smart tart

Not get so caught up in trying so many different things before perfecting each one. When I first found ct, I was so excited by what I saw I wanted to try everything, containers, pillars, different waxes, b&b, and sooooooo many fo's! Take advice with a grain of salt - do your own research and not expect that the advice you receive is what will work for you or is even necessarily correct. Not to take the advice with the person with the most posts - high post numbers do not equate to experts! Keep good notes and back them up!

Anita makes great socks! I am still using the ones she gave me 2, no must be 3 years ago! Come on Anita - unless you are too busy with that new hubby! Debbie

Y'all are making things much more difficult than need be! If for your own use, simply pour your left over wax in a small dixie cup - or all your pieces of pillar candles work wonderfully. Use the paper on the dixie cup to start the fire. Making firestarters to sell, the potpourri is a nice touch and makes it kinda cute..... But the tampons.......EWWWWWWWWWW I find that to be disgusting and a complete waste of money, effort and taste! Oh well to each their own.

No Mindy, they don't just 'throw' the boxes in the back of the truck - yes there is a big time crunch however they work fast not destructively and what a mess that would be in the truck....and how would they ever find anything? Boxes are stacked, one on top of the other - lightweight boxes might get a heavier box put on top of it....(Think a box full of pour pots under a box of wax!) The light weight box might not have been packed well enough to take the weight...So yea boxes get smashed but I would wager 99% of the drivers (and the pre-loaders) do care and do their best to make sure your box arrives as it was shipped. Think about how many boxes you receive in a normal month (if you are like me it is lots) and how many are damaged? In about 5 years I have had product leak, thus soaking the box, but other than the leaking fo, everything else was ok.....I had a box of fabric that looked like an accordian but fabric was fine! So 2 boxes (for me) in 5 years.....pretty good odds I think! We really do put alot of blame on our delivery people - I think for the most part they all (USPS, UPS, FedEx) all do a great job. And one should not wait until the last minute to order supplies they need immediately - always figure that something can (and frequently does) go wrong! And most hubs (if not all) use conveyor type belts to sort and load packages! Sure people load those belts and toss the boxes on, but that is not like tossing them into the back of the truck.

And I truly understand that - especially when it was your 1st order and you weren't sure what to expect. But, I will say it again, her fo's are in the top 10% of fo's, imo and they are worth the wait or lack of cs. Next time you order (if you do) you may get your order in just a couple of days (I have had that happen lots of times). I also recommend you sign up for her group - lots of great hints on mixing fo's, sales, etc. Mostly soapers but I have noticed an increased number of chandlers. BTW - where are you in Oregon?

Smacky you said Charm packs should mean that all pieces you get in that pack should be of a different fabric, no duplicates - didn't go look at your link but as a quilter I have to disagree with your definitions - fat quarters and charms are different - as was said, charms are usually 5" squares and the fat quarters are 18x22's. The difference is size - It really doesn't have anything to do with the patterns or it being a bunch of different patterns. So if a pattern calls for fat quarters, don't buy charms! You will end up seriously short! There are many, many patterns out there for either fat quarters or charms. Most QS will sell individual fat quarters but I have never seen charms sold seperately. But more importantly - what are you making with fq - a quilt or....?

I absolutely love OT - but................. If you are looking for fast shipping it might be better to find another supplier. I find her fo is good enough that I am willing to 'suck it up' and deal with slow shipping and on occasion, cs that I find lacking. She works out of her home so I can imagine that is why she doesn't allow pick up although I have heard of her meeting folks in town to pick up. Not sure why she wouldn't allow you that option But, as I said, her fo is outstanding so I just plan a bit and have been ordering for 5 years from her. It is worth it!

Another really nice (Moda, Northcott, Miller etc) and inexpensive on-line fabric shop is www.thousandsofbolts.com Excellent cs and their prices are usually 1/2 of my LQS....And they actually do sell lots of fabric by the bolt if someone needs large quantity...(15+ yards)

Fabric Depot (in Oregon) has some awesome quilting fabrics and a large selection of every other kind of fabric, lots of notions, etc. I have been ordering from them for a while and always happy with fabric and cs! And they have high quality fabric - not the wallmart stuff! Plus, all fabric is 30% off. And they frequently have sales where they offer 40% off! web addy is www.fabricdepot.com Debbie

have to agree with the above bunch....I tried many different wicks when I first began using 223 - always went back to zinc.....good luck with your testing!

JMO but I wouldn't pay to test a product - the cost of the product (for you to make) and shipping can just be written off (as was said earlier). You are asking people to help you and they are taking the risk (especially with body products) by testing your products on their skin.... Are you sending small sample size products to your testers? Cost of product and shipping shouldn't be too very expensive. Another way to get feedback on your product is to join in on swaps. That way you get to try other products and get feedback on yours. My 2 cents worth.......

I am very surprised that you cannot get castor oil in Little Rock! I can get it at WalMart here (small town). Are you asking for castor oil to make soap with? Perhaps that is your problem....they probably aren't sure what you are talking about but regular castor oil is used as a laxative so just look in that area.....Nothing special about it....just regular castor oil. BTW - nice recipe Carrie.....

As I read your post I wondered if perhaps someone was asking about ingredients to a B&B product as opposed to candle? Might be checking for ingredients which may cause allergies? Or perhaps the person is vegan and prefers 100% soy or???? You didn't say the question was so specific as to be wanting to know 'how to make a candle'....or? I may be off base here but imo it is just a question and you have the right to answer or not but I am not so sure I understand why you are offended??

I purchased several fo's from them and couldn't get a good throw with any of them - I use 70/30 but prior to that J223 and couldn't get a good throw with either wax. In addition, the bottles I received were dirty and dusty and yellowed....looked like they had been sitting on the shelf for quite some time. I would definitely say spend a couple more dollars and get some better quality fo's. JMO Debbie

Make sure you bring an extra bag for the special stuff we may choose to 'share' with you! lmao