When I discovered cold process soapmaking a few months ago I had no idea how much fun it would be. I didn’t know how much joy the soapmaking process would bring to me. One afternoon back in July of this year, when I was staying at the wonderful The Brownstone Colonial Inn bed & breakfast in rural Pennsylvania, I was admiring a cute little bar of handcrafted soap that I brought with me from home. The little soap was scented in my favorite Almond Champagne and I remember how charming the little soap was. I looked in the back and was surprised to find how simple & natural the ingredients were. I said to myself “that’s it? that’s what’s in this soap? I could totally make this!!!” I’m always one who likes to try anything once, I decided that I was going to learn how to make soap. It was decided that day! When I came back to San Diego, I searched and found a 2 day soapmaking bootcamp up in the Bay Area taught by Lori Nova @ the Nova Studio. I immediately registered for the workshop and that jump started my love for soapmaking.
Fast forward 3 months and I’ve made around 6 batches of soap now, handing them out to friends, family and new people that I meet. I’ve followed tried and true recipes and I also created 2 of my own. I experimented with goats milk, coconut milk, different essential oils, botanicals. Besides cold process, I’ve also tried hot process. I prefer cold process. It’s amazing how the possibilities with soapmaking are endless. That’s where I find true joy in the process. There’s almost a mystery in how the soap is going to come out regarding the design. But I do love how it feels on my skin. I love hearing about my friends soap experiences with the bar I give them. I have a friend whose son loves all the soap I give to him…..he always has cute comments and his mom keeps me updated with what his latest soap comments in the bath. That always makes me smile.
I want to share my soapmaking experiences with anyone else into this craft as my skill grows. I invite you to talk to me, comment, share recipes & experiences, ideas, photos. I want to hear it all! Come enjoy the soap journey with me! 
hi cecelia! great to read your blog post and see that you’ve had great experimentation & success in your soapmaking since the boot camp. isn’t it wonderful for people to love & appreciate what you do!? that’s one of my favorite parts of soapmaking (giving it to people and having them LOVE it). i can guess what your friends will be getting for the holidays (the lucky ones that is). anyway, i just wanted to say HI and Happy Holidays! i hope to see you back for a class in the future… almost done with my next semester calendar and we have some new/interesting classes on there. take care & happy soap making!