Tired but Happy at the Soap Guild Show

I am a wee bit tired, after a day that started with a fabulous 6:15 a.m. Indie Fitness walk led by the incorporable Donna Maria and did not stop until 10:30 p.m. after a wonderful dinner (complete with hilarious entertainment!) sponsored by Essential Wholesale. In between those 16 hours, I also taught two back-to-back, hands on lotionmaking classes where we made 5 from-scratch recipes, testing different emulsification systems. Given that I have a 6:30 a.m. date with Donna Maria again tomorrow morning for a fitness walk, I hope you’ll forgive the short post about The Handcrafted Soap Guild Conference goings-on today.

Erin Brockovich started us off with an inspirational story of how her movie was made, the behind-the-scene details, and her personal philosophies about life. One of the things I really appreciated about her messaging was that determination, persistence through adversity and “sticktoitiveness” (stick-to-it-ive-ness) is key to overcoming obstacles, meeting all challenges and thriving in life. It was refreshing to have someone say, “I’ve failed more times than I can count,” and finish with the silver lining that resulted.

Above is one zany photo from the amazing full sit-down meal, comedy night stand up that Dennis and Kayla Fiorivanti put on for the entire Guild Gathering. This is just a few of us having fun (notice my ultra cool, supermodel pout?) – the fabulous Sindi from Georgia, Sandy from Alabama, Lela from South Carolina (Lela of Bella Lucce fame) and a helpful mime jester.

Tomorrow, I’ll post more about the Advanced Lotionmaking classes and new tidbits that happen tomorrow. Thus far, this has definitely been the best Soap Guild ConferenceI have attended. It has run incredibly smoothly, the classes all have had A+ take-home value, and the mood of the attendees has been positive and happy. They announce the 2010 Conference location on Wednesday night; I can hardly wait.