SpaceGirl

By far my best was Peak's Vanilla Mint (I call it Jack Frost during Christmastime). After that were NG's Gingerbread and Pumpkin Spice (gag - I hate that one but people like it) Fourth was Ultimate Christmas from Souther Soapers -- that was a late add on for me and I was surprised that the scent - which had a LOT of pine in it -- did so well. The runner up was Mulberry (Peak's) but that was a late add-on as well. My goal was to clear out a lot of those Xmas scents this year so I can bring new ones on next year - man I got tired of smelling them!

Teachers - definitely! They asked my son to bring some in -- I sent him with 4 candles today (couldn't send him with more due to weight and potential breakage). I come home today and ask about the candles and he hands me a check -- his teacher bought them all! How about any local salons or spas? Could do the same sort of thing there. Good luck moving that extra stock!

1 fl oz for the whole gallon is about right. Believe it or not a little FO goes a long way with B&B. With some bases they will thin out too much if you add more than the recommended amount of FO.

Is your paper setting plain paper or cardstock paper? Cardstock might help things feed better but then again I messed with that setting as well and sometimes it helped, sometimes it didnt. I ran into the same problem -- my solution was a little more expensive than you might want -- got myself a new printer and all my labels print out wonderfully now!

I have tried their Body Bliss kit (or butter bliss kit? can't remember - LOL!) and it worked just fine. Everyting was portioned correctly except I think tey gave me more Vitamin E and preservative than I needed but the instructions were very good. I would recommend one of their try-it kits!

Tamsoycandles and I were playing around with swirled containers at the same time. Here are the links to the threads where we showed off our efforts! LOL! http://www.craftserver.com/forums/showthread.php?t=44310 http://www.craftserver.com/forums/showthread.php?t=44302 hope they help! M

Agreed -- I got a sample pack of RRD's a couple of years ago and never went through all of them because of the really bad mushrooming. ECO's and CD's work well in my experience - much, much less mushrooming. Good luck!

Ack! I'm having a hard enough time thinking of Valentine's! The soapies look mahvelous, dahling! The colors are great. :smiley2:

Same as with candles! Wipe out your container when it is still warm! I use a small metal bowl (stainless steel) double boiler method and give it a good wipe with a paper towel before I wash it with hot, soapy water. Dishwasher doesn't do it for me -- still get a slightly scummy layer.

These people are waaaay sheltered.... I did tell me boss that I know people who make soap and how good for your skin it is... his comment back to me was, "Huh! Maybe I should actually use some of the stuff I get at Williamsburg instead of just putting it out in the bathroom to smell good!" he also refuses to use a bath pouf -- thinks he'll have to give up his man card.

Oh my gosh! I'm not sure if that makes me feel better (because I don't do stupid stuff like that) or put the fear of God in me! *faint*

Scented -- it's a wooden stool that I think I picked up at Michael's or Joann's-- stained it and it was good to go! I also got a flat wood slice I guess you'd call it -- basically a cross section with the bark still ringing the outside. Stained that as well -- that's what some of the fosted tumblers are on.

They are the 3oz frosted tumblers from Fairway glass, but they only hold about 2 oz of wax. They are a popular size and very easy to wick (I use an ECO 1)!

Sorry you went through that -- it seems to not be intuitive, because when you spend the money it goes straight from the bank (if you set it up that way) but when you earn money it doesn't directly deposit? It's really just a way for PayPal to make more money. When the balance is with them they make more money on interest.

Ahh this is a little bit of a wide range, but probably anywhere between a CD 5-7? That's somewhat comparable with my blend, depending on container.

Here's the (slightly) more scientific explanation -- although Blazerina's was pretty good in my book! Any solution exists because molecules fit between other molecules due to molecular attraction. Whether the base is water or oil and you're adding sugar or salt, there will come a point in time when you add enough salt/sugar that the base just can't incorporate any more. The molecules just won't fit in between! Then the solution has reached a super-saturated state, and no matter how much you stir you can't get the "extra" to melt in. Adding heat to the mixture changes the game and allows for more sugar/salt to dissolve, but eventually you'll reach a limit there as well. The "extra" then becomes your srcubbies. When you get in the shower and start scrubbing, you've added more water molecules for the extras to dissolve in, so the mixture is no longer super-saturated and you get meltage (my term). It's the same principle as rock crystals / space crystals that are sold in kits. hope this makes sense and the science majors are forgiving -- it's been years since chemistry.

A steady hand and not a lot of wax in the pour pot.

I have to say -- if there was one single "best" woy wax, that's what we'd all be buying..... but it ain't out there (excuse the grammar -- I'm making a point). Every single darned one is going to have something you like and something you don't. We're not keeping the easy answer to ourselves - really.

Hello, my name is Michelle and I'm a B&B addict, too. Hometown -- I know what you mean! I started to do B& (lotions and lip balm) earlier this year and I love it so much! I have been ignoring my candles to the point that I had to rush to make up stock for the holiday season. I think my running total is past $500 at this point and there's no stopping it now! LOL! Welcome to the party. BTW -- your original question.... I use Dry-Flo (refined cornstarch) but regular food grade baking soda.

Yay for you!!! That's awesome *super banana* Hopefully the next one comes as soon as you want it!

Yeah those kids are pretty cute. Some see the first thing and make up their mind super fast, others ponder forever. This adorable little boy bought a necklace from my friend -- had the money clenched in his fist -- she had to explain that the necklace was $5 -- he gave it to her and expected change! Poor guy was soooo confused and as he walked away we hoped he wasn't going to drop his money.

Lotioncrafter.com has a recipe for what they call Body Butter Bliss that can be found here http://www.lotioncrafter.com/store/Formulary-p-10.html They sell all the ingredients in one Try-it kit, which I did. It was very, very thick, but a little greasy and draggy for my taste (and my husband's) but that may be what you're looking for. Good luck!

Weird. I had that sort of happen with a flavor oil before, but not a fragrance oil.

Well yesterday was my first show of the season -- I know -- first one? All I can say is that I'm small potatos -- baby potatos, actually. This show is a small one that I've done for three years now. It's called the Santa Shop and everything is priced at $8 or less to give kids a chance to buy Christmas presents. Most of the exhibitors use it as a way to clear stock and reduce inventory towards the end of the year. Anyways, my friend and I do this show together -- she does jewelry and I do the candles. Added on some B&B stuff for the first time this year! Total take between the two of us was a little over $250 for three hours of show. Not awesome, but we're both happy with it (booth fee was $18). I took some pictures - we had really good placement - one of the first booths you went by when coming in the room and being on the corner we could "L" two tables together. The traffic was slower than last year -- we both noticed it. My $2 candles were a hit - brought back less than half of what I took with me. Moved a few 2 oz lotions. None of the larger sized stuff moved, which didn't surprise me too much, but not many lip balms sold, either and that DID surprise me. Were priced at $1.50 and sold a few, but less than a dozen of them overall. The one good note was another exhibitor and her partner came by and bought quite a few candles and invited me to participate in some home shows that they are doing next weekend. They do Beauty Control and jewelry and said the candles would along perfectly. So I wasn't anticipating doing anything next weekend but restock, but it looks like I'll be busy! I considered that a good sign. Had a few repeat customers from last year as well who remembered me - it felt good when they bought more, must mean they were happy with my products! Comments on the setup are welcome....I didn't use my riser or some of my other display props this time so things were a little flat, but otherwise I was pleased. Hopefully the pics work!

Yay for you!! :whoohoo: I'm glad the hard work paid off for all of you!