I recently made a batch of shaving soap that came out really great! That batch motivated me to make a couple of other batches of soaps with clays. I love using a bit of Rose Clay for a color swirl. Clays are wonderful, natural colorants, with great properties all their own. I love the silky creaminess of the soaps...and the super clean feeling they leave.

Well, I'm back from the Handcrafted Soapmakers Guild conference safe and sound! It was a fabulous conference full of fun, information, fellowship and soap talk. The range of soapmakers from beginner to advanced, from young to not-so-young, from west to east coast was truly amazing. It is so wonderful to have an organization like the HSMG supporting our craft and our industry. It's so hard to focus on "real life" when you come back from one of these events - I just want to spend all day in the kitchen making soap and trying the new things I learned!

I'll be putting together a full report in a day or two...stay tuned for all the fun details!

I'm getting ready to head to the Handcrafted Soapmakers Guild conference in Portland, Oregon! I'm a speaker this year - and am going to be talking about the qualities of soapmaking oils and how to formulate your own soap recipes. I'm really looking forward to it!

The conference runs three days, with classes and presentations held during the day and parties sponsored by major vendors like Bramble Berry, Wholesale Supplies Plus and Essential Wholesale. Dinner on the last night is the Annual Awards Banquet where soap awards are given, and the location for next year's conference is announced.

A variety of speakers, both from inside and outside the handcrafted soap industry, are scheduled each year, covering a wide range of subjects of interest to soamakers. Topics usually include various aspects of cold process and soap making, soapmaking, marketing, promotion, websites, labeling, and a smattering of business concerns. It's an amazing thing to be surrounded by SO many people who love the art and craft of soapmaking. I'll be blogging about the conference throughout the week...look for more news!

As I was watering my fledgling tomato plants last night...I got at least 5 mosquito bites!

And while I'm probably not going to put a bunch of citronella candle torches around my garden, it certainly was notice that it's mosquito season...and time to make up a batch of mosquito votive candles. You'd be surprised at some of the many different essential oil blends that repel mosquitoes...many of which smell great too!