Sally

Peak have one (tropical tuberose) & its super strong too.

Sally.

Thank you Tyru, I would not know where to start creating a spreadsheet of any sort & yours has saved me so many headaches.

Sally.

For those last 3 who requested the spreadsheet , check your emails.

Sally.

Thanks for helping all these other folk out Sandra, with the time difference I only got to see these after my beauty sleep!

Sally.

Sandra I've sent it but forgot to put a subject in the header so look out for a message from sallymanderson@hotmail.com

Sally.

I have it saved on my desktop but I haven't a clue how to send it to you.

When my son gets in from school in a couple of hours I'll get him to help me.

Sally.

I'd try to adjust the curl in the wick so that it faces the higher side & will catch up over time, just take a knife or the end of a teaspoon & bend the wick over. That should do the trick.

I've done the wick twisting trick then forget which candle is the one with the twisted wick! I must remember to mark it next time.

Sally.

Film fronted bags sound good but if they are filled some time before selling, the film front will get marked by the wax.

I keep my scent samples in little self seal bags & thats what happens with them.

I have found this place

http://www.normanknights.com/bags/cellophane_bags.htm

they have a minimum order of 1000 bags per size but I don't know what their postage charges are.

I think I'll give them a call tomorrow.

HTH Sally.x

Jeez even my 4 yr old daughter knows not to touch my folders or any of my other candle stuff & that is always out seeing as I'm working from my kitchen & dining room.

It sounds like he was trying to help but that is just the kind of help you could have done without.

Tell him he is NEVER to enter your lair again without you being there to see what he's doing, failing that get yourself a little security camera so you can film him getting up to no good :rolleyes2 & then take it to your divorce lawyer...lol.

I hope he does something really wonderful for you to make up for it....like paying to get your custom blends tested so you can get your formulas back.

Sally.

the hyacinth is the best i've found.

gb415 pure soy wax

1.5oz. pp

1 day cure

will knock ya down strong. going to cut back to 1oz. pp.

I've not put that in my wax yet , to me it doesn't smell like the hyacinths growing in my garden & that's put me off.

I'll give it a go next week, it may change in the wax.

The sweet pea also doesn't smell like the flowers to me.

Has anyone got any feedback on that one yet?

However I have had fabulous results with rose, jasmine, lavender, cashmere, all can be cut back to 7% or less & still be strong.

Sally.

CareBear, I'm so glad you started this thread. I too am searching and searching for a solution to package the (gasp) single tart sale. With one of the benefits of soy wax being its renewable resource, it seems a pity to package them in wrap/bags that will go to the landfill once they reach their first destination (I can't imagine anyone reusing a bag with the scent of a yummy melt in it!) I have thought of the wax paper and the brown recyclable paper, but IMO you need to show the tart to sell it. I hope someone reading this thread has an idea for all of us!!

At craft fairs I have my individual melts (wrapped in tissue & labelled) in baskets plus a couple of naked tarts lying around for folk to look &

sniff at :rolleyes2

Sally.

(he he couldn't help myself :tiptoe: )

This is one of my biggest "issues" with my packaging for candles & melts.

Because I do sell at a few craft fairs I always have a fairly good selection ready made but I don't use shrink wrap, for ecological reasons, so at present each candle or votive is wrapped for storage in bubble wrap which can be re used at a later date. I really do need to source boxes for the candles tho as after a few outings they sometimes end up with a little knock here or there.

Melts are individually wrapped in acid free tissue paper & labelled, leaving the clamshells as the only plastic being used.

It is possible to get bio-degradable cello wrap but I haven't tracked down a U.K supplier as yet...the search continues.

What do other folk use as alternatives to plastic wrapping?

Sally.

In my dreams I have a fabulous workshop space........I'm still dreaming.

Have fun in your wonderful workshop!

Sally.

Sharon is the fig melon like a cucumber melon type scent? If you know what I mean? Is it like a spa like kind of smell? I have to honestly say, I don't know what fig smells like in a candle. I don't think I've ever smelled it.

Not Sharon here but I have Berts fig & melon waiting to test & to me it smells much more like peaks mediterranean fig than any cucumber melon scent.

It's deeper & sweeter....to me anyway.

Sally.

I love the Cucumber Cantaloupe

Blackberry Sage

Black Raspberry Vanilla

Mediterranean Fig

Tuscan Nights

I have a sample of Fudge Brownie to try (smells great as it is) but I want to mix it with some Marijuana.

I have more coming in the co-op & I only wish I could afford to get even more.

Whatever you try I'm sure you won't be disappointed.

Sally.

What wax are you using?

I've used it in my soy/para pillar blend & it works a treat.

I used it at 7% & it blended without any problem, it's super strong too so I think I will try less f.o.

Maybe you could try adding it at a slightly higher temperature than you normally do & stir extra well.

Sally.

thanks to everyone who gave support! now let's see if and when and how we can organize.

But in the meanwhile a big thank you to all of you!

Sabrina said it so nicely, but it comes from me too.

Bless you .

Sally.x

Berts Juniper Breeze which is strong & gorgeous

Christmas Past from Sensory Perfection (U.K supplier) which is one of my all time favourites, sells well at Christmas but I make some just for me all year round.

Sally.

Whichever way folk are doing it it is plain WRONG & SO BLOODY LAZY!

I find satisfaction in doing things myself & I'd be pee'd off to find my work being ripped off.

Sally.

Lovely soaps there.

The temptation to try my hand is getting soo strong I just might have to succumb.

Sally.

I have to agree with Nat on the cost of shipping over here, it is prohibitive to me as a small scale producer.

Sometimes a co-op is great as I can make some savings but all too often I find something I really like in a co-op then simply can't afford to get it shipped over at the regular supplier prices.

I want to set something in place so that this year I can get supplies more easily from U.S, another step towards my goal, so help will most certainly be wonderful.

A list of reliable enablers might be useful, say including such things as what the individual enabler is prepared to ship, frequency of shipping.

Probably some other stuff too but my heads not working too well just now so if any other ideas occur I'll add them later.

Thanks for wanting to help us it's much appreciated.

Sally.

I don't make too many candles at the same time. If you do, then this may not be a plausible idea.

What I do is keep track as I go along. When I make some candles or tarts, I subtract the wt of the oil used and write down the remaining oil on the bottle itself. Of course, this is not an exact science as oils do spill and drip...but it's a good ballpark number.

hth

Eve

I have got to get my own inventory sorted out & thought I could do it this way too.....alas I have a terrible way of losing track of all my little bits of paper with details on.

So I am going to put labels on each bottle with starting weight & keep subtracting, also transfer that information to my files.

I need to get my son to create a spreadsheet for me so I can keep track of things on the computer.

Developing good stock taking habits is a must if my business is going to stand a chance of working.

Sally.

I can appreciate brutally frank though I would NEVER take that approach myself :whistle:

It's as my DH says: "Any time you get a bunch of women together in one place there's bound to be trouble" Tread lightly! You never know when PMS may be around the corner waiting for you!

I have to dispute that little nugget of wisdom, true as it sometimes is, however some of the most ascerbic & witty comments on here come from some of the male members (past or present).

Back to the original question:

1:Started making candles when I was given a kit 16 years ago, developed from there over the years & is now a full blown addiction. Started with soy & scent about 18 months ago & love it but still so much to learn....always.

2: Sales, have always sold at craft fairs along with my other crafts & still do. Also have a couple of shops selling a few candles but not nearly enough to live on. The majority of what I do earn goes back into buying more supplies.

3: I don't earn enough to make a living at it but it is my intention to get my business (very small) up & running this year.

4: How did I know I wanted to turn it into a business....when candle making overtook all my other craft interests & became my obsession.

5:Do I enjoy it...most definately, especially when things work right & when they don't go right I hope to learn the reason why & make it right the next time....or the time after that:rolleyes2

Just remember that whenever you post on here you will get some replies to your liking & some that aren't, such is life.

Sally.

I found it prone to cracking if used on it's own but now I blend it with pw pillar wax I get great results most of the time.

I'm going to be expanding my range to include pillars with E.O's so I'll be working on improving the performance of the Ecosoya PB without the pw, & keeping lots of notes as I go.

Sally.

Beautiful candle Sabrina, I'm sure it will be well received.

Sally.