Twoscentsworth

My DH is a Chiropractor.....we bought a small cottage last year and he has one side for his practice and I have the other for my candles etc. Some of his patients have told people that the Doc has an aromatherapy shop next door and of course some of his patients are my best customers. If you have patients waiting to see the Doctor then it's nice for them to have something to do (smelling your candles ) while they are waiting. I have some pictures when I was first setting up, since then I have changed things around a lot but haven't had time to take any new pics. you can see at http://photos.yahoo.com/francieram

Personally I would not do the oven..... IF you use glass on top of the stove please make sure you are using the old Pyrex coffee pots....anything else will explode. You can find these at thrift stores but again BE SURE it is the old Pyrex and not just a glass coffee carafe from the newer coffee brewers. I can't stress that enough Jazzbo and I used to moderate a gel forum waaaaaaaaaay back and started making them when gel first hit the streets. Jazz is VERY creative and has made some absotively posolutely gorgeous gels....if it can be done she's probably done it. Oh, also with the glitter gels the shell has the added benefit of leaving glitter on the side of the container and the flame makes it sparkle in the dark..... edited to add the "Oh, also...."

Glitter glitter......While I love RE's glitter and have a lot of it, you can also use the fine glitter you can get at Wally. Actually, you can use the larger glitter with no problems. The glitter will be pushed to the edge of the melt pool. Here is a way to do glitter.......get a baking sheet with sides, pour in melted gel that is not too hot but still liquid then sprinkle glitter and sprinkle glitter and sprinkle more glitter you want a lot of glitter. Then when it is cool you can cut the glitter into chunks or tear it. Then place some at the bottom of your container, add some hot gel and keep doing this up to the top. The glitter pieces will melt with the hot gel overpour and your container should have glitter nicely placed.

the ugly ones melt down, dip pine cones in them for firestarters

EVERITO ..... there is still current passing through that plug even when you take the magnetic part off.....if something metal hits it or someone touches it there will be a nasty shock (do not ask me how I know this, that part of my brain got fried :rolleyes2)....please pull your plug!

Oh Crystal LOL........ my house and shop are FULL of cases of half tested jars and containers. If I had the time to clean them out I wouldn't have to order any more for a looooong time. Here is a good tip, clean out your tester right away or you will end up like me over run with them;) I know it seems like people just don't want to tell you what wick etc. to use but the real truth is what works for one will not necessarily work for another. Different suppliers FO's can be formulated differently and make the candle burn differently, same with the wax used, the color used etc. etc. It really is not a cop out or that people don't want to help you it's just that, sigh, you need to test. Hope you get it down on your next try !

My suggestion is that you try them in your pies and see which works best for you. It will depend on the gel density you are using and how many embeds with which type of wax.....see, you just can't get away from testing I use the 44-24-18z but your pies are probably constructed differently than mine....also, the apple pie fo needs a larger wick....

Luci, the hardest part for me is getting the wicks placed correctly . Your burn will also depend on how you make your pies. I usually pour in the gel, just to cover the wick tabs, then if my wicks are off a bit I can move them. Then I add the embeds around the wicks to hide the tabs, then cover with more gel. Then if it's an apple pie, I add 3 slices on the top, fanning out. Blueberry I do a bit differently. I used to add more gel ....back in the good old days when gel wasn't as expensive as it is now. Now I add more embeds .

IMHO consignment should be your very last resort...there are just too too many things that can happen and too too many problems that can crop up. You could probably give this person a much better deal on your candles then he got on the ones he carries. Since people are so big on "local" items, you might just try to get him to buy your candles wholesale instead of the "non-local" ones he has now. As a shop owner anything he can get from someone else that doesn't cost him anything out of pocket is :yay:to him. YOU are taking all of the risk. I would be more concerned about the soap and baskets ...these items would get more "shop worn" than jar candles and are more likely to disappear also. Really give this a lot of thought before jumping into it.

With Jazzbo on the 3 zincs.....these wicks seem to hold up better in the long run. After a bit the gel soaks into the wicks and they can slump, the zinc seem to stay straight.

Hi Vicky ! didn 't mean to imply it is a scam, it is a VERY smart way for them to make money, but it really won't help anyone but them.....JMHO ...but then there is that old saying "If it quacks like a duck and walks like a duck...."

Oh yes, I have insights...the last time I gave them the whole thread was quickly removed...let's see how fast this one disappears LOL. 1. you send them free samples (say 15 candles) 2. they put them in 15 different boxes along with several other candlemakers product. 3. they re-use your box 4. they charge people to get the boxes full of your free product 5. they are making money hand over fist for simply repackaging free product. so, rule of thumb in advertising is to expect a 1% return (and that is good) so what the heck are you going to get out of sending them your product free? Not much my friend except a lighter wallet. SO GREAT IDEA FOR THEM not so great for you. JMHO

I use RRD's and have had the same thing happen to me. Candles had "cured" for plenty of time. I have also had candles using the same fo as before not throw at all.....tis a puzzlement!

Didn't you say you had moved from S.GA to Virginia? or did you mean that the other way around? .....just wondering where in S. GA you are .......

You can buy those from www.swancreekwholesale.com

LOL, sorry. It is a small metal "thingy" (don't know what else to call it )that you attach to the wall, then attach wire to and then you can turn it to tighten up the wire and take the slack out. I bought some to put up a curtain in DH's exam room....works great.

depending on your situation and area, you might find a small shop (even a large one) that would be happy to give you all the peanuts you can haul away . For me they are a pita, I have no place to store them and just throw them out and I know other shop owners do the same. The same goes for shipping boxes, I have gotten a lot of them from Walmart, you just have to be there when they are unpacking them before they get out to be crushed. Also if you can find a shop that will give you peanuts they will probably be happy to give you boxes too. Just find out when they get their deliveries. If you have a UPS store near you it is cheaper to take your boxes, USPS has pick-up service now too you might check into that. check www.uline.com or www.usbox.com for shipping boxes

It's great to have a whole space for your products and workroom! I used the same shelving for my baskets and was going to suggest the chain as Tish did, but you can also go to hardware store and get small turnbuckles and wire and strectch a wire cable from one end of the room to the other for the baskets. That way they can go at any height and just over your head too. This has been one of my biggest problems too because I can't resist a basket either . Thanks for sharing your pictures it's always nice to see how someone sets their space up.

You might try www.yessupplyco.com I think they have something similar if not the same one.

Rachel, those are my thoughts too. People already think it's so easy to do, why encourage them? For those who do it and it works for you that is great, but I don't want to encourage anyone to look and say, "gee that's so easy, all you do is melt and pour"

The best place to get your information is from the uspto site. Your application for a trademark can be contested ...there is a time period where your application is published in a journal which is when it must be contested..if it is not contested then and you recieve approval then it is too late for someone to decide to contest you and YOU get the trademark. Also, if someone has the money to contest your application then they have the money to apply for the trademark so it's not likely to be contested. I can only speak from personal experience and from what I have read on the uspto site. I do agree about the patent....I don't think you would get one for your candle ideas but again, read the information that is free on the uspto site.

The first thing you need to know is that you do not trademark a product. If you have invented a new process or technique in making your candles you can apply for a patent. If you go to www.uspto.gov you will find all the information you need on the differences and requirements for either. As for the trademark, I have one and have applied for another...both to cover my trade names. HTH

Janet I think that site was www.intershipper.com but it looks to me like it has been changed a bit. Mima

You can use gold and/or brown color blocks ...depending on how hearty you like your beer it will only take a tiny bit so be careful. Ice cubes, get a square cake pan, pour in the clear gel (I scent this too) when set just cut to size....you can use scissors which makes it really easy. If you want crushed ice, just take the gel and shred it...pick it apart into small pieces. Add small pieces to the very top.....okay, now I want a coke.

I was gonna stay out of this, but what the heck. While I too am extremely busy running my business(es) I do find time to read the boards and see what's happening in candle land... What I really, really find to be bad business is someone trying to pass the buck, dodge the bullet and make excuses. If someone in your organization screwed up, just say so, say you're sorry, correct the problem and continue on smartly. There was no "misunderstanding" just pp customer service....oh, wait....NO customer service.....until this thread got noticed. Bad form on the part of C&S....and yes, there are many who read this and won't reply but also won't use C&S either...and all it will take is a few more "misunderstandings" for their business to really suffer. Best advice you can ever get is to be honest....if you goof, admit it. Most people are more than willing to accept an honest apology and an effort to correct a problem. Making excuses and outright...ummm stretching the truth doesn't cut it. Integrity goes a looooong way in any business. just my 2 scents worth