Donita

very cute......aren't you proud of yourself?

Very nice lit up....

If they are burning correctly, I burn to the end.....the last three I started testing were all made with different formulas....they are burning the same????? I am also burning them as if I don't know how to burn candles, you know, the way many people do.....I love it when I TRY to wreck a candle and it still burns fine. Now for today.....I am going to burn some that I am expecting won't burn properly because I goofed and tried to correct...so I will have to burn to the end. I re melted about 20 pounds of wax and added some additives to hopefully correct the problem....but one never knows...so I poured it into large containers to cool and will only remelt and use if the 3 test candles burn ok. I have bought candles from well known candle companies, (very well known) and they don't burn properly.....I don't understand how they stay in business and I don't mean Yankee....an expensive "natural" candle company.

Come on Ducky......"what is periwinkle".....it a very hot color for fashion LOL.....my sister just bought several things at Old Navy and Learner's in periwinkle......it is a light blue with a hint of lavender. It makes a very pretty candle too......maybe I'll make periwinkle today....as I haven't decided what I am going to work on.....my girlfriend cancelled on me to go to Farmer's Market so I will just make candles today for something different.....hee hee hee....I did some rustic layers yesterday.....I am going to unmold them and see if they are rustic layers.....it sometimes is a huge surprise. I went to Old Virginia Candle Company's site and picked out the three layer lavenders...or lilacs...or VIOLET....there's another one of "those" colors out there too. hee hee hee....If they look like I hope....I will post one....Maybe I'll do a chunkie periwinkle. I can make at least three times as many chunkies in a day as layers.....but ya know....we girls just want to have fun. Donita ps...have a good weekend.

Love the colors.....makes me want autum to arrive and cool off.

They are juicy red...yum.... I haven't tried love spell yet.....sounds good.

Those look great. How many have you made to get this good? I tried once and gave up.....I guess I should try again. Love what you did.

I'll have a glass of merlot.

I used to die fabric for victorian lampshades....I kept a box of color paint chips for people to pick out.....I made a shade for a lady that I dyed peach to mach the handpainting on her lamp.....when she came in to get it she was so disapointed....she said that I had made it Fuchia........she obviously saw colors different that I did......I recenlty did candles for a wedding and the planner asked for creamy white and I told her this story....she asked if I should send her a sample. I took a chance and said NO.......she and the bride were happy when they came and picked up the LARGE order....Whew!!!!!!!!! You just never know. I think lilac is a light shade......but if I want to make it darker.....there is no rule.....I just think that lilac looks a little more blue than lavendar....it is more red.....darker or lighter doesn't matter....good luck! I hate custom orders. Donita

Hee hee hee

That looks very cool.....I just don't have the nerve to try them....your is so nice.

Good idea....must try a short one....duh! Your setting looks so fab.

pretty pretty pretty

Asian inspired scents work well with those colors. Ylang Ylang, Ginger...even Patchouli is one that I do in every color......

After reading the posts for color sugestions I made a bunch of these candles yesterday. They are scented Storm Watch and Rain so I am going to call them Stormy Sea......I did the light sage as suggested by FragileXmom and the blue green idea came from Best2BAmerica. I just did it sage and added a little blue. I think that the rustic look goes with a "water theme"...My hands smell real good right now....I just leveled all of them. Donita

I don't even want to tell anyone how I did this....really stupid....it's not nice to mess with the COLOR WHEEL.....duh.....I looked at the picture and it makes the candle look better....I actually made a square one too....it's not even a pretty army green....but my sister will love it.....I have a shelf just for her...at night when she is sipping her wine....a candle is a candle and they are free...hee hee hee.....now let's see some more of your "not-so-pretty-candles". Fess up. Donita

I would buy them if I still had my store....They are darling.

Oh sure....any chance I get to show off I do....ever since I was a little girl....drove everyone crazy.....http://donitahoyer.com/

This thread is getting so much attention.....do you see how excited we get when someone new wants to learn.....lot's of people won't let out their "trade secrets", but most of us here, the ones who are active, are willing to help. We all keep learning from eachother......Since joining this board, I have tried many new things and things that I had forgotten. This is so much fun. You will make friends. I am sorry that you didn't see the old board....everything you needed and then some was right on the front page. Alan is working on getting this site better and you will be amazed. I mean amazed. Everyone here is so talented. I made an experiment candle this week and it is the ugliest candle I have ever seen....well not THE ugliest, but pretty darn close. So don't feel bad if you have a "mistake"....usually, someone you know will be happy to get it as a gift and burn it at night so the ugly isn't so visable hee hee hee.....I am going to start a thread of posting our ugly candles. We usually don't do that, however some have...it is very funny. I do think that mine will win the contest.....I am going to the photo booth and snap a pic now......get ready.....here I go.......

That is soooooooooooo cute. Maybe the deer wouldn't eat those...They wreck my real ones....LOL.....Donita

My new favorite colors (from 1967)......I have pink and orange wedgie flip flops from Old Navy....every one stares at them....I also have an orange purse...Love pink and orange together....Very pretty candle. Donita

They look great....love the labels....I am sure she will be very happy. How nice of you. Donita

Fresh baking pizza.

Welcome to the board. We here are a little crazy. Making candles on the scale that we do is because we love to do it. I still (after more than 10 years) still get excited to get up in the morning and run over to the studio to unmold a new candle and see what it looks like. This eventually will save you money, but when you buy ready made candles you have a lot to choose from. When you make your own, it will take a really long time to learn how to make them all. Buy a Peaks starter kit. Follow the directions to the letter and you should have good results. Write down what you did. Date it....I promise you that it will come in handy...I look at my old 3 x 5 cards and laugh.....I have changed my formulas sooooooooooooo many times.....it is an ongoing experiment....oh, and BTW....did anyone tell you that weather makes a difference????? I still love to play with wax....it is a fun medium and if your candle doesn't look the way you want it....remelt and start over......if they are just for you right now you will love anything that your two little hands created. I do. As far as the cost.....I have given a lot of money to Barnes and Noble......I have so many candle, soap and how to paint books that I could open a used book store. Those books aren't cheap. I taught candlemaking in my store. I had the entire basement for a work studio space. My daughter helped me and we had so much fun. My first customer was 6 years old......Her mother came with her and signed a permission slip....then she came back again with her father and they bought a kit from me and she made Christmas presents for all of their relatives. I still have that signed slip on my refrigerator in the studio. So.....if she could learn to do it....so can you.....her candles were actually very nice....they were chunkies. I did that on purpose because I let the kids pour very cool and place cut out embeds of their choice with whatever color chunks they wanted. That is a good place to start. With chunks. The molds don't leak because the wax is so cool by the time it hits the wick hole. Being that we poured them cool.....it was only about 20 minutes in a water bath and they were ready to unmold and be on their way. If you don't want to spend a lot of money on books....do what I do....sit on the floor at Barnes and Noble and read....I kick off my high heels and make myself comfy and meet all kinds of nice people. Good luck..... Donita

I met a man who wanted me to help him learn to make candles...he bugged me every day and so did his mother....needless to say, after many patient hours of trying to help they are no longer in my life LOL.......what I found he was doing, was making candles with any kind of wax he could find....including paraffin that you use to put on top of jelly....the kind from safeway.....he just thought that wax was wax. His candles were pretty ugly but I know that he sold some at craft shows....wonder what happend there? My ex husband (who has since lost his marbles, I mean really) was trying to make jar candles. He kept calling me to find out how to do it.....he was just pouring wax into any size jar and the wicks kept falling over.....his wife made him make them outside on the grill because she was afraid he would burn the house down. He was trying to make candles to cover up the cigarette smoke that she hated (four packs a day)....they are since divorced and he probably doesn't even remember being married to her or making candles........there are some scarey "candlemakers" out there. A pretty jar does not a candle make......if you have read this far, you must be really bored and don't have a life LOL....Have a good day, Donita