Crafty1_AJ

Those are CRAZY cool!

So DD got the bright idea to switch up our soap packaging for our Christmas shows. This was way more tedious and time consuming than our usual "slip it into a box and slap on the label" approach. (I'll deal with HER later...lol)

LOVE it!

I'm telling you, life has been pretty tough for our family for the past few years. So this is definite cause for a happy dance. LOL Thanks again, all.

To be honest, I'd probably go dye free on my soy line if I could. Frosting would not be so evident if the candles were all white. I'd keep the paraffin candles colored. But the vast majority of my customers have told me they prefer colored or have no preference. And I've gotten lots of comments at markets and shows along the lines of, "Your display is so colorful and pretty!" or "I love your colors." etc. At shows, I don't really have to "decorate" my booth - the candles themselves are the decoration. LOL I string up a few ivy vines, set out my signs, and I'm done. ha ha So I'm sticking with colored for now. Besides, I'm just a person who is really into color and drawn by that. It's one of the reasons I also do quilting. I love putting pretty colors together to create something beautiful. i'm not very artsy, except when it comes to color. It's a big deal to me. But three cheers for those of you who don't color. More power to ya! LOL I have admired many a candle that is dye-free. Now when I do palm pillars - those absolutely MUST be colored, in my book! Really shows off the beauty of palm wax.

Thanks!

Thanks for rejoicing with me, everyone!

Waving HI!

Quite a few years. I think about 10.

Baking Bread is my best seller there by far. Locally, I can't give it away. Go figure. LOL

Lonestar Candle has 10% off sitewide. Promo code CYBERMONDAY2017 Cierra has a sale too, I believe? Also Aroma Haven's BF/Cyber Monday sale continues. ETA: Thought I'd better post a Cyber Monday thread since these deals are all spread out in different threads on the forum currently. LOL Thought it would be nice to round them up in one convenient spot!

I have been so busy with the holiday rush -- both filling orders AND placing them (lol) -- that I failed to notice this message in my Etsy shop manager until just now. Celebrating! I knew I was close and was watching a week or two ago to hit this milestone, but spaced it off until today. Ha ha "Congratulations, you've made 7000 sales! Take a moment to pat yourself on the back! You've earned it."

Lone Star has 10% off sitewide today. Cyber Monday 2017 is the promo code (smash it together, I assume!)

Their Black Friday event extends to today, Cyber Monday. Same dealio.

Thanks. I use mostly liquids, but dye chips too (rarely).

I once took a poll on this subject (within the last year). Most people said they preferred color in their candles or had no preference. A few people voted for color-less. One advantage is that uncolored don't have to match any decor colors in someone's home. Color does attract the eye and help get your product noticed at shows, markets, in shops, etc. So I would advise that if you choose colorless candles, you might want to put a splash of bright color on the label.

I hired an accountant to help me when I first started. He made sure I got all my t's crossed and i's dotted, so everything was legit. Totally worth the money to have that peace of mind.

Not candle related, but Keurig has 20% off sitewide today plus free shipping. Anytime I can get my beloved coffee and tea k-cups for 50 cents or less, I consider it a win, and am happy to enable my friends.

I use index cards. Each time I test a new scent, I note the fragrance blend, supplier(s), wick size, wax, color, and date of pour. After the cure, I write down test burns and results. If I decide the new candle is a GO, I flip the card and write down all the pertinent pouring info for my assistant and I to repeat those results. The cards are filed in an index card file alphabetically by the name we chose for the new candle.

It's funny that "old books" sells. I've seen that type of candle on Etsy. I think old books *stink.* LOL To my way of thinking, I'd just as soon buy a candle called "Road Kill Skunk."

Now other chandlers may disagree with me here. That is their American/Canadian right. LOL But I really don't stress out over carbon beads / mushrooms on my candles. Combustion happens. There is no such thing as a perfect candle, in my book, because burning conditions vary greatly among customers. I test burn in fairly controlled conditions -- wick trimmed, no draft, no extinguishing until a full melt pool is achieved, etc. And I don't get a ton of mushrooms. But sometimes customers ignore good burning tips, so they are going to get soot, major shrooms, tunneling, etc. So I go for a good scent throw and a good melt pool. You could try cutting back on the spicy scent load and see if that helps. But if your wax is 100% soy, you probably aren't going to get great HT. Spices are funky that way in the soy waxes I've tested. ETA: Especially cinnamons. And when I say I get an occasional bead, I'm not talking the size of a ping pong ball. LOL I *would* take exception to that. Mine are fairly small. Maybe you can post a pic so I can get an idea of what you mean... because personal definitions of "excessive" might vary too.

In order to ensure a slow cooling process, I sometimes cool my scented wax in a cooler. Sometimes a stronger scent will linger in the cooler and make the other stuff smell like that one --TEMPORARILY. Once everything gets out into the open air and then sealed off in their own containers, they smell like what they are supposed to smell like.

I use an excel spreadsheet.

What's your scent load?

Good to hear you guys are doing well at shows. I just wrapped a 2-day show and sales were good. Sold lots of fall and Christmas candles. In fact, I sold out of Christmas Tree in both soy and paraffin the first day. Fortunately, we had more in stock in the workshop so we just re-stocked the next day. (Which, of course, means I didn't sell ANY the second day. ROFL) Soap sales were a mixed bag, but I'm low on cured-out inventory. Have tons on the curing racks that will be ready to go for my next show though. Been making soap nearly every day and my assistant has been handling the candle & tart re-stock pours. Wax melts sold well too. Mostly fall / Christmas scents. I noticed an empty corner booth at this show, which is a show that's usually full. I requested the corner booth for next year - fingers crossed! I looooove corner booths!!