, met great people, learned a ton and am now very inspired and overwhelmed!

A few more photos:

Debbie and Erin enjoy their masks:


Bob and Irv enjoy their masks and some laughs care of Wendy Liebman and Jon Reep:


Feathers & fun! :)

Six degrees...

Yesterday, I was in a session by Jamila White (the e-commerce diva) and she mentioned Picnik as a great photo editing tool. Picnik is the brain-child of Jonathan Sposato, a former co-worker of mine.

Sweet!!

HMSG - Day 2

The day started with the Annual Meeting of Members. Elections, votes, etc.

At the HSMG, we vote with our spatulas:


Spatula:

Then, great sessions. I only have time to post a few quotable quotations:

"It's asthma. I do not have that piglet thing." - Linda
Linda is a great lady with a tonne (added the "ne" for extra tonage and metric-ness) of knowledge. Linda makes 900 bar batches. I don't think I've ever had that much soap around at one time, let alone in 1 batch! Also, a "PowerPoint shout out" to Linda. She lost her presentation and redid it overnight. I really liked how she presented only images, not slides and slides of words.

"Don't do it, Sweetie. It's going to go rancid." - Linda (again)
Sage advice to all of us about superfatting given to Jim, the youngest soaper in attendance.

Finished the day with a nice dinner, spa facials courtesy of Dead Sea Bulk Materials (smoooooth!) and drinks with Vanessa and Erin.

Erin and Bob:


Good night!

HMSG Conference - Day 1, night

Wow. Wow. Wow. Three cheers, or maybe even four, to Essential Wholesale (listed previously as Kayla). Though, it was slightly surreal to go to a Mardi Gras themed party after attending Convergence in March.

We had a fun table:
Ruth and Lori:

Bill, Me, Barbara:

Anne and Vanessa:

Angie, Debbie, Erin:

1. Amazing party. Great food, great entertainment. Wendy Liebman and Jon Reep made us laugh and laugh. Both were totally funny.
2. Amazing gift bag. I am in looooove with their creme. OMG! It is insanely fabulous and I can't wait to try their other products.
3. Super fun table of new friends (see above).
4. Also, fun "after party" with even more new friends. And, again, inspirational discussions.

(Sorry, the pictures didn't turn out well.)

It's so great to be an attendee over being a "booth worker" or other.

Pictures coming on Friday, once I get home.

Forgot to mention: Got kudos for the packaging. Yay, Mikeyvi!!! Can't wait to see how it does in the competition!!!!

Handcrafted Soap Makers Guild Conference - Day 1

What an awesome day! We started with an inspirational keynote by Erin Brockovich.

Erin Brockovich:



Then, plenty of great information about:

• viral Internet marketing (like blogging and Facebook - become a fan)
• good manufacturing practices
• embedding stuff into your CP soap
• making lotion

There are a few quotable quotations:
"There is nothing sexier than a hairnet and gloves." - Kayla Fioravanti
I went as far as to buy some safety goggles. Still holding out on hairnets & gloves.
"Soap is just science." - Kelly Bloom
And, this is why it's fun for me! I love the experimentation.

I'm really inspired to get home and try some new things. And, I've been inspired by the people I've met who are making cool products or making a living doing this. Some even do both! :)

Now I'm off to the big dinner. Apparently, even the hotel staff are excited about it, so it must be good.

Handcrafted Soap Makers Guild Conference - Day 0

Today, I arrived at the Miramonte Resort & Spa in Palm Springs, CA for the conference.

At the airport, we (Anne-Marie and I) were met by Sr. Cathleen. We waited for Susan, Linda, and Vanessa then we drove out to the resort and registered for the conference. We were given huge bags of swag. Really great samples, catalogs, notebooks & notepads, a big bag of lavender, coupons, a water bottle and more from suppliers and sponsors. I also entered the new box design into a packaging contest.

The Miramonte is very nice as you can see from their Web site and these photos.

Ballroom (many sessions were held here):


Spa (no, I didn't go):

I had a lovely dinner with Vanessa. I had a healthy salad and whole wheat pasta with chicken sausage. I would have thought I was at the ProClub, except it's super warm here and we ate outside.

It's time to pour over the swag and plan for tomorrow. I need to fit in the gym and the spa among a huge variety of awesome conference content. The keynote speaker is Erin Brockovich which should be interesting.

Photos from the EtsyRAIN Spring Craft Show

Posting a few photos from the weekend's craft show, then off to bed.

The table:


Basket o' soap:


The table from the other end:


Thanks to Shawn for helping me set up.

Tomorrow I leave for the Handcrafted Soap Makers Guild annual conference. I'm not sure what to expect, though I'm quite sure it will be nothing like the last conference I went to.