Big News: The Nova Studio is Now a Triple Threat!

We weren't kidding when we said recently that BIG changes were coming to The Nova Studio & we could hardly wait for it to be official so we could share the news with all of you! As some of you know, I founded The Nova Studio as a Sole Proprietor in 2003. I’ve always had a vision for the studio that involved more than I could accomplish by myself. For years I’ve wanted to partner with someone, but the right opportunity never presented itself (until now, that is).

I am SO excited to announce that I am bringing not one, but two partners on board and forming The Nova Studio, LLC. My manager Cassie Durant and my teacher Ruth Esteves (owner of Sirona Springs) are now co-owners of The Nova Studio!!! We’ve been working together at the studio for the past several years and we already know we make a great team. Now, we have the ideal business structure in place to take full advantage of the potential of The Nova Studio.

We will still be the same Nova Studio - the place people come to learn how to make natural bath & body products - but with all three of us working to achieve our goals, we'll be better able to serve our customer base & support our teachers. In addition, we will finally have a finished line of soap as well as other bath & body products for sale (something I have always wanted to do, but never had the time or the resources for as a sole proprietor).

Between the three of us, there is certainly no shortage of ideas. I am absolutely thrilled to be working in this new capacity with these two amazing women, and about the seemingly endless opportunities over the horizon. We hope you'll come on this journey with us! Stay tuned to our newsletters, blog and website for updates on the exciting future for Nova Studio teachers & students.

A Little More About the Partners:

Cassie Durant: As the full-time Studio Manager for the past two years, Cassie is an invaluable and integral part of our success. Cassie’s hard work and dedication helped The Nova Studio to stay strong & grow when Lori took time off last year to be with her new baby. Cassie’s expert management of day-to-day operations is the foundation on which everything else is built. Cassie's continued input and operational know-how will be instrumental as The Nova Studio maintains its current workload, grows our educational resources, and begins to sell products online. 

Ruth Esteves: As one of our core teachers, Ruth has been sharing her love of soapmaking at The Nova Studio for the past 4 years. Students often comment on how organized & knowledgeable she is and they appreciate her calm, laid-back style. Ruth’s role will be crucial in our plans to expand our class offerings. In addition, her experience as the owner of Sirona Springs Handmade Soap (which is now part of The Nova Studio, LLC), will be helpful as The Nova Studio begins producing its own line of luxury, handmade soap and other bath & body products. In the coming months, Ruth will begin an exciting new pilot program where students will have the opportunity to become involved in the production of handmade products.

Lori Nova Endres: Lori started making her own natural bath & body products in 2000 and her life hasn't been the same since. In 2003, she quit her "real job" to dedicate all her time & energy to The Nova Studio. As her studio prepares to celebrate 10 years in business in Point Richmond, Lori will continue her role as a key decision maker, teacher, support to Cassie with day-to-day operations & class strategizing, and work closely with Ruth to build the business in exciting new directions.

Stay tuned friends, the best is yet to come!

Lori Nova Endres, Cassie Durant & Ruth Esteves
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Candles Private Lesson

At least once a month, we host a private lesson here at The Nova Studio.  Most recently, a student requested a Soy Candles private lesson, specifically on container candles. Lori had a lot of fun teaching her the basics & made a bunch of candles to test burn:

They scented the orange candles with orange & clove and sweet orange & anise essential oil, & achieved a natural orange color with 3 drops of orange & 1 drop of black. The candles smell great & are perfect for the holidays!

Here are the tan & white ones after they finished setting up:

The next step is to test-burn the candles & make sure they have the right wick size. Have you made candles lately? How did you scent & color them?

Ruth's Soap Bucket: Spatulas

This is one in a series of posts all about the different tools that soapmakers use, and how to keep it all organized! See all the posts in the series HERE.

 

Some of the best tools are the ones that aren't fancy or make any noise. But you still wouldn't want to be without them. 

 

For me, the silicone spatula definitely ranks among the best tools in my soapmaking tool bucket. 

 

Nothing does a better job of helping me blend my soap thoroughly, reaching into all the corners. And then it is a whiz at scraping every last bit of soap out of the mixing pot and into my mold. And I mean every. last. bit. If I'm going to go through the work of handmaking cold process soap, I don't want to leave any behind! 

 

You can find silicone spatulas wherever cooking tools are sold. Or next time you're at The Nova Studio, you can pick up one of our favorite models. Because a busy soapmaker can never have too many!

So thank you, humble little silicone spatula. You make my soapmaking so much easier!

Watch out: some spatulas look silicone, but are actually made of plastic & will melt & warp in the hot soap. Also steer clear from wooden handles, which will start to splinter after several uses!

____________________________________________________________
Blog post contributed by Ruth Esteves, soapmaking teacher at The Nova Studio and owner of Sirona Springs Handmade Soap.  

SF Bay Area Indies: 4/10 Meeting Recap

We are lucky to be able to get together with other product makers one time per month to chat about what's going on in our businesses, new tricks and tips, & so much more. We'd love for you to join us! Check out all of our past Meetup Recaps here & see our upcoming dates here! Our Indie Meetups are free for everyone & you don't have to be a member of Indie Business in order to join (but you can get a discount on your membership by signing up at a Meetup!)

Here's what happened at our last Meetup on April 10, 2013:

Make new friends, but keep the old, as the old song goes (which I may or may not be humming at this very moment). Tonight, we met Julie, who is based in Fremont and found us through the Indie Beauty Network. Julie is in the process of patenting a new hair product. We had an absolute blast hearing her plans and doing some wild brainstorming for her branding. Without an NDA, I’m not at liberty to share more :)

I brought some (there were more than I could wrangle into a bag!) scented liquid soap samples to gather the group’s impressions. Eucalyptus and fir needle essential oil-scented soaps were the surprise hits of the evening. Look for some of the group’s favorites, along with citrus and lavender, making an appearance in June’s liquid soap class.

Jen's test batches of Liquid Soap

We had a great time checking out Ruth’s soap cupcake samples as well as an ingenious container she’s using to make them portable just after the tops have been ‘iced’ on. If you follow The Nova Studio’s twitter feed, you may have caught a sneak peek of some of these soaps. Ruth will have some of these samples with her when she teaches a decorative cold process soap piping class at next month’s Handcrafted Soap & Cosmetic Guild conference. Thankfully, we caught Julie before she sampled one.

Ruth's beautiful CP Soap Cupcakes

Lori enjoyed being "baby free" for a few hours, and had fun photographing the items that were brought for show and tell. Lori was also excited to show off The Nova Studio’s brand new reverse-osmosis drinking water dispenser. No more cumbersome water changes or dipping into the distilled water supply on the odd weekend where we run out of water, yeah! (I’m feeling hydrated already.) It’s not distilled water, but it’s pretty darn close and is a great emergency back-up for soapmaking. Next time you're at the studio, feel free to fill up your big-gulp sized water containers.

We catch up again in May just before the HSCG conference in Raleigh. Find all of the meetup details out on The Nova Studio calendar and join us!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

This blog post was written by Jen Grimes, owner of LoftSoap. Jen teaches classes on how to make Cold Process Soap 101, Hot Process Soap in the 2-Day Soap Boot Camp, and Liquid & Transparent Soapmaking in the 2-Day Soap Boot Camp, Part II at The Nova Studio.

Ruth's Soap Bucket Series

This is the first in a new series of posts all about the different tools that soapmakers use, and how to keep it all organized!

 

I don't have a lot of space to do my soapmaking. But even if I did, I would still have to be very careful about organization and space. After all, who really has enough space these days? 

One of my favorite space and time savers is my soap tool bucket.

I use it to hold all the tools that I need for every batch of soap: stick blender, silicone spatulas, mixing spoons. The bucket lives in my closet right next to my oils and scale, and I just carry it over to my counter when I feel like making some soap. Everything is organized and at hand. And it's super easy to take it to The Nova Studio on those days when I'm teaching a class. If I have my bucket, I know I have all my tools!

I went even further organizing inside the bucket and stuck in a 2-cup glass measuring cup. That holds the littlest tools: measuring spoons, little whisks, thermometers, plastic spoons.

After making a batch of soap, I clean up and throw all the tools right back in my tool bucket. I love that I have everything ready to satisfy that urge to make soap at a moment's notice! :)

What do you do to make your soapmaking (or any crafting) more organized?

________________________________________________________

Blog post contributed by Ruth Esteves, soapmaking teacher atThe Nova Studio and owner of Sirona Springs Handmade Soap.

Seeking Part Time Weekend Assistant

We have immediate openings for 1 or 2 stellar individuals to work at The Nova Studio 40-60 hours per month (weekends mostly, with an occasional Friday night). We are looking for someone with a positive attitude, an outgoing personality, excellent customer service, communication & interpersonal skills, with an ability to implement & respect general company operations, policies, & procedures as appropriate. You be a key representative for the studio! The Weekend Studio Assistant (or SA) is needed every day that we have classes in the studio (and we do our schedule 6-months at a time, so you'll always know your schedule).

JOB DESCRIPTION:

On the day of class, the SA arrives one hour before the class starts, opens the studio using a checklist, welcomes the teacher & TA, checks phone messages & emails, answers phone calls or questions from students, collects materials fees for the teacher, takes pictures, etc. At the start of class you will give a brief orientation speech about studio and a few announcements before turning the class over to the teacher. Then, while the class is going on, you will be in the office & perform a variety of computer or other miscellaneous tasks. You will also be responsible for selling supplies & answering any other student questions during the breaks & after class. You will stay an hour after the class ends & use another checklist to close the studio.

If this unique job sounds like it would be right up your alley, please contact us at email@thenovastudio.com with a cover letter telling us why you think you would be a good fit & please attach a current resume.

M&P Quick Tip: Cutting with a Sawzall

Did you know that it is much cheaper to buy melt & pour soap in super-large blocks - sometimes 25 lbs or more per batch! This leaves the average soap crafter scratching their heads trying to figure out how in the world to melt down that much soap.

Well Hilary Goldman of A Slice of Delight sent along this picture of her husband cutting into her 5-gallon-pail-sized soap column & we just knew we had to share!

Now that, my friends, is a good way to get your soap down to a manageable size in no time!

Hilary says: "The tool is called a 'Sawzall' and the blade he uses - as there are many - is one 'assigned' to the soap."

Check out what Hilary makes with this great base in her Etsy shop, her Twitter or her Facebook page.

And tell us - do you have any power tools in your soapers tool box?

Perfume: Strength & Concentration

Recently, we had a question from a past student asking for some clarification on what, exactly, makes a perfume a perfume, and not - say - an Eau de toilette. It's a great question, and (like many topics in the bath & body industry) there's no hard & fast answer. But, we still thought it might be fun to talk about the different thoughts out there!

Lori & two recent Natural Perfume Class students

First off, when you use the word perfume, there is an assumption that it's in an alcohol base. The rest of the definition of a perfume lies in the concentration of scent (essential oils, absolutes, etc.) vs. base (alcohol). According to some schools of thought, a "Perfume" contains 20% to 40% aromatic compounds - that is, for every 1 ounce of perfume, a fifth or two fifths is the actual essential oil blend! The rest is made up of the "vehicle" of the perfume, which in most cases is extremely high proof alcohol (or SDA, which means specially denatured alcohol).

On the other hand, an "Eau de parfum" is only 10% to 30% aromatic compounds, an "eau de toilette" is 5%- 20%, and an "eau de cologne" is 2% - 3%.

Perfumes students stand in line for their perfumer's alcohol

But don't forget, these are only guidelines! For example, author Nancy M. Booth breaks down the concentration in a slightly different way in her book "Perfumes, Splashes & Colognes":

Perfume: 15-30% aromatic compounds
Eau de parfum: 8-15% aromatic compounds
Eau de toilette: 4-8% aromatic compounds
Eau de cologne: 2-3% aromatic compounds

Scent strips for the top notes

So when you are deciding how to qualify your latest scent creation, keep these general guidelines in mind - and then do what's best for your needs! Just be aware that using too much essential oil on the skin can be irritating and depending on what oils you use, it also might stain your clothes or have a sticky/tacky feel. However, these are not usually an issue with a lower concentration (under 10%), like we use in our classes.

Have you made a favorite perfume after taking Lori's All-Natural Perfumes Class? Or perhaps the blending portion of the class helped you create the perfect custom scent for your other bath & body products? Tell us about it in the comments!

If you haven't yet dabbled in the wonderful world of essential oil blending, you can join Lori at her next class, coming up on Saturday, May 11, 2013, from 10am-5pm.

Sugar 5 Ways: 5 Types of Simply Sweet Sugar Scrubs

In The Limelight: Simply Sweet Sugar Scrubs ~ 5 Types
This is a series aimed at showing off some of our most exciting upcoming classes!
Check out all our past "In the Limelight" posts HERE.

Looking for a way to include more "fun" items in your product line, or perhaps on the lookout for a product that is great for all ages, genders & walks of life? Erin's Sugar Scrubs class is a great opportunity, especially because it is not often that we get to offer it. In fact - this is the ONLY time in 2013 that she will be here to teach this fabulous class. That means, if you are interested in learning in-person from Erin, this is your opportunity. Grab it! Her class covers a LOT of ground. For example, Erin will be covering 3 different types of sugars, bases, fragrances, essential oils, and even using melt & pour soap. Students walk away with 5 professionally-packaged scrubs that are ready to give as gifts (or go straight to your shower/tub).

This is not your grandma's sugar scrub class (no offense grandma!). In this sweet & innovative class, learn how to make 5 different types of creative & skin-loving sugar scrubs. When you say "Sugar Scrub," most people think of the oily scrubs that leave your skin greasy and your tub slick. Erin will show you how to make 4 scrubs that don’t leave the tub or your skin oily, and one nearly-edible scrub, especially for your lips! 

This class handout provides thorough instructions on all of the projects, plus formulation information for scaling up and tips for larger production, as well as a list of Erin's recommended suppliers. You'll also get tested recipes, detailed instructions & helpful pictures to make the following 5 unique products: 

Whipped Sugar Scrub (all-natural, from scratch): Demo & Hands-On. This product is a combination of a body butter and a sugar scrub. The consistency is like very thick frosting. Students will watch a demo of the batch being made by Erin, then they'll get to choose which essential oils to use for scent & choose a color.

Sugar Whipped Soap (using a base): Demo. The consistency of this scrub is light and fluffy with just enough foaming action to get you clean and soften your skin. This recipe utilizes a pre-made base that contains the foaming agents as well as the preservative, so you don't have to worry about that. Erin will make this batch demonstration style and students will get a 4 oz jar to take home & try. 

Papaya Enzyme Foot Scrub: Hands-On. An invigorating, more intense scrub made especially for your feet that contains different types of sugar, papaya (which contains a natural exfoliating enzyme), oils, butters, a natural cleansing agent and an emulsifier (to make it more creamy & less oily).

Body Sugar Cubes: Hands-On. A single-use sugar scrub that uses a melt & pour soap base, mixed with oils & butters to cleanse & exfoliate at the same time, leaving NO oily mess in your tub. Take home a big jar of cubes, custom scented & colored by you!

Exfoliating Lip Scrub: Hands-On. Made from scratch, a wonderful blend of waxes, oils & butters to gently exfoliate lips while helping to seal in moisture. A very popular scrub, for all ages.

You will leave class with awesome handouts and a bunch of products: a 10 oz jar of Body Sugar Cubes, a 4 oz jar of Whipped Sugar Scrub, a 4 oz jar of Sugar Whipped Soap, an 8 oz jar of Papaya Enzyme Foot Scrub & two adorable pots of Exfoliating Sugar Lip Scrub. Erin will supply everything you need, just show up with your sweet self, ready to learn & have fun!

Simply Sweet Sugar Scrubs ~ 5 Types with Erin Pikor

Upcoming Class Date: April 20, 2013, 2:30-6pm

See our website for much more information, 

including teacher bio, cancellation policies, & great links.

 

The What, Why's & Who's of Pre-Reqs

You may have noticed that a few of our classes require a prerequisite class or equivalent experience (i.e., that you have some prior knowledge of the topic before you take the class). To make it easier for everyone, we always try to schedule the pre-req class just before the class in question, either on the same day or in the case of a weekend boot camp, the Friday night before. All classes that require a pre-req have a notation on the description page (as seen circled in red in the pic below).

You may wonder how we verify this information. Well, if you're taken the pre-req class in the last few years, we can look it up in our database. But mostly we use the "honor system" when students sign up. If you tell us you have the required experience, and that the class is a good fit for you, we trust you!

However, occasionally students aren't 100% truthful when they tell us they've already learned to make products, which means they end up in an intermediate or advanced class with no beginner knowledge. While these students can try to catch up by asking the teacher clarifying questions, the teachers don't have time to cover basic materials that the other students in the class already know - so the student who took the class without the basic knowledge actually leaves more confused than when they arrived. This not only stinks for the student (who feels like they wasted money) but also for the teacher, who would never want to see a student walk away unsure.

If you have any doubt whether what you've learned qualifies you to skip a prerequisite, just call or email us & ask! We're always happy to advise students decide the best path to take to help them reach their goals.

Even if you already know the basics, if you learned them somewhere else & are still having problems, sometimes it's helpful to take a class with a different teacher. It validates the knowledge you've already collected, and there's always some tips or tricks you can learn from our experienced & talented teachers. Also, many people learn how to make products from books or with free information online, and quite often the recipes are not tested, and the instructions leave something to be desired. Usually taking one class in the topic can turn things in the right direction & get you to an advanced level in no time.

Currently, we only have 2 classes on our current calendar that require a prerequisite:

Lotions & Creams: Emulsions 101 is the pre-req for...
Nourishing Face Creams 201

and Cold Process Soap Making 101 is the pre-req for..
Cold Process Soap 201: "Make & Take"
Semi-Private CP Soapmaking Session
2-Day Soap Making Boot Camp
Milk Soaps ~ 3 Types: Coconut Milk, Soy Milk & Goats' Milk
Soaping with Alternative Liquids: Beer, Coffee & Juice
Transparent Soap: Make Your Own Melt & Pour Soap Base
Liquid Soap Making

The main reason for the pre-req concept is to ensure that you get the most out of your classes at The Nova Studio. Don't forget, if you are ever confused about a class on our schedule, we're more than happy to help you work it out! Call or email us - contact information is on the sidebar of this blog, or on the bottom of every page at TheNovaStudio.com

Student Spotlight: Barbara & Bryan Silk

Barbara & Bryan are students of Debbie Chialtas (the creative genius behind SoapyLove) and we wanted to find out what they've been up to since taking Debbie's class in April of 2011. Check out their great melt & pour soap company!

 
"The Scottsdale SoapCompany was inspired by an early morning drive through the Sonoran Desert. The date was February 12, 2011 and the North Scottsdale scenery viewed in the morning light was especially beautiful on that cool winter morning. With the brilliance of the day as our inspiration and our long-seeded desire to use the right "Creative" side of our brains, The Scottsdale Soap Company was conceived. 

Meet Barbara and Bryan Silk. Cubicle inhabitants by day, Soap Super Heroes by nights & weekends. It starts with our love for travel as well as our appreciation of handmade items by artists and craftsman met throughout our journeys. Our passion for travel has taken us to 42 states and 9 countries and in each we would search out handmade crafts for our Scottsdale home or as gifts for Christmas. Whether it's hand crafted Pottery from South Bend, Indiana or Beach, North Dakota or hand made baskets in Ashville, North Carolina we have a great admiration for the artists and their work. We are now proud to be a part of this community in our humble way as soap makers.

With soap making books in hand we enrolled in a soap making class at The Nova Studio in picture-perfect Point Richmond, California. We found our true mentor, Debbie Chialtas, world-renowned master soapmaker and author. It was the most wonderful experience, fun and blissful with creative energy filling each moment of that memorable and productive weekend."

We are so happy for Barbara & Bryan that they are pursuing their passions. Are you interested in starting your own melt & pour soap company - or maybe just crafting as a hobby? Debbie is coming back to town to teach an amazing full-day class on Special Event/Favor Melt & Pour Soaps on Sunday, April 21, 2013. You won't want to miss it!

Create One-of-a-Kind Soap Molds

In The Limelight: Mold Making: Custom Silicone Soap Molds
This is a series aimed at showing off some of our most exciting upcoming classes!
Check out all our past "In the Limelight" posts HERE.

We are so excited to be hosting Erin Pikor's original & ground-breaking Mold Making Class for the third time at The Nova Studio! After putting together the 5 Types of Sugar Scrubs Class, she had so much fun teaching she just knew she had to come up with a second class idea just so she could keep teaching. The best part of her Mold Making Class is that students walk away with custom projects: 2 single-bar molds & a single-bar texture sheet, ready to use. Creations made with these awesome techniques are special, one-of-a-kind, unique creations - and there is no limit to what you can do once you learn how to make your own molds!

Read more about teacher Erin in our Meet the Teacher post, and check out our exclusive interview with her on her custom molds HERE. Don't forget that by signing up for this class, Sugar Scrubs, & Debbie's melt & pour soap class all at once, you can save $30 on your registration! More details HERE. Read on for the full class description.

Have you ever wanted a soap mold design that did not exist or find an object that would make a perfect soap shape but you don't know how to mold it? This class will show you how to use 3 different forms of silicone to make 2 custom single-cavity soap molds and a silicone texture sheet. At the end of this class, you will have the knowledge & practice to create custom molds of any shape and size! These molds can be used for M&P Soap or Cold Process and Erin will give you a special Cold Process Soap recipe that creates a very hard bar, particularly suited for silicone molds. 

 

You will get hands-on instruction in tested methods,
to make the following 3 projects: 

Molding a Found Object: Demo & Hands-On. Erin will demonstrate how to make a "glove mold" using a found object. This process takes a few coats of silicone so you will apply the final coat of silicone to a pre-made mold that you will get to take home at the end of class! The mold will be ready to use in 24 hours.

Molding a Custom Decorated Bar: Hands-On. You will be provided with a 2-inch by 2-inch by 1-inch block that you will decorate using a variety of foam stickers, ranging from letters and numbers to flowers and geometric shapes! This is a fun creative project and the possibilities are endless! Erin will show you how to mix the liquid silicone and properly pour the silicone over your block to avoid air bubbles and imperfections in the mold. You will get to take home your mold & it will be ready to use in 6 hours. 

Texture Sheets: Hands-On. Using a silicone putty, you will make a 2-inch by 3-inch texture sheet using various items provided, ranging from textured fabric, buttons, antique keys, etc. You can bring your own texture to use for this project if you wish. Erin will show you how to work with this fast setting putty and perfectly imprint it with your texture. The putty takes just 30 minutes to set up so if we have time, we'll actually mold a bar of M&P soap in class using the texture sheet! You will take home the texture sheet and a bar of M&P soap. A natural M&P soap base and essential oils will be provided.

 
You will leave class with one custom mold with approximately a 4 ounce cavity using liquid silicone, one glove mold with approximately a 2-3 ounce cavity and one 2-inch by 3-inch texture sheet & one bar of M&P soap. The class handout will provide step-by-step instructions for all projects made in class, as well as a list of relevant suppliers. 

Mold Making: Custom Silicone Soap Molds with Erin Pikor

Upcoming Class Date: April 20, 2013, 10am-1pm

See our website for much more information, 

including teacher bio, cancellation policies, & great links.

Attn Soapers: How to Save your Sink!

We opened our doors in Point Richmond almost 10 years ago. The space didn't have a sink in the back room when we moved in. Below is the "before picture" facing the bathroom hallway. Most people probably won't recognize the space.
 

A trip to Home Depot and a generous friend who offered to put it in meant that we were up & running quickly and could start making soap and doing dishes into the wee hours of the night. Oh joy! :)

Over the years, I've heard MANY stories of friends & students who had problems with soapmaking raw materials (oils, butters, etc.) clogging up their drains. That was followed by my horror when they told me how much the plumber bill was to fix/unclog their drains. After I heard one or two of those stories, I asked everyone at the studio (teachers, TAs, anyone helping out) to use paper towels to wipe out ANY traces of oils, butters or waxes BEFORE putting the dishes into the sink to wash. Just to make sure everyone got the message loud & clear, we even made a sign a few years ago & taped it to the sink area (see pic above).

Well, that must have worked because in nearly 10 years, we've never had to call a plumber - not even once. (I'm going to bet that you can tell where this story is headed.)

Well, over the last year we've had several occasions where the sink backed up and we needed to pour lye down the drain. No problem there, as we have plenty of lye on hand for soapmaking! It usually worked, for a few months anyway, that is until the sink started leaking down below. I'm not sure if it was from old parts or from the lye, but probably a combination of both.

I consider us lucky to get to nearly 10 years without having to pay a dime extra to maintain our sink area. It's just hard to part with $260 just to get something back to the original quality it was when we first installed it.

So my soapmaking friends, if this hasn't happened to you, consider yourself lucky and take this as a cautionary tale so hopefully you won't have to part with your hard earned money unnecessarily (no offense to the plumbers of the world). 

Have any other good tips for keeping your sink clog-free? Please share below.

New eClasses Just Released: Cute Candy Confections & Electric Pop Colors M&P Soap Projects

Debbie, the brains & creativity behind the popular melt & pour soap company SoapyLove, always has new tips and tricks up her sleeves, and we love all the opportunities we have to learn with her at The Nova Studio!

Our newest opportunity was just released - 2 Brand New eClass Handouts from Debbie from her most recent in-person classes, Cute "Candy" Confections & Electric "Pop" Colors Melt & Pour Soap Projects. These awesome eClasses cover 3 projects a piece that will entertain kids & adults of all ages!

Cute "Candy" Confections

  

Use fun & easy glycerin soap to create incredibly adorable soaps! This eClass covers a variety of molds, supplies, & techniques to achieve 3 distinctive looks, all inspired by edible sweet treats!

In this eClass you'll learn how to make:

1) Princess Soapy Pop: Make a soap fit for the princess in your life! Scented like a fresh from the oven cake & gleaming with shimmer, it's also speckled with a fun exfoliant. This project teaches how to use mica & suspend exfoliants.

2) Confetti Sprinkles Bar Soap: Use a very unconventional tool to quickly pop out hundreds of these adorable sprinkles and embed them in the top of this sweet soap. This project teaches how to use tray molds & cutters to make bars of any shape.

3) Frozen Friends Soaps: Have you ever used paper that dissolved in soap? It's so cool & fun! This project teaches how to make these happy little bars that feature this awesome and versatile material, which lasts much longer than you might think! 

Electric "Pop" Colors

  

Use fun & easy glycerin soap to create incredibly adorable soaps! Glycerin soap is easy, fun, & a great medium to play with neon and super bright colors. We'll use a variety of molds, supplies, & techniques to create 3 rockin' designs!

In this eClass you'll learn how to make:

1) Pop Star Soapy Pop: This soapy pop is truly fit for stardom. These pops feature bright, crystal clear colors and super sparkly stars. You'll love the "big reveal" when you unmold them!

2) I Heart Soap: Learn the intricacies of detailed molds with this fun project. You will be amazed by how perfect your soaps will be! Several neon colors makes for perfect multi-colored designs.

3) Retro Robot Soap: This project not only appeals to boys (particularly tricky customers!), but has a cool retro vibe. You'll get to learn how to use dissolving paper, clam shell molds, & Debbie's secret trick to a perfect color fade! 

For a page-by-page summary of each eClass & much more, check out the Cute Confections & Pop Colors eClass Handouts at the links. The eClasses are $29 each.

Are you more of a "tactile" learner? Debbie has yet another brand new in-person class coming up on April 21, 2013 at The Nova Studio covering a variety of Favor & Special Occasion Melt & Pour Soap Projects! PLUS, if you sign up for her class and both of Erin Pikor's classes that same weekend, you can save $30 total on your registration. See all the details HERE.

Happy Soaping!

Student Spotlight: type.lites

Our students are doing wonderful things! We absolutely love hearing from them & knowing that our classes helped them to start businesses. We are proud to share their stories with you.  Check out this adorable product line from students Tricia & Crystal:

"We took an Eco-Friendly Candle Making class with Lori where we learned how to make our own soy based candles. She taught us everything from basic safety precautions to the benefits of using soy wax. The hands-on aspect of the class made it fun and interesting. Lori really knows her stuff!  The class gave us the knowledge and confidence that we could do this ourselves in our very own kitchen. Our time spent at Nova Studio helped plant the seed for what ended up being type.lites. It introduced us to the world of candle making and we were hooked!

"That same year, we made a batch for our friends and family for holiday gifts. Everyone loved their candles and encouraged us to sell them which sparked the idea to start our own candle business. A few months later, a friend contacted us because she was looking for a candle line for her new boutique and that's when type.lites was born."

Thanks so much for updating us, Tricia & Crystal! We think your packaging is unique & your candles are beautiful. Anyone seeking stylish candles, you can find out more about type.lites on their website, Facebook page, Twitter & Instagram.

3 Hands-On Soap Classes: Compare & Contrast

Have you noticed that we actually have three different hands-on soap making from scratch classes at The Nova Studio? At first glance, it may seem repetitive, but the classes are actually very different and students who wish to get as much hands-on experience possible could take them all without wasting their time or money.

At a Glance:

Cold Process Soap 201: "Make & Take"
- Prerequisite of CP 101 required
- Max of 15 students / Minimum of 5 students
- Batch size: 2 pounds of oils
- Each student gets: 9-10 bars of soap
- Length: 2 hours long
- Price: $75 class fee + $20 materials fee
- Mold type: Tube mold
- What we do: Mix, heat & weigh oils, make the lye solution, stir soap to trace
- What you do: Line mold, color, scent, additives, and molding

Semi-Private CP Soapmaking Session
- Prerequisite of CP 101 required
- Max of 7 students / Minimum of 4 students
- Batch size: 4 pounds of oils
- Each student gets: 18-20 bars of soap
- Length: 2 hours long
- Price: $115 class fee + $30 materials fee
- Mold type: shoe box (you bring it)
- What we do: Mix & heat oils
- What you do: Line mold, weigh oils, make lye solution, stir soap to trace, color, scent, additives, & molding

Private Lesson: Fully customizable per student
- No prerequisite required
- 1 student, one-on-one attention
- Negotiable batch size
- Negotiable number of bars
- 3 hours long
- Starts at $350 (additional $100 per hour over 3 hours) with negotiable materials fee
- Mold type: negotiable
- What we do: teach you the basics & guide you
- What you do: Mix, heat & weigh oils, line mold, make lye solution, stir soap to trace, color, scent, additives, and molding - all negotiable.  

Want to know more? Here's a brief description of each (plus some pretty pictures) to help you sort out the differences & pick which is right for you:

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COLD PROCESS SOAP 201: "MAKE & TAKE"

Next Date: May 25, 2013, 2:30-4:30pm

Students work together to pour soap into a tube mold

This class is excellent for soapmakers with no experience who want to get their feet wet with the fun part of soapmaking without all the hassle of getting supplies together, purchasing all the equipment, or (the best part of hands-on soap classes at The Nova Studio) cleaning up afterward. It's also great for those who aren't sure they want to invest in the hobby, so want to experience it before they get started at home.

Lots of colorant choices for students

The teacher will make up the soap batter and portion it out to the students. Students add scent, color & additives and mold it in their take-home tube molds. After 24 hours, students can un-mold & cut their soap into 9-10 full size bars. 

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SEMI-PRIVATE CP SOAPMAKING SESSION

Next Date: March 9, 2013, 2:30-4:30pm

Students mix their lye solution in front of a fan

If you are sure you want to get started, but are a little nervous about soaping at home your first time without any guidance, the Semi-Private CP Soapmaking Session is for you.

Students learn to line their soap molds
(it's harder than it looks!)

The teacher will walk you through weighing your oils using an oil blend called SoapQuick, making up the lye solution, getting your soap to trace, even lining your mold, all in this 2 hour class. Students get to add colors & scents, further customize with additives, and take a full 4 pound batch of soap home to cut after 24 hours. Each batch makes 18-20 bars of soap!

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PRIVATE LESSONS

Next Date: Negotiable!

Looking to do some hands-on soapmaking, but none of the dates above work for you? Or maybe you haven't taken CP 101 yet, & are looking for some more guidance than our demonstration-style class? Or, maybe you know exactly what scents, molds & additives you want to use & just want someone to teach you how to do it.

Our Private Lessons offer complete customization. With negotiable materials & focus and one-on-one attention, a private lesson could be just what you need. Give us a call at 510-234-5700 or email us at email@thenovastudio.com to start talking about your needs!  

I hope that helps sort out the differences in our three fun hands-on soap options. Have you already taken one? Tell us about your experience soap in the comments below!