VerticallyEnhanced

Carol...how much per pound do you use if you don't mind me asking.

Do a search on this forum and you will find a few reviews. I started testing it before Christmas. I use soy and was on the fence about it. I thought I got a hint of fuel, burned it for a while and then shelved it. I just started burning it again yesterday and either my nose was totally screwed up with all the pouring I had been doing, or by some weird twist, it changed on me cause I like it now. I am not getting a fuel smell at all. It is super strong but I don't get a whole lot of the chili. I am actually thinking of boxing it up and sending it to someone to get their opinion. I am thinking Kimberly because she has not problem giving me her honest opinion...lol.

I can still faintly smell the sandalwood rose sachet Scented gave me in JULY! It is gorgeous! I am so tempted to try the oils...kept saying I was waiting for Christmas to be over, so now I gotta bite the bullet. I just received Be Delicious for Christmas (the actual perfume) and now dying to try it in a candle!

Dude (and dude-ette for Scented) that is a snot load of shows! I was talking to a lady at the show I did the last two weekends who normally does three a month...I just could not hang at all, even if I was near the beer booth every time! My had is off to you! I hope you guys had a banner year! Now drive down here and I will let you sit in my trailor and have a beer.

LOL!!! Too funny...and true! I was literally right next to the beer booth and hit it off with the gal running it and her boyfriend. He was the head honcho for the event...we all had so much fun. I gave her one candle and she gave me free beer all weekend...heck of a deal! I did not really enjoy it till the end of the evening. A bunch of us sat around after the show was over with a big fire pit...lots of fun! I wish I could say it was the blow-out I hoped for...but it was not. To just flat out give you figures, I made 7.5 times my booth fee (booth was $300). I just expected more. I know I sound like a spoiled brat, but I am used to more from this show and had already mentally spent the money. I did much more there last year. This year the weather sucked...sleet/cold/rain, so I went back this past weekend to subject myself to more torture...lol. The director talked me into coming back...I had some stock left so why not, right? All I had to do was pay $300 more dollars, spend another three hours setting up and three hours tearing down and 14 hours on my feet each day. (Yes, that is sarcasm, do you like it?) It was supposed to be gorgeous weather (which it was) and I just knew I would do better. Nope. Did worse the second time around. This time only 6.5 times my booth fee. But the bright side...I have two wholesale accounts. One which is a definite go and the other pending my packet being reviewed. Both very upscale well shopped stores in that area. So tell me to stop my bi*$#ing. I am so exhausted...we rolled into town at midnight and I stayed up till 2 getting some orders ready that I had to deliver today...up at 4am for work. I be beat! I am looking forward to the holiday break and totally relaxing with the fam...after three months of very little sleep it is something I need!

Hitting road tomorrow for my biggest show of the year! Friday from 5-10pm, Sat from 9am-10pm and Sunday from 9-5pm. I LOVE this show...not just cause of the cash-o-la but because it is a really fun one...they usually put me near the beer/wine booths...lol! I am freaking beat...had a conference all this week so was late getting home each night where as I usually work from home. My DH said I could sleep on the way there tomorrow, which I will gladly take him up on! Crossing my fingers for good weather and lots of people with money to spend! Good luck to all those with shows...see ya Sunday!

Heaven, your post just gave me a great idea...we could host a site where we could send people who ask about how to make candles and/or b&b. It could say "If you are reading this, then you had the audacity to ask someone how to do something you have every opportunity to learn on your own. The person you asked likely spent a lot of time and money researching their art and you waltz in asking questions. So here it is...the candle maker's secret. www.google.com. Go forth and research."

I dub kimberly the Frog Lady II. But, I have to say I am not coming around to wholesale as much as she wants me to...lol. Believe me, she has tried! I have to say I LOVE doing shows...love them! They are a lot of work, but I love sprucing up my booth, I love gabbing with the people and I love the $$$. I don't do many...maybe four a year, but they are ones that I do very, very well at. It helps me keep my customer base up and then they go to the stores and buy between shows or come to me. I have a few wholesale accounts and do well, but nothing near $3k...the stores are just little and I get about $500 out of them every six weeks or so. I do have two consignment situations...I know a lot of you think consignment is not the way to go, but one of them is putting about $1400 into my account each month, and the other about $600. Of course that is the busy season...it is about half of that during the spring/summer. For me it is a time issue I guess. If I only have x amount of hours in a day, do I want to make something that I am going to sell for $16 or something I am going to sell for $8? I know...I know...with wholesale there are a lot of benefits, but I am just still in that retail mentality right now. You can try and talk me out of it, but ask Kim...I am a hard nut to crack...lol. Maybe if I were to land a wholesale accnt like Frog Lady II, I would be ribbiting a different tune, huh? Bottom line, Kim is truly a master at her art. She makes a GREAT product and I am convinced she could do this full time. That and she is just an amazing person and I love seeing good things happen to good people.

I am so sorry you had a rough one. :undecided I always do my shows alone b/c my hubby has the hard part...watching the three kids. I love it and it gives me lots of time for adult conversation...lol. I have never had anyone ask me if I needed a break, but I make it a point to scope out one nearby booth with more than two people in it and ask them if they would not mind helping me out when I needed a potty break. I have never had anyone say no.

JBN here...I personally hate any gag champa, but my customers say it is wonderful!

And if I would thoroughly read a post, I would see who did your topper. Sorry bout that! Excellent design work!

From a fellow black and white gal, I LOVE it! Love love love it! Did Becky do you topper? It is wonderful... Did you take the pictures yourself? Awesome all the way around!

thanks so much Bizzy! Always good to hear an answer that is a supplier I already use! :highfive:

Ha! Programmed on my cell phone! lol (315) 453-0920 Their site is http://www.tvguilfoil.com/Index.htm they don't have all their products on their site, though.

I googled NC sales tax and found this http://www.dornc.com/taxes/sales/frequency.html

Grama...I looked on WSP's site and the Aromatique dupes are only peppercorn and holiday berry. Did they used to carry Aromatique's summer sorbet?

Oh...that is when you pull out the passive aggressive face. "Huh? What? My sign? Oh gosh, I use that at all my shows. I am sorry...I am just advertising exactly what I do. People like to hear about my business." All with big doe eyes and a "huh, who me" look on your face.

Awesome! Don't you love candle groupies!!!!!!! What a way to end the year! My last show is in a couple of weeks....HUGE three day show. Six hours on Friday, 13 hours on Saturday and 8 on Sunday. I am alway soooo tired, but it is worth it!

Find a good show and stick with it. If you can find a monthly trade/market days, try that. Some months bite...some don't. Perfect your presentation... that is what gets people over there. I have people come over to my booth not knowing what I am selling, but just liking the colors. My hubby about had a spaz when I spent $120 on curtains, but they paid for themselves 20 times over. And I know some others have had different results but I cannot give away a holiday container to save my life. Mugs, snowman jars, pumpkin jars, snowflakes on apoth jars...they just do NOT sell for me. As others have said, you sound like you are really off to a great start! Just stick with it!

As said before, I get upset if it is not promoted well. Sounds like you did a great job on that end. Bottom line you are always going to have people complain. I know the director of one of the shows I do and she says it is just horrid...people are just so rude and nasty. The last show of hers I did, I did awesome...attendance was great, etc. She said she had several bitch at her because "they did not sell anything because of the way it was set up." She said it is so hard to bite her tongue and say, "Well, no, the reason you did not sell anything is because you have over priced crap." Again, someone is always going to be unhappy. I think you are a brave soul to go this route and more power to you! I have always said that someone could make a great documentary on craft shows...showcasing the vendors and the different characters/attitudes, etc. I have met some wonderful people at shows but some vendors are just flat out trash. Seriously, a year long documentary following a monthly fair with regular vendors...done well, it could be good. I'd see it.

Bizzy, did you compare this by chance? I have a customer begging for a dupe. I need to try and find the real thing first. I chekced Aromatique's page and the only retailers are pretty far from me.

I did a corporate order for an attorney firm...candles for all of their clients with a custom label. I was smiling all the way to the bank! The kicker...last year when I did this, I received a LOT of loyal customers from this same corporate account.

I am thinking a nice big sign: Each one of our candles is hand made from the very beginning until the very end. Mass production is not for us. Meticulous perfection is the only thing we will settle for in our business because we care about you, the customer. Yeah, cheesy, but fun!

tvguilfoil.com has them. They are not on their site, but they carry them.

I gladly call you the frog lady! :highfive: Good for you! Looks great!!