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Brenda (OH)

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Posts posted by Brenda (OH)

    scratch off stickers at kangaroo blue

    in Business Side of Things

    Posted

    Everyone has some great ideas for these scratch off cards. :highfive:

    Just curious if anyone is putting a number on their cards or some means of tracking to see how many you get back? I guess I over think to many things but if you have various %'s off and free products you would be able to see what the customer base is actually interested in as far as freebies when the cards are returned. Also. was curious as to expiration dates?

    catalog parties

    in Business Side of Things

    Posted

    I have done brochure parties since beginning my business in 2002. These are my bread and butter :D . What I do is put together a folder like I used in school. I include brochures, order forms, pictures of all my products with prices. I print the picture/price sheets on card stock. I include a 6x9 envelope for the host/hostess to keep track of the money collected. They get a set of smelly samples that I pour into little solo cups with lids for their customers to smell. The host/hostess decides how long they want to keep the party open (1-2 weeks typical). At the time the party opens we decide on the date to close. I call a day or two before closing to confirm everything. On the closing date I collect all the money and tell them a date for delivery. Usually this is 1-2 weeks depending on the $$$ amount of the orders collected. I pour and make everything up and individually package all the orders with the people's name on the bags for easy delivery on my end and theirs.

    I also include in the package a sheet for additional party bookings with my candle party incentive flyers. If they get party bookings then I contact the individuals before delivering the orders to confirm their agreement. The host/hostess gets a coupon for a free 8 oz candle that they can use when the new party bookings open. As far as incentives for the host/hostess I give a free 16 oz to sales over $150.00 and 10% regardless what their sales are.

    These work great for me since I have always poured according to order. This saves on my raw inventory since I offer over 60 scents and alot of different products. Once the candle parties get going they will branch out. I travel a radius of 40 miles at times to open and close parties in person. Online parties are not that popular for me but I do offer online orders from my website for the host/hostess' convenience.

    Sorry so long but thought I would let everyone know these do work very well for me :yay:

    PS - All my brochures, order forms, ect have been formatted in MS Word with my logo, business name, website, email addy, etc.

    Many Blessings ~ Brenda

    HELP - Quick ? About ws_ftp

    in Business Side of Things

    Posted

    I am switching computers and used the ws_ftple for my website connection. When I downloaded it on my old computer it was free. I can't seem to locate the free program now. Has it changed? I found a free evaluation period with a $34.95 program cost after 30 days. Am I missing something or is the program no longer available for free?

    I am getting buggy eyed looking . . .

    Soy Pro Testing Results & Pics

    in Vegetable Wax & Beeswax Candle Making

    Posted

    Poured my tester on Monday - didn't get to it over the weekend. I didn't have near the beautiful outcome as SouthernGal. I heated the wax to 160*, used 8% of Mac Apple and colored with red liquid dye. Poured 8.5 oz into a wide mouth pint canning jar at 110*. It only filled the jar 3/4 full. I had cracks in the surface that I had to heat with the heat gun 3 times to take care of the problem. Today I have some frost evident on the bottom of the jar. Cold throw is awesome. I will wait until atleast tomorrow to test hot throw.

    Protecting Labels

    in Business Side of Things

    Posted

    Thanks for the replies! I have some of the Acrylic spray from the craft department at Walmart but it is Matte. I will give that a try. I also have a clear spray paint but it isn't the Krylon, it's just normal spray paint. I kinda want a glossy appearance rather than matte so I'll have to get some of the Krylon in the semi-gloss. Thanks again ~ Brenda

    Soy Pro Testing Results & Pics

    in Vegetable Wax & Beeswax Candle Making

    Posted

    Keep in mind I'm no expert. Am new and I use a presto pot, I don't have a fancy candle machine but here is what I did.....

    1. I heated the wax to 180*

    2. I added f/o @ 170*

    3. Stirred alot & also added color

    4. Stirred some more then when temp. dropped to 100*, then poured

    5. I then put them in a box to cool slowly 'cause my home stays very cool.

    I used the only wicks I have. What type of wicks did you get, what type of containers are you using and f/o? That would help on which wick and size. I can't wait to hear your results.:highfive:

    I typically use zinc wicks for my current wax but Melissa said zinc would not work well. So they sent me a couple 51-32-18P, HTP 52, 83 & 93's and stabilo 14 (not sure if this is a CD, never heard of stabilo) to test with. I have some LX and may try those too. I use the wide mouth pint and half pint jars, square mason and the 12 oz metro. I will test in the half pint wide mouth first. I am hoping to pour a bit hotter with good results. I am not very patient :D

    Soy Pro Testing Results & Pics

    in Vegetable Wax & Beeswax Candle Making

    Posted

    I got my sample yesterday and am putting it in my pot today. :yay: Thank you Melissa !!!

    SouthernGal - what temp did you pour at? The range on the directions are quite wide. Angela poured at 115* - did you pour that cool? Also, what wicks are you gonna try first? Melissa was so nice as to add some with my wax but not sure which to start with.

    I'll keep you all posted on my results.:highfive:

    Brenda

    That's service!

    in Vegetable Wax & Beeswax Candle Making

    Posted

    Has anybody tried their FO's yet I was curious about a scent or two I haven't seen elsewhere.

    I use alot of SS fragrance oils - and they perform awesome! I don't use 100% soy but rather a soy blend. I know they only test in soy. The ones I carry in my line from them are:

    Banana Nut Bread

    Coconut Lime Verbena

    Drakkar

    Sweet Chestnuts

    Fresh Waterfall Mist

    Winter Hug

    Vanilla Lace

    I was at their shop a couple of weeks ago and picked up a few more samples to test. OOB these are great just haven't gotten them into wax yet:

    Pink Sugar

    Mango and Papaya

    Honeysuckle

    White Lilac

    You can't go wrong with Beth's service or products. Awesome to say the least!

    Keeping notes

    in General Candle Making Discussions

    Posted

    I use ruled index cards. One for each kind of candle. I note date I poured, supplier of scent(s) I blended, wick size, burn times, how long it takes to get a FMP, etc. Then I file them in a recipe binder with plastic sleeves that are the same size as the cards. Very handy!

    I do the same as AJ - WORKS GREAT !!!:D I used to use a notebook using the date method but I couldn't find some of my scents quick enough so I switched over to the index cards. It made life much easier for me.

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