chauntelle

My first craft fair wasnt as busy as i hoped but i was up until early hours of the morning as well as pouring for a couple of hours each day for almost two weeks. i still didnt have enough to fill the table! Maybe start with a few less so theres not so much pressure on you although you need a mixture of styles you dont want to take on too much and be too tired to be at your best im no expert at shows and im sure some one else can offer you much better advise but everycandle you make you will have to wrap label and thats before you even get started in the set up ie shelves or display unit to give you height!" I suppose you also need to think about how much space you have to display? I believe that you can never take too many candles but at the same time you need to enjoy this and not take on too much.Just My opinion, hope it goes well and you have fun:D

Ive got hem now must have been problem with broadband its been really tempermental lately! I dont mean to quiz you but wondered if you get much custom from your soap site? i know obviously its hard work and putting your name out there in the beginiong that gets you the traffic to your site but dont know if having a long web name might put people off? definatly something to think about and just have to say that your graphics are beautiful!!! Thankyou for your input

Thanks for the links jadryga, cant get them to load though left it for 10 mins and my computer was still searching for them! I dont think that its my computer coz other links work but i could be wrong. Will try again later thanx

Im looking to build a website,i dont have the spare cash until xmas time so i was hoping to sign up 2 a freebie site and then upgrade in the new year. I did a google search and also a search here and microsoft.com was mentioned but previous experiance and things ive read tells me to get recommendation or at least feedback instead of going for what looks like a good deal! If any of you have used these id be greatful for feedback ie do they offer a good service is it easy to do can you choose good graphics ect. had a look on their site and it seemed ok, i also notice that they ask for your card details before you can use them, i dont normally leave card details unless im buying something??? TIA Chauntelle:confused:

Hi Yvette have u tried macro? they do large tins of t,coffe beans and peas. Not sure of the exact size but this is wot comes to mind at the mo. Or maybe search the web for a cleaners supply co that do the commercial mops and buckets they are usually metal!! Will keep thinking- hope you find something:grin2:

Have you tried the search at the top?? Ive made them before and searched candle making web sites i will see if i can find which one it was!! Sorry i cant help more - Good luck!

Ive only done a few shows but have had people ask me how do you make a candle and where do you start and i always answer 'its a bit like making a cake. you start with raw ingrediants and mix them together in quantities and ways you think will work and then after it is done you have to change certain ingrediants and measurements to make it good just like you would a cake!' this normally gets them thinking so i then add it takes alot of time mistakes and money until you get what u want as there is so many variables. If they are still serious they will ask more personal questions about how i found out what i know to which i just reply i was very lucky to know a shop that USED to sell candle supplies and then i just did lots of research - no rudness and usually a happy purchasing customer! If they are serious they will find out themselves!!

Thankyou all for all the advise and comments and taking your time to read! I will take all of the advise on board in the hope that this wont happen again. I would just like to say though that 2 weeks is not enough time especially to get supplies when we are having terrible postal strikes and bad post at the best of times!! And to test the candles design packaging! I often hear people moaning about members of this board who have only just started making candles and are wanting to sell well surely an untested product should be taken just as seriously, When somebody asks how long they should test a product before giving it or selling it ?? NOT TWO WEEKS ! i had new moulds, wicks (larger moulds than normal), and F.O so it was like starting from scratch! I had a 4 week deadline and kept him informed on my progress but short of letting him stand in my kitchen it was hard to let him be more involved. In future there is so much more that i realise i could do better and am in the process of making some tick lists of what to do when approached about new accounts( including your suggestions above) and a basic one for my customer to fill in with me so that we both understand the communication we are going to have the time scale and the candles ect. Thankyou all for your help, i will let you know the outcome of my next wholesale account and hopefully will be more possitive,not that i have given up on him yet i have a fragrance that im ordering for the Autum that has cherrys and berrys funnily enough his shop is called 'cherry heaven' so maybe a tart or small candle might land on his door step soon !! Watch this space

Maybe it was a full moon?? Nice to have a variation and not the same old! Hope you enjoy your next one more!

Verry pretty, i like the colour! Way to go on your first pillar.

Like your thinking nat, definatly wish i had that crystal ball but i felt harsh taking money before there was a product for him to sample mind you now i wish id had some of that from him upfront even if it didnt cover it all! Like u say lesson learnt the hard way but NEVER forgotten.

Your friends will be supportive and give you helpfull feedback even if slightly negative (in a good way) people that just purly bitch about others and there work are either just jealous or have a big chip on their shoulder and should find them something better to do!!

I had a customer who approached me to make him some candles for his shop which i was really happy to do and firstly sent an email in response to his saying that it would be a while before i could get him a sample as they were different sizes and fragrances to what i normally do and would have to order in the oils moulds ect and then start testing,although he had seen my candles before as he met me at a craft fair. So possibly stuppidly i bought new moulds oils more labels ect and started designing and testing. He emailed me last week and i reminded him that it was in progress but to please be patient as it does take time to get a product to a sample. A couple of days a go he sent an email requesting to meet and as i've had a nightmare couple of days with work didnt get the cance to reply which was probably not a good idea. So today i log on to my emails to reply to him only to find an email saying that he has had to find another supplier as he 'hasn't even seen a wick'!! Now i could show him all the raw materials but what would that do or show him?? I replyied that he had seen the wicks that i used (@ the craft fair) and i was sorry he felt this way as i have spent out on products i wouldnt normally use, and reminded him that i wasnt prephared to give him a sample to try until i was confident it was safe to burn and burnt correctly it would have been pointless giving him a sample of another candle because that wasnt what he wanted. So now im just feeling really fed up that i stuck to my morals and now im stuck with a oil i dont use moulds that arent what i want and wish i hadnt bothered wasting all my time and money when i could have put it somewhere else Thankyou for listening guys it makes the world seem better when i can share with you!!

Hey wick n wax thats great to have a sale so quickly!! Are you advertising your site or did someone just find it? Guess the waits paid off then!! Congratulations on your first sale of many Chauntelle x P.s Let me know your site id love to see if u dont mind! :yay: :highfive: :yay:

I use parrafin it was the first wax i came across and love it i might try a different wax in the future but at the mo im happy with parrafin.

.. Or two. I woke up this morning with a beautiful blue sky (for once) and it inspired me to go to a carboot sale and see if i could find some more jugs for melting,mixing and pouring. I never normally find a bargain but today must have been a lucky day coz i found a stainless steel 2pt jug which was only 20p i was really pleased with myself and couldn't believe it when i found on another stall a double boiler which still had labels on but needed a bit of a clean so there i was playing it cool ready to barter saying to my b'friend i suppose it might work when the guy says you can have it for 50p!!! I nearly fell over gave him the money and left b 4 he could change his mind! Best of all my lovely b'friend paid for them both,mind he'll be moaning about spilt wax soon so i'll just keep thanking him for now!! So it got me wondering what fantastic bargains you have all had over the years?? Your best and your worst!

Hey wick n wax no probs websites go right over my head so the more input and q's asked the more i learn-i think LOL:confused: Have u changed your little icon? i didnt recognise u for a while! Hope you get some answers and understanding too!! i want a website so badly that we convinced ourselves to buy a MAC apple computer which is all singing and dancing and you can even design websites on it! Only problem is neither of us have a clue how to use it!!!! Sad i know AAARGHH:lipsrseal

We have another meeting coming up soon and will definatly explain to him how important it is to have as much detail as possible! I really wouldn't have a clue how to sort out the private label! this is only my second wholesale account and the otherone was straight forward they wanted rustic looking chunky candles in berry colours and thats what they got! And were really happy! I think i really do need more info! I dont have a logo just use 'Melting Moments' in a forte font using a lilac colour so im really open to any suggestions.its something i've been meaning to do for a while but never got round to it too busy playing with wax! The pillars are 3x2.5'' and 5x4.5'' at mo.Still sorting third one.

Okay so i'm doing an wholesale order which is done to the customers specifications. 2 different sized pillars in 3 scents. he also wants me to do some container candles later in the year. Other than the rough sizes and scents the only other specification he has given me is that they have to be elegant and 'luxury' looking he doesnt want any 'budget looking candles' and is proberly going to gift wrap in plain tissue paper once they have been purchased. Apart from him being so vague my main problem is that i now need to sort the packaging. I dont have a label at the moment so i want to get it right. The name of the company is 'melting moments' which he doesnt really like neither coz it reminds him of choclate but its my company name right so he cant really change it can he?? So what do i do just labels around or wrap in cellophane which i didnt really want to do? Sory i had to vent but this is driving me mad Any suggestions??

Know how you feel! My ones being done by my b'friends mate havent spoke to him 4 ages but last time he said it was almost done!! He works really long hours so i feel bad if i put on him too much! I'm sure we'll get there adventually. let me know when its all finished would love to have a look i'm sure it will be fab!!

I have a friend who is currently building me a free web site which is really nice but as its free it takes a while as its in his spare time. So i was wondering if you guys could recommend one of these trial ones which i could use for free whilst the proper one is being finished! Just so that i can use it almost like a newsletter and email a link to my customers with special offers and shows which i'll be attending that sort of thing so nothing too complicated but something really easy to use, i tried one before and after a week was practically bold i'd pulled my hair out so much!!! Any suggestion would be great TIA!!

Hoping to get some insperation and just see what happens some of the best creations are made this way!! candles all weekend though poberly coz the weather is still bad in the uk!!

I can guess what hes getting for xmas now then! HA HA Sounds like your gonna have fun making his home into a show room for your candles. Dont forget to leave sum business cards last time i moved i had everyone round sum i hadnt seen for months!! I guess we all have curiosity in us,could get you some good custom!

MMM 'Boys and their toys' comes to mind. LOL:laugh2: