KristineG

and....to give you an idea, here's a picture of mine in a natural 2oz twist up.

[ATTACH]12101[/ATTACH]

Ok...maybe a dumb question but not as dumb as what I did. Long story short, I put the wrong lotion in my bottles. It isn't the lotion I intended for these. My question is, can I dump the lotion out and wash the bottles or will they rust? Thanks

Haven't been able to get in for 2 days now. Glad to know it's not me though.

i don't know if they have ever offered it but no they do not come with their own bags. Beware she is a smoker but once you scent them you can not smell it.

After I received my first order, I emailed her and asked her if she smoked because the blanks smelled like a dirty ashtray. I wanted to know if it would effect the fragrance. Well, I laid them all out for about a week, in the shed outside (lol) and eventually, you couldn't smell it anymore. I scented them and they were fine. I just received my second order from her and no dirty ashtray smell!!! The blanks did NOT carry any signs of a smoker.

ETA....did you see the new Flip Flop shape!?

Funny you should post this because the other day, I was out in the candle room and came across a rubber stamp that I have and have been pondering on how to stamp the candle to give the candle the look as though I carved the design. I looked at the site you linked. Am I correct to assume that you do not want an "ink" stamp but an actual stamp that will make the shape look as though it was carved in the wax?

Can you please clarify something for me? If there is no water in the actual product and they are only going to use the foot soak one time per soak and pour it out why would you have to have a preservative in something that is only going to be used for maybe 30 minutes at the longest.

Things that make you go hmmmm:undecided ....logic is telling me what you're asking. I too am curious.

Wrong post (delete)

Thanks for the feedback. I'm about 99% sure I'm going to drop the paypal.

I've e-mailed a few artists about using artwork of theirs I found online. All 3 wrote me back..1 said no because her pictures are on (I believe) IStock and they hold the rights, (don't know if it's true or not, but it sounded good at the time) Sara

Probably true. It's posted on the iStock site in the terms and conditions and in the license you accept when you download.

I have a paypal account. I also have a third party merchant account to allow me to process credit cards. I have an SSL. Currently I offer a choice on my site. The customer can choose paypal or CC. Why I did this, I don't know. I'm considering eliminating the paypal feature. So far, only 2 repeat customers have used the paypal feature. The rest use the cc feature and anyone that bought stuff from me in the classies used paypal. I guess I'm looking for input as to why I should or shouldn't remove paypal. Any feedback is appreciated.

I think your site looks great. Very elegant. The one thing that that stood out (you did ask for criticisms) is the pictures. JMO but why not eliminate all the pictures of the same thing and switch to a drop down selection for fragrance and one picture of each size/style? Also, IMHO, if you feel you've tested properly then go for it. Good Luck

I love the flavors that Lindsay of Soapers Workshop has. She currently only has 5, but they are great. My favorite, and best seller is the Pomegranite.

Shannon

I second Lindsay's. I love Sugared Raspberries. It only takes a very small amount.

I had a rep approach me at a farmers market and give me one of those business cards with the baggie of wax. I asked her what I was supposed to do with it. She said it was a sample. I asked "a sample of what"? She said, the wax and fragrance they use. She explained that there was no way she could walk around with a bag of candles to pass out. I then handed her a sample tealight and my card. Still don't know what I was supposed to do with it. But, I figure you're supposed to put it in a burner/melter even though there are no directions or warnings with this baggie. I tossed it. Why would they train their reps this way? Seemed tacky to me.

I want to make it very clear that the reason I asked the question is because I believe in honesty in advertising. One of my local competitors advertises 'all-natural' candles and I wanted to know exactly what that meant. At no time would I ever (a) put down a competitors' candle for any reason or ( lie to sell a candle. I've put two years of study into making candles before I sold a single one and I intend to do everything right and honestly (as I think I made clear in my initial post).

Mei-Mei, I know you were doing your homework. If you weren't you never would have asked the question. I for one didn't assume you were trying to figure out a way to mis-label your candles. I'm sure others here also know you were searching for information. No worries.

I received this response to a question that I asked in another thread regarding Natural Soy candles . Though some of the response may not fit your question exactly, I think Stella gives food for thought when claiming a "natural" candle. HTH:

The problem there is the "automatically assumes" part...

Both by those who create the inference that leads to the (incorrect) assumption and by those who so willingly do the assuming...

Let's look at the term "all natural" or "100% natural" - what IS "natural" anyway?

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/natural

There is no such thing as a 100% Natural Soy Candle because:

1. candles do not occur in nature

2. soy wax does not occur in nature

3. soy wax candles are not made from soy - they are made from soy WAX (which is derived from soybeans). If the word "wax" doesn't immediately follow the word "soy," I automatically think the manufacturer is either an imbecile or a weasel trying to mislead me. Tofu is 100% soy, too, but I will bet the farm it won't burn worth a flip! Not to mention the throw...:rolleyes2

Half of the problem is that the general public is as poor a consumer of information as they are fast food. They do not bother to READ nor to UNDERSTAND nor to THINK. The other half is that many manufacturers have no personal ethical prohibitions against selling their products by the use of deception, however subtle. As long as the bucks end up in the register, they don't mind telling the customers whatever they wanna hear.

We won't advertise our candles as 100% soy because they aren't - they are primarily soy WAX, and also have other stuff in them, like stearic acid (from vegetable sources), fragrance oil (god only knows what's in that stuff...) and colorants. Because of private labelling/branding and no REQUIREMENTS to list ingredients EXACTLY, most of us really do not know what IS in our candles for sure! We also don't advertise them as "all-natural" in ANY percentage because that is a totally meaningless BS term used by both honest people of great personal integrity and conscience who are attempting to describe the purity of their products and by weasels with no ethics whatsoever who simply will tell customers ANYTHING to get the dollars - all at the same time on the same shelf.

I would not have purchased that candle BECAUSE of the claims on the label - it is OBVIOUS that the company is deliberately trying to mislead and they don't get my dollars. That "100% all-natural soy" from which the wax was made could easily have been grown with mega fertilizers and pesticides - is that what you thought you were getting? Fragrance oils are not "natural" by any stretch of the imagination... many contain no essential oils or anything that actually comes from the substance itself - like your cucumber. If it doesn't smell like a cucumber, didn't come from a cucumber, then it can't be construed as "all-natural"!

Sorry to get on a rant, but insufficient, missing or deceptive labelling is one of my pet peeves. I mean no offense to people who never thought about this stuff either as a purchaser or a seller, but I hope everyone thinks about these issues before they buy or sell! And I hope suppliers will endeavor to LABEL their products accurately whether they are required to do so by law or not!

Thanks for the info. Very informative. I don't make a "soy" candle. Mine are a soy/paraffin blend and never hesitate to say I use paraffin. It just irks me when people come up to me to have the whole soy paraffin debate, slamming paraffin and acting like somehow my candle is responsible for global warming...jk...lol, yet, they'll run right out and buy one of these for more than double the price. I just bought it because I liked the look, smell and wanted to try it then tear it apart...lol. I peeled the warning label off to check out what they used to adhere the wick to the glass, pulled the wick and cut it in half to see what kind of wick. I then (this is what consumers swear by) rubbed the wax in my hands like "lotion". Then, I took some of mine and rubbed it in....both absorbed (coated) the same. Anyway...guess I'm rambling now. Thank again.

I purchased a Botanique 60 hour soy candle at Steinmart only because I really like the fragrance. The label states Cucumber but this in no way smells anything like or near any cucumber fragrance I've smelled. The label clearly states Soy candle. I don't think this is a 100% soy candle either. The look and feel of this candle's wax is just like mine. It's a blend. Do companies label their candles "Soy" candles just because there's soy in it? Isn't that deceiving considering the general public see's the word soy and automatically assumes it's a 100% Natural Soy candle?

Top...thanks for the help. I really appreciate it. I had a feeling it wasn't going to work. Oh well...looks like I'll rotate rustics down the list for now as I'm waiting on my tealight plug to attempt forever palm pillars. Thanks Again

Well...lol...I want to try to make a rustic and I don't want to buy anymore wax that I don't currently use. I have this 2 lb slab of paraffin that I bought about 8 months ago from NG with another bright idea that never developed. I was going to do hand dips. Here's the link that explains what it is. http://www.naturesgardencandles.com/candlemaking-soap-supplies/item/Dip-1

So, my dumb question of the day is: Can I use this to make a rustic just to see if I can do it (obtain the look) and if I like it, before investing in another wax I'll never use? Am I making sense?

Does anyone know what the difference is between this and straight paraffin we use for candles?

Kitty from KB doesn't always offer the online basic lotion class per the email she sent to me today however, if there is enough interest from people here, she will host one. Sorry, didn't know.

Hi Incandessence, Thanks for your input. I looked at the site. Couldn't find the lotion kit.

I just went to their site and don't see it there anymore. I emailed them. I'll let you know.

I just saw your post on the never ending Pourette "Mini Series".....about the presto pot. I finally decided to buy one after reading so many positive reviews. I use large melter's but sometimes would like to melt a little for a few candles. I got mine from Amazon....no shipping...great I thought. Well I used it the last two days and it doesn't hold the temperature at all. Is this common? I mean when I set it at 400 it doesn't even come on. I have to trick it and turn it off and then turn it back on. When I set my Weck caner at 200 it stays at 200....etc. Did I get a lemon or is this common with the presto...how in the world would you use it as deep fryer if it wont hold a high temperature? If I set it at 200 is justs turns off. Donita Louise

I use presto pots and have never had that happen. I've had them for awhile and still consistently verify the temp. It's always on the mark or off by a degree or two. HTH

I'm only doing candles. Pink Pepperberry is awsome. Breeze in the Keys too. They have a fantastic throw. You should try Tropical Fusion. I bought those during the last sale. They're awsome. I'm going to pour my new ones today. Won't be able to burn till tomorrow. I'll let you know how they are. I have a feeling they're going to be great too!

I got mine too!

Tropicali Tango

Patchouli

Blue Sugar

I love them all...they smell great! I REALLY like the Blue Sugar. I've heard people commenting that it's a licorice smell...Not this one...it's to die for! Sweet yet masculine at the same time...very sexy scent IMO. Received a free sample too! I think it was Twigs and Berries...not sure, it's out in the shop. I love all that I've bought from them so far.