smart tart

And I do it opposite - I pour the wax - wait for a couple of minutes for the wax to set a bit, then stick in the wick - wick settles to the bottom very nicely

lol - WalMart hasn't had a chance to take over San Diego as it has in the rest of the country! But never fear, june you just run up to Murphy Canyon or to National City and the regular walmart has the same stuff as the super walmart (sans the groceries)....And you can usually find about the same stuff at Target. WHile I was in San Diego I used to dream about being able to go to the 'big walmart' - huh .... be careful what you wish for - I would give anything for a target or k-mart....lol I have learned to hate walmart! There is also a place, I'm thinking it was in Spring Valley, that has lots of soap making supplies - oils, etc....she also had a few nice fo's - Can't remember the name of the company but if you google you will find it. There are lots of places to find lye also.... Have fun making your first batch of soap!!

Sometimes (not always, but usually) you get what you pay for....with that being said, Peaks has very good fo's.... I have been mostly happy with Natures Garden...Day Star has some awesome fo's I have heard some great reviews for Solas (not tried them yet but they are next).... Guess the bottom line is you should just order sample packs, put them in wax and see what YOU think.

Many years ago, I recall asking the very same question and Vickie (I think) responded the exact same way - one of those 'memorable moments' that one doesn't forget....lol We all do it!

Where are you in Louisiana? Might just come by and visit if I am in your neck of the woods! Love to see shops.....so nice to see when folks get their own store, etc! Debbie

And what happens when you take the candles into different temperatures? Outside, in an air conditioned store, in a warm house? I would think you are gonna see the spots.....And if you don't, then you are one of a very few that don't get wet spots. They are no big deal......most of us just ignore them.

wet spots just happen....maybe not today or tomorrow but any change in temp or sometimes for no apparent reason they do happen. Maybe do a search on wet spots and you will find lots of opinions.......??! Just a question but did you not notice the wet spots before you began selling? You should not have to pull them from the shelves as there is nothing wrong with them - Go around to shops that carry other candles and you will see the 'wet spots' are very common....

Izzy - if they are for your personal use, sure sometimes I just pour into a dixie cup (they will probably be too soft for a tart mold) and tear the cup away right before I put in my tart burner.....burns quicker since it is softer.... But if you are going to sell or give away, I would add some pillar wax...for selling or giving away, I use 75% pillar wax to 25% container..... Debbie

After some thought about this, the worst that can happen would be that you are unhappy with the candle.....I say go for it! All you can do is try!

I can't put my hands on my recipe right now but these are some of the ingredients I use in doggie soap - run it thru the soap calc just like any other soap....Oils (coconut, palm, castor, safflower), Vegetable Glycerine, Oatmeal, Aloe Vera, Shea Butter, Honey, Vitamin E Oil, Peppermint Essential Oil, Tea Tree Essential Oil I use a real cute bone mold and a square doggie paw mold..... There are recipes available - try googling dog soap recipes - can't remember where I got my recipe but I remember tweaking it a bit to suit me....

I have been making soap for a couple of years now and I have always used lard - never thought of it as a 'last resort' as it makes a beautiful bar of soap! If you have never tried it, I suggest that you do .... you may be pleasantly surprised.

last time I checked Carolina Candle Supply had it www.carolinacandlesupplies.com/wax.asp#AstorLite%20J223

wait till you smell them in wax and BnB products!

Just like other fo's - sometimes they work, sometimes they don't - If you want a 'taste' of the cherry mist, drop me a pm and I will be happy to share a bit.....

I use GL 70/30 wax.....I will give you that This Old House has a killer throw! Not so sure I like it but it does throw!! The Cinnamon Bread Pudding is killer! One of my favorites! I was slightly disappointed oob, but once it spent a week in wax and was burned, wow!! (Again, OOB reviews are worthless!) Victoria is nice, kinda light but very nice, black vanilla was not what I thought - could hardly smell anything! Warm Orange Gingerbread was just ok (imo but it has gotten great reviews from others) - but the Spicy Apples and Peaches were awesome! Endless Sea was another I really liked! I would just suggest that you not form an opinion until you burn....since this is the 1st time for me where oob was disappointing but burning was the bomb! Debbie

And I am absolutely delighted with AH Cherry Mist (Chermark) - find it has an amazing cold throw with the best hot throw! I use this to make cherry pies and you can smell them through the plastic packaging and burning - yummmm! I use zinc wicks in my pies.....

It might help us make recommendations if you posted your base recipe.... Debbie

I respectfully disagree with Mindy - you can perfect several scents before Christmas if you have the time to work on them.....I would choose a starter kit and several (max 2-4) fragrances.....Although I like tarts, if you really want to do candles and are willing to spend some time on them, I believe you can easily do so. Michaels (or any other craft store) supplies suck - especially their fragrances - plain and simple! IMO!! And, they are very expensive. I do agree with Mindy that Natures Garden would be a good starting point - order a starter kit, if you know what jars you will be using, do some research and figure out what type of wicks you want to use, buy a sample pack of wicks and a couple sample size fragrances. Test to figure out what size wicks you need with each your fragrances (different fragrances require different size wicks sometimes), then order a larger quantity of wicks, wax, and fragrances. You really will need to spend some time figuring out what constitutes a good burn (sounds like perhaps you have a start on that with the Michaels stuff), and makes a safe candle - reading back posts here on CT should give you lots of good information. Have fun and ask questions if there is something you don't understand.

If you aren't happy with the throw you are getting, it might just be the fo.... Perhaps instead of doubling the amount you are using, try looking at different fragrances.... But now on to your question....I personally don't think it is gonna be the wax - I understand there might have been some problem a little bit ago but Brenda mentioned that was resolved. You probably will need to wick up with the increased fo load. What did Brenda tell you her opinion was? Just curious..... Debbie

I haven't used the Bonsai from SW but the Bonsai from Oregon Trails is outstanding!! I cp'd it about 2 months ago and the scent is still very true - and strong!!

I really like it - have only cp'd it - and it is very light (soft) scented.....so if you are looking for a nose hair burner, this definitely (imo) is not it.....but again, although it is light, I do like it! Confusing huh? lol If I was using it in a candle, I would say NO, but in b&b, good! I am sure it would be awesome in lotion or bath salts, want to do some bubble bars with it..... Used 1 oz ppo..... Debbie

I like to let them cool down also - containers I may burn 3 times a day, pillars just a couple....

I can't edit my posts so I will add to the one comment I posted above: I looked at the dripped pillars and find them just as cute as can be.....I can see why they are your favorites! What a clever idea! With the tri candle, I would imagine if you burned all 3 at once, they would burn inward and create a shell which would keep the wax from spilling out - and then once extinguished you would hug each shell individually. Too cute!

I haven't tried them but they are cute - love the ice cream scoops - but the pitting on all her candles are bad and oh so noticeable! Pomegranate cinnamon sounds great! Bet that combination of scents is delightful....

go to Cajun candles - they have an awesome tutorial on red,white, and blue candles - one of the 1st ones I made - didn't realize it was supposed to be difficult lol I was too new! Admittedly, they were kind of ugly but at the time I thought they looked good and they sure smelled good! Have fun!