This month marks the 21st year of a business that started with little more than a passion & a dream. What began in the quaint town of Point Richmond, CA in September of 2003 became something better than what I could have imagined. Even though the brick & mortar studio is no longer, the legacy of TNS lives on… in the many people we’ve helped & connected with over the past 2 decades & counting. Through our online programs (Video eClasses, Class Handouts, eBooks) and... Read_More! The post Celebrating 21 Years of The Nova Studio ? appeared first on The Nova Studio ..read more

Shelf life is an important thing to consider & learn about for any handmade products you make or purchase. Handcrafters take a lot of time & care creating awesome products, and we want them to last as long as possible. If you’ve ever wondered about the Shelf Life of Natural Handmade Perfumes – this post is for you! The answer to the question what’s the shelf life of natural handmade perfumes can be found in what TYPE of natural perfume you make. More specifically, what... Read_More! The post Shelf Life of Natural Handmade Perfumes appeared first on The Nova Studio ..read more

Ahhh… with these crazy high temps across the U.S. we’d love to be floating in a pool with iced tea & a good audio book right about now… how about you? Lori’s month has been full of Sammy’s baseball, swimming lessons, day camp shuttling, and gardening. She’s about to head to Southern Cal for 2 weeks to visit family. Cassie has had family from all over CA visiting & spending quality time, doing crafty projects, and is planning a trip to the East Coast later in July. Our trips overlap by about a week, but fortunately our business can be run from anywhere with an internet connection! So ..read more

Have you heard? The Handcrafted Soap & Cosmetics Guild (HSCG) Conference just wrapped up in Hartford, Connecticut. If you’ve been to a soap industry conference, you know they’re wonderful! So many opportunities to learn, grow, & get to know other makers. I’ve been lucky to go (and present!) at 6 of them. But, it’s been a while. Since becoming a military family & having to move way more than I like (plus having an 11-year-old), planning & doing the conference has honestly just been too much for me. Maybe you can relate. Also, it costs a pretty penny for all the expenses, not to ..read more

Did you know May 4 is National Herb Day? We love any reason to celebrate using herbs! So let’s learn how to make an herb infused oil :) It can be difficult to incorporate herbs into products, as many botanicals wilt, fade, or (ew) mold in products. But one method that is fairly reliable is making an oil infusion for use in any oil-based product! You will need: ~ dried herbs ~ olive oil or another long shelf life oil like high oleic sunflower oil ~ glass jar with lid Our herbal expert & Nova Studio teacher Alice Duvernell infuses herbs in different ways. One of her methods uses oil! Step 1 ..read more

Student Question: Can you give me a ballpark estimate of the cost of buying all the ingredients for your Lotions & Creams eClass, and having them shipped? Lori’s Answer: Oh gosh… it’s really hard to give an estimate for ingredients cost because prices & availability fluctuate, and because you have choices for what you can buy and where. You can buy carrier oils online, or at Trader Joes, for instance. I always share where I personally get things. The last page of my handouts is “Recommended Suppliers” with details of WHAT I buy & WHERE from. Anyone who’s been in a class with me or ..read more

Now that the weather is warming up and I’m showing a little more skin I’m really relying on my well made lotions & creams to keep me feeling comfortable after every shower. But the key to a good lotion is an expert preservation technique. Nothing ruins a great experience with a lotion or cream more than a spot of mold…yikes! Check out these incredible bundles that will help you become a preservation expert: 3 eClass Bundle: Lotions & Creams, Face Creams, and Preservation & Product Testing The most complete option for learning about emulsions and preservation is this 3 eClass Bundl ..read more

Are you wanting to dive in to the world of lotion making, but are tired of terrible online recipes and wasting ingredients on instructions that result in flop after flop? The key is investing in recipes that can promise results – recipes that we’ve made hundreds of times, have been teaching for years…recipes that some of our students make & sell exactly as written! Making Lotions & Creams from Scratch Video eClass Have you ever wondered how to make lotions & creams completely from scratch? Making your own lotions & creams is easier than you might think – especially when you st ..read more

Question: The coloring soap naturally class looks interesting, but I was wondering if the soaps were observed after they were cured to see if all these natural colors stayed or changed? (Essentially… are there any natural colors in CP soap that are fade-resistant?) Answer: Thanks for your interest in our Coloring Soap Naturally eClass! Ruth’s eBook, that comes with the eClass, mentions that all pics were taken with a fully cured bar of soap (at around 6 weeks). As you might have heard… colors can/will fade over time… especially natural ones. So, it’s a good question to ask which colors are ..read more

Did you know that gel phase can impact your natural colorants? One of the most exciting things Ruth did in her Natural Colorant Testing as part of the Coloring Soap Naturally eClass is test her colorants 6 ways: ~ Adding the colorant at trace ~ Adding the colorant at trace & gelling the soap ~ Using an oil infusion of the colorant ~ Using an oil infusion of the colorant & gelling the soap ~ Adding the colorant to the lye ~ Adding the colorant to the lye & gelling the soap Are you asking yourself – how much of a difference can gel phase really make? Ask no more! We just released an ..read more