Rockin

Does anybody have information on where we can find wholesale manufacturers that make the end caps that that go on the top/bottom of pillar candles? These are end caps that have the hole (s) in them and allow the scent to come thru. The supplier that we used no longer has them available and we are in need to order sooner than later.

Thanks in advance

Rockin

Well I sure wish I could make it this year. Unfortunately and sadly I will miss this year due to work commitments. Really had a great time last year and it was nice to meet all those lovely ladies that Scented has become friends with.

I know we are trying to work out the logistics for Scented to go and she will keep you posted when that becomes available.

Rockin

Last fall I did a craft show and had the mayor of the community come in to my booth. He also happened to be my barber that I have gone to for close to 25 - 30 years. Is wife was just down the aisle and was shopping at another booth. Anyway he was checking out our candles and saw both Monkey Farts & Butt Naked fragrances . His first words were "are you kidding me" I looked at him and with-out missing a beat said "Nope these are top of the line smells" He sniffed and agreed those were best he had ever smelled. Long story short he bought a bunch of candles and gave as presents to his nephews and nieces. Now ever time I go in to get a hair cut he will tell all the customers in the barbershop how we have good smelling candles.

It's all in perspective and how you handle the customer. Some days it like a breath of fresh air and some days it....well nothing like a good ol "who cut the cheese moment"

Rockin

Well ya'll be nice now or I won't sing if they have karoke. Well OK I might just a little. So I need to find a swap item eh? This could be interesting.

Rockin

Just booked our room. Scented and I will be arriving sometime Friday. I know she is getting excited. Looking forward to a great weekend.

Rockin

Always looking for something in the coming year to do and I think that's going to finally be something we should have been making ... wickless!

Oh Lordy. What Julie meant to say was Rob....you need to find additional space in the booth cause you ain't busy enough.

Yes we did watch our P's & Q's this year but the previous year or 2 we bought some things in bulk and anticipated that they would move and for the most part they have. So that is a good thing and as always we appreciate surviving another year.

Now comes the fun part....Paperwork...Yee haw...

Rockin

Leather, apple, hay and oats (maybe oatmeal, milk and honey if there's not a straight oat out there.)

I just thought it was odd that you have to send your kids to "spy on the competition".

When I was finishing up getting the booth ready I saw them come in late setting up their booth. I just happen to see what they were bringing in and thought to myself 'OK so they might happen to have a item that is similar to what we sell" Within 5 minutes the craft organizer came over to an apologized saying that he didn't know that they were selling similar items. Apparently they "kinda left off what they were selling" and I told the organizer ain't NO be deal. We will deal with it. He also said because we had been coming to the same show for years WE would always have first preference and best location for our booth. I told him I appreciated that. Several other vendors also came over and were concerned as well since a lot of us do many of the same shows. So we tend to look out for each other.

However within 10 minutes of them setting up "here come the kids". I was talking to another vendor and saw them come in to my booth and I immediately turned to them and said" OH I see that you come to spy on my booth" The oldest one left and the little one just kept right on looking. Pretty crass if you ask me.

Anyway they walked by about 3 or 4 times during the night then the hubby walked by a couple of times as well. You know if you have be concerned about what other "competitors" are selling then apparently you do not have any confidence in your product or you don't know the market. What is even more sad is there is another candle booth right beside them that deals in gel candles so I am kinda curious how they are gonna to make their clams. Guess I will have to send out the underground troops to gather intelligence.

It is one thing to check out the competition but if you are going to do so just be up front about it and not send the kids. After all most of us vendors weren't born yesterday and this ain't our first bicycle ride.

Hope everyone has a great and profitable weekend.

Happy Memorial Day

Rockin

Do it. We do the spring shows to get our product lines and our company name out in the mind of the general public. We have found this will help promote the shows that you do in the fall. Even if it is only 2 or 3 spring shows...the more they see you ....the better odds you have of that one customer walking in and purchasing your product. Just remember...promotion...

promotion...promotion....smile...smile....smile....talk...talk...talk....and don't be afraid to fail....success is built by falling down and getting back up again even if it means more than once. Good luck

Rockin

Only other thing I can tell you is to make sure if you do this that your embed is still warm when you form it on the wall. Mine may have been a little too cool so I had to paint some wax on the front of it and then press. My first layer covered it with a lot of tilting. The thing with pressing something to the wall is to make sure it's all against the wall. I had a few that weren't so I had to fill in some of the holes/dents where the embed didn't cooperate.

Creative language??? Do I need to ask?? No wait I have a good mental picture of what you might be saying. Those are just absolutely beautiful. Again your talent just simply puts me in awe.

Rockin

Just like riding a bike. I think they are cool looking and can't wait to get em out on the circuit. I wonder what your next encore will be. :highfive:

Rockin

Blobs, swirls, marbles or whatever I wouldn't throw a bar of that out with the bath water, it looks so summery & feminine.

Can't wait to see it cut.

Sally.

That is what I say. You judge from the inside out. I can't wait to see it cut and on the shelve "saying I am beautiful...hear me roar...

Rockin

I would love to have a display made where it looks like mini bowling alleys, backwards lol. The front would have a hole where an individual bomb would sit in the open for people to feel and sniff and the "lanes" with bumpers up, could hold the bags up in a standing position. Sounds funny I know but I think it could work lol!

Angi

Interesting idea. Great minds do think alike. I love to sell our bath bombs but I know scented hates it when our balls get squeezed. At our last show I had a couple of customers buy our squeezed ones. Trying to figure out what I could called them. Friend of mind is currently working on a box for us to hold apprx 10 each with 10 rows across with the box divided in 2 so that I can have 20 different fragrances. The box will also be padded so our balls will be cushioned. Hopefully it will be done in the next few weeks and I can try it out.

Rockin

I've had on the corner of my desk for the last 6-8 weeks, a custom mold from Jeff and today I FINALLY got to put soap in it. You know that the only thing I'm going to put into a slab mold is salt bars or acid trip soap so here is some soap.

This is the best quality mold I think I've ever owned hands down and I can't wait to unmold it later.

I'll post cut photos after you guys harass me, because you know I can never remember to do it on my own. :embarasse

Thanks Jeff, your mold is da BOMB baby!

Well it was about time girl....Every since we got one of these molds...well I can't get scented to quit maiking...LOL

Awesome swirls

Rockin

Blaming soapbuddy for the shame in these with the pressure to show cuts ... but the last pix isn't her fault. It's just the result of, well, not paying attention.

From that pretty green to this sludge color -- chirimoya de azucar (will be interested to see how it performs with a vanilla stabilizer me thinks.)

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Silk haiku cut

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Finally took pixs of the Breathless I soaped 6 weeks or so ago. Some of the sparkle kept. Yea!

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What not to do to a bath bomb when you aren't really paying attention, but then just happen to look when they're all done. Scented orange poppy. Not as orange as I'd like, but think we'll just put these in an x-rated section as it is.

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And just think.....I hand my hands on this pair too. Now that they all packaged I wonder how I will be able to use my marketing skills on this. Lions Tigers and Bxxbs...Oh MY.

To stay in the soap.

Scented Patchouli Honey. It moves a little bit, but if two people were working it would have been a breeze and I could have mixed all 4 colors together instead one at a time between stirring soap.

Colored with electric kiwi (pray it doesn't go green lol), tangerine pop, bronze and 24K gold.

I think I like the full log view best. Sure wish it would stay in this look when it cured. Wet soaps are so pretty.

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Little bit of a close up.

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Hint, Hint....meaning if rockin had been around this past weekend to help it would have made life easier. :whistle:

What we're working on is getting me trained enough (eeeks) to weigh and enter all oils that arrive so at the end of the year I don't get lectured and inventory goes much more smoothly and we aren't rebuilding scenarios, such as an oil leaking when it was incoming. I've got a very long excel breakdown on my inventory. This year we're leaving the good smelling stuff till last ... I am regretting not being a little more disciplined in this area. In the meantime, I've accumulated enough bottle weights (but not for all my suppliers) that it helps out.

What you cleared out is still countable for 2007.

Yep I confess I do lecture on this issue. I would have to say that Scented has learned pretty quick. We will get thru finishing our inventory "hopefully" this weekend. Now the fun part begins. Doing that dreaded paperwork.

So I guess it is my turn to be lectured.

Uncle Sam must be fed and doesn't like missing any meals.

You weren't slathered One touch and it was like OMG I don't want to swim in the stuff.

It does smell really good

Told you about Euphoria A gal at work smelled it and wouldn't let it go. I think it's definitely a hot one. Must see how Rockin reacts to it.

I think I really need to get out to the malls more often lol!

Here I skipped on the Irish Spring for a second order, but I think I completed my list of intrigue.

Well OK After being slathered all over with this fragrance I must say it does linger. Nice very nice

Yep use the risers. Just remember to take them when you set up. I forgot to take our risers friday night setting up. Had to make a second trip just to get them and I still didn't get back in time. Had to set up this morning and somehow I got it done in less than 2 hrs. I was so embarrassed. The worst part about it was they were sitting right in plain site when I was loading. Go figure. :embarasse

Nothing personal against MB but for some reason or another when they came to the local show in my home town a month ago somehow they got moved from main street to the back lot in the main sunlight......if that didn't piss em off I bet this did. Not getting a table for their booth either. Oh wait a second......they felt they were entitled to a table for their booth when it was clearly stated that none was offered. The nerve. I just can't understand why they packed up early and left. Hmmmmmmmm

Oh by the way it was such a joy to be on the craft show committee and help on the placement of booths. All the other hand made chandlers got fairly decent spots.

No love lost here for MB. I don't see much of them at juried craft shows....I do see them once in a while where shows are open to everybody. Watch out I hear they are making soap. Wonder what BS they will use.

JMHO

So let's hope this is the only downer of the show season.

I told my husband tonight "Is it horrible for me to say I cannot wait for Christmas to be over?" Or at least maybe 12/23.

You and me both. I am not a great shopper for my family when comes to Christmas. I normally start on the 24th. That is what happens when you belong to the procrastinators club. I am still waiting for summer to get here.

Well Well Well. What a humbling experience over the weekend at our first indoor show since August. After 3 straight weekends of outdoor "RECORD SETTING SHOWS" we get brought back down to earth. We have done this show for several years and I figured we got a handle on things. Yep I sure do. Soooooooooo go figure. Crowd was way down. Newbies running the show for the first time. We are in the back with No draw, No concessions, No holiday music, we did about half from previous years. That was the down side.

Now the good side, I had several repeat customers, yep rockin's "chick club" on the prowl again. Had one repeat say that she absolutely loves our candles and only burns them when she has friends or relatives over. She said she can burn any ole candle but wanted to show off ours when she had company over. I just smiled and laughed and said thank-you. I now know what it means to be special. Had another came in and was so excited to tell me about our products and how it was "working" for her. Cool.

8 shows or so left "hell who's countin" and a couple of candle parties as well and then we are down for the year. Thought I would come up for a breath of fresh air and giv ya all an update.

Ok I have taken a big breath and going in again. Talk in a month or so.

Rockin

Well thanks babe. But, this is a team effort here. You are the creative one on this team and I just do the little things "like craft shows"

Yes there are times when I wish you could enjoy the smiles that we put on our customer's faces. Many times when they ask I tell em and they are most appreciative to learn, that while you and I have different roles, we do this as a team.

That is most exciting part about all of this. We do this together. Hand in Hand. Good and bad. You and I.

:awww:

A few years back, my dad made me a set of wooden risers, with hidden hinges and a pin thing that pulls out of them from the back so that they collapse. I didn't ask for all that, but I'm glad he and his engineer twin brother thought of it, because lemme tell ya, lugging those things around in my little bitty car would be a huge pain in the behind. Wouldn't have enough room for candles!!! Find somebody you know who does woodworking, and ask if they can make you something. My dad has been a woodworker for 30 years, but he had never made something like that. After he did it, he made a big set of collapsible wooden steps, almost like a miniature deck, for him and my mom's camper. It's super cute!!! He said he was inspired by my risers.

Cool. Now that is a inspiration.

I have a good friend that used to own a furniture/ hardware store. I will ask him if he would be able to do something like that. He made us a stand up shelf that I use indoors to hold our soap and other items. Works really well. Now I just need a trailer to haul it and then we could use it full time.

The 3 step and 2 step risers I do like and they do come in handy. When we ordered them the last time we received 5 per box and I believe they were around $19.95