beck180

I once had a nasty mess with pink dye, on a white countertop to boot. Used some of my liquid dishwasher detergent that contains bleach let it sit for a couple of minutes and it worked like a charm. Not a spot remained!

Aroma Haven is excellent, one of my top 10 FO suppliers! Can't go wrong with them, great products!

Planning is everything. I really wish I would have been a little more careful when ordering supplies, I've spent good money on things I never ended up using or some things i wanted differently. I'm sure you know how that can get, especially when you have a new inspiration. Every dollar wasted could have gone to something that could have helped me reach my true goal. So... I'm really trying to think more before I spend.

Try emailing Yankee Candle and ask them for their recipe, there's no difference just because we don't rake in 9 billion a year!

I'm finding that the glossy white labels on my jars don't look so pretty when lit up at night, kind of look like plain paper. Should I be using something different, maybe foil? What works best for what?

I hope this post didn't offend anyone, It wasn't intended to. sorry ~

Yeah i hadn't noticed that. They would probably want more money to let go of the rights to the scent. Oh well too bad for them.

I think this could really get me into doing my first Pillars. Awesome job!!!

Some of these you would really have to be very very imaginative! There are some funny ones! :rolleyes2 i used to know another for these, hmm....

I know I hate that too! Maybe with an email?

Here's another link, maybe just for soap though? http://www.soapandthings.com/c-43-feng-shui-scents.aspx Iv'e ordered from here and they are great! Service and Product!

I did notice that ther web site says copyright 2005. Anyone order here before? Shot them an email, guess we will see.

Here's a link for Adult Fragrances, http://www.floridaincense.com/x-oil-ADULT-fun-aromas.html some of them are a bit outlandish but some of them sound neat. Anyone ever order here? They have a big list of fragrances and I like how they let you cut them for different requirments or needs. http://www.floridaincense.com/

If you were in a pinch for something highly original, or one of a kind, maybe this would be feasible on a limited basis.

This is cool place for Custom Designed Fragrances! A bit pricey though. I could have fun with this if i could afford it! http://royalaromatics.com/fragrance_creation.asp

What is the best supplier of unique, original, or rare fragrances? Are there any that really stand out?

Just a funny observation. I have seen from time to time that some of us get wrapped a little too tight with all of this business stuff, be it candles or whatever. Let's not lose sight of why we are here in the first place. We have all come here because we have a love for candlemaking or soap etc... Just don't forget, If it's not fun anymore than you should take a break for a while. It can be healthy to actually concentrate on something else all together and get back to it at a different time, with a renewed sense of determination and inspiration. I know with myself It's easy to get so serious about some things that i take all of the fun and enjoyment out of creating what i set out to do. The funny thing about crafts and most creations is the people who are greatest at it have the most fun and success in there endeavors, and it all just comes natural to them. Sometimes we can put up our own road blocks by being to hard on ourselves or pushing too much and trying too hard. I really feel candlemaking is an art form just as any other... if you force it, you will struggle, and if you have fun with it, it will really show in your finished product. I wish we had more candlemaking magazines to read in those down times! like maybe CANDLETECH MONTHLY, how cool would that be? Just a thought...

I think most people just get comfortable with something framiliar. When they come out with updates they change some small things here or there and add or remove others. It's not a huge difference but just enough to annoy those who don't like changes. I have Photoshop CS but I still use the 7.0 more only because It feels more natural to me. I use the CS to do text on a path or shape cause it's easier, I'm sure theres many more new features but the 7.0 still does more than enough for me. Good luck with whatever you choose!

I use Photoshop 7.0 and I love it! There is a bit of a learning curve but it is well worth it. Photoshop is the industry standard in image editing and graphic design, so you could never go wrong with that! Both are very good programs that are more useful for somethings than others. Photoshop may be a little harder to get the hang of, but there is almost nothing it cannot do. There are a million forums and tutorials online to get you going and keep you inspired. Many of them will teach you the tricks from start to finish! I'm on to learning Adobe Illustrator now and thats a whole other ball of WAX! (pun intended! )

I think this site is great, and I have some experience in web design. There is always a tweaking process before your site becomes what you really want it to be and as for the writing just like any other you will always revise and revise again untill you are happy with the finished result. I like to use thesaurus.com and make a huge list of great words and adjectives to describe your products and services, make it fun and original, shoot from the hip and have fun with it. People will really appreciate it If your site is different than all the others. Don't follow along with what others do too much, pave your own road. It is also crucial to make sure your terminology is nearly perfect, It will be hard for people to trust that you make a great candle if you don't know the proper lingo...ya know? Let me say I have seen alot worse from so called professionals, so you are on the right track with this, it looks professional, well layed out, the colors are good and it is easy to navigate. My suggestion would be to move those products up on top and lose some of the text. You always want to see the products right away without scrolling, other than that just keep it up, your really close to having a great site! Congrats!

How do you determine to double wick containers or not? I understand the melt pool issue, but i would be afraid the containers would get too hot, especially glass! I know Gold Canyon uses this method, but most of the big names do not.. so what gives?

Hello all...It's been a while I have been so busy with the family lately. I just spent the last two hours reading alot of the recent postings on here trying to catch up on what's goin on. Nice to see all the great new stuff in the gallery, keep up the good work! I came out of hiding because I have a concern about a few people who were talking about refilling jars. I have been steadily perfecting my candles for 3 yrs. now and one of my biggest goals is to also make my candle as safe as i possibly can. I actually thought about offering a refill kit with my candles at one time and when I did a bit of research on this topic I quickly changed my mind. Here are a few of many things I found on this subject. From: candletech.com http://www.candletech.com/forums/showthread.php?t=19061&highlight=refill From: Indiana Candle Supplies / Snowtop Candle Supplies - Message Board refilling jars... NO NO NO!!! I have been reading some of your posts (try to do it as often as I can, you all have wonderful advice), however I just noticed that some of you mention that you are REFILLING JARS FOR CUSTOMERS!!!!!!!! I can name quite a few reasons NOT to do that, but here is just one... This didn't happen to me (I refuse to refill), a lawyer was telling someone I know (and trust) reasons why you should NEVER, NEVER, NEVER refill candle jars. The candle company owner was refilling jars for his customers, always being sure to check for problems with the jars first. One of his customers had a jar refilled, took it home and it EXPLODED and sliced her 2 year old daugher's eye open. He lost his business, and he had NO ONE TO BLAME BUT HIMSELF! If you sell a once filled candle, you can trace that jar back to the company you bought it from... it's not on you! However, if you REFILL jars, the jar company is out of the loop, and now it's on your head! Even with all of his careful checking, he missed a hairline fracture. Not trying to scare anyone... but I thought that you might be cautious of what can happen. All of us work so hard at what we do, and all it takes is one time to lose everything. From: yankeecandle.com Q: Can I refill my jar candle when it is empty? Do you recycle the empty jars? A: Because glass weakens as it accumulates bumps and scratches from use, we do not recommend refilling our jars for re-use as a candle. However, they make terrific holders for all kinds of things around your home: buttons, nails, cotton balls, potpourri, seashells ... whatever small collections you may want to display. Additionally, most local recycling agencies will accept empty Yankee Candle jars with other glass jars. I'm not a Yankee fan, but I think this is good advice to use them for decorative purposes only, I thought Candle Sand would be cool! Better to be safe than sorry!

I am wondering if there is anyway we can put together a list of the best suppliers around. I know this may be a tall task, but it is so hard sometimes to figure out who to buy what from and at the best price...There are so many out there it is a bit overwhelming sometimes. Maybe we could even do a poll or something, like there have been in the past. doesn't have to be too scientific, just to help us newbies figure out where to go for what supplies, and save some time scouring the net for hours on end. Best FO Supplier? Best All Around Supplier? Best Customer Service? Etc......

Just a friendly word of advice when using Paypal, I have a friend that does a ton of business online, in the six figure range...and he told me that Paypal can just up and block you for no reason at all, and give no explanation at all, just like Ebay does. On top of that, all funds in the account are frozen indefinately no matter how large the amount! This is very scary, as he had this problem and it went on for three months and all he got was an automated response from them untill he reached the higher ups, which is never easy. I would suggest we all work toward the day when we can all be totally self sufficient and operate our own shopping cart and check out. This way you are in control of your destiny and it all costs around $10 mo. for web hosting and a few bucks more for a payment gateway, without the extra fees. Be Safe! Be Smart!

Anyone know how to label those tins?