EmpressC

Hmmm...interesting. I never even spoke to any real person at Primera. I just read through the literature they sent me and it clearly stated that the labels for each printer were not interchangeable. I am always leary of salespeople as many will say and promise anything to make a sale. Gotta always get it in writing though, especially for a purchase as expensive as this! Anyhoo, to answer the original question, I get my labels from Barcode Bonanza http://www.barcodebonanza.com/products/lx400-bar-code-printers.jsp. The label prices are consistent with what's on the Primera site, except the color cartridge is cheaper AND shipping is free! Can't beat that!

Coolwater -- top seller in men's scents for me Baby Powder -- nice and strong yet not nauseating French Vanilla -- deliciously buttery scent!

Thanx for the update. I'm thinking about using aloe vera juice for that portion, instead of water. Might not be worth the extra effort though, I don't know.

Soap and let soap!!! :rolleyes2 8-gran-ones, these instructions helped me on my first batch: http://www.candlesupply.com/how2pumpkincp/Instruction%20Sheet.pdf

I just soaped this recipe. It feels absolutely WONDERFUL. However, it turned out VERY soft, so I'll have to see how it cures. A couple of newbie problems I encountered: The GM was scorched and turned orange. However, it didn't smell funny so I assume it was still ok. The silk fiber did not dissolve. The GM never got hot enough. I ended up adding the salt and sugar to the goat milk & lye and not to the pre-frozen goat's milk (per instructions), so I am not sure it worked and I believe that's why my soap is so soft.Oh well, I'll try it again and try to avoid my problems next time by adding the lye a LOT more slowly. As for the silk, I will probably try to dissolve that in a minimal amount of lye water, then add that to the goat's milk. Overall, I LOVE the feel of this soap and with a bit of practice I can tell it will be a keeper for me. :highfive: Off to go soap!

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the way that Tolu looks! May I ask, did you use TD to get it so white?

I think this is true of a lot of us. It is a labor of love and when you truly love what you're doing, that will be the impetus that propels you to make a quality product!

Yep, well said Robin.

Salli, as someone else said, only YOU know when you are ready to sell. If you've tested, had others test, properly preserved those products that need it, researched and understand the ingredients you're using and can speak informatively about your products, have all your legal ducks in a row, then be confident that you are ready! Just because it didn't take you 10 years and $10,000 does not mean you're not ready. Perhaps there is a fine line between being ready or not, but no one can or has really drawn that line for someone else. Is a year enough time? 6 months? And how much time on a daily basis should be devoted??? Come on! There is enough information on this board alone, not to mention the entire internet, where people can get a lot of good information to grow leaps and bounds in a short amount of time. Besides, I would venture to guess that many experienced soapers refine and tweak their recipes a lot anyway, so why can't a relatively new person do the same as they gain more knowledge? Sheesh! :rolleyes2

You might get more responses if you posted this under the Fragrance section. Anyway, Peak's is great.

Yep, they are expensive but they are excellent quality!

Not sure what the mold actually looks like, but with my soaps I just got into the habit of sticking them in the freezer for 15 minutes. They pop right out no matter what the mold! They will sweat, but I just leave them be until it evaporates (usually in a couple hours to a day). HTH. ETA: I see Scent Cellar beat me to the punch!

I got mine from buy.com. They had the best rate at the time.

I have the Canon A540 and LOVE IT! I am a complete idiot when it comes to cameras. The BF picked it out for me...A530 and A540, I decided on the A540. It really is fool proof and has a lot of features, including a "movie" feature! I used it to take some pics of my neice who was running for Miss Wisconsin Teen. The photos came out very professional looking and they are what got her accepted (now she's grown bored and doesn't even want to do the pageant, but I digress... :rolleyes2 ). For me this camera is a great choice for photographing candles and B&B. I simply CANNOT take a bad shot! If you do choose it, be sure to purchase another memory card because the one it comes with is only 16MB. I bought a 1GB card and it's more than enough!

Hmmm... Sherl, by your calculation, if 5000 people attend my upcoming event I can (theoretically, of course) expect 500 people (10%) to purchase from me. Yielding an average sales of $10,000 (500 * $20)??? That seems a bit high. Are these really what kind of numbers you're seeing? If so, you must have one heck of a display!

Hmmm, I started making soaps the beginning of this year and I can't say that I'd go back to commercial soaps either. After a couple of months, I did try to use a bar of Dove (which was my fave soap also). I was so un-enthused. I didn't care for the smell or the feel anymore. And I used to think it was SO moisturizing!! LOL!

For Coolwater, you gotta try Cajun's version. It is great in B&B and candles, top seller (in men's scents) for me. Nice and strong! I've tried NG's and Solas' as well, but I find Cajun's to be the closest to the original, although the others certainly aren't bad either. Solas Drakkar is quite nice too.

Thanx for the additional input. I never thought about the fact that I'll be getting exposure whether I get sales or not. If I can walk away with wholesale possibilities, that'd be great. But since this is my first time, I'll just be content to use this as a learning experience. Everything else is just gravy!

Try using a cream shampoo followed by a cream rinse conditioner. Neutrogena makes one that is nice. It contains olive and sweet almond oils.

Thanx for the tips!!!

Hi all, I'll be doing my first craft fair next month. It's a 2-day event, and expected attendance is 5,000 - 10,000. I'm just wondering if you experienced ones know how much I can safely expect to sell? I am aware that the number could very well be $0 (I sure hope not, though), but I am sure that many still have a certain amount they expect to sell. Is there a certain percentage you guys look at? Or does everyone just wing it? Is a good goal/expectation to just break even or break the bank? TIA.

I have the Egyptian Musk. It is a dead on dupe but it is WAY too light...disappointingly so. So I will never purchase it again, or any other FO from there, for that matter.

Cyclo sprays and glycerin soaps sell best for me!

WSP...but their FOs are rather expensive.

Yep, Lindsay's lotion is da bomb! I like BCN's too. Don't like any of WSP's.