chauntelle

Why do all the moulds seem to come from America? is there no where in the uk or even Europe which manufacture or supply them cheaper??? Found some in china,maybe a bit too far to go though!! he he Well im off to the craft fair soon and im so worried i dont have enough,I made another 10 candles yesterday,my most popular ones. I can see me pouring again tonight. But ive definatly learnt my lesson on this one start pouring much earlier! Has any one else worried and it turned ouy okay??? Will let you all know how i get on.

I know about the bad supplies thing over here !!!! i improvise alot, you should check out jo at www.sensoryperfections.co.uk really helpful! im hoping to get a pour jug off her soon. have you found out about the presto pots over here yet im still trying to locate something similar!!!! im thinking a trip to america with a big container brought back filled with candle things!!!

My first craft fair of the year!! Nearly ready but im sure ive forgot something. Finishing up labeling and wrapping 2nite!!

Hey Good luck and remember to take more than you hope to sell!!! Im doing a craft fair tommorrow and sunday, im really nervous but its in a village hall which has a torist attraction right next to it - corfe castle! so hopefully it will be good as its free admission. Im starting with smaller craft fairs and school fates until i get used to them! Ive had a really heavy cold and trying to make candles has been a nightmare with a temperature its not a good thing and ive had to rely on my b.friend to tell me the strength of scent as i cant smell a thing!! Oh well one thing to learn dont leave things to the last mo!! Did a craft fair last year and learnt from it i started the wekend with a dark cloth and not much height by the end of the weekend my table was transformed with neutral cloths and shelving to give it height!! Any way keep us informed of how you are getting on. Keep smilling!!! :yay:

Wow you guys are so organised im totally busy this weekend so im going to have my weekend on weds and thurs and make some container candles that i made last summer and were really popular hopfully be good for a craft fair im doing next weekend also some 'cake' candles! I love this time of year with all the summery scents and colours so much for a girl too chose from i feel soooo spoilt if only my bank balance was bigger!!!!! Less work more play i say!! Hope everyone has agood weekend cant wait to see all your masterpieces in the gallery!

Dont know if this helps but when i started a shop almost two years ago (non candle related!!) the best thing i did was open a bank account it was with barclays who put me in touch with a solicitor and accountant for a free consultation the accountant has been invaluble to my business he told me exactly wot i needed to do and he even told me i had three months before i legally had to register my business!! If you find an independant they dont charge so much for consultation and phone calls are usually free! if you go to barclays and asked to be put in touch with your local small business bank manager they can help you with biz plans and loads more and it cost nothiong to set up an account and you get 18mths free banking i touch base with my bank manager every fortnight its the best advise i could give anyone starting up!! PM me if i can help you further!!!

Dont forget marketing if people dont know you have a business how can they use it??? its expensive to begin with but the more you do it the cheaper and easier it becomes,and dont forget to try and negogiate on price some you cant change but you know theres no harm in trying as long as your polite the worst they can say is no!!! You can do some marketing for free Good luck:)

I made some really lovely pastel coloured pillars in lilac and pink but they have started to fade it doesnt seem a problem when i use darker colours, i use parrafin and stearin and dye blocks the candles havent been in total sunlight just in a very light room!! Is there a use by date on any of these products or could i add something to stop this happening??? Any advise or suggestions would be great ! TIA:(

Tried it last night with the wax that i had i just couldnt resist having a go it was just like starting all over again and needing 10 pairs of hands after cutting the paper to wot i thought would fit and placing it in the pot i was really impressed with myself and thought this isnt so bad ...famous last words it all went down hill from then on. So i pour my wax and it starts the paper does what it wants it floats up to the top i push it bac it floats up again the pot then wouldnt sit in the water bath level so i had to hold it for ages!!! Then finally as it started to set the paper i noticed was sticking out of the top DOH So i am now feeling like a newbie and just like then i am itching to try again and again and again and i am determened to get it right so i am back to reading and searching!! But u no wot once it had dried i put a t-light in it to try and if you ignored a few air bubbles and paper that wasnt quite near the front enough and an uneven top and looked carefully it actually worked and looked quite cool in a quirky kinda way!! Anyway guys thanks for the help and starting me on my way into another candle chapter and a different style for my addiction!!! Happy melting:yay: :yay:

My names Chauntelle (obviously) and wouldnt really want to be called anything else when im at home and chatting to you guys its a nice for me and candles not biz side of things so i dont think id really want to be called by my business name!!! I cant believe that that comment came out of nowhere its comments like that that started the bitching last summer dont know if anyone else remembers that! i think that it is nice that we can all help each other out maybe its because there isnt so much competition here and so nobody has to worry who they say wot to and can help each other!!! Just my opinion.

there are places in the uk that specialise in packaging that do clear or translucent accessory sized bags perfect for candles not sure if it would suit you...just an idea Good luck i will keep thinking for you!!! Florist wholesalers might be an option you will need a record of your business but they do lots of bitsand pieces???

thankyou thats a great help, my wax is 45 degrees c and another thats 68 degrees c melting point. does the higher of the two sound high enough to handle a hurricane style candle especially if i do a wider style i thought i had read that if it is wider a lower melt point wax should be fine might be wrong and obviously dont want to cause an accident.( can only find instructions with fahrenheit not celsius and can not find a conversion chart) Its exciting to try a new product by damn hard work before youve even begun and i've a feeling that this will take a wile to purfect!! Friends are great all offering to give me pics,i think they are hoping im a natural at this and that they will all get nice keep sakes- LOL!!

im planning on doing a hurricane candle for two of my cousins who are getting christened in july. Im going to start practising with photos of my children(guessing they arent going to be able to be remelted if they go wrong!!) but i have a couple of questions firstly do i have to add anything to my straight paraffin wax to make the melt temp higher or is it safe as it is with stearin added, and secondly can i use scanned pictures or will they not show through the wax!!!

what a fantastic present and very classy too im sure they'll love it and will always give them a great reminder of their big day!!!!! WAY TO GO!!!!

hey great to hear from you!!! these guys are great and full of info and great help!

Ive searched the web and have so far only found this co in the uk but as i have never bought citric acid before i dont know if these are expensive or about right??? I also found a manufacturer but had three different types of citric acid and i dont have a clue which one i'll need im just looking to make some for my friends and family coz we all have a love of bath bombs!! If nobody knows of this company then a reccomendation of someone in the uk would be lovely-i dont want to just go with anyone!! Sorry if i've confused anyone!!

At least you have learnt now and told so many other people like yourself about her!!! adventually she will go out of business after all word of mouth is only worth something if its positive funnily enough no body has tried to defend her or said different from what u have said!! wonder how she sleeps at night!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

can any one help would love to place an order but after wot ive been reaging on the candle side about other companies i would love to hear from some customers!! the site is www.bathbomb.com thankyou to any one who can help!!

i am disgusted by this 'family run business' do u know that they have a 'bad debt 'list for customers names and details to be displayed if they havent paid for an order!!!( go to policies> scroll to the bottom> click on the 'bad debt list' highlighted in blue>scroll to the 'bad debts page' highlighted in purple) where you will find peoples names and towns what gives her the right why dont you guys who have been miss lead or not given products which you have paid for do a list for all that she owes u with amounts and im sure theres a few more who r owed money than havent paid and has she thought that if she respected her customers then she wouldnt have people cancelling orders or not paying!!! Sorry for ranting but it made me see mad!!!! God she needs putting out of business im just glad shes not in england wen i think to last year wen i was looking for a new supplier!!!! :mad: :mad:

Used blocks but after reading this i am very interested in trying liquid, how accurate r we talking???

im sure i will have fun thankyou so much for your advice, if i manage to got them right and can work out how to post then i'll put a pic in the gallery!! Untill then i'll keep admiring everyone elses!!! Thanx a mill

okay i will try them without the freezer first!! Am i right in thinking that if im doing layers then i only slosh the wax to the point that im going to pour to or will the 'rustic' come away from the candle when its removed if i slosh all the way up the sides sorry to sound so stupid but i havent had much luck and want to get it right with the new moulds!! Thanx again:yay:

Thankyou it is good to no that im not doing it completly wrong, do you have to put the metal ones in the freezer when doing rustics or just pour as normal? maybe i'll just try both and c wot happens!

Hi guys Im just getting started making bath bombs and was wondering if any of you had used bathbomb.com i am hoping to buy some citric acid and moulds ect and stumbled across this site i am looking for somewhere in the uk and this seems ideal any feed back ect would be great thankyou!!!

Hi guys, i've been attmpting to do rustic pillars for a while now without any joy. The first attempt was da best i did a layered one and i managed to get the rustic look only it fell off as i pulled it out the mould! amny attempts since then have just given me a smooth shiny candle with a lacey affect- pretty but not wot im trying to achieve!! I even got my boyfriend to try one has only ever over poured on some chunky candles b 4 thinking he might get beginners luck!! no chance!! Any tips or advice would be greatfuly recieved!!! Thanks a million in advance :undecided