LizF

Okay, it was kinda late last night and I was playing around with some FOs for a room spray. I had some Orchard FO and Cranberry Sweet FO that I didn't care for by themselves and didn't know what to do with. So I mixed them with some Tangerine, Pink Grapefruit and Coconut Lime Verbena. Actually came up with something that smelled pretty darn good. Light and fruity but not overly-citrus or too sweet. The dilemma was what to call it until my son tried it and said that it smelled just like Starburst candy and he was right! It smells just like Starburst. Who knew?

Oatmeal & Honey soap is my most requested with Shea Butter coming in second.

Check out the Malibu tottles at WSP. You have to purchase the lids separately. Very reasonably priced IMO. http://www.wholesalesuppliesplus.com/StoreGroup.aspx?GroupID=303&GroupName=Bottles

Terrific advice - I knew you all would come through for me! Thanks so much.

Hello everyone. Wondering if it is okay to heat up (in microwave) a commercial lotion base just to thin it a bit so it goes into tubes/bottles more easily. Specifically, I am concerned about any potential impact on the effectiveness of the preservative that is already in it. Of course, if they may be other problems caused by this, please share! Appreciate any advice you may have... Liz

Take a look at Hobby Lobby if there's one near you. They have some that are way less than $20 and the one's I've purchased work fine. Good Luck.

I rather enjoyed Lonestar's Coconut Creme Pie... that's the only one I've tried so far.

Cierra Candles has "Almond Extract" and that is EXACTLY what it smells like - very potent. I use it only for mixing with other scents, though. Liz

I will try that... thanks Candle Man! Liz

Looking for a good base that is easy to use --- something where you can just add color and FO and bottle up. Any suggestions? I've tried two so far and haven't been thrilled. Tried Brambleberry's liquid soap base and while the consistency was wonderful, it had a "plastic" smell to it that I just didn't care for. Wasn't what I would call offensive or anything, but even the FO I added couldn't mask it. (Don't get me wrong, I love Brambleberry's products & service, it's just that this particular one wasn't a favorite.) Also tried Snowdrift Farm's One-Soap base, you're supposed to be able to make everything with it (shower gel, liquid soap, bubble bath). It was okay but you have to add your own saline solution (dendritic salt/distilled water) to thicken/thin it, and that's just an extra step I prefer not to have to do. I did make some bubble bath with it and it bubbles like crazy, but I've noticed that some of the coloring separates out in a layer on the bottom after is sits a while. Thanks in advance!

Yesterday I made a small batch of votives and just could not get all of the FO to mix in. No matter how longed I stirred, there was still a little bit of FO lurking around in the bottom of my pot. I said the heck with it and went ahead and poured them anyway since they are just going to be for my own use/testing. As of today they do not appear to be leaking any FO, but it bothers me because I know it wasn't all mixed in when I poured. Used: 16 oz straight paraffin (135 MP), 1-1/2 tsp U.A., 1 oz Peak's Wild Berry Musk FO. Wax was at about 180-185 when FO was added. Wondering if maybe more U.A. would have made a difference? Or was this just too much of this particular FO for a pound of wax? I usually don't have issues with my paraffin votives using the same % of FO and even a lesser amount of U.A. Not the end of the world, but it's bugging me.

Same thing happened to me a couple of months ago. Never had to do a second pour with this wax before, then it happened. I had poured several candles on a Saturday only to find the next day that every last one of them had a sink hole around the wick! Much more than a heat gun could fix. I still don't know how that happened -- I didn't do anything differently when pouring them, it wasn't a new batch of wax --- it's a mystery. All I know is that it hasn't happened since then (knock on wood).

This guy at work keeps asking if I can make a "diesel fuel" scented candle...

Like: Citrus Splash Spiced Cranberry Cinnamon Surprise Vanilla Extract Sissie's Sugar Cookies Green Tea Blend (I like to mix this with a Pineapple FO and call it Herbal Island) Didn't care for: Country Sunshine (got this one as a free sniffie)

Another vote for Bittercreek.

When I decided to try my hand a lotions, I purchased a lotion kit from Brambleberry. The kit came with everything except FO and dye. The directions were simple and my very first batch turned out great! It can be rather time consuming to make by the time you sterilize everything and get your work area set up. I will still make lotion from scratch but there are really good pre-made lotion bases out there too that all you have to do is add your FO and dye and bottle it up. Good luck! www.Brambleberry.com

Citrus Splash FO from Bittercreek is very nice.

Hello everyone. Just wondering if there is a general rule of thumb to consider when deciding which wick to use for an FO? Specifically, what I'm wanting to know is do you need to consider wicking up with the more dense FO's --- AND --- wick down for the less dense FO's? (Using the word dense properly I hope) I recently made a single container using IGI 4630 wax with about 10% load of Creme Brulee FO in an 8 oz square mason. Now don't ask me why, but I decided to try an HTP-1212 wick which ended up burning beautifully. (I'll confess that at the time I did not put a tremendous amount of thought into the wick selection.) Reflecting back on this it would seem that this wick should've been way too big for this jar regardless of the wax or FO used. I know there are lots of other factors to consider when considering wicks, but just how much does the density of the FO play into it? Thanks in advance for your advice.

I just received a sampler pack of the LX wicks from Lonestar Candle Supply today. Haven't tried them yet. I've used Lonestar's wicks for a while now... only had one come loose from the tab.

OVC has been featured on QVC many, many times and it seems like they almost always sell out - especially around the holidays. If you've watched enough QVC (like me) they often sell out of just about everything no matter what it is. BTW, I've purchased lots of stuff from QVC over the years and have no complaints about their service or the quality of their products. I have not however purchased any OVC candles from them. No particular reason why - I just haven't. I enjoy reading the threads and this is my first post to the message boards! I've learned so much from all the candle pros out there!