SunshineSundries

What a crock! Next time you get that guy and he tries to pull something like that again, just ask for him to show you it in print. If he can't produce it, then I'd approach the PostMaster and fill them in on what's going on. I know the post office are a sticky bunch (I made the mistake of trying to send something to Canada in a RECYCLED Priority box - they just about had a COW!) so maybe he'll get into a bit of trouble and won't try and pull that BS on you (or anyone else) again. Good luck! Life & Light! Tish

I don't use clear lables but when I used boxing tape to make my labels "water resistant", I used two sets of tweasers (?). It was a PIA to do big peices but I'd have to say that a small label (2x4 or smaller) would manipulate fairly easily with them. I'd think it would work easier than a knife would. Life & Light! Tish

Hi all! I am trying to figure out how to lay out my pics for my site. I just can't decide! I know these aren't perfect (some of them are kinda fuzzy and not all the votives are showing their lables well) but I'm thinking more layout/angle type thing right now. I just got my new camera about a month ago and I'm still working on learning all the bells and whistles on it! Please, PLEASE let me know what you think... Life & Light! Tish PS - To those of you doing juried shows, do you just submit your web site photos or do you have a special set that you submit? I have a *HUGE* show next summer that I want to get into and I have no clue on where to start! TIA

So do you think her hubby would teach online classes or write a book and cleverly disguise it as something sports relate?? lol It's so totally awesome that DH has helped out! I can't even get my hub to bring in a flyer for open houses or anything else simple! I think it would take an act of God or the NFL closing shop for him to take notice of my business! But that's ok in a way - that way I don't have him coming in and messing with my stuff!! lol Best of luck to you! I do know that offering gift wrapping does help boost some sales - especially around the holidays and St. Valentine's day. I offer it but only to local sales and it's helped bring back customers from month to month (I do birthdays and anniversaries too). Life & Light! Tish

Very well done! I love the color scheme and the lay out. Some stores you go into you're always afraid of knocking something over (and with my luck it'd be expensive!). I like that it's open and still inviting! You all deserve a pat on the back (and definately a few "adult beverages", if you are so inclined!). Life & Light! Tish

I'm still movin' stuff in but the studio is finally done!! It's one of the reasons I haven't been online much for the last few weeks - well that and a few technical reasons...:whistle: The first three pictures are what you see when you walk in - the kids' area, my storage area for my displays and stuff, and the packaging area. The last two pictures are of my work area and the storage area for my finished product. Good thing they limit the pictures! I took a ton with my new digital camera (early holiday present! ) and I'm soooooo excited that it's done! It's not much but I did 90% of the work by myself so it was a labor of love (well kinda!). Thanks for looking! If you have any ideas for anything, please let me know! I'm still trying to get everything I have to fit!! I didn't realize I had so much stuff! Life & Light! Tish

I use soy wax so I don't know if that makes a difference but I can get 8# of wax and approximately 8oz FO in there and still be about an inch from the top. So I have plenty of room to stir softly with my chopsticks... I melt the first four pounds and then when that's done, I carefully add in the next four pounds. I don't really know how it works out, it just does. Life & Light! Tish

I mix right in my presto pots - I have three of them that I use for candles. I can fit 8-9# of wax in them at a time. I've tried using a larger pouring pot (4# metal pouring pot) but I always end up going back to my old coffee pots because after about three batches my wrist is so sore from holding that pot so much! Plus it's easier for me to just dump everything into the presto let it melt while I measure the FO and get the containers ready. Then I mix in my FO and color and then I let it sit for a few minutes with the heat off (the last bathroom break before I get into pouring ). I get a rhythm going. In my little work space I can pour about 700 10oz jars in two days - half that time is waiting for them to set up enough so I can move them into boxes and let them finish curing in my sewing room! Good luck on your pouring spree! Life & Light! Tish

when getting your kits and/or supplies, try to find a company near you. I live in Minnesota and I get most of my supplies from Iowa and Wisconsin. Shipping is a killer once you become an addict to the joy of candlemaking, especially on wax! FOs and smaller items you can get anywhere you wish but I'd pick a company close to you for wax and possibly glass. At least that's what I did and it's saved me money in the long run... HTH some... Life & Light! Tish

At 95% of my craft shows I'm alone without anyone helping to set-up, tend to the booth and tear down. I have a few shows a year that I do with a friend right next to me but I still have to set up and tear down my own stuff. I find that vendors are really cool about watching your booth for a little while (especially if it's slow) while you run for food or a potty break, especially if they are on their own too. All you usually have to do is ask - and half the time they ask you first. Good luck! Life & Light! Tish

I know several shop owners (my mom included) that really don't like it when sales people just show up at their door. I used to do just cold calls on the phone like you suggested but I always got rejected for one reason or another (ok not always but more often than not!). That's why I'm starting to send out a letter with a brochure and a scent sample before I call to set up an appointment to bring them in free samples and talk with them - kind of a paper sales person. I've gotten a much better reaction to doing it that way. Last fall I went "door to door" handing out samples and info and I didn't get a single sale (I handed out about 50 "packets" and followed up in 3-5 days - got nada!). So I have tried different ways - this way has at least gotten my foot in the door so to speak... I really haven't hit it hard as of yet because I've been busy getting my new studio built and ready (I'm doing 90% of the work by myself - long story - and it's taking me longer than anticipated!). That's why it hasn't been real successful for me - I haven't put alot of energy into it - YET! That's why I've been working on fundraiser stuff too - that way I can go out there and really hit everyone hard all at the same time. I work in the studio durring the day and on paperwork building and list building and all that fun computer stuff in the evening while the rugrats are sleeping. So no worries on the wholesale front, OK? Life & Light! Tish

Thanks ladies for all your ideas! I've got a list started of all the contacts for band, choir, drama, danceline/cheerleading, and the jr/sr class advisors in the local school districts. I'm going to get a few packets together and drop them off at the middle and elementary schools around for the PTA presidents. I guess I was just so overwhelmed that I couldn't think of even the simplest things! We just had a levy put to vote that didn't pass so I have a feeling that focusing on PTA and extra curricular activites would be a good thing. I've been on the CandleCauldron.com site looking over the forms there but I'm not real fond of the "contract" they have there. What are major things that you put in your contracts and is it more in "contract" form or like on the site where it's more of a final order form? I do soaps and candles and some B&B - do you think it would be too much to do all for a fundraiser or do you think it would add more sales (some people don't burn candles after all...)? I'm not scared of working my arse off... I just don't want to overwhelm people! TIA again! Life & Light! Tish

I started making In The Mold Oven Process soaps shortly after I perfected (ok not perfected because I'm always trying something new!) my candle making. I think they are both a challenge at times, but they both have their addicting parts! I tried CPHP for my first batch and I didn't like the gloppiness of it. I tried true CP but I didn't like having to wait a month to see if it worked. Then a friend of mine turned me on to the ITMOP and I loved it! Mix, pour, toss it in the oven for a spell, turn off the oven and let it sit - cut it and test it out! Granted soap, like candles, perform better after a cure but atleast I could find out if I liked the inital "feel" of the soap. Best thing to do is grab some oils, lye and water at a local store, dig through your FO supply and find a few oils that are soap safe, and give it a whirl... you wont' know til ya try! Best of luck to ya! Life & Light! Tish

Greetings! I have been working on getting wholesale accounts - which I'm pretty comfortable with. Mailing out stuff, doing some follow-up calls, and such. I haven't had much luck but I know they are out there! Anyway, I've been wanting to do fundraisers for awhile now. I've been doing research and setting up forms and the like, but I'm at a loss at how to get my name out to the schools, churches, and other organizations. I don't know who to address the mailings to or who to call to set up a meeting or any of that! I'd like to start out small - like a danceline team or a choir/band group and work my way up. How do you guys and gals get your fundraisers started?? I tried doing a search both in google and on the CT board, but didn't come up with anything relating to my issue (but I got alot of good ideas on what to offer, pricing and all that!). TIA! Life & Light! Tish

What I'd do with a space that big is measure it out and put it on graph paper - then from there measure all your large peices of furniture and put it on the graph paper where you'd like your areas to be. Then figure a few feet of "shopping space" and then map out areas for your smaller peices that you'd like to use for other things. I know it sounds like a PITA but you'll be thankful at the end of the day that you did it - no lugging big furniture from one end of the store to the other and back again. So what kind of furniture do you have? Are you going to have your antiques for sale too?? Life & Light! Tish

this site and ebook were really helpful to me when I decided to turn my hobby into a business. I also read alot of small business books and dragged out alot of my accounting books from college. But the best knowledge you can get is from forums like ths one or talking to other crafters - I know I've learned alot by just asking questions and really listening to what people have to say. Good Luck! Life & Light! Tish

yeah - let's see what we have to work with. I don't have a shop of my own but I do help my mom out in her floral shop. I also get compliements on my display at craft shows. It's all about making little areas and haveing them work together. Like in my mom's shop she has a "Victorian Area", a "Christian Area", a "Northwoods Area" and so on... but they all blend together so no one area looks overdone or "favored". My soap and candles that I have in her store are on a baker's rack with some ivy (or holiday garland) draped around it. The trick is harmony and not to get too gung-ho on decorations. You want your product to stand out and not be hidden by a bunch of fluff. HTH some - I'd still like to see pictures. I'm sure we can all help. Life & Light! Tish

As a fellow fabric crafter, I know how something like this can really tork ya off. You go through all the trouble of finding "perfect fabric", cut, stitch, press, stitch some more - all to make a product that you don't make a million on but are comfortable. Then someone comes and steals your idea... and tries to take your sales. I looked at your potato bags (I've never seen them before and love the idea - don't worry I won't steal it! ) and I figure that your pricing is about right considering fabric, time, and overhead. If this lady -er excuse me - person is going to steal your idea and try to sell them for less, I can almost guarantee that she won't be doing it for long. Between karma and lost money, she'll give up. She can't be making any money selling them for less unless she is using crappy fabric and they aren't constructed well - that means she won't have repeat sales - heck she may even have people asking for a refund! Have faith and things will workout... I'd still call a lawyer though and see what they say - a letter in the mail may make her quit a bit sooner... Good luck to you!! Life & Light! Tish

I use joomla for my site and it comes with virtalmart as it's shopping cart - in the shopping cart area I can assign each product a price for each shopping group - regular customer, gold customer, and wholesale customer. All they have to do is sign up for a wholesale password and bingo they've got the info - well they would if I had all the info up there. I'm working on it but it's a slow process when you are doing one item at a time (amongst the other million things I do in a day!). I work on a few items each day - or atleast try. If I work too long, I go buggy!! lol If your looking for a great designer, Ken at FultonStudio.com is wonderful! He's the one that got my template for me and got me going. I do all the product addition and stuff though... And the few pictures I have on my site, he took. Only problem with having him take pictures is that he's in NYC - kinda a PITA to get product to him for me! But he's great and I would recommend him, especially if you want to use a joomla format. He also made the flash imageing on my home page... and a bunch of other neat stuff... I love this guy! lol HTH Life & Light! Tish

LaVida - PM me your email address and I'll send you a copy of my word document so you can see what I mean. I already know what I'm talking about so it's easy for me to understand... well most days... Life & Light! Tish

First you have to make this a two page document - you have to put the first and last side on the first page, then the two middle sides on the second page. Then you print it out double sided. I use word for all my stuff - I'm old school I guess and I just don't have the money to go out and learn how to use publisher... lol I use text boxes to get my writing and pictures where I want them. I hope this makes sense... if you need any further help, just ask... Life & light! Tish

Well if you find a supplier that carries the 2 oz containers - preferably in the natural - please let me know! I use these for my lotion bars and the supplier that I got them from doesn't carry them anymore because of lack of intrest. :rolleyes2 I also want to use these for another product that I'm developing but since I don't have the extra tubes, I have to put it on hold and I'm kinda peeved about that! Life & Light! Tish

I figure like this too - but I don't do food because I bring my own from home that I would eat if I was at home anyway. For gas, I use milage and "pay" myself $.23/mile so that way I get my oil changes and stuff in there too as some of my shows are 700+ round trip. If I don't make AT LEAST 5x my costs, I don't return to the show - well most of the time. There are shows that I've done two and three times and have done well - except for this year - but I'll go back next year just because my customers know where to find me. Hopefully next year they will bring a friend (or two or three...). Life & Light! Tish

If that was directed towards me, I do not use lard in any of my products. I'm not against people who use lard - I just don't use it. And BTW - I have seen formulas for ointments and lotion bars with lard and tallow in them. I've never tried them so I can not account for quality or performance. I was referring to when I get mango butter, cocoa butter, 92* coconut oil, or other bulk items. I do this because it is easier for me to keep inventory and for me when I want to make 6 batches of soap in a day (I don't have to spend half of my day measuring things out!). I do the same thing with my water and GM - I premeasure into clean and sanitized gladware containers, mark them with contents and weight, and toss them into my deep freeze. Not only does it save me time when I'm doing soap (both measureing and waiting for lye water to cool), it is easier for me to go into my freezer and count what I've got. I am in the habit that I measure everything out the same day that I get it. I also find doing a kind of "double container" helps keep things fresh longer and keeps it from getting contaminated with what ever can find it's way into a tub after a couple of months. Please don't take this as a slam if you store your oils/butters in this fashion - it just doesn't work for me as I'm a klutz - - and this method works best for *ME*. Life & Light! Tish

This is what the mason Golden Harvest Jars look like (This is my own Vanilla Bean Candle - I don't think it liked being under the lights!) . These are the ones that I'm going to be using for fundraisers and such. I like them because they are kinda different plus most people I know that do canning use the ones that say "Ball" or "Kerr" on them so this gives them something different to look at (after canning hundreds of pounds of corn, pickles, and tomatoes in my lifetime, I wouldn't blame them ). OK - back to work so I can actually *make* some candles!! Almost done with the new studio! Life & Light! Tish