Crafty1_AJ

If you have orders over $100, Square will let you keep a bit more of your hard-earned cash. For orders under $100, PayPal Here is the winner. At exactly $100, they work out to be the same. (This is all assuming that you are tapping, dipping, or swiping -- not entering the cc info manually.)

Looks like a rustic pour that was then grubbied and maybe even overpoured, then scraped. ?? Or perhaps candle paint was also involved. Definitely looks like a multi-step dealio!

Yup, I just did a show and roughly 2/3 of my sales were Square payments. I should start offering a discount for paying cash. LOL

Today, it's double batches of OMH and Creamy Shea Butter Soap, both of which I hate making. LOL Fast movers are not my cup of tea. The f.o. I use in my shea soap accelerates, but I can't switch. I also hate working with milk in soap, but I suppose I'll survive. Then I hope to squeeze in a couple of unscented test batches...experimenting with color.

You can opt for wax embeds in candles. Wax chunks -- I've done those. They are cute and don't pose a fire hazard.

That's great. I love it when that happens. I will get a slew of orders for the SAME scent/candle and eventually trace it to a blog post or favorable review somewhere. It's great. Ride the wave for as long as you can! Actually I have had a recent spike in orders for one particular candle, and I still haven't traced the source of the positive review yet. But I'm thankful for having to pour and ship this one more often than normal. GO man, go!

CD wicks are a good choice for soy wax, so you made a good decision there! Just bump up that size in your next tester.

A CD-2 looks to be too small for that size jar. You'll want to try again with a much larger size wick. What is the diameter of the jar? You'll want to choose wick sizes according to the diameter of the jar. CD-2, for example, is designed for a 1/2" to 1" diameter jar. That's not to say every 1/2" to 1" diameter candle will burn well with that wick size...but it's a starting point for your testing. Here is a CD wick chart to help you get started. CD-2 Extra Small - .5 - 1" CD-3 Small - 1.5 - 2" CD-4 Small - 1.5 - 2" CD-5 Small - 2" CD-6 Small - 2 - 2.25" CD-7 Small - 2.25 - 2.5" CD-8 Medium - 2.5 - 3" CD-10 Medium - 3 - 3.5" CD-12 Large - 3.5" CD-14 Large - 3.5 - 4" CD-16 Large - 4" CD-18 Extra Large - 4 - 4.5" CD-20 Extra Large - 4.5" CD-22 Extra Large - 4.5 - 5"

Today I'm pouring a couple of cases of candles for a local customer. She lights up one of my candles every day -- gotta love her. May her tribe increase. Sometimes, bless her heart, she pays for her case in one's. Yes, ALL one dollar bills. So off to the workshop I go. Pouring Orange Vanilla, Berry Almond, Clove, Spice Market, and Pumpkin Creme Brulee for starters. Whatcha pouring at your place? Inspire us!

I recently got back into soapmaking mode. I don't like making soap in Missouri's hot and humid summers, because heat and humidity are not very friendly to my curing soap! I tend to make most of my soap during the drier fall / winter months. We recently got cooler weather, so here we go! Just cut batches of Grandma's Old Fashioned (unscented), F&M, Close Shave Soap, and Winter Landscape, a woodsy blend I make every fall. F&M d's to brown, so I put a light gold mica swirl in that one, because hey - you can't have frankincense and myrrh without the gold, right? Winter Landscape is light blue with white swirls. Close Shave is scented with essential oils, and I don't color that one. It comes out a nice soft yellow on its own. Now to wash my mold liners and start up again. I think I'll make Almond Biscotti and Jasmine, because I always have customers at my December show who request those. Maybe some Peppercorn, which smells awesome even though it does A. And definitely a mint blend, because OBVIOUSLY, mint soap just makes you feel cleaner. LOL Whatcha making at your place?

Oh, sweet, thanks for posting. I'm almost due to renew my membership!

Yes, four months is pretty speedy, IMO. It's difficult to give a precise timeline that fits all though, because some people dabble now and then, while others research their brains out and then dive in headlong, full throttle, with maximum intensity. (I'm in the latter category. ) Some people are quick learners, some are detailed perfectionists, etc. Lots of variables. But it just takes time to see how candles will perform under varying conditions, and over time. I poured my first candles when I was a teenager, but didn't start selling until much later. I quit making candles for a while, then resumed as an adult when my kids were old enough to ask me if I would teach them how to make them. But before selling, I did a LOT of research/homework and a LOT of testing; keep in mind I'm a "go big or go home" kinda person, so I was pretty intense and determined and focused. I'd estimate it was about one year of intense research and testing until I sold paraffin jar candles. I started with just a few basic scents that I felt I had under my belt, and added a few now and then along the way. Now when I decided to try soy candles...bigger learning curve. That takes longer to master, and I use the phrase "master" loosely, because as TT says, it's kind of a moving target. So the type of wax can be a variable in when you are ready to sell, too. My goal was to be in the black in a year, but I did not quite hit that goal. I made back my seed money, however, in a little over a year, then started seeing profits after that. To be honest? I'm still learning. There isn't a year that goes by where I am not figuring new things out, tweaking, adjusting, adapting, refining. You're never really finished learning.

I don't think the volume difference is terribly noticeable. I weigh my candles as I am pouring them to make sure they all have a minimum weight.

Amen and amen!

I second everything TT says. Think bigger wicks. I also use braided wick in my beeswax candles. And yes, you are LUCKY that beeswax is inexpensive. Not so here. I have also successfully made a few beeswax votives just for personal use.

I sell a lot more clams locally than online. That being said, I don't really list my individual wax melts by scent so they can be easily found in searches. If online customers order them, fine. But my online sales focus is definitely candles, not wax melts or soaps or lip balms. Most of my sales in those latter categories are local.

OK, @iansmommaya, after reading your post, I am forced to admit that I use the word "decor" very loosely. My scheme is no scheme. If I like it, I have it. If I don't like it, it's not here. Wait...I know! Let's call my style "eclectic," because that sounds way cooler than "random" or "totally haphazard." An acquaintance once remarked that the more intelligent her friends were, the worse they were at decorating. By that measuring stick, my IQ must be on par with Einstein's.

Then to play devil's advocate, there are those who want neutral colors (no dye) because it seems more natural, or because uncolored fits in with their decor better. If I have a candle that doesn't fit in with my decor, I just burn it inside a pretty crock that does match my home!

I agree with @TallTayl on pouring soy and soy blends as cool as possible. I have not worked specifically with C-3, but I've worked with lots of different soy waxes over the years, and I've found that pouring as cool as possible always works best for me. Smoother tops, no sinkholes, etc. Keep an eye on ambient temps in your work area as well. My workshop varies by as much as 10 degrees summer to winter, and this definitely has an impact on the cooling candles. You may hit the sweet spot in warm weather, only to find that you need to tweak in wintertime conditions. You can always opt for top-off (2nd) pours or heat gunning the tops, but I try to avoid those because in my book, there just aren't enough hours in the day to dink around with these. LOL Soy is not always easy to work with, but once you figure it out, you'll have the satisfaction of knowing you've done your best work. Conquer that beast! Stick with it! *insert cheerleader emoji here*

This is what I do also.

Small flat-rate boxes and #4 boxes from USPS are free. They are priority shipping so they arrive quickly, with free tracking, and they are sturdy enough to protect clams and candles. I recycle packing materials like a boss.

I took a poll of candle customers, giving them three options. I asked if they preferred colored, uncolored, or had no preference. The vast majority said they preferred colored or had no preference. Those who wanted uncolored were in the minority. That being said, I don't sell tins - I use glass jars. I often get remarks at shows that people love my colorful display of candles. Personally, I'm drawn to color. It's an important factor for me.

This.

I also think it looks like Glass Glow.

This. True sandalwood oil is a delicate fragrance by nature. I've found that straight sandalwood fo's are fairly soft in the scent-throw department. I've tried many. Now if they are blended with something else, it's a different story. Peak's sandalwood, for example, is pretty good, but it smells like dill weed to my nose. Yes, I said dill weed. Or pickles. Take your pick.