SliverOfWax

i just went and dug out some probably 5-6 yrs. old soap..

it still smells fantastic..

it's a little shriveled up...but smells as good as the day it was made..

it is a hard one to describe..but once you smell it..you won't forget it..

you either like it or hate it..

i don't have the description for it anymore..

Throw it in the tub. Maybe it'll plump up. Better yet, throw it in my tub.

I feel like if I change my brand of wicking though, then it is a slightly different candle. Is that being too picky?

Oh, my, yes, you're being too picky. Nobody who buys your product knows, cares, or needs to know which brand/size/type of wick you use.

That's my opinion. Really, I can't imagine being that much of a purist. I can kinda, sorta see not wanting to use zinc wicks because you don't want to have to constantly explain that no, that's not a lead wick, which believe it or not some folks ask about. But I've never heard of focusing your brand around a wick.

From what I understand, when you are using a product with naturally occurring ingredients (as opposed to manufactured ingredients) you will have inconsistencies in performance. They don't test every soy bean to make sure it performs the same before making wax, right? So, you test every batch and make adjustments. Tis the nature of the beast.

It's the same with paraffin. Different batches will be different. Unfortunately, that's just the way it is. Even with an established line, the testing and retesting never ends. With picky scents, it can really throw off your quality.

To add insult to injury, scents burn different when seasons change. I've had difficult scents burn beautifully in the summer and refuse to burn in the winter unless they had a slightly larger wick.

Yes, you retest. It happens. Each new batch of wax should be retested at least with one tried and true combination so you'll know if it burns the way it should.

I alway retested with a scent I'd made for years and knew backward and forward. One that was slightly hard to wick so I would know if it was slightly off. If it burned the way it should, I moved forward. Even then, though, it's a good idea to spot test good sellers, just for your own peace of mind.

Buying more wax from another vendor won't solve the problem. Their inventory probably came from a different batch, too.

For a large wholesale account, you bet you should retest. You don't want to lose future business. Unfortunately, it's part of making candles.

I love the smell of Chlorox. That's not to say I'd want it in a candle, though.

As for PineSol, just about any nasty Pine or "Christmas Tree" oil smells like PineSol to me. I never found a good one. Went with Cedar instead.

Yeah, SOS or Dahwah Books would have these if anybody did.

Hopefully that can get it to be soap safe with the new IFRA regulations

Wait a minute! You're saying people used this in soap for years (I don't soap but I've used it in perfume and butter) and now all at once some group of fools who fancy themselves smarter than you or me have decided we shouldn't do that.......and.........

never mind.

I'm not buying the hysteria. I'm guessing the government is behind this nonsense.

ok, what the heck does this stuff really smell like? Is it similar to anything else?

No. And if anyone tells you so and so has one similar, don't believe it.

Ages ago AWE carried Spellbound, which was very close. It didn't have the depth, though. But it was close. Then her supplier changed the formula on her and it was some of the nastiest stuff on planet earth. And so dark it was almost black.

In all my years, I've never smelled anything quite like Goddess from OM. There are some scents nobody can duplicate. This would be one of those scents.

???

Doesn't BC have its own forum? This one is Peak's forum.

/just wondering.....

So they can do a special 25 lb buy...would anyone be interested? It would be around $30/pound plus shipping

Yes. 2 lbs, please. Maybe more if you need just a lb or two to fulfill the order.

I rarely read classifieds and/or coops, so feel free to pm me if I miss it.

P.S. I just realized you might not be offering to do a coop. If you are, I'm in. And just to make sure...this is the exact same formula as Old Mill Goddess?

Me, me, me, I remember it. Very well. One of my favs.

I wouldn't have any idea where you could find it.

Stinky and skunks I don't think would peak my curiosity if I saw that on the web. Just saying.

Can you pick a company name using your real name? Family last name? Something without stinky.

Believe me, I know what you are going thru trying to decide on a name and a theme...it took me 3 years to get

my theme "right". Actually, for my company name I used my town name.

HTH

Carrie

Presumably, you mean 'pique'. ?

As far as a name with 'Stinky' in it, I suppose it depends on your market.

That said, I'm one of those people who NEVER, NEVER, EVER, EVER does business with someone who can't spell or thinks it's cute to spell phonetically. For example, I would RUN, not walk, from a business called 'Kountry Kandles'. It pains me greatly to even type it.

jmho

Making candles is going to cost you much more than you can expect to make for a long, long time. There is tremendous waste in testing, which YOU MUST DO.

If I had known how expensive it was going to be, I would probably never have started.

Not to be offensive, but why would you give a potentially unsafe, untested candle to a family member? It doesn't matter whether your giving them away or selling them. Unsafe is unsafe.

Please take the advice of so many and test thoroughly, using the best supplies you can buy, BEFORE you give them away. Family funerals are expensive.

And please don't forget about the Bridal Shows. If you don't have a line for the Wedding Reception you can always develope something for use at the Showers.

Another local source is your newspaper (hard copy, not the internet version.) See if there is anything upcoming in their local events requests from churches or other fundraising events.

Or do like I've done and take stock on hand and simply rename it. I renamed Frangipiani (sp) Wedding Day. Frangipiani sounds like a disease. And years ago, I owned a flower shop and knew what it was. I still wouldn't put that name on a candle.

Tennessee has been my favorite FO supplier for years.

That said, having to call is pure BS. I'm retired now, but when I was working, I could NOT call suppliers. Between drive time and hours on the job, it wasn't gonna happen. And it shouldn't have to happen. I did 95% of my ordering literally in the middle of the night. The very notion of needing to call a supplier really gets my dander up.

I still love Tennessee, but call? Nope! If a website isn't up to date (within reason), what else is screwed up? I know Brent has been very sick, but it doesn't take that long to update or answer emails. Someone should be taking care of business.

I agree about the natural light.

And from a personal perspective, choose a dark background, like a piece of black or navy cloth. Most people use white backgrounds. UGLY and the product is washed out and not definitive. Think of your photos as similar to a retail display. High end shops display their items on dark backgrounds unless the items themselves are very dark. Think of jewelry. Think of crystal. Glass sparkles on a black cloth.

Oh...and I disagree with props. You're not selling twigs and flowers. Show your product. Period. Maybe a little extra fluff is OK, but don't detract from your product.

Example:

Oh.....and get the words "Craft Show" out of your head.

You're looking for places that allow vendor booths. Most of these events won't be known as craft shows.

Add to the above:

Antique shows.

Garden shows.

etc.

Get on the phone and start making calls.

Your Chamber of Commerce.

Your state tourist division.

Your state and/or local fair grounds.

Churches. Lots of churches have craft shows.

School. Same as above.

Hospitals. Same as above.

And so forth.

Ask every single person you call if they know of anyone who puts on craft shows.

When you do attend a craft show, ask other vendors for craft show information.

And yes, craftlister.com is a good resource, but isn't all inclusive. Asking will get you further than anything.

This one IS powerful. It's not lemony, it's not powdery, it's not perfumy.

I wsh I could describe it better. At 8% in candles, it's overpowering.....just the way I like it.

I'll use it in the lamp thingy IcedTea sent me.

Carrie...I don't have any of the oil left right now of the sun wash linen from CS...

But I do have a candle I am burning right now....

I could send you a sample chunk of the wax..to see if it is the smell you are looking for..

It also is not even close.

Wow! $25/lb, min 25 lbs. Wow!

If you do decide to do it, I would take 2 lbs, but that doesn't really make a dent in what you need.

I don't like names with dashes, either, or anything out of the ordinary. People just flat won't remember. The simpler, the better.

You can buy as many domain names as you wish and then later, decide which ones and how many to use. Actually, it's quite common to buy similar names to avoid other people grabbing them.

Designer 218, all the way.

When you use an outfit like Weebly, you don't really have your own site with your own url. Nobody on earth will find you.

Yeah, well, I drew the line against consignment about 20 years ago. I've had one consignment account, it didn't end well, done! For consignment to be successful, you've got to be extremely firm with an iron-clad contract. Even then, if something goes wrong, you get to spend your money and your time taking them to court. Not worth it.