Category Archives: Conferences & Seminars

New York City Soapmaking Classes

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Marla Bosworth of Back Porch Soap hosted a set of classes in NYC this past weekend.  When Holly Port and I were down in Austin teaching, she asked if we’d be interested in teaching in NY.  After doing a happy dance or two…we excitedly agreed to do it.  Classes were planned, listed and sold out quickly!  We had students from different countries and from different states around the US!

I taught a Cupcake and Specialty Drink class in which we made cold process cupcakes, latte soap and salt bar smoothies.  I also taught an advanced coloring class where I taught the peacock swirl, hearts and flowers and a landscape/layering design.

My good friend Holly Port of Lotion Bar Cafe taught Happy Hour Soaping where she made soap out of beer, wine and champagne.  Her other class was on felting soap.

I want to send a big thank you to Marla for having us and being such a great host!  Below are some pics from the classes.

Holly’s Felting Class

Amanda’s Cupcake and Specialty Drink Class

Holly’s Happy Hour Soaping

Amanda’s Advanced Coloring Class – Peacock Swirl, Hearts & Flowers and Landscape/Layers Soap

The students did a great job!  Thanks to all that came and joined in the fun.

For more classes with Marla Bosworth visit Back Porch Soap / For more classes with Amanda Griffin visit my class page / For Holly Port visit Lotion Bar Cafe

Classes and Fall Schedule

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I’ve updated the class page to include some exciting fall classes!

I’m headed to NYC with my good friend Holly Port and the fabulous Marla Bosworth to teach soapmaking!  Join us August 24, 25  and 26 for a three day soapmaking bootcamp!  Learn how to make and sell more than 15 different types of soap (cold process natural bars, advanced color designs, felted soap designs, wine, beer and champagne soap, cupcake, chai latte and salt bar soaps, and four kinds of glycerin soaps, including photo and personalized bars!  Sign up at www.backporchsoap.com!

Classes in Grand Prairie, Texas this fall.

Silicone mold making – July 21, 2012

Beginner Soapmaking Class – September 22, 2012

Advanced Soap Design – October 20, 2012

Beginner Soapmaking Class – November 3, 2012

For more info on these classes, visit our class page!

2012 Texas Soap Conference!

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I kicked off the seminar with a basic soapmaking demo. We had a handful of people who hadn’t made soap before! I pulled one of them up to the front with me to have a go at it! She did great!

Next up was Cha with Bubble Bee Soap who talked about Successful Soap Sales. Her main message was to not undervalue yourself and to be sure you are charging for not only your supplies but for your time.

One of my favorite demos was Sylett Strickland teaching us about hot process. She did a hot process soap in the crockpot for her demo but showed us a video of oven hot process which is her usual method.

Kris Hockey was up next with a talk on facial masks. She actually brought everyone a little kit to make our own! Kris is also a talented woodworker and made a mold for a door prize and also made wooden letter openers and pens as speaker gifts! Thank you, Kris!

Next up was Tracy Dusek. She talked about milk soaps.

Soap felting with Bobbie O’Brien was next. She makes felting soap look so easy! She brought kits for those that wanted to felt along!

And then I was up again to show how to do the peacock swirl!

A big thank you to Holly Port of Lotion Bar Cafe for coming out to Texas and helping out!  We had a blast soaping it up in our hotel room also.  Check out some more pics here and videos here…here…and here.

Another HUGE thank you to Elin and Star who organize this event.  Be sure to keep an eye on the website for next year’s seminar!

-Amanda

2012 Alabama Soap Conference!

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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.

www.alabamasoapmeeting.com

Alabama Soap Meeting – 2012

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I’ll be giving two demos at the Alabama Soap Meeting June 8 & 9! 

My Demo descriptions:

Peacock Swirl – The peacock swirl is an old paper marbling technique that was brought about near the end of the 18th century. This technique is easily adaptable when working with cold process soap. During this demo you’ll learn how to create a slow tracing recipe that will give you plenty of time to create this stunning swirled soap. We’ll also go over coloring, molds and how to make your own soap raking tools to easily execute the design. Then you’ll see exactly how to do the peacock swirl. Although the swirl looks complicated and very technical…you’ll be amazed at how simple it is to do with the right tools.

Silicone Mold Making – Making silicone soap molds is almost as addictive as making soap itself! During this demo you’ll learn how work with both mold putty and pourable silicone. I’ll show you how to choose mold negatives, prepare your negatives and setup the mold retaining walls. We’ll go over silicone suppliers, pricing per ounce and per mold and how to work with both types of silicone. I’ll have plenty of examples on hand to take a look at.

There is an amazing line-up of speakers and vendors!  To sign up visit www.alabamasoapmeeting.com!

2012 Texas Soapmakers Seminar – Registration and Speakers are announced!

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It’s that time again! The 2012 Soapmakers Seminar is scheduled and registration is open! This year’s lineup of topics looks better than ever! I’ll be teaching two topics…Beginner Soapmaking and The Peacock Swirl!

When: June 22 & 23, 2012
Where: Wingate Hotel – Round Rock, Texas

Everyone is invited! You don’t have to be from Texas and you don’t have to be a soapmaker! Even if you are just interested in soapmaking…come on and join us. I’ll be giving a Beginner Soapmaking demo to start out so you’ll go home with all of the knowledge needed to make your first batch of soap!

Seminar Topics Include:

Basic Soap Making – Amanda Griffin
Successful Soap Sales – Cha Tucker
Hot Process Soap Making – Sylett Strickland
Facial Masks – Kris Hockey
Milk Soaps – Tracy Dusek
Soap Felting – Bobbie O’Brien
Peacock Soap Swirling – Amanda Griffin

The conference will be in Round Rock, TX which is right outside of Austin. Come for the conference and stay a couple of days extra in Austin to make a vacation out of it! That’s what I’m doing!

See you there!

Texas Soapmaker’s Seminar – 2011

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Yesterday was the Texas Soapmaker’s Seminar hosted by Star Moore and Elin Criswell of Lonestar Soap & Toiletries.

The seminar started of with Elin Criswell, The Country Soaper, giving a demo of how to make basic cold process soap.

Next up was David Fisher – candle and soapmaking guide for about.com.  He talked to us about essential oil blending.  Bramble Berry generously donated essential oils for all of the members to sniff and take a try at blending!

After a short break, Chris King of Pampered Sisters gave us a great lotion demo.

Kris Hockey talked to us about the many things you can with hydrosols.

She made everyone a lavender hydrosol spritzer to take home!

Kris Hockey is also a creative woodworker!  One seminar attendee got to take this beauty home!

Bobbie O’Brien, of Annie’s Soap Barn,  gave us a wonderful demo on felting soap.  She talked about the different kinds of roving to use and how to dye them.

Here is a beautiful felted soap by Bobbie.

Next up was Margie Lemons of Hill Country Haiku.  Margie showed us how to do the column swirl in a double log mold!

And last but not least…Kathy White talked to us about soap packaging.

Thanks, Star and Elin, for hosting such a fun event!

For more pictures, visit my Facebook photo album.  Be sure to join us next year!

Amanda

 

Barbara Corcoran at the 2011 HSMG Conference

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Barbara Corcoran was the keynote speaker at the 2011 Handcrafted Soap Maker’s Guild conference in Miami, FL. After she was introduced she came dancing up the aisle, music blaring to the cheers and excitement of the crowd! It was a great kickoff to the conference. The air was filled with excitement…we knew something good was coming…and she didn’t disappoint!

Barbara Corcoran has a wonderfully inspiring (and very entertaining) story to tell. Coming from a household of 12 that lived on the bottom floor of a multi-family 3 story house Barbara rose to be the queen of New York real estate as well as an investor/shark on Shark Tank (ABC). She shared with us 6 lessons that contributed to her success.

Lesson 1 – Perception creates reality

Create the perception of being successful and powerful. Dream up what you want to be and live it. This will get you noticed.

Lesson 2 – All the good ideas come from the outside

Get outside of your office or workspace to get ideas. Find motivation and inspiration from museums, the zoo, walking down the street…a neighbor’s kitchen.

Lesson 3 – Don’t underestimate the power of recognition

Prestige and recognition not only motivate people but make people remember you. Barbara stayed for a book signing after her talk. In line I listened in on how she greeted each and every person. When someone went up to get their book signed she picked out something about that person and commented on it. She noticed I had dimples and told me how cute they were and to flaunt them. She commented people on their smile, their hair, their outfit, their business name (if they gave her a product)…just anything. What a powerful thing…I’ll always remember how she liked my dimples.

Lesson 4 – Shoot the dogs early

This is a saying that I had never heard before. It means to get rid of people that aren’t pulling their weight or maybe bringing your company down. If you don’t have an employee that is doing good…don’t wait 3 months to fire them…let them go now. She also talked about complainers. She hates complainers. Complainers just suck the life out of people and your business. When two or more get together it’s even worse because they feed off of each other. Get rid of them. They’re dogs also.

Lesson 5 – Fun is good for business

Especially in her industry (real estate) top producers can work anywhere. She had to create a fun environment that made them want to stay. Anyone can pay them the same salary, benefits and perks…but she had to make sure they were having fun and didn’t want to leave. She also stressed that you should have fun outside of the office. Try to plan lunches and getaways to get your employees outside of the office. (See Lesson 2 – your team might come up with some good ideas!)

Lesson 6 – There are two kinds of people…expanders and containers

Both are equally as important. Expanders are people that have BIG ideas, motivation and drive. Containers are the organized ones. The two types of people help balance each other out. She made sure she had one of each in every department of her company.  Maybe you’re an expander.  Consider finding a container to help you out in your business.

I also wanted to share the first important business lesson she realized. You must have a gimmick.

“A gimmick is a unique or quirky feature that makes you stand out.” – Wikipedia.com

Think about all of the soap sellers on Esty and other online venues. What makes those certain few stand out the way they do? Find your gimmick.

Be sure to check out her book, Shark Tales, detailing her inspirational true story.

-Amanda

The Secret Life of Soap – Kevin Dunn at the 2011 HSMG Conference

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Hands down…the seminar I enjoyed most at the 2011 Handcrafted Soapmakers Seminar was The Secret Life of Soap by Kevin Dunn.

Kevin Dunn is the Elliott Professor of Chemistry at Hampden-Sydney College.  Professor Dunn has undertaken a series of research projects on the chemistry of handcrafted soap.

It was refreshing and exhilarating to hear a seminar on soap making that involved deeper explanations of the chemistry of soap making that was not only entertaining but easy to understand!

One of my favorite things about Professor Dunn is his ability to make us non-chemist types understand the findings from his research.  In his seminar he used an entertaining story of cheerleaders and nerds (which I thought was brilliant) to compare the reaction of oils and water.  You didn’t have to have a chemistry background or even the knowledge of chemistry jargon to follow along.

Some of the interesting topics he discussed:

Soda Ash

Soda ash (commonly referred to as ash) is a pesky little problem that just about every soap maker has encountered at one time or another.  You put your soap to bed…wake up in the morning and there is a powdery layer of “something” blanketing the surface of your soap.

What is that “something?”  Professor Dunn explained to us that it is sodium carbonate.  Sodium carbonate forms where lye meets air.  We know it is sodium carbonate if it is soluble in water (you can rinse it off) and it completely covers the surface of the soap that is exposed to air.  If you have white dots or streaks, especially below the surface of your soap, these are usually something else and not ash.

How do we prevent it?

Cover your soaps with wax paper or plastic wrap to keep the air from “touching” your soap surface as it saponifies.

Do not uncover or unmold your soap until it is “tongue neutral.”  This is especially important to remember when you are doing un-gelled soap.  In my experience un-gelled soap takes longer to complete the process of saponification than gelled soap and can sometimes remain “zappy” 12-24 hours (sometimes more) longer than the same recipe when gelled.  Once saponification if complete (no zap) you are usually safe from the ash monster.

If we get it, how do we remove it?

Since ash is just an aesthetic issue we can remove it from the bar of soap to “fix” the problem.  You can do this by rinsing off with water either by putting it under running water or by rubbing it off with a cloth.  If my soap bars have a flat enough surface I like using a vegetable peeler to remove the ashy surface.

Another exciting thing we learned?  Cetyl alcohol is a great substitute for jojoba oil.  Jojoba prices have been sky rocketing lately and it’s hard to even find jojoba from some of our favorite suppliers.  He sought out a replacement at the urging from Mike from Columbus Foods.  His result was cetyl alcohol (+ other fatty alcohols and waxes).

He also shared that during his research (actually making soap with cetyl alcohol) he found that soap made with cetyl alcohol helped to sustain the soap’s lather.  Of course I immediately thought of a shaving soap!  So this is definitely on my list of things to try.  (If you want to try it out…start with 5% and go from there.  Cetyl alcohol does not have a sap value so add it as you do beeswax and other general additives.)

What is cetyl alcohol?

Cetyl alcohol is a saturated, fatty alcohol with similar properties to those of stearic acid.  Even though it’s called an alcohol…its physical characteristics resemble that of a wax.  Cetyl alcohol is generally derived from petroleum or vegetable oils (coconut or palm).  Your supplier should be able to tell you if their cetyl alcohol is derived from petroleum or vegetable oils.  Since cetyl alcohol is saturated…it has a stable shelf life (something we consider when choosing ingredients for making soap).

He covered many more topics in the seminar.  If you missed it…don’t fret.  You can always get his book Scientific Soapmaking.  I ordered this book when it first came out and it has proved to be a wonderful resource providing answers to my soap making chemistry questions.  It also gets me to think outside of the traditional soap making box.  You can find more information about Kevin Dunn and his book at www.scientificsoapmaking.com.

I’m not sure why Kevin Dunn has chosen the topic of handcrafted soap to focus a bit of his research and time on.  I wonder if it has anything to do with the swarm of women he had flocking around him at the conference!  :)   Whatever the reason…I’m so happy he has done the research and generously shared the results with the soaping community.

And yep…I got to give him one of my shirts I have printed!  Thanks for a wonderful seminar,

-Amanda

Day 1: HSMG Conference

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Whew!  It’s Day 1 at the HSMG conference in Miami, FL and it has been a blast!  It’s been a day full of inspiration, motivation, networking and just plain fun!

We woke up this morning to a beautiful breakfast that included fresh fruit, breads, muffins and yogurt.

After breakfast I went and checked out the Soapers Showcase and cruised the vendors.

The showcase included a mix of CP, HP and Melt & Pour soap submitted by very talented soap makers!  There are swirls, layers, embeds, glitter, high heels and sushi!

After breakfast we received the Keynote Address from Barbara Corcoron.  You might know her from the TV show Shark Tank.  Her address was amazingly motivational.  She was engaging, enlightening and immensely inspiring.  She shared with us six lessons to run a successful business.  (I’ll share those with you in a later blog post!)

My first seminar/class of the day was Advanced CP Swirling with Kathryn Hackney of Otion!

She did an amazing job of explaining the best oils, recipes, colors and molds to use when swirling.  Then she made two batches of swirled soap!  A perfectly swirled in the pot swirl scented with Energy (my favorite FO).

And then a stunning purple, yellow and black slab swirl scented with Yuzu Cybilla.

Great job, Kat!

After that I attended Advanced Color in Soapmaking taught by the talented Alicia Grosso, author of The Everything Soapmaking Book.

Alicia taught us about color theory (as well as other design elements) , finding inspiration, finding your style, how to create color stories and more!  I walked away from this class with lessons that I can apply to my soapmaking as well as my other profession as a graphic and web designer.

Join me tomorrow for Day 2!

Amanda