emilyspoppy

How absolutely true. Me too! I just have to always bear in mind that a review is someone else's subjective opinion and only useful as a suggestion and not a statement of certainty.

Quote' I'm in the process of gathering products needed to do M&P for myself, wife, family and gifting. I've been a "traditional" chandler for many years, but only recently had any interest in B&B crafting for personal use. This was the first time in my research I read that M&P discolors as does CP with particular fragrances. Knowing this will reduce the risk of making some dissapointing bars of soap in the beginning of my adventure. Thanks, Candy! Dave

You are most welcome!

PM me your address and I'll send you an ounce sampler as soon I get the chance. N/C Dave

www.woodenrosesusa.com

I like your name better!

It's a bit out of season, but "Spiced Cider" is a very serious thrower and one of our best sellers. We have a tester that is almost used up in our shop that is over 4 years old and has had the lid off at least 1000 times for sniffing. It is virtually impossible to tell the difference between it and an unburned one made a month ago. JMO/HTH

"Iced Sugar Cookie" ?

Paul; I don't get the bitching and moaning (Well I should say my wife & clerk don't, since I have not been in our shop for quite awhile.) but, I do see sales dropping to "zippo"! Our puny little Amish Farmer's Market shop is located smack dab in the middle of two very busy Super Walmarts an hour apart from each other. I'm a better businessman than chandler, but this time I don't have an answer. My market is very blue collar. Money is tight for our clientele. Who can afford to buy candles when they are concerned about feeding their families or finding the money for gasoline to get them to work if they have a job? Fortunately for us we're a bit diversified. Candles get most of my attention, but we still have a jewelry line and other merchandise that's paying the rent and help so far. My wife and I will be having a "sit-down" this weekend. We will be discussing what we need to do to stay in business. We know changes are in order. I know I have to stop spending on candle supplies for now. I need to focus on what's selling. I have $3K worth of jewelry in shipment as I write. It will bring some new inventory to our shop. I hope I'm not too late in an attempt to keep our ship afloat. When business was good we would order that much or more each month or so. It has been a number of months since I brought any new jewelry in. Not only are the profit margins much better than candles, the labor to get it into order for marketing is minimal. In over 30 years of making candles for resale, 10 of which are in our shop, I have not seen such dismal prospects for our continued professional participation in this craft. JMO Dave

When I began my departure from pillars, votives and tapers and evolved to making highly fragrant container candles, Candle Chem on eBay was one of the first FO suppliers I used. At that time their fragrances were $4.95 per four-ounce bottle. They offerred prompt and reasonably priced combined shipping. I bought quite a few "primary/simple" fragrances from them. Generally they were pretty fair quality when I bought them. I must admit I discovered the joy of mixing my own fragrance blends using some of their product. Another company I used was Gemlite, also an eBay supplier at that time. They too carry quite a few "simple" FO's. I don't think that Robin Cheng (male) sells on eBay anymore. As I evolved I found better deals and FO's I liked better than Candle Chem. I still buy quite a few FO's from Gemlite's web site, but virtually none now from Candle Chem. At least once per season, I examine all of my fragrances that are stored in PTFE bottles. All fragrances get a check at least twice a year regardless of their container. I have found the supplier that has the largest number of "turned" FO's to be CC. This may be due to several factors, but it was enough for me to no longer have an interest in them as a FO supplier. I have though, bought some plastic bottles from them when I don't require large quanities. My primary source for bottles is SKS when I need a fair amount. CC's eBay store has a nice selection of bottles and some supplies at fair prices, reasonable shipping and good service. If I remember correctly the Candle Chem web site is a bit different than their eBay store. I have not purchased there. I do know that they have increased the price on their eBay FO's and now offer a size option that was not previously available. In summary; I feel that Candle Chem offers a decent product targeted at the casual crafter, who does not not demand either the best price/value or the highest quality for a business. If I needed a small amount of a particular FO or two, I would not hesitate to order from them again. I know one major supplier who insists that the sales on any fragrance they stock has to be at least 100 pounds per year to insure quality and profitability. I'm a bit dubious of some of the FO's in the CC line-up meeting a quota similar to that amount. JUST MY OPINION HTH Dave

Dear Candy; It was only a small gesture, but it's still on the table if you like. I replied to your nice PM. Looking forward to a reply. I hope! I hope! Have a Great weekend down in the state for lovers Dave

Thanks for the reply. Maybe you can have and take what's left of Traveler to the event. It might be a hit. I won't be going, but I'll talk to my wife. We live about 2 1/2 hours from Winchester, VA. Our daughter lives in Martinsburg, WV. The events about half way if she travels on I-83. Hope you all have a great time. Dave

Did I read correctly that it will be considered "sold out" when 50 seats are booked? I had a party at my house one Christmas Eve that had more folks than that present. I must have read something wrong. My wife is interested in going. I'm in a wheelchair and may have to pass on it, but neither of us will be going if the attendance is so small. I understand this will be the 7th year of the event. Has anyone on the board who has attended, able to shed any additional light on it for us. TIA Dave

I bought two pounds of "CC" when CS was still shipping in glass bottles. In less than a few months both bottles had "turned" on me. So had the candles that I had made from them and remained unsold. One bottle was half used while the other was still full. I have worked with very many bottles of FO from many suppliers. Some are more than 5 years old and seem to be as fresh as when I bought them. I don't know why the CS "CC" turned on me, but it left me with no desire to try it again. "CC" does get very good reviews on the CS site. It may have just been an isolated incident. I buy a lot of product from CS. I don't want to impune their reputation. It's a shame you missed their annual 99 cent sale on all of their fragrances in samplers. Their seasonal sampler sales are the reason, I have tried all of their fragrances at least OOB. I tend to buy more "basic" fragrances from suppliers that sell them. I really enjoy blending fragrances and feel an advantage in claiming that they are unique to our shop. HTH Dave

I can loan you $50.00 through PayPal if you want me to. Just let me know. PM me if you like. What are the chances of having a national show so close to your home? Dave

Paul helps to make my point. I'm nearly 64 years old. I sure have picked and eaten more than a few buckets of Black Raspberries, but I don't remember splashing any vanilla on them. Maybe Vanilla Ice Cream though. . . Hummnn??? Since I'm a chandler only, I'm always looking for the strongest throwers. I like mixing my own blends too. It's about the only thing I find fun in candle making anymore. If Paul had only my reference to go to, he would not have found a fragrance that he feels does well for him in CP soap. My "review" wasn't helpful to him at all. It was to the contrary, in fact. Note to Paul; I'm glad you discovered CS "BRV" before my review steered you away from trying it. I'm also very happy I tried CS "S&OE" before reading your statement that it didn't sell for you in Georgia. I would have missed out on some pretty good sales. I have one cat lover who buys a case of jars about once a month. Others will call me to make sure they are in stock before travelling more than an hour or more to our shop to buy them by the case. One oid cigar smoking geezer and regular customer, said his wife would leave him if we stopped carrying it. I met her once. In my opinion he'd be better off giving up the candle! (lol) JMO Dave

My wife and I lived in North East (Cecil County) for years, but we moved to near Lexington Park (Saint Mary's County) on the Western Shore a little over 25 years ago. Our families are still in Cecil County and we travel there as much as possible. I was born and raised in PA, (Chadds Ford in Delaware County) but my mother's folks are Marylanders. (Elk Neck/North East to be precise.) I've spent much of my life in this state. I lived in Dover, Delaware for awhile too. I know your area pretty well. I used to sell every weekend for about four years at Bargain Bill's Flea Market near Seaford, DE. My guess is that you've been there too. Dave

You're forgiven fellow Marylander! Do I "know" you from another board? The name is familiar. Dave (Trying to find my feminine side)

Ain't it something! This sort of explains why I don't want to take a lot of time typing a list (within the paremeters) of the initial posting on this thread. To me it is almost pointless to do fragrance reviews, because we all are very subjective in our preferences. Factor in the need for testing and the water get's really muddy. I wonder how many fragrances we have passed-up that we or our customers would have liked because on the reviews by others. How many have we committed to that we wish we hadn't based on other's opinions. Like many of us in this craft, I'm a FOholic, but how many fragrances is it really practical to stock, or worse yet, stock for our own enjoyment. I have carried up to 140 fragrances in our shop. I know that it's pure insanity, but my "Fragrance OCD" maintains it's reign on me. I don't need more fragrances; I need more drugs! I suppose some of you can relate. BTW, FWIW; CS "Very Vanilla" sells well and I use it in many blends. I like the way it "behaves". CS "Love Spell-Type" is by far the best selling fragrance in our shop. It outsells the second best by at least twice as much. Sorry! "Scented" hates "Love Spell" too. I hope she doesn't shut me down on this thread because of it! (lol) Enjoy the ride! It only lasts so long. I sure would like to have some of that moola I spent on "dog" FO's back in my wallet, though. Here's a few CS "Dave's Reviews" for you (By the rules) (All OOB) Fresh Coffee ; Strong / Bitter / Mixer Drakkar-Type ; Oily / Dark / Weak (My former favorite cologne. This one is NOT B&B safe; Whats the point??? Cotton Tree ; Clean / Nice / Keeper (Note to self; Try in M&P Goats Milk Soap) Black Raspberry Vanilla ; Weak / Pointless / Loser (If I want a "BRV"; I'll blend my own.) Egyptian Amber; Try / Another / Amber Clean Cotton; Never / Buy / Again Himilayan Bamboo; Does / Bamboo / Smell Smoke & Odor Eliminator; Keep / In / Stock Pineapple Sage ; Make / Your / Own Grapefruit & Mangostein ; Ditto / Ditto / Ditto Just my opinions, by what my nose knows! HTH Dave @ Charlotte Hall Country Candles PS; Rose; Thank you for your thread on using internet photos. It was interesting and enlightening to many on this board, I'm sure. Sorry you were assailed. It took courage on your part to post it and even more to remain a "lady". I tip my hat to you.

You are most sincerely welcome.

http://www.naturesgardencandles.com/candlemaking-soap-supplies/item/molds42/-Soap-Mold---Cameo.html

I agree with Beth. I was excited to try this fragrance since it was a fairly unique fragrance for a change. I like it OOB. I'll most likely be adding it to my line once I get past the testing phase. I know there are only a few posts so far on this thread, but I'm a little puzzled how varied we are in our fragrance preferences. I have honestly sampled OOB every fragrance CS has in their line-up, but I feel quite differently from some others about quite a few of the FO's on their lists. It proves that one person's treasure. . . . You all know the rest. I really wonder sometimes if we can rely on other's opinions for what we sould be considering for ourselves. As an example I feel like vomiting everytime I pour Patchouli yet it's the favorite fragrance of the moderator of this board. I will confess, however that staright Patch is a good seller and a component in many fragrances I do like. BTW; Please remember that CS "Orange and Chili Pepper" is not B&B safe for those reading this post.

I find their site to be bothersome and unimaginative. I find them also to be a bit pricey and agree that descriptions should be offerred with their fragrances. Their sales are dull, unamaginative and virtually the same each month. I get their newsletter/sales ad, but have not bought from them in years. When I get around to it, I'll ask to be removed from their subscriber list. There are just to many suppliers doing a better job of marketing their products IMO.

I don't want to be a party-pooper, but I'm not into the restictions of trying to play by the parameters of the thread. I would, however, like to comment on Moonshines comment about "Smoke and Odor Eliminator from CS. I can't keep it on the shelf. I have regulars who swear by it. I only sell it in container candles. I used to make it up in votives, but I too found it drained the other "exposed" or burning candles of their fragrance. I once stored some votives of mixed fragrances in the same box. Within a week or two these formerly very fragrant candles were odorless. I've seen other suppliers sell Odor Eliminator, but I'm too chicken to try them and find they don't work as well. I don't how it works either, but it does. JMO Dave @ Charlotte Hall Country Candles