camoflauge

i also found a liquid b&b dye from Moon Glow candles that is a dark copper tone that contains mica. here's the link http://www.moonglowcandles.net/colorants.htm has anyone ever tried them? i'm in SD but haven't ordered from them cause their wax was more expensive that ordering out of state-if you can believe that. Thanks Heather

i'm looking to make some "cocoa butter" chocolate chips and coffee beans for a project. i'm just wondering where to find a good dark brown color that is safe for b&b products and hoping it has some other things i could order too-so i'm not just ordering 1 product. I've looked around and haven't found much for a dark brown color-i did find glory bee, but you have to order $30 which wouldn't be so bad if they had something else i wanted. TIA. Heather edited to add, i found some dark brown mica at brambleberry and some glittery stuff i'd like to use for lotion. do you think that would work? the choc. chips and coffee beans will be used in a scrub product and the cocoa butter "melts" in the shower.

thanks for the advice, i'm thinking of getting another sample order. wow, i've been missing out, that's for sure!!!!! glad i decided to order from Just Scents. I didn't even know about the free samples, so didn't even know you could request certain ones. i will put those oils on my list-along with a million more-it's so hard to pick just more to order.... i'd try everything if i could afford to!!! Heather

ok, sorry for "shouting" but i'm just so excited. I got my very first order from Just Scent. I had gotten carmel cinnamon latte and cranberry orange off the classifieds some time back and absolutely loved both of them. tried a few other places that had peaked my interest. nothing even came close. so, i picked 4 scents in 16 oz bottles and a 10 pk 1 oz sample set. But, to my delight there are 4 extra sample bottles. is this norm? or is this just because it's my first order? Everything i got smells great oob-can't wait to get them in wax/or b&b... Here's what i got: big ones carmel cinnamon latte-already knew i loved that one cranberry orange-already knew i loved that one too and had friends etc. that fell in love with it too. baby powder-took a leap of faith and i'm glad i did-it's a true baby powder scent. cinnamon roll with vanilla cream frosting - leap of faith also-i had cinnamon buns? i think and it was ok, but i thought this one would be better & boy was i right. ok, so these are the samples including the free ones: free-plum crazee-yum-could drink the bottle banana wafer pudding-i didn't think banana scents would smell so good, but this one does glamour gal-this one is described as "Feminine, sweet, glamorous and fabulous! This ultra chic scent will having you coming back for more! Pomegranate, hints of apple, strawberry, passion fruit and even lighter hints of musk with sweet creamy vanilla all mingle together flirting with each other to give you the GLAM in glamour Girl." and i cant wait to get this into my lotion-it screams fruity, yet sophisticated. cinnamon crunch cake-i didn't even think about ordering this one-but yummy!!! here's the ones i ordered: Twinkies-a little "light" oob, but smells awesome, im sure scent will blossom in lotion, etc. choc. chip cookie dough-had tried others but this is the truest scent ive found so far frost bite-this is a white chocolate and mint... i love that combo and could drink the bottle fabulous fudge-very true scent also, smells like when you're making xmas fudge... yum coconut milk & lavender-somewhat light oob, but am looking to see what this does in lotion as i have a cousin who loves both lavender and coconut-and it sounded interesting. pumpkin pie spice-will be testing these in soy wax and if it smells as good in candles/tarts will be purchasing the big size-i love pumpkin pie and this smells as if i had just baked one. toffee machiatto-this is like an espresso with carmel and cream... yummy!! Diva- Select cuts of oranges, pineapple, banana, passion fruit, strawberries, cranberries, with whispers of pink grapefruit, sugar crystals, a splash of lemon and lime and viola – you have a mix fit for any DIVA- i can't wait to try this in something cause omg it smells awesome oob.. carmel apple-very true scent also, makes me hungry for carmeled apples!!! and last but not least is ambra de Napal type-which is described as a rich amber fragrance with notes of cardamon and sweet, creamy Madagascar vanilla; celestial amber laced with robust cardamom and creamy, full-bodied vanilla. An invitingly voluptuous and seductive aroma. I have a relative that keeps asking for amber stuff and i just wasn't sure i'd like that kind of scent, but this one does have a seductive feeling oob. Has anyone else tried any of these in lotion or soy? i'm hoping they all smell as good in my products as they do oob-or better because let's just say i'm impressed with all of the items i ordered-and with the ones i got free. if they do that for every order they will have more of my business-i'm sometimes afraid to take a chance on ordering scents, but with the free one, i thinkk you get scents you may not have thought of trying. I definately plan on ordering more again as soon as the finances allow!!! i don't usually plug a supplier, but in this case it is well deserved!!!!! plus, their 1 oz samples are on sale for $15.95 for 10 bottles. and you can order any oils-even the expensive ones... hth anyone looking for a great fragrance oil supplier with great customer service!!! Heather

lots of awesome advice!! I do think owning your own business can be profitable-many people out there do it, but you do need to do your research. if you only sell candles and such it will be harder to get people in your store. It all depends on what kind of town you live in too. I have a friend that lives in a small town and she makes candy bouquets. well, they live at least 40 miles from us-our town is much bigger/more shopping. so, she has a little bit more of an "edge" because people are looking for unique gifts, everyone knows everyone, and people don't want to spend $3.25 per gallon to come to mobridge for a gift. in our town, we have a ton of different stores-we have a gift type store that sells yankme candles, plus has a pharmacy, craft type store, and tons of other gift ideas-figurines such as precious moments-that kind of stuff, we have another store that carries "craft type stuff" but is not stuff she's made-but other's in SD an nearby places, some is just commercial. then you have our "Alco" store which carries a variety of candles, crafts, etc. i would not even be able to compete with their prices. however, if you had clientelle that was looking for unique, handmade gifts-something special they would be more apt to walk in the door. I don't want you to get discouraged if this is something you truly want to do, but, imo, i think it would be more beneficial for now to try to get your products placed in more stores-such as beauty salons, coffee shop, etc. anywhere they will let you sell your stuff-but then again you run into the problem of keeping up with your products, where are they placed in the store, they will not be "promoted" well-especially if on consignment, what happens if something is stolen-will their insurance cover it or are you just out. This is something i would love to do, but for all the reasons listed on this post-i just can't/won't. plus, i have 2 boys and i've done daycare since the first one was born so i won't put them in daycare anywhere else. a new business will eat up a lot of time(not to mention $$$)-you don't just close up at 5 pm and are done til the next morning when your store opens up. my daycare even though it is in my home requires me to : clean the floors after kids have gone home, do dishes periodically-i have a dishwasher which helps-but some has to be washed by hand, trash needs to go out daily, i have to go grocery shopping, make meals, conduct interviews with parents, etc. it doesn't end when the kids leave-unfortunately. would you be able to make candles etc. during the "store hours" or would you have to do that when you got home? which would take away more time from your kids? plus, what would you do with your kids during the summer? they most likely will not want to be stuck in a store all day. good luck, i'm done rambling. your "dreams" sound like mine. i'd love to quit daycare and be able to do this full time and it seems that you need some sort of venue to do that-and craft shows this time of year are few and far between. it takes so many sales just to pay for utlities and other bills!!! Heather

I checked out their site. I see how you could do it off your internet site, but how in the world would you do it in the store or at a craft show? It would save $ by not having to "waste" products people didn't like the scents of, but how would you mix it up on site? you wouldn't want regular lotion bottles-they are hard to fill. the 4 or 8 oz jars would be ok because you could just have your base already in the jar or in plastic ziploc bags and mix scent that way? how would people pick their scents? would you have a small trial version of each scent you planned to offer? i love this idea because i hate making up lotions for craft shows and then "sitting on them" when they don't sell. i usually end up using them after a while because i don't want them to sit there forever and get "old" so this would be a lot easier. would love to hear any "organizing" tips from someone who has tried this and had success with this idea. Heather

I have not done this, but it sounds like a great idea!! I would like to hear other opinions on the "safety" of this-would you have to worry about contamination or anything? plus, how well could you get the oils mixed up without getting cream/lotion outside of the jar... It would be a lot easier than making scents people didn't care for. you could pick your certain scents you wanted to make them in and take just those oils along. you would probably need a clean pipette and stirring utensil for every "cream" or lotion you did.. I've seen the add for the "perfume" you create at a party-like a custom scent. something urban? can't remember the name. i thought it sounded interesting. Heather

did a search on here, here's a post i found-the sba link has a great What is a Business Plan? A business plan is a formal statement of a set of business goals. The plan may contain background information about the company. Think of your business plan as a decision making tool. It will help you concentrate on multiple areas of the business while staying focused on its main goal. A business plan often includes how will you pay your bills, handle employees, order products, fill orders, market your products and protect your designs. When is a Business Plan used? All businesses should have a business plan. Good and bad opportunities come up everyday. A business plan will help you stay focused and make good decisions about these opportunities. A business plan is always necessary when going to the bank for a loan or when seeking investors. A bank will want to be convinced you can repay a loan. An investor will be interested in what will be done with the initial investment, upcoming growth opportunities and exit plan. Keys to a Good Business Plan. A business plan should be simple, specific, realistic and complete. It will have a plan, actions, responsibilities, deadlines, measured results and follow up. Most of all, a business plan should be practical. Questions to Answer Before Writing a Plan. Describe your business, in 25 words or less. What is your reason in starting this business? What trend is your company going use? Why will you be successful? Describe your company mission, in 10 words or less. How do you know you will be meeting what your customers needs? Where will your first 10 customers come from and how much will they be willing to pay? Why should a customer seek your company instead of another? How much will it take to fund your company for the first year? What will tell you that your business is serious trouble? What is the biggest drawback/limitation/flaw to your business idea? How are you going to handle the money and accounting? What is your gross profit margin? (selling product price vs. cost of product materials) What is your net profit margin? (gross profit margin minus business expenses such as payroll, rent, utilities, etc.) How will you handle growth and overwhelming success?Resources in Helping you Write a Business Plan. Book: Entrepreneur's Notebook - Practical Advice for Starting a New Business Venture Book: Business Plan Kit for Dummies Software: Business Plan Pro 2007 Software: Marketing Plan Pro 9.0 Government Resources: SBA - Small Business Administrationhth you some. Heather

I've thought of this too. But, like the others have stated, you have to sell so much stuff just to be able to pay rent, utilities, advertising, furniture, beginning inventory so you can fill your store, insurance, maintenance-would you need to paint, fix anything, etc. I do daycare out of my home and my friend thinks it would be so easy to just turn it into a store. well, it's a home and you'd have to get it zoned commercial-which i don't think would be a problem as i do have a huge driveway you can turn around in. but, there are downsides to this idea too-i'm in town, but on the edge-so i would need tons of advertising so people would know where to find me, i would be stuck to the hours my store would be open-couldn't just take a 3 day weekend whenever i wanted to without advertising that i was going to be closed, not to mention the fact that most people probably aren't going to feel comfortable coming to someone's home to go shopping... plus, we have a similar store here and she is ungodly expensive-probably because of all of her overhead. ok, just my thoughts as to why i haven't done it. i make more doing daycare-even if it's not what i want to do. I can't afford to quit right now. imo you would be better off trying to get your products into more stores, maybe hold your own craft "shows" by renting out a community center etc. or do you have any farmer's market places, or can you rent out some space with something else attached that would benefit your sales-like the post with the yoga? just to get started and see if people are interested. I thought it might be fun too, but just doing daycare-i know from experience that it is a lot of hard work, it's not a steady income either. and i know from chatting with you that you have quite a few kids. what would you do with them when you are at the store? especially all summer. you'd have to find daycare for them? plus, how would you pick them up after school? things to think about. I know there was a gal on here who regretted opening a store. Good luck in whatever you decide. Heather

i'm no expert on this by any means but i have made quite a few for myself and as gifts-i have a ruptured disk in my back. all i can say is that i did try the essential oils with my flax seed and it seemed like the flax seed "burnt" faster-eventually your flax and whatever you have in your pack will get dried out from all the microwaving. plus, the eo "evaporated" so fast, you'd be better off just using flax seed-again my opinion. i've been making them for the last year and a half-and i used to use them all the time-as soon as it cooled off, it would be back in the micro... happy to say, i don't need it as much anymore. imo, adding the actual herbs yourself would be better. i do offer them for $10 plus shipping on my website. i don't have any made up right now, but they are easy enough to make. if you go to my website -here's the link to the herbal packs. http://www.dakotacandleworks.com/catalog.php?category=2 you'll see which herbs i use and why. this way they last a lot longer than adding essential oils-from my experience anyways. edited to add that i also add winter wheat to the mix, as i have heard conflicting reports that since the flax seed is small, it absorbs the heat faster and therefore releases it faster also. the mixture seems to work great for me. Heather

Who does this kid think he's fooling? and why is he wasting his time trying to post on CT? and quoting his income at $250,000 and higher-yeah, i believe that. There's no way any 16 yr. old no matter how smart they are that can earn that-unless maybe they are selling drugs or something. I remember the last time this person posted-and was caught in the lies that were told-and the posts "he" had made proved it. Now, if this kid was really serious in making a business out of candles, etc. and needed advice CT would be the place to come, but geez-why waste our time screwing around with this "farce" is beyond me? Doesn't his teachers give him enough homework? Not to mention, I wonder, do his parents know what he is doing? I guess we know from now on to ignore posts made by Southern Scents. Maybe this kid will get a clue that we are not going to help him out anymore at trying to deceive the public into buying his merchandise. Just my . Southern Scents, if you post again, I hope that everyone just ignores you-you're a waste of our time and we have too many other people on this board that are honest, trying to make an honest living-or enjoyable hobby who are looking for help-not just "all the answers".

You are so lucky!!!! I wish you the best of luck. I agree, we want before and after pics. I love seeing how people set up their displays-whether at a craft show or in a biz. what types of products will you be selling? Congrats and good luck!! Heather

glad to help. I know the frustration about not having a website, it's strange in this day and age. it looks to me like they sell at a lot of different vendor shows-which is probably why they don't have a catalog. hopefully you get what you're looking for!!! good luck. Heather

btw, I re-read the posts and the questions about liability came up. Just wanted to let you know there are NO warnings whatsoever on this at all. It just says cookie scrub on the label and the flavor is written on the back with the ingredient list. btw, the spoon was included-so that right there for a kid would be confusing. it really is up to the parent to keep that put up, but unfortunately some parents just don't concern themselves with that kind of stuff-they want to blame someone else for their mistake. so, i'm guessing a warning isn't really needed, but, I would say if I was going to make this i'd put a warning somewhere that this was not edible!!! So, when I get a few spare $$'s, i'm going to see about ordering some of this stuff to play around with, but first, I think i'm going to use what i bought to see if long term it is worthwhile-i've heard some claims that fbb is drying to your skin. Mine actually feel different-softer than usual. if anyone else tries this please post your results/pic if you can. would love to see everyone else's ideas. I think it would be neat to use those ice cream pails mentioned on another post, and make an ice cream type one and include a small ice cream scoop-if such a thing exists-or I do have those small cosmetic type spoons or even a spoon like this gal used. think of all the ice cream flavors you could make. bubble gum-for the kids, mint choc. chip, coffee flavored-and use little coffee beans, strawberry-use small strawberries, etc. I think I've got an idea that i'm going to run with. i'm sure i'm not the first, but since I don't think a lot of you live in SD, i'm not worried about anyone stealing my ideas. looking forward to hearing other ideas!!! Heather

here, try this... I found it using this website.. http://www.merchandisegroup.com/merchandise/asd_summer/advanced_search.jsp# hth- ps, i did a search for Artico fragrance burner and this was one of this sites listed... Heather Artico Inc Company Information: CANDLE HOLDER, INCENSE HOLDER, AROMA BURNER Address: 9743 Alesia St S El Monte, CA 91733-3008 Contact: Phone 1 - (626) 575-8716

i tried searching too, and only came up with a site in japanese. and wouldn't ya just know it, japanese is not my second language. drat. there is a big possibility it is an overseas company that has someone else import their items for resale-like some sort of other wholesaler? I'm thinking like how walmart gets their cheap stuff from China, etc.? that's probably why you can only find it on those few websites. wish i could help you, they look unique. Heather

OK, I used this in the shower this morning, and figured out what i did wrong yesterday. I only tried to wash my hands quickly. I did not scrub until the sugar had dissolved. It didn't really "foam" but it did lather like a soap. and lovely lathers, this stuff i got was NOT the consistency of cookie dough. I think it would be too hard to scoop out. it is just a bit softer-but not a lot. it seems as though it has set up a bit more since i got it. maybe from all the traveling, etc. it was a little runnier? not sure. so, my "review" after this time is better, my hands didn't feel so sticky, matter of fact they felt a bit softer. will have to use on a "regular" basis to see if it really does do much. I didn't use on my knees and elbows to "exfoliate" but just did my hands quick as that was all i had time for this am... The way it looks this lady just used a fbb, some cocoa butter & wax for the choc. chips and some fo-which i still can't really smell. I definately see the potential for being able to sell this idea. let me know what you guys figure out. I have yet to purchase any fbb-until i make a little $$, my purchases are on hold. But, I have a big mother's day show coming up. this would have been a great product. but, would cost me at least $50 to get this all set up and i don't have that kind of $$ to spend on it right now. but, it is definately an idea i like. hmmm, i'll have to start looking into containers. I don't want to "steal" this lady's idea, but since it's not trademarked, and she probably "borrowed" it from somewhere else, I won't worry about it. I guess we can all make candles so this is nothing different. I'm going to try to post pictures later of how my stuff came. It was very cute.. hth, Heather

Here are the ingredients to the scrub... Glycerin, Distilled Water, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Sorbitol, Propylene Glycol, Disodium Laurl Sulfosuccinate, Stearic Acid, Sodium Chloride, Pentasodium Pentetate, Tetrasodium Etidronate, Cane Sugar, Fragrance Ok, here's my thoughts on it so far-I haven't taken a shower-just washed my hands quick... Did not get any "foaming" like it says on label-but maybe I didn't scrub it enough... And, is a little sticky, had to really wash it all off. I'm thinking maybe that's the glycerin. and it said it had fragrance, but it didn't smell like choc. chip cookies-didn't really smell like anything... I did a search for foaming body butter and it is pretty much the same except they list the glycerin 2nd, not 1st... I don't know much about this foaming bath butter-does it really feel that sticky? or did she maybe add more? as far as consistency, it is a little "runnier" that normal cookie dough would be. I was expecting something a little firmer... maybe the sugar broke it down? I don't know... the chocolate chips are just cocoa butter made in a chocolate chip candy mold and colored dark brown... easy enough to do... I'm thinking a person could tweak this recipe a bit and get something a little better- or maybe it was just the foaming body butter she used, not sure. It came packaged in a solo "deli style" type container, had a spoon wrapped with some ribbon, and also a free sample of her cupcake soap-which i thought was nice. I also bought some lip stuff in a pot, which she had wrapped like a candy. Very nice presentation, i just wasn't excited about how sticky the cookie dough stuff was, may be totally different if i take a shower with it... hth those of you looking to make/do something similar to this... will let you know tomorrow how showering with this feels compared to just washing hands.. Heather

Just an update, i emailed the gal and she said they had been gone for 2 weeks-was spring break... anyways, she is shipping it today and should be here either Monday or Tuesday next week!!! I'm so excited, I can hardly wait. Is that pathetic or what? Seems like every time the ups man, fedex or the mailman comes with a package I get all excited. All the new fragrances to try, different things to make, it's just so much fun. I never in a million years would have thought I could or would be doing something like this. Now, if I can ever get to the point where I can close my daycare, I'll really be happy!!! Will let you know as soon as I get my goodies!! Heather

I'm doing a craft show for mother's day and was wondering where do you find affordable table skirting-for an 8 foot table- or would you suggest making your own? and if you did your own, how did you do it? I can sew and have a mother in law that sews much better than i do, so we could probably figure something out... I did an internet search and didn't come up with very many options. would it be better to have 1 piece? or to add the table skirt to your cover? I was thinking it would be easier to change colors if you had a separate table skirt-but would that look okay? I guess if you had a 1 piece one, you could always put another smaller table cloth on top for a layered look... and what color would you suggest that would work year round? I really don't have the $$ right now to invest too much into this, but i do want something that would be really versatile-leaning towards maybe a cream color? I love nature colors-the name of my business is Dakota Candleworks and my website follows a nature theme too... would kinda like to convey that type of feeling at my booth.. thanks for any help you can give me, and if you have any pictures, i would appreciate those too. Thanks!!! Heather

ok, i pm'd crystal, but so that everyone knows, i'm impatiently waiting. according to her site, within 7-10 you should receive your product, not 7-10 business days, just 7-10 days.. today is day #8... I'm anxiously awaiting and will post as soon as the mailman delivers it-as it is coming Priority mail. I'm like a little kid at christmas, i can't wait.... Heather

I got a sample of this and the gal was going to check to see if she could find any contact info. well, i made the mistake of deleting all my mail and now i can't remember what her screen name was... i haven't heard back from her and i can't pm her either... Here's what i do know: The company is called Atlanta Fragrance, Inc. 1640 Cobb International Blvd out of Kennesaw GA. I tried looking on the internet and i only come up with their financial info, no website for them. I do have a phone #, but i was just wondering if anyone has purchased from them or knows how to order from them or if this was from another supplier that purchased fragrances from them... The sample i got was called Tropical Getaway. I don't know what exactly it is supposed to smell like, but it is awesome... i get a flowery hawaiin type smell, not too floral, not too fruity... I had someone over to my house and they just fell in love with it. The problem is i would like more, but don't know where to start. If nothing else I guess i'll have to try the phone # and see where that gets me. But, since they are closed over the weekend, i thought i'd ask here. If anyone has ever heard of this company please let me know. Thanks. Heather

I love warm vanilla's suggestion-with the light background, it will show up lightly on your label and i think it will give it a real elegant feel to it. That is more what i had in mind, i wish i had photoshop-need to look into purchasing that program. Good Luck. Heather

I'll join you in that motivation!!!! I do daycare in SD and i have 2 babies who are driving me nuts with their teething, they go through spurts of not being able to be soothed at all. I also have an almost 4 year old that acts like a really cranky 2 year old... he whines and cries for his mom most of the day... that's annoying!!!Q i don't want to do daycare for the rest of my life, but the house we bought was specifically bought for me to do daycare. the attached garage was converted into a separate daycare-with everything but a kitchen and bathroom-which are easily accessible. but, i have my own 2 1/2 year old who will start preschool next year-bday is in august-just in time for school ... and a 7 1/2 year old so i need a flexible job so i can be home.. i'm trying to plan on being done with daycare completely when my youngest starts school. i'm sure i'll have growing pains-trying to decide what products work best, how best to sell them, etc. but, i am running out of "excitement" to run a daycare. it is sometimes a very rewarding job - getting to see kids you've taken care of grow up and become active in their school/community, but is also very draining when you get parents griping over the littlest things, parents that aren't happy no matter what you do, kids that parents don't discipline. somedays it's a no-win situation. i used to love my job and thought i would do it forever... well, forever is a long time!! we can do it, and so can anyone else here. you just have to have determination even if others tell you it can't be done. having had 1 biz already, i've learned 1) you don't have to have all the coolest toys, etc (ex. you don't need to order every fo on the market just because everyone on the board is glowing about it-great place to start when you're looking for places to buy fo from) 2) keep good records-sales, every receipt for every purchase, you can even claim a % of indirect expenses such as electricity, heating, etc. for your biz.(form 8829 through the irs for home based biz) 3) word of mouth is the best advertising. starting with friends, families, co-workers, parents work places, parents friends, etc. provide them with biz cards etc. offer a free sample to place at work place etc. (my mil took a wax dipped bear to her work, had it in a bag, and didn't get it out til someone asked her what that good smell was by her desk. I got $500 worth of orders at xmas, and just got another $200 worth of orders from her... 4) craft shows are good too-even a not so good day could be well worth it if you hand out a lot of biz cards-you may find a loyal customer with lots of friends. well, trying to get the 2 1/2 year old off to bed... Heather