July Classes

Our July calendar is short & sweet, but full of information that is no less valuable:
CP Soap Making 101, Sat., July 19, 10am-1pm
Semi-Private CP Soap Session, Sat., July 19, 2:30-4:30pm Only 5 Spots Available!

August Classes

Summer is in full swing & we've got some brand-new info for you:
Cold Process Soap Making 101, Friday, August 1, 6-9pm
Milk Soaps: Coconut, Soy & Goats' Milk, Saturday, August 2, 10am-1pm
Alternative Liquids: Beer, Juice & Coffee, Saturday, August 2, 2-5pm
Transparent Soap Making, Saturday, August 3, 10am-1pm
Liquid Soap Making, Saturday, August 3, 2-5pm
Brand-New Smartphone Video Class, Sat. & Sun., August 9-10, 9am-6pm
4-Day Bath & Body Boot Camp, Thurs - Sun, August 21-24, 9am-5pm

Was it your lye?
~ If you're using a recipe you're familiar with and it takes much longer to come to trace than you're used to, your lye may have been too weak.

~ Soap made with bad (or weak) lye would come out oily & soft... or over superfatted.

Diagnose Your Lye
~ Does your lye look like what you're used to? If it doesn't, you can check with your supplier. They should be able to tell you what their lye looks like!

~ Lye can come in multiple forms/types, including micro beads or flakes. Don't throw away your lye if it's in flakes when it comes in the mail, just because you're used to the beads we show you in class! It's still usable!

~ If your lye is clumpy in the container, that most likely means that moisture has gotten into the lye. This can diminish the strength of your lye solution & ruin your batch (again, it can appear as an oily or separated batch). Don't use it!

~ You don't want any moisture to get in your lye. So, keep those caps on! We also recommend purchasing small quantities like 2-pound containers, rather than 50-lb bags, and be sure to label those that you've already opened to use/finish first. If your lye is sticky or wet at all? If so Don't use it!

TRINA Espinoza is our newest teacher, and if we're lucky she'll move to the Bay Area & become a regular teacher! But for now, she's coming this semester to teach a fun & super-important 2-Day Make Great Videos with your Smartphone Class. Students will leave having learned to make fantastic videos using nothing but their 10 fancy fingers & their camera phone. Take this unique & special class if you want to show off your handmade products, tell a story, or document an important event (so...that's everyone, then ;).

Smartphone Video Class, August 9 & 10, OR November 15 & 16, 9am-6pm
Newsflash: Save $30 by signing up before July 9!

MARIE Gale can only fit a trip to the Bay Area into her schedule once a year & we hope you'll take advantage of it! She's teaching her awesome Soap & Cosmetic Labeling AND Good Manufacturing Practices classes - topics that she's written the book(s) on... literally! These are 2 hot business topics she is constantly being asked to speak about at the Handcrafted Soap & Cosmetics Guild Conferences (that's where we met her, years ago, before she was a published author). With in-person classes becoming so rare, and her schedule becoming more packed, we're so happy that she still makes time for us. Don't miss her!

Soap & Cosmetic Labeling, October 4, 9am-1pm
Good Manufacturing Practices, October 4, 2-6pm

LELA Barker has only taught at The Nova Studio once before, to a sold-out classroom of eager bath & body business beavers, but if she could come every month, we would be thrilled. Well... unfortunately since she lives in another state, that isn't going to happen. But, she HAS agreed to come back one more time... this time for a whopping 4-Days, all in a row, jam packed with fabulous business topics that you NEED...like, now! There's also a brand-new segment this go-around on branding. Cassie was so excited about newly reformatted boot camp, she's actually signed up to TA it herself this time around & she can hardly wait.

Lela's 4-Day Handmade Business Boot Camp, October 10-13, 10am-5pm.
Newsflash: Save $50 by signing up before August 10!