TxSioux

Your enthusiasm is precious -- bully good for you!! I absolutely wish you the best, but want to warn you to watch your rear-side w/ each & every one of those type business'. It takes a little while to play out, but generally those are some of the worst offenders for 'lost' inventory or unpaid bills. I wish you the best & think you've done a great job! Susan.

I really like it -- very clean & classy -- makes me (as a customer) think you have your 'stuff' together. PA did a great job. I understand what arkangel is saying about the apostrophe, but it's your call. I did a layout for a company called Paint Divas & we had to pull out an English Text to decide on the use of/lack of an apostrophe -- they didn't use it. In the same vein as Deb -- I think some of your wordage is a little rough & needs to be cleaned up, like on the homepage & the about us page. This is just nitpicking, but it sounds like a rough draft - the spoken thoughts, as opposed to the written word. Overall -- very nice, you should be proud. Susan.

I was never able to find out what the bags are made from, but I've used the same bags for about 3 yrs now & they don't suck the scent out of the candles. I display my candles in glass AH cracker jars, so that may help hold the scent better. They don't feel like Ziplock Baggies, so I THINK they're right. Also, go to hobbylobby.com & sign up for their weekly email & you can print the 40% off coupon & use that to cut down your cost. Susan

Here's a wick testing tip from another board that may help you decide what to use. That person suggested using a square baking dish -- you can get one from a dollar store that won't be used for food. Place your test wicks in the dish & fill w/ a reasonable amount of wax. Light all the wicks & document your test results to find the wick that gives you the proper dimensional burn. You can place the 2 smaller wicks at the distance you would in the desired container to see how wide the burn pool/flame will be. I know w/ my mixture of soy I never get the dimensional burn the manufacturer says the wicks will produce & this is far easier than testing the actual container over & over again. It also helps determine if the fo needs to be wicked up. Once you finish testing just pop the dish in the oven to melt the wax back down & use the rest of the wax to pour an actual container. HTH -- Susan.

I make Dixie Cup votives & use the 4x6 bags sold at Hobby Lobby in the jewelry section. They have a ziplock top, but I just slice those off. I think they may sell these at Wal-Mart, but I've never looked. I say this because I was lucky enough to find these in bulk at a salvage sale by a trucking firm that has unclaimed/damaged freight. One of their major customers is Wal-Mart, so makes me think that was the original shipping destination. Even at retail they're reasonably priced to use as packaging. Susan.

I only have the wax crack & pull from the wicks when it's cold. You can either top off with another layer of wax or hit it w/ a heat gun. I top off. Also, I know the specks are a fluke & technically not correct, but I like the look Probably not good for the wick though, might cause clogging when you burn. Susan.

I don't normally recommend this supplier, but GemLites (an ebay seller) does have a few 'hits' for very low prices. Lemongrass happens to be one of the fo's I would highly recommend. They also have very nice Lavender Powder (will knock you over strong) & Citronella. I mix all 3 of those together (equal parts) for a fantastic outdoor 'bug' candle. Always check their weekly specials before you buy a regular priced fo -- I've bought all 3 of those for as little as $4 for a 16oz bottle. Last time I ordered they still used flat rate box shipping. Susan.

I'm pouring totally out of season -- have a steady refill customer that only burns Spiced Pumpkin year round! Also a special order for Vanilla Sandalwood. I don't have it on hand so I'll be mixing Asian Sandalwood w/ Vanilla & hoping to get a close dupe to the Yankee she's hooked on. Susan.

I just came from the Post Office -- didn't even think about it being Good Friday. So I'd say yes, you'll have delivery. Susan.

When I did consignment I found that you have to clearly come to an agreement about 'lost' product. I had one location that the owners Mom was famous for taking what she wanted without paying & the inventory was always short. The owner squared up, but decided to stop carrying my candles -- no hard feelings, just that she couldn't guarantee a watchful eye on the product. Another shop had a lot of customers from the University & due to having only 1 employee per shift there was a lot of shoplifting. That owner would not compensate for missing inventory -- only paid me for what she had on her books -- so I pulled out. I always provided the shops w/ candles to burn, hoping to make that a selling factor, but I quickly found out if they had run out of comp candles to burn the employees would pull product off the shelf & light 'em up -- another screwed up factor for inventory counts & they expected me to eat the cost! It made me so mad when they would burn product off my display that had been labeled & packaged -- GRRRRR! Nice place to start, but I'm through w/ it. Susan.

I use EZ Soy & add .40oz pp. I also add a small amount of PSA & UA, so you may be able to up it a bit without other additives. What I have found w/ this mixture is: I have eliminated jump lines, have almost completely eliminated frosting, use only 1oz fo instead of 1.5oz w/ great throw, have smooth tops & I can use this mixture successfully w/ both containers & votives. Only problem I have is that I generally have to wick up, but I use zinc wicks, so it's logical that I would have that w/ the soy/bw combo. HTH. Susan.

I think they're beautiful -- far prettier than any grubby. I've seen posts from several people who want to know how to get the dripped candle look. I can't see a reason in the world why it wouldn't sell if someone wants Sugar Cookie. Susan.

My Mom owned a salon & had a professional paraffin melter for manicure wax dips. Hers had a temp gauge to melt the wax & lower the temp for skin-safe dipping, so can't see a reason why you can't use it -- except they are quite expensive & heavy. Seems more cost effective to use a Presto Pot or turkey fryer thing. Susan.

I've tried several soys (including C3) & agree w/ everyone else -- add those fo's at a higher temp, especially some of the tricky ones likes vanillas. Also, I find a lot of people don't stir long enough. I always stir about 3 mins w/ a metal skewer when I 1st add the fo & will add a few more stirs as I check on the temp dropping -- for sure always give it a good stir before I pour. Susan.

All votives are intended to liquefy, which is why you have to tell your customers to place votives in a snug container/holder. It amazed me the 1st time someone came back & told me my votive only burned a couple hrs. After a few questions I found out she had placed it on a plate, so once it spread out into a pool it was gone. I do have burning instructions on my label, which she didn't read. It never occurred to me anyone would think to burn a votive like a pillar, but an astounding amount of people do. After your votive 'spills over' the burning will level out. I get a clean burn from mine - if left to burn it will leave no wax in the holder. I use soy container wax w/ additives for my votives & it works great. Don't use those wicks, so no help there. Susan.

BCS has a Kiwi Strawberry that throws great in EZ Soy. It will fill my bedroom w/ just a votive. Very nice scent - no chemical or fake smell. Susan.

Thanks for the insight, all. Since I use soy it seems like this may be more of a miss than a hit for me. I don't need any more disappointment (or wasted money) in my life, so I really appreciate yalls opinions. Susan.

Thanks -- that does help! Susan.

Does anyone order directly from this manufacturer - www.chemessence.com ? If so, any recommendations? The prices are very good, which always makes me wonder about quality. Also seems odd they won't accept credit cards & you have to go through the process of mailing a check. Oh well, if they're good... Susan.

I was looking at their retail site, so thought you were crazy to consider $12.99 holders! They look nice. Bet they would sell really well in certain markets. Susan.

I twist wicks together when I just can't double wick a container & my biggest wick won't cut it. I do it with rather wide spacing, so the 2nd wick isn't rolled & touching sides -- that NEVER makes sense when I try to describe it. <sigh> I've never had a problem w/ the flame or smoking wicks, like some people try to say it will do. It's fun to find new tricks, huh!! Susan.

Had never heard of them, so did a search ... is this a metal art company? Do you have a link to the place you're asking about? If it's the same site I looked at - things look too pricey to recoup your cost. They had a nice candle section -- wonder how they smell for those prices + shipping?? Susan.

I have serious eye allergies -- a monster list of things my body isn't allergic too, but makes my eyes itch, turn red, water & just miserable. I would guess you're having a reaction to some ingredient in the offending candle. I've heard soy candles are much easier on people w/ asthma & allergic conditions, but I would think the fo's are a more likely cause. Sounds like you need to try working w/ soy. Then you'll only get headaches from trying to tame this wax!! Good luck -- Susan.

The other site you couldn't find was most likely Starrville in Tx. This looks like the same jar http://tinyurl.com/2bqe5u Susan.

Here's a link that sells the same container http://www.glassware4gellin.com/squares.html Susan.