donna4909

I love the melon candle! Looks so yummy.

Hmm, I didn't receive a phone call. Perhaps my email didn't go through? It didn't bounce back though.

This gelluminations order is being sent UPS. I personally don't like UPS, but they only use UPS or USPS, and I thought UPS might be faster than Priority. Honestly, I've found the post office to be quicker than UPS. A fellow board member shipped my paraffin on 11/16 via USPS parcel post, and it arrived today. 3 business days is awesome for parcel post, and they were a pretty good distance from TN. Darn UPS... but gelluminations was kinda at fault too. I ordered on the 16th, and they didn't ship until the 21st.

I'm feeling a little grumpy towards gelluminations right now. I placed my order on Nov. 16th, and I got an e-mail today saying my expected delivery date is Nov. 28th. I think 12 days is a little too long, but that's just my opinion... I wanted it to get here quickly! I should have paid extra and got USPS Priority instead of UPS. This order has everything in it. My wicks, gel wax, dyes, containers, and FOs. Now I'm stuck with nothing to do. My other wax (paraffin) came today, but I can't even use it because gelluminations has my wicks. *sniffles* I wanna play with my wax.

Well, I got it cheap so I'm going to give it a shot. If it doesn't work, I'll just use it for embeds.

What other wicking should I get to test with?

Yes, the wax is a preblend. http://secure.candlesupply.com/catalog_page_detail.cfm?queries_index=index7&title_bar=IGI%204614A%20%2D%20152%20MP%20Votive%2FPillar%20Blend%20Wax%20%20%28Formerly%202275%29&recordno=4&Product_CatalogID=1940&ProductNumber=wx4614A&ProductCodeID=37&ProductSubCodeID=35&NewProduct=0 I think you're probably right about the 44 zinc wicks for the votives. I didn't even think of that. This wax has a pretty high MP (152, I think), so I'll probably need a bigger wick. Do you think the #1/0 wick will be enough for the pillars in this wax? Oh, and wick pins aren't much of a budget killer. It's less than $4 for the pillar pin and 2 votive pins. I think the cost will be worth how much trouble it saves.

So far, I've only worked with gel candles, and I want to branch out (for $30 or less). I already have a pillar/votive wax, dye, and fragrance. I'm now in need of molds, wicks, and all that other good stuff. Here's my list so far: For the pillars: Seamless Round Alum. Mold: 3 x 3-3/4" Pillar Wick Pin: 3"x4" Square Braid Wick - #1/0 - 10 yards For the votives: Votive Mold: Standard 15-Hour Votive Wick Pin: 2.5" Pre-tabbed Wicks: 2.5" 36-24-24 Zinc Core Please let me know if I'm missing something, or if any of this won't work. I don't really have a clue about this stuff.

I love the pink/purple one!

Oops, nevermind. I found it listed under Dreamcicle.

I was thinking maybe the IGI 4614A Votive/Pillar Blend Wax might work. It has a MP of 152. It's also supposed to be low shrink. It says: Low Shrink! Make votives with one pour! It doesn't necessarily have to be a "pillar" wax... I just want a multi-purpose wax that I can use for embeds, and something else. If pillars fail, then maybe I can make votives out of this wax? I'm just looking for some experience here mostly, as I'm just starting out.

Is there a wax that can be used for both embeds and pillars? I'm guessing something in the 150's range might work for both.

Hmm... is there a reason for the wooden spoons? Are they better for paraffin wax? I read that you should use metal spoons for gel, so I assumed metal would work for all waxes..

Thanks for the tip. Will the little digital postal scales from Wal-Mart work?

I'm trying to figure out if this is everything I need to get started. Please let me know if I'm missing anything. I want to make gel candles, embeds, and I might try a pillar candle with my embed wax, if I can. Can I do that? Candy thermometer Melting pot Penreco MP Candle Gel IGI 1260 Embed Wax Embed & pillar molds 20mm High Collar Wick Tabs PRIMED 51-32-18 Zinc Core Wicking Dye blocks Fragrance Oils I'm not sure if the wicking & tabs I have are correct. These wicks will be for gel/pillar candles that are about 3" in diameter. Oops, forgot warning labels.

Darn... I was hoping to be able to use soy, as the only paraffin gelluminations has is in 50 pound cases, but they sell soy in 1 pound. >_< All my gel wax, wicks, labels, and fragrances are coming from them, and I wanted to buy from a single store to save on shipping costs. I would just get everything from candlesandsupplies, but their fragrance & gel wax is more expensive... and they don't have the apple cinnamon scent. And I can't even seem to register on their site. I may just have to order from Peak (even though I don't want 10lbs worth, $22.50, meep!), Gelluminations, and MoldMakingHandyMan. Eesh... this is not gonna be easy on a Taco Bell paycheck. I was hoping to keep it under $75 for now. I already spent $30 on premade crusts and fruit embeds. Now I need: $35 for 4 lbs of gel, 3 scents, 3 colors, 50 wicks, & 100 labels $32 for 2 crust molds & a berry mold $22.50 for 10 lbs of embed wax Why is it that every hobby I get into ends up killing my wallet. I guess it's because I never do anything half way. My fish keeping is like this... I started with a $3 betta 6 months ago, and I now have 5 fish tanks and have spent well over $300.

Ebay usually has them. I haven't found many online stores that will take money orders. Most just do credit cards & PayPal. This eBay seller takes money orders, but I don't know if this is a good price for the boxes. http://cgi.ebay.com/5-Inch-Pie-Box-cardboard-window-pie-box_W0QQitemZ4402198522QQcategoryZ48753QQssPageNameZWD1VQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

I've been buying my pie crust toppers and embeds from eBay, but it's getting expensive. I found some cheap crust molds, and I've been considering making my own. Could you use soy wax for these? If not, what type of wax should be used? I want something very simple, where I can just melt, add color, and pour. http://cgi.ebay.com/Candle-Making-LATTICE-CHERRY-PIE-CRUST-MOLD_W0QQitemZ2375565495QQcategoryZ41207QQssPageNameZWD1VQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem Also, what would be a good dye block color to use? I don't like brown or yellow, but I want something in between. Maybe the vanilla color found here would work? http://creativeilluminations.com/category_35.php