KristinesShower

One of the best investments I ever made was my cash register. It didn't cost me too much at all because I went to a show one time and the guy that had it was going out of the business. He sold me the register for $50.00 & the rest is history. I now use the register not only in the shows I do, but the retail spot that I have now. It's one of those things that just keeps on giving! Look on overstock.com, ebay.com or amazon.com - you can get some pretty nice registers for little cost - especially when they are used. You will be so happy you did it and think about what your customers will think when they come into your booth and you have a cash register instead of a sales slip or checklist. That screams professional to me and I think alot of customers will take you more seriously (like an actual business instead of a home crafter) *I in no way am dissing the home crafter, so please don't think I am - because that is where I started

Well, you could always chunk up the mess ups and put them in a plain candle and sell them as confetti candles. You wouldn't believe how fast they go if you want to sell them or how great of a present it would be to someone! We take alot of our "not so great" products, put a nice bow on them and take them down to our local homeless shelter or battered women's shelter. Granted, I don't send alot of candles their way, but we do alot of soaps and lotions that end up being oopsies & they love them!

Well, I have some bad news for ya. If you want to be a CP soaper, you are gonna have to sacrifice your tongue lol

I use 100% soy wax and only do container candles. Now that I see that this thread is about tarts, I feel like a butt lol

I am making dead sea mud soap, mask and scrub and would like to tie them all together with the same type of "spa" scent. I want to use only essential oils & am at a loss for what would be a good blend. I have every EO there is - I went crazy and bought at least ½oz of each one just in case I needed it lol Any help is greatly appreciated!

I completely agree with Ducky. You wouldn't believe how many candles actually went out on me after they burned ½ way down, some changed colors, others went wonky on the scents. Until you are 100% sure you have the perfect candle, I wouldn't even go out and try giving them away. First impressions make a big impact on people and you want them to have a great impression of your work the first time. Have fun testing - that is the tedious, but rewarding part!

Me too! That is what made me think of them. Now THAT is good business! Just when you start to forget about someone, they POW send you a catalog and all you can do is think about them lol

I have been using Bear FO's for three years and I can vouche for these: Enchanted Apple Jasmine Vanilla Strawberry Raspberry Creamy Coconut Vanilla Bean White Ginger & Amber Juniper Breez Cucumber Melon Plumeria Banana Kiwi Grapefruit Peppermint Warm Vanilla Sugar Sweet Rain Waterblossom Ivy Sweet Pea Cotton Blossom Some of these scents may not be on his list because they were closeouts and I bought all I could. I make CP soaps (these FO's do tend to be fussy & you have to practice with them), bathbombs, sorbets, frostings, whips & soy candles with these scents & have great luck with all of them. You really can't go wrong with his pricing either - the more you buy the lower the price goes, so I recommend buying gallons if your budget can take it!

I have ordered from this company since I put Vanilla Sugar in my line: www.IncenseOils.com Good part? Very nice quality FO's and Steve(the owner) buys his FO's from the same supplier as BBW, VS, YK, etc - so if you are lookin' for dupes, that is the place to go. Bad part? They don't CP soap very well and sometimes he runs out of the fragrance.

Starting out shrinkwrapping? Here are some places that have helped me on a tight budget: www.uline.com - has shrinkwrap tubing. Yes, it is a little on the expensive side, but the rolls never seem to run out. I am still working on the same 5 rolls I bought last year lol www.harborfreight.com - has impulse sealers. Make sure you ask them if you can order replacement elements. They are ridiculously cheap and you should always have 2 on hand just in case. Menards, True Value or Home Depot - best places to get a heat gun. Go to the paint department and they have about 6 of them ranging from $20 all the way up to $100. You really only need the cheap one... All of this can be accomplished for under $100.00 and I GUARANTEE it will be the BEST $100.00 you ever spent.

In Illinois, I waive the state tax if the buyer has a IL tax number. It is their responsibility to pay tax if you do this. If they do not want to pay tax on the item when it is sold to the customer (I have never heard of this being done), then you have to charge them tax before selling it to them. Someone has to get taxed somewhere...as my BIL says lol (he works for the IRS) It should be something that you establish before you do consignment with anyone.

I always bring little freebie sacks (nothing too expensive) for the vendors that I want to buy something from & the big spenders. I have gotten some pretty nice stuff from other vendors for some bathbombs & soap that was the wrong color Also! The big spenders always seem to remember you when they order online after the show when you give them extra special gifts.

It really helps to soak them first and make sure they are soft before you embed them. I know what you mean by being hard though - my first loofah soap I ever made literally scratched my skin so bad I could only use them on my feet!

www.choklitmolds.com Their website can get on your nerves, so I always call. Their telephone ladies are very knowledgable & know what I am talking about even when I don't sometimes lol

We mix all of our lye one day and do all the oils the next day. I think the whole concept of bringing both to room temp is more of a beginner thing to regulate your soap. Once you get the hang of it, most of those guidelines go flying out the window... am I right soapers? lol

My recipe never works unless I have 50-80% humidity and the temp is 65-80 degrees. My production area is in my basement for the bathbombs right now and that is what the conditions usually are. I remember when I lived in my other house I had a dehumidifier and it actually made the bathbombs crumble & crack.

I do 100% soy candles, but I will be messing with a soy/beeswax for my EO's in the future. I am using 1oz per pound right now.

I add my fragrance at 130 degrees because I am also afraid of FO burn off. Maybe you want to try that and see how it works for you? Just make sure you really stir alot - usually for about a minute - then get ready to pour as they will be ready shortly after that.

Also! Don't forget that you are around these fo's all the time and you can get used to them. I have always had good luck with these suppliers for FO's: www.naturesgardencandles.com www.incenseoils.com www.saveonscents.com

The only problem I have ever heard from too much coloring was clogging of the wick. I guess you will have to burn it and see what happens. Good luck!

As far as coloring with crayons, your wicks will get clogged and they will go out every time. Ask me how I know lol You would be better off coloring with a liquid colorant or color blocks instead.

Thank you very much - after I posted it I thought the same thing lol *newbie* Maybe a mod can move it for me

I was wondering if we could compile a list of EO's that seem to be working well in soy. I have only done one myself and it was a patchouli blend. This one is a winner & smells true to the blend: Patchouli : 3 Neroli : 1 Orange : 6 Do you have any that are working for you?

I am currently making 100% soy candles. My first question is that I just got some beeswax that I want to add to my soy for a more smooth candle & face it, I want the beeswax on the label lol Will this be a 1:1 ratio or is it different than that? Can I use the same wick as I have been using on my 100% soy or do I have to go smaller since I am using the beeswax too? For those of you using the beeswax, do you find that the wicks you use are smaller than the ones you normally use with soy? Um...ok - so that is 3 questions lol :rolleyes2

When I used to do beeswax candles, I would put the jars in a shallow pot of water and melt them down. That worked very well and cleaned the jars really good too.