shuntley

Thanks everyone!!

I use onlinelabels too - I had to switch to the weatherproof because my usual ones didn't stick well - but, not a problem with the weatherproof at all!

Thanks!! I guess I'm gonna have to give up trying to keep my clear labels and move onto white ones....I'll order a sample this week and see if I like the weatherproof labels any better :-)

Oh. lol. I haven't had a problem with mine not being sticky enough. I use the weatherproof ones.

I haven't tried the waterproof ones yet. I bet they would work much better! I really want to stick with the clear labels, so I haven't ventured to the waterproof because they don't come in the clear. I may have to break down and try them though. It's so stressful working so hard on a product and the label not staying put!

I get mine from onlinelabels.com. They are the best! I haven't really tried another company but I haven't needed to.

That's where I'm getting mine now. I love the company, just wish the labels I like were stickier!! Thank you so much for your suggestion though, I will stick with them until I find something I like better :-)

I now buy my labels from onlinelabels but have found that the clear labels specifically made for lip balm tubes tends to separate at the seams. There is another label they make that is designed to be super sticky, but it only comes in white(and I'd like to stick with my clear labels). Are there any suggestions from those who make lip balms tubes on what brand sticker, or which company is best? I have actually been putting a small piece of tape on the seams of the labels but I think it's tacky, and would like to find a brand that doesn't need the extra tape. I do not put stickers on tubes that have lip balm residue on them, so that's not the problem. I appreciate any suggestions I get

I make lotion bars for myself and family all year long. I also make my own body butters, and lip balms. I really only make them because I have horribly dry skin and lips, and I wanted something that doesn't have gross stuff in it. I don't make lotions because I don't want to use a preservative, and they don't last long at all without one. But I do love my lotion bars and body butters :-)

(middle child syndrome)

Everyone is free to express their own opinions here, and what a great concept - free flowing ideas. People new to the business will read this and formulate their own opinions. Maybe someone who's been in business for 20 years will read this and see something they haven't considered before. Perhaps in this season of thanks and gratefulness we can allow even those we disagree with to have their say without being unkind...

Beautifully said! I don't have issues with people asking where we get our supplies( I sell handmade soaps), but I also understand those not wanting to disclose that information. I think we all have different opinions about this because of our individual situations in life. If I asked a candle maker where they got their supplies, I would in no way be trying to offend or upset them, I would just be curious. But I also know there are many people trying to make a buck fast and want all the answers quickly(those people will never make it in the business though, so I don't worry too much about them). I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving :-)

Oh my, doesn't sound like she's going to last long ;-)

I believe a customer has a right to full disclosure. I say that as both a customer, and as a producer of items for others' consumption. If someone wants to try to copy me, I appreciate the flattery. But they may also very well just want to know what they're exposing themselves to. All of us as customers expect to know what is in a package of food; the same should go for craft products.

If you make a quality product with your unique artistry of design & composition, you should have no concern about imitation.

I agree.

Those are really pretty! I can tell a lot of work went into those :-) I don't think most people care though, so don't stress out too much about it. I look at candles I used to buy from Wal-Mart and can't believe I never noticed how poorly made they were, I think we freak out because we know what all the imperfections are now ;-) Thanks for sharing your creations!

I went to a craft fair this past weekend(we sell soap), and went to two booths, both selling homemade candles. One ladies was colored(she used paraffin) and the other ladies was uncolored soy. Honestly, the uncolored was much more appealing to me, personally. I think the woman who colored hers was new to candle making because the colors were cheap looking, and the tops of her candles were sunken and messy looking. Her labels were cheap and unprofessional looking, and her prices were top dollar. The uncolored candles were beautiful, elegant, and well displayed, and smelled much better than the other ladies. I think the most important thing is to make sure, whether you color or not, that your candles/tarts look and smell fantastic. I have bought both colored and uncolored, I totally base my buys on the smell and quality of the candle, not the color(although I know that many people base their purchase on color). There are so many different types of people out there, you can't please everybody. So do what makes you happy, and what you're comfortable with. I hope you do well!!!

Yes, thank you!! I rarely post, but I am always on here, learning. Thank you for getting it up and running again, I had some major withdrawals!

You are welcome! If I can be of any other help feel free to send me a private message.

Are you close to Knoxville?

I sure will!

I don't live close to Knoxville, I live closer to the Alabama/Tennessee state line. If I ever did decide to start selling my products, it'd be nice to able to drive to pick up supplies, instead of mail ordering everything(especially wax) and maybe save a little bit on shipping(although gas is going to kill me too). I'm just tired of looking for new companies! There are so many companies out there, it's difficult to decide on who to use, so I was excited to find a company that wasn't several states away! There's another candle supply company in AL, closer to me than Aztec, but I haven't ordered anything from them yet. Sorry to go on...Thanks for your help, and I'll sure take you up on the offer if I ever need help :-)

If you have questions about melt temperature, or anything for that matter, call Terri at Aztec.

I am a manufacturer/wholesaler and always seem to have needs beyond their normal business offerings. Terri has gone FAR out of her way to help me find those things. I appreciate that kind of personal service.

Thank you:-)

Although I'm not too happy with some of their advice on their facebook page, I've tried their new sampler packs, and I'm pretty pleased with most of them! The coconut butter smells amazing, and I've already made a candle with the magnolia peach, it was wonderful too. I ordered their promotional (edited) sampler about a week ago, and can't wait to try those as well. They are the only company in TN that I know of that sells candle supplies, so I'd like to continue to hear good things about them.

Thanks for all the wonderful comments! I too feel like CS is a trustworthy company, with correct instructions. I don't know that I will be supporting the Aztec company any longer. I felt their info is incorrect, and they handled their response unprofessionally. I have been heating my Soy wax up to 185 for the last several months, with great results! Thanks for your responses, and wise words! I love this forum :-)

I have been heating my soy wax up to 185 degrees before adding fragrance oil. I am friends with Aztec Candle company(they are in Knoxville TN) on my facebook, and I just read a post where they were telling someone that 185 is way to high and that the highest temp you can use with a soy wax is 155. They then said that Candlescience(where this particular person had received her instructions) gave bad instructions, and that if you heat your wax up to 185, you'll scorch your wax. I'm confused now??!! I know that there are many seasoned soy candle makers out there, so what is your take on this? I don't even want to buy from a company that gives false info, or doesn't know what they are doing. Just curious to see what others think about this? It's difficult enough to perfect soy candles, but it's even more difficult when you get conflicting info!

Thanks everyone!!! I have emailed all the companies that were listed, and so far Gateway is the only one that says they'll send me free samples. I also contacted SKS and they're sending me some really cute candle jars samples for free too. It's nice to not have to spend twenty bucks on shipping to try out ten dollars worth of something I really do appreciate all the advice and help I get from this board. It's nice to able to ask questions and get answers from people who have experience and know what they're doing! Thanks again

Clarus Wax offers a free slab...you may choose whichever wax you're interested in and they'll ship it free too...hth

Peak offers 2lb samples at a nominal cost and they're running a shipping sale now-25% off....use code UPSSAVINGS13

Thank you!! I knew about Peaks sale, but wanted to check and see if there was place sending them for free before ordering from them. I will look into Clarus Wax, thanks :-)

Thanks OldGlory, I thought it might be too good to be true ;-) I have already bought several samples, but I thought that someone on here said that you could contact some place and they would send you free samples. There's a couple more waxes I'd like to try, but it's SO expensive to order just 2-5 pounds!

I have searched this forum, but can't find the answer. I thought I had read somewhere on here(can't find it though?) that some companies will send you free samples of wax. Does anyone know of a company that does that? Thanks in advance for any help or responses:cheesy2:

A lot of the soy chandlers add USA to the wax (universal soy additive) and they also temper the wax. You can search the forum for USA and tempering and find a lot of info.

I'll do that, thanks :-)

The jars are probably Libbey Status jars, which many candle suppliers carry. Peak's version are called Prestige jars.

Thank you!

I think it's a really neat concept, and if I wasn't making candles myself, I'd probably order one ;-) I think their prices(when they do their promotions) are reasonable too. But What I really love, are the containers their candles are in, I'm going to have to find me some of those!

I started out with that wax and it does make a beautiful candle....I never had a problem with frosting, will have to check old notes for pour temp.

I did well with Candle Science fo's, the one's rated 3 leaves for soy. I used 10% fo and usually did well with that. Some that I remember that threw well were. ..

Beach Linen

Macintosh

Moonlake Musk

Sex On The Beach

You could always add container paraffin to it to alleviate the frosting issue and increase ht...anywhere from 25% up to 75%. hth

Candle Science was one of the websites I've been looking into, so I will definitely be ordering some scents from them. I'm not going to stress right now about the frosting, I'm going to go uncolored and try to get my scents perfect. Thank you!!