Cissy

Wow! He is gorgeous! Makes me wish I was 30 years younger and 30 lbs lighter. Then I'd let him light my fire anytime! You should be proud. Did he get his looks from you?

Not trying to hijack your post, but my question is also related to finding a supplier for electric tart warmers/burners. There is a company I've seen posted on this board, but I can't do a search because all I can remember is the company name starts with the letter "S" I'd recognize the name if I saw it, though. Any ideas?

Some wholesalers will require a Federal EIN (which is the # you would be assigned if you are going to be deducting federal payroll taxes....or your SSN if you aren't applying for EIN.) I had to look back on my applications and I did have to list my SSN (not the sales tax #) It they do require your SSN and you don't want to give it, then it would be a good idea as others mentioned, to apply for a Fed EIN ( # different than your SSN). Hadn't thought of the identify theft angle when I posted. Good suggestions.

If you are not writing any paychecks to yourself or to employees, you will not need to apply for a Federal Tax ID#. The reason you would need a Fed Tax ID# is for reporting payroll taxes deducted from your paychecks. If not writing paychecks, you will use your SSN# when you file your yearly business taxes. You will then pay your own federal, state, and self-employment taxes (15.3% of your net profit for SE taxes) with your return. The self-employment tax covers your FICA (social security and medicare taxes). Usually when you work for someone else, you pay 7.65% FICA deducted from your paycheck and your employer matches this. Since you are self-employed, you will have to pay double the 7.65%). If you are a small business, you will only do this yearly by April 15th. If you sell a lot, you might need to file estimated taxes during the year. Your accountant should let you know if you reach this point in sales. To start selling, you will need a state sales tax #, a business license (whether home-based or store front) you obtain through your county. If you are selling at markets, many states require another separate license to sell at that location. For home-based businesses, you need to check with your local zoning office to make sure you can have your business at your home. I wouldn't take a chance selling, even at flea markets or festivals that don't require you show them a license when you rent a spot. Some states send their Sales Tax Reps around periodically to check and demand you show them your sales tax license or start packing.

Yes, I did read it several times. How do you know she won't give it to you if you didn't ask?

Did you really have the nerve to ask a vendor for their recipe?!!! .....and really expect her to give you this info so you could possibly start selling at the same market and take away some of her business? Unbelievable!!!

Sharon, Thanks for the tip on mixing with the WYW. It's just too expensive to not use. I know everyone is not going to always like what I like or dislike, but it's difficult for me to sell a scent that even I don't like. I wish I had more imagination when it comes to mixing scents (and more time for testing them), then maybe I could use up so many FO's I have sitting around.

I like the AJ&P much better. I really hate any of the "mulled" scents (guess my nose is just different than many others. I have one each, 16 oz bottles of WYW Mulled Cider and regular BCN Mulled Cider I should put in the classies.

Thanks, ladies for the info. Sharon, what is it about the DPG that makes you want to try something else? Does anyone know the best price for eastcoast DPG suppliers? I checked my kitchen pantry and found a store brand bottle of vegetable oil that had a rancid smell.....I very seldom fry foods (nor cook anything frequently that can't be microwaved), so don't remember how long it's been around. I think I'll grab some Wesson vegetable oil from the supermarket and give it a try. Maybe a name brand is better quality that has a longer shelf-life......might take a while, though, to see if it turns rancid. In the meantime, I want to order some DPG.....good to know it doesn't evaporate. I don't want a customer forgetting it and letting the bowl 'dry up', possibly cracking the bowl, then blaming it on the warmer they bought from me. I've never sold the simmering oils but am definitely interested in giving this a try. I also haven't compared costs of making the oils instead of using wax, but oils will save a lot of labor and electricity (and labor is time and time is money I could be making, doing something else.) TIA for best (price)....DPG supplier.

Is there anyone who can answer any, if not all, of my questions. I know many of you use the DPG so would know if it evaporates. Am I on the Ignore list? (LOL)

Has anyone ever tried vegetable cooking oil like maybe Wesson oil? Would it be safe to use? I have no idea what the flash point is. If it is safe to use, I also wonder what the shelf life would be before it would turn rancid smelling. I'm also thinking of making oils if it would be cheaper than buying tart wax. I don't have any DPG to try. Does the DPG evaporate? I really don't want to use anything that evaporates. One thing I like about tart wax is that you don't have to watch to make sure the bowl doesn't go 'dry'.

I've noticed that the 415 changes the scent of the FO more than paraffin does. That's OK with food type scents, but I don't like to use it with my florals. Actually, I prefer the paraffin anyway. I really don't want the wax to change any of my FO scents at all.

This is true. On my first try, I mixed 4 oz of beads and 1 oz FO in an 8 oz mason jar....was trying to achieve a med. blue color, put (2) drops of navy liquid dye, and it turned out a deep dark blue.....should have known better...so I quickly added more beads and FO and lightened the color up a bit. BTW, I put the beads in the jar, added the FO...then dropped the dye on top. Then I immediately put the lid on and shook it all up well, the dye blended in very well. I don't find it necessary to first mix the dye and FO only, unless I'm using less than a drop of dye. Just make sure you use a jar large enough to give you some shaking room...i.e. don't fill it to the brim with beads and FO. Since you haven't made these before, HTH.

You wouldn't want to make candle jar testers with this blend, then have to retest all over again with the 4630 only....or you could make just one candle and see how you like it. As Darbla mentioned, I would try the tarts unless the wickless sell well in your area.....they don't in mine, but tarts sell well in most areas, I would think. If you haven't made tarts yet and don't have molds, etc., pour 20 to 30 grams into a Dixie paper cup, stir in a gram or two of FO, a touch of dye on a toothpick and let harden, and check the consistency to see if they are as hard as you want them. If not, you might want to add more 4794 to the pot if you have room left and just make a pot full of tarts. You could try different amounts of the unmixed 4794 and 4630 'in a paper cup 'til you get the firmness and consistency and FO strength you want, then adjust the wax ratio amt.. in your Presto. If you have a Presto pot full (the Kitchen Kettle electric type), you could make over a hundred 1 oz tarts out of the wax you're trying to salvage.

Christmas Past (KY) is my favorite tree-type scent....has a few other notes that soften and spice it up a bit. Anything with cinnamon sells year round for me, although, moreso in the fall & winter. Still looking for and blending endlessly for a realistic apple cider scent without the mulled or MacIntosh notes.

"Afternoon Delight" is seductive and does bring back a lot of memories from my younger days. Since I'd 'thunk' this one up already, I'll just throw in in the mix. "Danish, Tea, & Me"...Me for the romantic note of amber (LOL). It describes all the ingredients. The guys might all buy this scent for the ladies if they think 'me' is a part of the package deal. (LOL)

Some people out there are really challenged!. I had a customer who complained that one of my tarts didn't last but a month. I asked her how many actual hours she burned it and she said 24 hrs a day. I told her that I don't have any tarts that will last 30 days burning continuously, that I am good, but I can't perform miracles. I then explained to her the average # of hours a wicked candle will last, and compared the average cost of candles to tarts. It really amazes me how people expect a $1 tart to last ten times longer than a $6 (or more) candle. Maybe you can explain this to her by comparing the life of a wicked candle to your wickless and educate her a little. She must have thought she was buying a "Forever Candle" LOL. What a cheapo!...complaining that it lasted only a year and too cheap to buy another candle! I would try to lose her business if I were you. People this ignorant can hurt your reputation! I don't want these kind of customers. Refer her to the big dog companies to see if she can find better quality!!!

Already tried those all together except the Jack Frost and I still don't like it or anything else I've tried from anywhere as well as the Christmas Past from KY. IMO It is about as perfect as it can get. Back to the 'ocean' type scents.....I've got so many from so many suppliers and won't use most of them anyway, so I think I'll just pour them all together and see what I come up with.(LOL) If it works, maybe I'll call it Tidal Wave!

I wonder how they would smell blended together? I'll have to give this a try!

Country Breeze or Countryside Breeze Berry Fusion or Berry Blast

Don't know about AGE's yet, but KY's is, IMO, quite better (more realistic and stronger) than CS's.

Wish I had read this warning sooner. I saw on their website they are out of stock just before I ordered today. I mentioned this to CS and she said she had a few left. I really hope I don't get bad stickums, now that I know they know there is a problem.

Didn't know it could get any better than Kentucky's....will have to check them out. Thanks!

I've had the same problem, Kandlecrazy. I can't find one that I really like. Keystone's Salty Sea Air, CS Ocean Breeze, nor numerous others I've tried just don't cut it for me. Some remind me of cheap washing detergent. I've tried blending everything imaginable with them, and am still not pleased with the scent. I'm almost resigned to the idea that it's not really the 'ocean air' that smells that great.....not unless you are actually on the beach, with the wind blowing through your hair, inhaling the cool ocean breeze, sipping on a margarita. I can't find any breeze type scents, such as summer breeze, etc. I really like from suppliers, although I have purchased a couple of car air fresheners I love. The FO manufacturers must be giving the best blends to the 'big guys'.

BCN has glass embeds. As I recall, the only one I ordered from them, though, was the palm tree....a very nice one, but larger than AE's. Most of my embeds, I bought from AE. I still have some laying around I've never used (no polar bears), plus sand and other items. Gel candles just didn't sell that well at craft shows. People just didn't want to pay (at craft shows), what they're worth, so I haven't made any in a while.