Gathering Contests

Please contact us with any questions:

Lezlee Williams - info@SimpleSoothings.com

Debbie Parsley - Debbie@SunburstSoaps.com

~~Guidelines ~~

1) Please let us know you are entering one (or more) of the contests by emailing Lezlee at info@SimpleSoothings.com .

2) If there are not a minimum of 5 entries per contest type, that particular contest may be cancelled. A great reason to sign up today. :-)

3) Please bring (2) identical items with you to the ISOCAN Gathering. IMPORTANT NOTE: Your item will be used by our judges and therefore will not be able to be returned. This is the reason we ask for you to bring (2) items ... one for judging and one for display purposes. Thank you!

4) We will be drawing names for judging to make this fair for all.

5) Any questions or comments? Please post to this BLOG so that we can answer this publicly. If you have a particular question, this most likely means others do too. :-)

~~ CONTEST TYPES ~~

Candle Contest - First Prize Donated by Rustic Escentuals

This can be any type of candle, using any type of wax.

Soap Cake Contest - First Prize Donated by Rustic Escentuals

This can be either Melt & Pour or Cold Process.

Blending Contest - First Prize Donated by Simple Soothings

This can be using Essential Oils or Fragrance Oils or a mixture of the two. Please supply this blend in a product and also in a small bottle (dram size is sufficient) for sniffing. No pre-purchased blends please .. we want your own creations. :-)

Packaging Contest - First Prize Donated by Kangaroo Blue

This can be any type of product packaging.

Howdy!

Hello all! Glad to see so many people planning on coming to the ISOCAN convention. Kathy Lynn here......stopping in to say hey. It's going to be a great time! Kitty and Kerry are working so hard to make this a success and I know they can do it. The Demo's are lining up and we should all learn a lot!

Thanks so much Kitty and Kerry for being our host :) Let's all make this the best convention ever! All the volunteers making contributions of time, effort or knowledge are what's going to take this over the top!

So come on over to our email list (if you like): IL_Soapmakers@yahoogroups.com

Or see ya soon here!

Kathy Lynn
Scentsabella & LynnScents Incense

Donations/Sponsors

Are you a soap and candle supplies vendor? Would you like to donate to our convention? Here are some opportunities that your company could benefit by donating:

Goodie bags – This is an excellent way to get your name out to our attendees and allow our members to test and see samples of your products. Everyone looks forward to the goodie bags and get to see the new trends in the market, hearing the ooooh and aaaahhhs are priceless! You can donate anything from samples to coupons or brochures.

Door Prizes – This will be a lot more memorable to the attendee and help your company stand-out, door prizes will be drawn through out the day! Your company name will be announced as we hand out the prizes. This could be a bigger product or a gift certificate.

Convention Program Ads – various size ads in our printed program are available, here are the details:

Business card size: $30

Half page: $75

Full page: $150

Full page Back cover: $175

Please send your package to:

Kitty Cunningham

C/O ISOCAN Convention

12407 Rhea Drive

Unit 102

Plainfield, IL 60585

Exhibitor Opportunities

Space is limited, if you are interested in attending the convention as a vendor please contact us with the following info:

Your company name:

URL:

Location:

Contact info:

Supplies you will be bringing to sell:

Please note that all vendors are required to provide proof of liability insurance, a copy of your current liability insurance must be faxed to us within 3 days after your registration. Fax number: 641-453-0172.

Exhibitor Pricing

One vendor table + meals for one ($90)

One vendor table + meals for two ($110)

Extra table ($20)

Kitty Cunningham

ISOCAN Organizer

Email: ilsoapers@gmail.com

Please let me know if you are interested, I thank you in advance for your generosity to help make our convention a successful one!

Speakers/Demos

Here are some of the speakers/demos you can look forward to in Aug! More demos are being finalized and will be posted as soon as we can. If you are interested in doing a demo, please contact us.

Amy Brooks
Have you ever wondered how to make layered soaps? Not only is Amy going to show us how to layer CP soaps, she will show us her technique on how to make dimensional layers! Her layers are perfectly done, they are art in soap form :)

Tammy Doering
The "Mud Queen" will be there to show you everything you need to know about her products that include dead sea mud and Sensitive Skin Mineral Peat Mud Masque! You will love her products and what they can do for your skin.


Kathy Lynn
A long time chandelier, Kathy is very knowledgeable in soy candles, gel candles as well as paraffin candles! She will share with us all the tips and tricks, for those that are not familiar with candle making, Kathy will take us step-by-step and make some candles at the convention, don't miss this one!


Kerry Cunningham
We will introduce a demo on all the tools that we use in both soap and candle making, the infamous Aussie will show us how to use different kinds of tools to get the job done! From "the tank" to frosting funnel! who says we can't use other trade tools for soap and candle making? There is no telling what Kerry has in his tool bag!

Got unique tools that you use and want to share with us, please contact us and we'll also demo that at the convention.


Sheila Stewart
The multi-talented Sheila has a lot up her sleeves, from marketing to extracts! Sheila will host an in-depth discussion on Communications and Perception, In this workshop, Sheila will teach you the specific techniques and strategies that will help you communicate more effectively while being less misunderstood. You’ll learn some interesting and eye-opening concepts at this meeting.

Brenda Sievers
Need to make body and linen sprays that behaves well and not separate? Brenda has the perfect solutions for all of us! It is called "Magic Spray"!

Hotels

For those of you who will need hotel accomadtions, I have secured a block of rooms with Holiday Inn. Other options are also available, see below for details.



Here are some hotel options near the De Paul University:

• Holiday Inn 1801 N Naper Blvd, Naperville - (630) 505-4900
• Candlewood Suites (how appropriate huh lol? this hotel is the closest to De Paul University) 27W300 Warrenville Rd, Warrenville (630) 836-1650
• Court Yard by Marriott 1155 E Diehl Rd, Naperville - (630) 505-0550
• Hampton Inn 1087 Diehl Road Naperville (630) 505-1400

Holiday Inn Discount Details:

The IL Soap & Candle Convention rate is $89.00 Standard King or Dbl/Dbl,

$119.00 King Suite + 10.4% Tax. Group Rates Valid: August 10-12, 2007

Group Booking Code: " HIS ” for group rate. Reservations via phone - call (630) 505-4900 or 1-800-HOLIDAY and ask for the IL Soap & Candle Convention Room Block - " HIS ”.

Reservations via Internet - Click link below and select dates for reservations, Select No Preference for room type to view all rooms.

To reserve a room, click the link below.

http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/h/d/hi/1/en/rates?hotelCode=chinp&_GPC=HIS

Cut-Off Date for Group Rate: July 27, 2007 – Book early to guarantee availability

Questions: Contact Gina Nuccio, Group Reservations Coordinator 630-445-6314

Everything but the Bathroom Sink! -Swap

We are offering a swap for all interested participants. The swap will be open to everyone attending for soap, candles, lotions, scrubs, lip balms, etc. Anyone can join in the fun! We will have it in groups of 8 people, which means you are only committed to bringing 7 items. There will not be a limit to the number of groups we have as long as we have people interested. No shipping involved so here's your chance to see what others enjoy making without any additional cost. All you need to do is sign up, bring your 7 items with you to the convention, drop them off to me and I'll get them sorted out so you have 7 new goodies to take back home with you. We will set up a table at the convention to display all swap items from each group.


If you've never been involved in a swap before, here's your chance to see what it's all about! To sign up for this swap you can leave a comment to this post with your name and what you will be making or you can email me with that info. I just want to make sure we have an array if items in each group and not all candles or soaps. Anyone wanting to sign up for mutiple groups let me know. If anyone has any questions you can email me at indulgentcreations@yahoo.com Thanks.


April

Progress

Things are falling into place, and I've received many generous donation inquiries as well as volunteers offering their time and efforts for this convention!! This is going to be a fun and exciting convention.

I updated the volunteers section and assigned the roles, please correct me if this info is incorrect. We are still looking for these roles: photographer, goodie bag organizers, and possibly someone to assist with spreading the word out!

• April - Swap Organizer
• Carol R. - Goodie Bags Organizer
• Dian - Covention Crew
• Kathy L. - Speaker/Demo Organizer
• Kerry C. - Facilitator
• Kitty C. - Covention Organizer
• Kristin W.
• Laurie P.
• Lezlee W. - Contests Organizer
• Lisa - Program/Logo Designer
• Melanie M. - Covention Crew
• Michele P. - Covention Crew
• Noel S. - Photographer / Crew

Thank you volunteers, we couldn't do it without you!

Naperville - Things To Do

I have lived in Naperville for over 9 years before moving to our current house 6 months ago, it was sad for me to move but we are only one suburb away!

While you are in the area, here are some of the things to do in Naperville!


Naperville Riverwalk
Located downtown Naperville, a beautiful place to stroll through - Highly recommended

Downtown Naperville
Plenty to do here, from shopping to gourmet food! Don't forget to check out Heaven On Seven, one of my favorite hang out, yummy gumbo!

The Naper Settlement
523 South Webster Street (630) 420.6010
Naperville has a museum village which records the area's history from its early days to the late 1900s. The chapel at the the museum is a very popular place for "tying the knot". . Summer hours are: April through October Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday, 1-4 p.m. . The sculpture is entitled "Horse Market Days" and is outside the Pre-Exemption House -- the first tavern and inn west of Chicago.

Dupage Children's Museum
301 N. Washington St. (630) 637-8000
The Dupage Children's Museum needed a new space and a builder's supply company was moving out of downtown so ... the museum got a marvelous location next to the train station and very near the center of downtown. . If you are an adult let me recommend that you find a child to take you here :)))

Centennial Beach
500 W. Jackson Ave. (630)848-5090
For a refreshing swim!

Holiday Inn Discount

I just spoke to Holiday Inn, they are going to give us a group rate of $89 per night. I asked them to block it for 2 nights - 8/10 and 8/11, should you need more than one night stay.

She's going to email me the info, once I sign the contract she will provide a direct link to make your reservation! :)

Schedule

Tentative Schedule

9:00 - 10:00 attendee registration / continental breakfast
10:00 - 10:30 demo
10:30 - 11:00 door prize drawing / vendor visit
11:00 - 11:30 network activity

11:30 - 12:00 demo
12:00 - 1:00 lunch
1:00 - 1:30 demo
1:30 - 2:00 visit vendor
2:00 - 2:30 demo
2:30 - 3:00 snack break
3:00 - 3:30 demo
3:30 - 4:00 last chance to shop with vendors / grand prize drawing
4:00 convention close - clean up, pack up time!

Venue Hunting

I made about 25 phone calls today to different places like churches, hotels and schools!! Finally we are getting somewhere, Kerry will be going over to two places tomorrow to check out the facility and hopefully find something suitable!

Cross your fingers, we should know something real soon... (crossing fingers and toes for this one lol!)