WOW!!! A great time was had at the 2012 Alabama Soap Conference!
Keynote Speaker, Marla Bosworth, kicked off the conference with her “Spotlighting U” talk. Marla is probably one of my favorite speakers in the industry. I first heard her at the Miami HSMG conference with her seminar on wholesaling. I gleaned so much information from that seminar; I was truly impressed by her knowledge and her willingness to so freely share that knowledge.
Next up was me! I did a demo on how to make single cavity silicone soap molds! I couldn’t have done it without my partner in crime…I mean all things soap…Holly Port of Lotion Bar Cafe.
Holly and I had a ton of behind the scenes fun practicing for each demo in our hotel room! The hotel we stayed at was great and the front desk guy was awesome! He hooked us up with a table, a knife, a roll of tape, a glass of milk…whatever we asked for…he found it for us! And he didn’t ask questions! Haha.
Michelle Rhoades from Mossy Creek Soap was next. She gave a presentation on “Finding Your Soap Personality with Creative Packaging!” What a great presentation! This was her first big speaking engagement and she did great! She had several samples of creative soap packaging. Some of the things I never would have thought of…including using gauze to wrap soap!
Next up was Tammy Doering, AKA The Mud Queen! She showed us how she makes her Dead Sea Lavender and Emu Facial Bar! She also hosted a spa night in her hotel room where everyone got a little mud on their face! It was a blast!
Here’s Marla and Holly at the spa party!
Elizabeth Hill gave a great talk on creating products from stuff you have in your kitchen. She made a fantastic scrub out of honey, grits/cornmeal and yogurt! I couldn’t believe how great it felt! And with such simple ingredients. She hosts spa parties where she goes to peoples houses and makes these simple products.
Next up was Theda Gatlin. Theda showed us how to make Hand-Dipped beeswax Candles. I love this demo! She had the most beautiful candles on display.
Day two was another fantastic day. Marla kicked this day off with a demo on formulating lotions and creams.
Sandi Garrett Little showed us how to make massage candles! I didn’t realize how easy they were to make so I’ll be making some soon!
I think one of my favorite presentations was Mono-Fat Soap by Deborah Bruijn. She made several different single oil soaps and brought them so that we could try each of them out! She also talked about the different types of oils and what properties they contribute to our soaps.
Then it was my turn again to demo the Peacock Swirl!
T.A. Helton closed the conference down by showing us how to make Firestarters! They are so easy to make and turn out absolutely beautiful with the white wax!
I had a blast! You can’t beat the friendliness and hospitality of this group. Thank you so much T.A and Sandi for inviting me out to the conference!
Thank you to all of the wonderful sponsors who contributed to the goody bags or provided awesome prizes!
If you missed it this year…be sure to make it next year! This conference is definately worth traveling to if you don’t live locally.
Though i was not there at conference but i feel as i was there.pls can u invite me for the conference.thanks a beauty therapist in nigeria.
The soap conference looked great!! Can you post the sign up info on your blog for next year? It sounds like you offer great, practical workshops and classes.
Look like a whole lotta fun…definitely putting it on my “bucket list” for next year. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Amanda and Holly
After having chatted with ya online it was wonderful to finally meet cha~! I felt like I already knew you so it was great to put a face with the puter personality. I so enjoyed ya’lls demo~ I always love your work~ but you know that~~~
Also, It was SO wonderful to meet a fellow bath bomber. I so infrequently meet anyone that really loves to make bath bombs~! Specially by hand. I look forward to seeing you both again really soon~
I know Sindy! It was great to meet you!
It looks like it was an absolute blast, I wish I could have made it! =)
I want to thank both of you for being with us. Your Silicone Mold Making Demo has encouraged me to tackle mold making. And I am still in Awe of your Peacock Swirl Demo. Please come back again & thanks for coming so very far to share your knowledge with us.
Thank you so much Theda! It was a fun time!
Sounds like a good time was had by all! I wasn’t able to attend this year, but the two years before that were also outstanding. You didn’t mention the catered food…but I bet it was fantastic. Thank you for writing up such a great review of this fun soapmaking group.
YES! I should have mentioned that! The food was wonderful!
Amanda, it was great meeting you & Holly Port. Thanks for the blog about the Alabama Soap Meeting.
I enjoyed your presentations on both Peacock Swirls & making silicone molds, I can’t wait to try both. You both made it so much fun to watch. I look forward to seeing you again.
It was good to see you Linda! Thank you so much!
It was so nice meeting you! I had lots of fun and really enjoyed your demos. I have a trial sized Si mold kit but just haven’t decided what to mold yet!
It was nice meeting you as well! Good luck with your mold making!
Thank you so much for taking your valuable time and making the long trip to show us your many talents! I thoroughly enjoyed meeting you (don’t know why I didn’t meet you in Miami), and hope to see you again soon!
Thanks for having me Sandi! It was a blast!
Awesome!!! I will be you’re partner in crime anytime had sooooo much fun!
Thanks for the kudos Amanda 😉 We absolutely loved having you…and your partner in crime! I am definitely going to try and figure out how to make silicone molds myself. You made it look so easy!
Good luck at the Texas meeting.
t.a.
Great review of the Alabama Soap and Candle Conference, Amanda! Thank you for your kind words. I really enjoyed both of your demos and getting to spend time with you!
Thanks Marla! It was wonderful to spend some time with you!
What a wonderful blog post. This looked like it was an awesome time had by all. I wish there was something like this in my area. I’ll definitely will have to look into making it next year.
I would have definitely loved to get some pointers on wholesaling my products as well as custom wrapping, which I’m having a bit of a time with for my CP soaps.
Hi Amanda,
Interesting to hear that Michelle Rhoades from Mossy Creek Soap talked about using guaze for wrapping soaps. I have been wrapping all my soaps in guaze with a cigar band over for the last 18 months or so. Some people love it, and keep the guaze on the soap whilst using it for added texture. But I have found that wholesale customers are not so keen. So I am thinking that I may have to also use cellophane for them. Did Michelle have any tips for stopping the guaze from fraying out, I wonder?
Hi Jackie! She didn’t have any tips for that. That’s a great idea to keep it on the soap in the shower!
Amanda- Loved meeting you! You really made everything looks so easy- Loved both of your demo’s! Now I know what to buy when I make silicone molds. Your peacock swirl…well is too die for!!! You are one talented soapmaker!
Thank you so much Michelle! It was so great to meet you as well! I look forward to the next one!
GREAT BLOG POST, Amanda! Thanks so much for the report! The good folks in Alabama are great examples of what a regional group can do!!!
Yes they are, Elin! It was a great bunch of folks!