lumoscandles

D'oh! I just found the "Classified Ads" board. Never mind! 😅

Hi! I'm looking to get rid of some of my old supplies I no longer use, but first I wanted to check and make sure that is allowed, and also to find out which would be the appropriate board to post it on? Would that be "Business Side of Things" perhaps? Please let me know if there are any specific regulations on this. Thank you!

I wasn't trying to start an argument, I was just trying to clarify some of the speculation based on my personal experience working for Peak for 8 years... I know what fragrance companies supplied Peak's fragrances, and I know that none of them were affiliated with Peak or its owners. None of the fragrances sold by Peak were created or manufactured by Peak, except perhaps any new ones that potentially came out between December 2016 when National Fragrance was formulated by Nachelle and July 2017 when Peak closed. I'm just trying to say that the fragrances that we all know and love were formulated, manufactured, and sold by independent companies, so as far as Keystone being able to continue carrying them will depend on whether or not Peak had any agreement with those companies as to their proprietorship of those fragrances or not. If not, then I believe it will be up to those companies to decide whether they want to sell them to Keystone. That's all.

I don't know what is going on with Peak and Keystone, but I do want to clarify that Nachelle did not and does not work for a fragrance supplier of Peak. The bit in the Facebook argument was that she was trying to open her own fragrance company while she worked at Peak, but it never got off the ground from what I understand. Just wanted to point that out since I know for a fact that the companies that supplied Peak's fragrances before are completely separate entities and what they choose to do with those fragrance formulas is up to those companies I would suppose. So if Keystone does have the codes, I believe it would be up to the manufacturers whether to continue selling them or not.

I have been using Peak's C-75 Cotton Core wicks for my 11.5 oz Tumbler jars (a little over 3 inch diameter) with IGI 6006 for years. I always liked the Cotton Core because they don't mushroom as much as Zinc Core. I have tried other wicks before, such as HTP, but not extensively. I am all out of C-75's now, and need to find a decent replacement. Since Peak's Cotton Core was, I believe, a proprietary wick, I am wondering if anyone who previously used them has found a suitable replacement for your own candles? Or even if you don't use the Cotton Core, what type of wick do you like best, especially if you use 6006? I have a lot of knowledge about the various wicks Peak carried but would like to find a great replacement without excessive testing. Thanks!

Thank you! My photos were taken by a friend with a nice camera and photography experience. We shot them in my apartment in front of patio door for natural lighting. I have self-taught photo editing experience so I cropped and edited them myself using Paint Shop Pro (cheaper alternative to photoshop). Thanks to everyone for the advice! Now I am trying to figure out the best way to transition to more original products without totally losing my current customer base... It's a shame because I really enjoy making these items because I am passionate about my love of the original work. I pick out each fragrance to individually match the house traits associated with it, created the labels myself and everything. But I understand now that it is still an issue and liability even if hundreds of others are also infringing on copyright. I have a lot of ideas in mind but it will still be sad for me to say goodbye to these products.

To be honest, I am still trying to figure that out myself. When I started selling candles on Etsy, I wanted to do something that was based off of things I love, like Harry Potter and Game of Thrones. If you search those terms on Etsy there are thousands of items that are themed and have the logos or house names on them too, so I didn't think it would be a problem. (I know "everyone else is doing it" might not make it ok, but again I am still learning.) I wasn't selling much until very recently so I thought there is no harm in it. Now that my business is getting bigger and I am trying to make it into a legitimate source of income, I am trying to navigate all these ins and outs of owning a successful business. Right now, I'm just trying to make it through as I learn, and I know I may need to change my products if necessary. I'm still in the process of figuring it all out!

Ok, thanks. I have only ever sold on Etsy and up until very recently I made very, very little money off it, so it was really more like a little hobby that I occasionally made a few bucks from. So I have never had any checks to deposit or anything like that. I had always just bought my supplies with my personal money since I used to make stuff for myself and friends and family much more than for sales. Honestly I was spending more on supplies than I was making from any sales so I just never bothered with any business stuff. I wasn't expecting my business to take off all of a sudden so that's why I'm just now trying to figure everything out and get all my ducks in a row. Any suggestions for good banks and credit cards would be greatly appreciated!

Mango Peach Salsa!! I haven't found anything like it and I'm all out of my supply

I am wondering as my business grows whether I should open a separate business checking account and/or credit card. Do you have one or both? If so, what bank or cc do you use and how do you like it? For a small business making less than $10k per year do you think it is necessary? Thanks for any advice!

Peak's Cotton Core wicks were made exclusively for them from what I was told. So unfortunately you probably won't find any exactly like them. My suggestion when trying out other company's wicks is just to try out what they recommend for the size and type of candle you are making. So for example if you were making 2.5" diameter paraffin candles with Peak's C-70, look at another company's wick chart and try the one they recommend for 2.5" paraffin candles. The most important info when selecting a wick size is the diameter of your candle and the type of wax you are using. With that information you can contact any company that sells wicks and ask for a recommendation.

They are mostly written tutorials with pictures, not videos, but they are all on www.candletech.com. Since that site was made through Peak Candle Supplies, which is now closed, I'm not sure how long the CandleTech website will remain up.

I need to buy a new printer for my labels and I wondered what you all use and how much you like yours? I print both color and black and white labels, and I don't currently have a preference of matte vs. glossy or ink vs. laser. My current printer is an Epson WF 2660 and it is just not cutting it. I have SO MANY problems with it all the time, from not connecting to my computer even when it says it's connected, leaving streak marks on my labels (and having to clean the print nozzle over and over and over to fix it), and today it just doesn't want to grab my label paper! I'm sick of it! Anyway, I know all printers will have their own issues, but wanted to hear your opinions before I buy a new one! Thanks!

I have a lot of experience with soy and I have definitely seen candles frost just like that. Unfortunately, soy is really unpredictable as to how, when, and why it frosts. It can be affected by the rate at which it cools, so it very well could be due to the drop in temperature in your environment. I personally prefer to us a soy/paraffin blend which almost completely eliminates the frosting effect (except with black candles sometimes) but that's just what I like. I know a lot of people who prefer soy candles don't mind the frosting, and others just don't color their soy candles so it's less noticeable. Since you can never really control every aspect of the environment they are in and the way they cool, frosting is something that just goes hand in hand with soy. It usually gets worse after time, too. Check out this tutorial I did a while back: https://candletech.com/candle-making/make-soy-container-candles/ and if you go to the bottom you can see how the candle frosted over time.

Thank you!

I have a few more questions. I'm going to be ordering a card reader for payments, but I'm wondering what to do for cash payments. How much cash/change do you bring? How do you generate receipts/record purchases for cash orders? And how do you calculate the sales tax? Do you calculate it manually or just include it in the price of the item? Thanks!

I'll have a table at the Mayhem Market in Lakewood. It's sort of a specialty market catering to punk/metal/rockabilly sort of scene. They found me on Etsy and invited me to join. The vendor fee is only $39 for a 6 foot table so I figured it's worth a shot since the fee is so low! I'd only have to sell about 3 or 4 items to get my money back for the fee so that seems reasonable for my first try at something like this.

So I just signed up for my first craft fair in October, and I need some help/advice! -I have only sold items on Etsy before, which I do not charge sales tax for, since almost all of my orders are out of state. If I sell items at a craft show, do I need to charge sales tax? (I am selling out of Colorado) -I do not have a registered business or sales tax license yet. Do I need to/should I get one for this? -Also, Etsy does not provide a tax form unless you make a certain amount in a year, and I have never made very much money on Etsy until now. Does anyone have any advice on how to handle taxes with Etsy? Last year was the first time I made over $1000 so I never worried about it before but now that my business is growing so much, I don't know what to do! Please help! I don't want to get in trouble with the IRS or end up owing a ton of money when tax season comes lol! Thanks!

I'm not sure I will have the time or resources to make new tutorials with 4 college classes and my Etsy business, but you can still view all the ones I made for Peak on candletech.com

I just got an order from Rustic Escentuals and found their Almond Creme is pretty much spot on to Peak's Almond Pastries!!!

Got my first order from Rustic Escentuals! Unfortunately the Falling Leaves and Autumn Rain scents are nice but are NOTHING like Peak's Autumn Walk which is disappointing. BUT their Clover Fields and Aloe is SPOT ON for Peak's Green Clover & Aloe! Thank you so much for the recommendation as I have been searching high and low for a Green Clover & Aloe replacement for the last year! And they included a lollipop in my order! How cute! Their Almond Creme is also very similar to Peak's Almond Pastries.

No problem! Well, my grandfather used to make dipped tapers with me when I was a kid. He would melt down old, leftover candles on the stove and dip them. Other than that, I had no other experience with candles and had never really thought about it as a craft I could do until I started at Peak. When I was hired there, I was supplied with a starter kit and encouraged to learn and make candles and soaps to better assist customers with questions and I just loved it! I started buying more supplies and making them for friends and family as gifts. In 2009, I discovered Etsy and created my shop, LumosCandles, and sold a few things here and there but it really took off last year when I added some new products, labels, and better photos (which was GREAT because I got laid off last July and needed another source of income, but I was also taking 5 classes at MSU Denver so I was a bit overwhelmed!) I enjoy lots of crafts but have never gotten as good at anything else or enjoyed it quite as much as candle and soap making. As I learned more, I was put in charge of the tutorials for candletech so the majority of tutorials on there were created by me and I loved that part of my job the most! I loved coming up with new ideas and sharing them with customers! Now, my Etsy shop continues to grow and expand and even though it's a lot of work and in a little 1-bedroom apartment, I hope it will continue to flourish.

Thank you! Ummm well I was trying to be ambiguous so as not to stir things up but I suppose there's no real harm in it. I worked for Peak from 2008-2016. There is a lot of drama surrounding the closure at this time which is why I didn't want to bring it up originally but to be honest I don't know very much more about it than what is out there to see on Facebook. I'm trying my best to find replacements from other suppliers and will be sure to let you all know what I can find!

I just got an order from Maple Street and their Cherry Almond is very close to Peak's Almond Pastries. Not quite exact but better than other almond types I've tried so far. Their Macintosh Apple is also pretty close. However, their Twilight Woods is kinda close but doesn't quite hit the mark. Lone Star's Twilight Woods is almost exactly the same as Peak's though, in my opinion, as is their Macintosh Apple.

Peak's Tahitian Village was renamed from Tobacco Caramel originally, so if you have smelled Tahitian Village the Tobacco Caramel from BC is probably very similar. It does have tobacco notes and some sweetness but not overpowering. It's more of a really nice, warm blend of a lot of different notes.