Georgia

Have to seen this? http://candlebusinesscorner.com/forms/

OK, I hope this works. Amanda went with the fall theme and I went Christmas. We would greatly appreciate feedback. We are trying new things everytime we set up. Next year we will not be sharing, but will each have our own space. http://photobucket.com/albums/a372/gamcb/Nov12BCHS/?

no rules - it is personal preference...ask 10 people, they will tell you 10 different wicks that are "best". Get some sample packs and pick the ones you think are best

Awesome! So glad you had a great weekend!

actually, that was probably it for this year. There aren't a lot of shows around here.... most are in Ohio and I'm not set up for that. Next year I will be. The huge show that charges admission is next week, but we didn't get in because they had too many candle and B&Bers already. I'll be ready for them next year, too!

oh, yeah! very professional. Dang, you're good - and your products look great, too!

I have a 9 count tealight mold. Since I never poured directly into the cups, I can't comment on the mess, but I love the fact that I can just pour into the mold quick and easy. I have found that if I let them cool (shrink) a bit out of the mold they go into the cups easier. I got my cups from BCN...I was placing an order anyway and these things are so light I could add them to the order and not affect my shipping cost.

Oh, Chris, I don't think it was really meant as a vent...goosebay even laughed LOL. You are right about respect for each other, so maybe she could just send him to the circus instead of selling him!

My hurricane mold is 6" so I burn votives in it. I know if they hold up to votives, they will hold up to tealights and I tell people they can use either. I do buff the seam and any minor scratches with pantyhose, but I think the 1260 makes a wonderfully shiny hurricane all by itself. Waterbath and time....I usually let them set in the mold for 8-12 hours and they slip right out.

I love tilted layers....soooo much easier to keep the wick pin straight than trying to keep the wick straight! And as for votives...I can't tell you how many times I got distracted and ended up with wickless votives! :rolleyes2 Wick pins all the way for me!

OMG!! That's not enough next, but that's all I can say...Your packaging ROCKS! :highfive:

Sheesh! We aren't doing well this year. There were so many good points about the show, but the big drawback was they were charging 5 bucks admission to a first year show. Customer base was pretty slim. It was at the high school, benefitting the band. There was a army of kids to unload cars! that was the highlight of my day! They carried everything in and out of the show. It was huge - 2 gyms and vendors in the hallways. Lots of variety. I made a little over 3x my booth fee. My two Amanda's didn't make booth. It was supposed to be 9-5, but A LOT of crafters packed up at 1:30. We stuck it out. I think it looks bad to walk out on a show. And if I left, I was guaranteed not to sell anything. Well, we talked to the organizer before we left and she said if we agreed to come back next year our booth would be free. I told her I would come back if they don't charge admission. There is another school in the area with a well established show that charges $8 admission and has people standing in line to get in...I'm sure she was just looking at what they did and thought it would work here, too. I learn something at every show and am willing to let her learn, too. We shall see what next year brings. We did change some things in the booth, but I have a dinosaur film camera and won't have pics till Wed. I will post and would love feedback then.

I've heard that the cost of wax and shipping will be eliminating a lot of "hobby" chandlers. It could be the going trend. I was one of 2 chandlers at this weekend's show and it was pretty big. I was surprised, too. With variety and quality, you could be a big standout!

I double the cost of retail items plus the price of my items (which is 3x my cost) So add up the price of your items, double what you spent on basket, filler, wrap and see where you stand. Your baskets are very pretty and would make a lovely gift! Don't under sell yourself!

If anybody has any insight, I would like it too. I have a scent that is positively awesome in pillars. I have made 6 oz tins, 8 oz jj, used j223, APOP, mixed APOP with soy, tried different wicks. It just doesn't work in containers.

oh, yeah, that first one is a doozy. But it's just like the first craft show. You will be fine. Your stuff is awesome! One thing Amanda and I did (and yes, we did it together - halve the stress) was told everyone it was our first show and we were pretty nervous about it. I don't know what it did for the people there, but we were a lot less nervous then. It would also be helpful if you had comment cards....lots of people will tell you what you did well. Just build on that.

I've used 1343 and 2% micro for hurricanes. It works OK. I did have one completely melt down when I had it lit on the VCR shelf of my entertainment system. I switched to 1260 hurricane wax and what a difference! It is much easier to work with. With 1343, I had to redo a lot because of bubbles or not sticking at the corners. I don't have that problem with 1260. They look so much better and are much more resistant to the heat of the votive. I highly reccommend getting wax specifically for hurricanes.

People generally will pay more knowing it is for a fundraiser. I may be low, but I go up about 10%

I use 9% on some, but you have to test. I can't use that much on warm pumpkin crush or it smokes to high heaven. But then it was so strong anyway, 9% was serious overkill.

I "built" my computer on line a dell, printed it out and went to Circuit City. Got a better computer for less. Trish, shop around. I'm sure you can find office for less than $400.

my new computer came with works, but I bought, and had installed, office for $140 at Circuit City

Interesting dilema. I think I would print out some of the labeling requirements and take it to my friend. Explain that I was concerned about any liability to him for having these products in his store and then leave it up to him to decide a course of action. I think we have a responsibility to ourselves and our craft to be the best we can be and to inform the public. One person can make hand made products look bad for everyone. Maybe the woman is not aware of the labeling requirements and you would be doing both of them (and other crafters) a service by informing.

I've had this happen with the larger HTP wicks...above 93. I just give them a crimp before setting them. I've had it happens with HTP from various suppliers. I think it's just the nature of the wick.

liquid ounces of water divided by 1.25 equals weighted ounces of wax 20/1.25=16 edited that this is for paraffin...soy is different

Be sure to fill out the survey (if they have one) at the show and state your perspective. We were pretty upset about the number of commercial vendors at the last show and we all stated that on our surveys. At the very least, they should be in a separate area. We have one coming up next weekend that is like that - the vendors will be in a different room than the crafters.