smart tart

Have you tried doing a search? There are literally hundreds of threads on this particular topic. Also, you might get some information if you go down to the fragrance category and read threads from there. If you would be more specific as to how you will use the fo - ie wax, soy, bnb, etc you may get better advice. After doing a search, you will be reading for days.....get your credit card out

WOW - really starting the watermelon this early? You can do any scent at any time - just don't wear white shoes or carry a white bag before easter or after labor day! OK all joking aside - you can pour whatever you want whenever you want. If it sells - great, if not oh well! :tiptoe: It is like colors - no color is right or wrong....it is just whatever you want for your market. You are limited only by your imagination.

I might have been able to, however, since it was my 1st pour with it, I used 1 oz pp.....I don't think I would use less however, cause I loooooooooooooooove it just like it is....going to order a pound just for me and I promise it will never leave this house....(unless Bunny wants some ) After that pound is gone, I am sure I will have fallen in love with another fragrance!

Had ordered a couple of sample packs from Day Star from her 'Premium' line...was really thinking they were too pricey for me (and I don't like the different 'grades' :undecided ) HOWEVER.......the vanille abricot is to die for!! Poured J223, zinc wick in a 10 oz apothecary jar.....Cold throw was outstanding....I cured overnight and within 10 minutes of lighting the hot throw was stupendous (looking for better than outstanding...lol) and within 30 minutes it was filling 2 rooms. My next to burn is the vanille banane (type).....cold throw on this one is also outstanding! I don't even (usually) like vanilla but this vanille abricot is truly the best fo I have smelled - I think ever! (And I am a fo ho!) I have alot of her fo's (from her regular line) and they are good in candles and BnB - love her cranberry banana jam in soap - but vanille abricot is my MOST favorite - not just from Day Star but from all! Can ya tell I like this fo??

Hi Jennifer, Welcome to CT and to your newest addiction!! Alot of us use a Presto Pot (available everywhere but Wall Mart has them)...That may be a good place for you to start (instead of spending lots of $$ for a wax melter). Some people have put spigots on theirs but I just use a ladle to dip my wax out (I also do Not put scent/color in presto pot but instead in my pouring pot). Depending upon the type of wax you are using, but the general rule of thumb is one ounce fragrance oil to one pound of wax. There is alot of information here on this board....hope you will find it useful. Please feel free to ask your questions and someone will help! Welcome Debbie

I just got some samples of leather and leather and lace from Greenfield and also Day Star - poured them in containers, J223 wax, 51 z wicks and the person I did them for said he 'thought he had gone to heaven' - he said they were all awesome....I hated them all.... All I could smell was the saddles out in the barn....But I guess if you like leather :tiptoe:

I do pillars and find I get a good throw - both hot and cold....but like everyone has said, the better the fragrances you are using, the better the throw and alot depends upon the wax you are using. Peaks has some awesome fragrances, as do a lot of other on-line companies and for the price you are paying at Michaels or Hobby Lobby you will find lots of great products on-line. Try buying a 'sampler' pack so you can try them and then decide on larger quantities. I also have to disagree about using a wire whisk to incorporate the fragrance into the wax....you will be introducing lots (too much) air into the wax....just stir (I have always used a wooden spoon) for about a minute or two before you get ready to pour to incorporate your fragrance into the wax. Some fragrances are 'heavier' or harder to incorporate than others but if you stir long enough it will happen. (you will know if you have NOT stirred enough by the oil at the bottom of your pour pot!) Good luck and welcome! Debbie

Carman If you can solve the million dollar question about wet spots, patent it!

Maybe you ought to just tell them you are not quite ready to wholesale. Perhaps suggest you be able to contact them back in a month or two after you have had an opportunity to really research the whole idea and get something put together....?:undecided Things that get put together without ample time (and under the 'influence') might not be what you really want when given ample time to 'think it through'? I hate it when I am rushed as things never seem to be what I really want! Best of luck in whatever you decide to do!

yep embrace your wet spots They will appear out of nowhere...or so it seems! Different days will give you different spots.....lol When I 1st began I wondered what all this talk about wet spots were....my containers didn't have any....nope not much...lol the day after I poured I would just gaze in amazement...where did they come from....

never used anything but tea lite wicks....haven't had one that didn't work yet........

I have used 223 for a couple of years and always use the zinc wicks....when I initially began I tried many different types but went back to the zincs...I am not sure of the mouth size of the 9 oz hex, but perhaps a container with a larger mouth might throw better for you? Might also depend upon the fragrance you are using...could just be a light one? :undecided There might be more variables than just the wicks and/or the wax....That's what makes the testing process so, hmmmm, interesting?! Have fun!

When I was on the west coast I ordered all my wax from him.....great customer service ..never had any issues. And he had some great sales. I used to wonder if he and Alan (Peaks) weren't partners or had some business relationship?? Some of his oils were just like Peaks....but then some of them I just couldn't get to throw at all.....OH well sorry to see he is going out of business....there are so few suppliers on the west coast. Debbie

Stone Stew is awesome....love her potpourri and it is so pretty and smells great! Her coffee is also awesome - not sure how she came up with the combination of coffee and potpourri but I order some of each.....The Turtle Sundae is to die for......(now where is that drool emoticon??) Her prices seem really good for the 'stuff' in the potpourri. I love the way it looks - she uses some nice ingredients....I don't know how it sells at craft shows, etc but I always see people with the big bins where you just get your own cupful (or whatever).....but imo I have never seen them as nice as what she offers. Debbie

Love OT fo's.....she tests all her for's extensively for cp (she is never sure how they throw in candles but an expert in cp!) I don't think there is one I have been unhappy with.....that being said, some of my favorites are Chai Tea (wow!!) Wildberry Musk Spiced Plum Sunkissed Currents (in cp to die for!!) Kauai Ginger Blossom Spicey Pear Razzberry I could go on and on.....Actually I can say I was a bit unhappy with Brown Sugar - I think I killed the scent on that one....but I probably have 35 of her scents, soaped most of them and have been very pleased! I love her descriptions and notes about what to expect from the fo.... Debbie

dirt for b&b? yuck! jmo

yea you do.....Presto Pots are almost a necessity! Just like a heat gun and fragrances....lol I have 4 on my counters and 1 under the table (for just in case )

hmmmm....always get my order from the sage rather quickly....order one day, receive within the week! Guess I am somewhat in the middle but don't think a week is long to wait.....jmo

I have been using old wax for a while (at least 2 years) in my fireplace. I also save paper towels that have been used to clean out pour pots (so they are full of wax), etc to start fires. I use cup cake papers and fill up with left overs of wax or freeze and then break up old pillar candles to use....I also have my chimmney cleaned once a year. I find the wax to be the easiest way to get a good fire going and have noticed/found no problem with using it. Amazing how there can be so many differing opinions but, for me, the wax (and paper towels) has worked great...no problems! Lord - never thought I would find a use for all those paper towels I was using.... Maybe there is a market for used papertowels? Didn't someone on here sell their wax scraps? Wonder if I should patent the idea? lol Debbie

I would tell your friend just to jump in with both feet and try the cp....it really is easier and not as scary as you might think....although by the time you buy all the stuff for the m&p, you will get bitten hard by the cp bug and you will have to start all over again....that is what happened to my friend So, save some money and go for it! Read Robin's tutorial - for weeks before I actually did cp soap I read and re-read that tutorial till I was ready ... then I was lucky and a very special soap friend - yes mam Bunny that is you - invited me to her house and she made a batch with me watching - when her house didn't explode and she didn't go blind in front of my eyes I knew I could do it! lol Debbie

Jeez wish I had the answer - your soap is absolutely beautiful!! lol Can I copy the answer right above me?? Debbie

I love OT fo's.....And I especially like that all of them are developed for cp soap - and she tries them, reviews them well so pretty much you know what to expect! Frosted Wineberry, Mardi Gras, Sunkissed Currents, Pepperberry, Kuai Ginger Blossom, and I could go on and on! Her lip flavors are also exceptional! With all that being said, it is not wise to order if you want your order quickly....Until my last order, I always received my stuff quickly - but I have read over and over again about people waiting weeks for their stuff....My last order took over a month....there were problems with the address she had (I moved but had ordered a couple of times since I had moved), she had a bad email address for me (never mind I had emailed her several times) anyhow I did finally get my order but..... I think her fragrances are exceptional so I will write my last order off to a series of mishaps....I have a list going for another order - Green Tweed is on my list...Have read some good reviews for that! Debbie

Janis - for that log mold I usually slide my knife along the sides to make it easier to remove....took me a while to figure that one out but I unscrew both ends, slide the knife down the long side, remove that piece, slide the knife down the other side, remove and then slide my knife along the bottom and it is done....I tried lining just the sides and that works great also....and no problem because you don't have to 'fit' the lining....I don't worry about the ends cause they usually come off easy enough..... But again, I don't much like the log mold since I like the way the soap looks on the slabs....And I find if you put 3 pounds of oil in that log, it makes them too big....so I usually only use that one for 2 #'s .... Can't believe I waited 2 years to get the upland....had I known then what I know now the upland would have been my 1st purchase when I started soaping. I thought it was too pricey - but it really is worth it! It's funny how I will spend zillions on fragrances but didn't want to spend the $50 or so for the mold......go figure! Debbie

I have the log mold you originally asked about. It is a good log mold - and in reality it does not need to be lined - but if your soap is soft it takes a few muscles to get it out...But I have been using it for over 2 years and have been very happy with it. I was lucky enough to get an upland on the classifieds here and absolutely LOVE it! I really like the slab molds better than the logs but I think that is just a personal preference. I have 2 slabs and the one log and by far the best mold is the upland. My other slab is acrylic with the dividers and I like it also - don't have to cut which makes your soaps nice and even....I am cutting challenged for sure! But the liner on the upland has cut lines so it isn't too bad! Yes they are a bit pricey.....I guess if you are able to make your own that would really bring the price down. But I think the $$ is worth it if it makes it easier and gives you a good bar of soap! If you ever have a few extra dollars, buy an upland - well worth the investment (imo)! Have fun! Debbie

I use the acrylic cups for tea lights and have never 'wicked up' - if for some reason the tea light wick doesn't work after testing twice (and it has happened) I don't pour tea lights with that fragrance. And I always put a tea light on a saucer or some type of base....just in case! Sorry that happened to you Gerrie - I had read when I first began about a similar situation so I got saved that lesson (learned lots of others the hard way tho) The metal cups are ugly (imo) and I only use those to heat a tart burner....and I don't make those, I buy them at the dollar store...lol they are much too cheap to make and I don't care how they look since they are hidden anyhow! Debbie