Soapymomma

We have a bunch of those Mann Lake molds. They are a rubber silicone stuff and very stiff. They are slit down both sides and you need to use rubber bands to hold them together. Anyway, I had not poured one in a long time and just put two bands on there and oh man did I have a mess! We were scraping wax off the table and the floor. Made me feel like a dork or a total newbie.:rolleyes2 Soapymomma

I think to be on the safe side, I would use more carrier oil though-- maybe a half cup or so. We are doing lots of different massage oils now. They are a lot of fun. What is your favorite carrier oil? We use a combination and also do some edible oils too. They are great sellers around Valentine's Day. Best wishes, Soapymomma

We offer about 100 scents, but not all are on our web site. I want to narrow them down too. It is so danged hard to wittle them down. I love them all and keep finding new ones I'd like to add! It is really tough to draw the line. I do think that offering too many can be distracting to customers too. Maybe? Soapymomma

but we do sell quite a few of them. I make them in the little one ounce push up tubes in four different scents. Personally, I don't see the point. I just like to use lotion. LOL! If others like them I will make them though. Soapymomma

The wick is an HTP 105. I order the mugs from Kennedy in Ohio. They sell lots of cool replica stuff including enamalware and pottery pieces. I sell some of their stuff on my web site. Lots of fun. We do a lot with those pieces in our little store.:highfive:

and try to make them look as real as possible. I also really like making jar candles too even though they are not all that exciting. We decorate all of our half pints with a fabric insert and tie raffia and then place an ornie or a button on the bow, so those are fun to do. I also like to pour into pretty mugs. It is just a pain to test when introducing a new container is all. I also love to do lots of different shapes and pretty colorful soaps. My favorite is my huge soap bundt cake. Soapymomma

That one is Cranberry Pine. I mixed it myself and really like it. I like the old looking stuff. This is a replica of old pottery. Soapymomma again.:rolleyes2

I keep getting a message at the top of the board that I need to post since it has been a long time since I did. LOL! So here is a picture of my little Christmas mug candle done in Cranberry Spice scent. Soapymomma

Lots of floral scents could be blue. Lavender Blue is one that I sell. Raspberry can be blue too. HTH Soapymomma

Was it made with shea butter? Often times shea will get grainy if it is heated too hot and cools too fast. Like you said the grains will melt, but I agree it is nicer without them in the first place. My last batch of mango shea did that. I got a batch of shea that was grainy in the first place too and that didn't help either. Soapymomma

Just check out my site and see if there are any blends you like. We even custom design blends for our customers. Let me know what you like and I will make it for you. Soapymomma

You can read what people say about many candle and soap making suppliers' service and products and also learn about fragrance oils and their uses in various products. The site is in its beginning stages and your input would really be appreciated. I am so excited about this site because we can now have a place to go to both voice our experiences and also to see what others have to say. Please come on over and take a look. Bookmark the site and come back often to participate. :yay: http://www.scentforum.com/fsr/supplier_reviews.php Thanks a bunch, Soapymomma

protein, but they can also carry bacteria, so be really careful using them. Soapymomma

Those are really really nice. Clever too and pretty. Do you sell lavender sprigs like you use for them? Since you are in Or. I thought I'd ask since I have been looking for a few. I love them and would use them in my home. I soak little wood rolling pins in apple pie oil for my potpourri and the scent lasts a very long time. I think the little vial of refresher oil is a great idea too. I just wonder if the lavender oil would rub off on an article of clothing if it came in direct contact in a dresser drawer or something. That might be something to test for. Seems like they would be really nice in a closet too. Just placed every here and there. Moths don't like lavender, so that might be a selling point too. Oh how I ramble on and like to think through my typing fingers. Soapymomma

Please don't stop posting your pics. Those soaps are all just wonderful! I bet they smell great too. Please pat yourself on the back for me.:highfive: Soapymomma

another supplier that is as good. Do you happen to know who took over or their address? I like to buy 50 pounds at a time and need to be sure it is as good a quality. I don't like the stinky kind or the snow white kind that is all bleached out either. Any suggestions would be wonderful. I live in Oregon and shipping is a big concern. Soapymomma

adding some brown to make it look like the spice is in there. Most pumpkin stuff has spice and so brownish. How did it turn out? Soapymomma:cool2:

clear base. If you start with a white base it requires a lot of colorant to get your colors really dark. Just depends on what you want for a finished product. I mean the clear will achieve a dark color, but it will be well, clear even so. Hope this made some sense. LOL! Soapymomma

I can only tell you the way we ship our gel candes. For the pies, cinni buns, brownies, shortcakes and such, we place tightly, a piece of plastic wrap around the tops. Then we place the entire candle in a clear plastic clam shell type box and tuck either bubble wrap or packing foam inside the clam shell to make a fairly tight fit so the candle won't jiggle when being shipped. Then of course we place this in the shipping box and use packing peanuts. We have not had any problems with this method. We did learn the hard way that especially in warm weather if you put bubble wrap or even packing foam right next to the gel then the gel will take the weird shape of the material that is next to it. It can look so weird when the top of your strawberry shortcake has indentations in it the shape of bubble wrap! Yuck! Of course you will need to figure out what works for you, but this is the way we ship our gel candles. Best wishes. Soapymomma

the service was horrible. The products with the exception of the colorants were not very good either. Like I said that was quite a while back, and they could have changed things by now, but I have never heard anything good about them. HTH Soapymomma

I could ask to have them posted. They are what I send to customers and sort of sound like an ad. LOL! I apologized to most people who asked for the directions about that. I was too lazy and didn't have time to retype them. Thanks to all who emailed. It was fun to meet some of you and discuss making candles. If there seems to be a need, I will retype the instructions and ask to have them posted. Now, back to work, Soapymomma:p

I have noticed several people asking for instructions for making pie candles. I have a set of instructions stored on my computer and would be happy to send them to anyone who wants them. Just zap an email to: soapymomma@yahoo.com Hope I can help. Soapymomma

something to do with the way our business is right now. Mine seems to go in spurts. It will be very busy and then very slow and then busy again. I also think that people are concerned about the price of gas and also of supplies and all that stuff. I think and hope that once things settle down it will get back to normal. When you have so much invested in your business it is tough when things get really slow. I am sure it will get better. Soapymomma

Of course I test my own candles. I ask for the chart for a different reason. Just wanted a general rule of thumb. Thank you, that is the chart I was looking for. I thought Candle Cauldron had one, but when I looked I couldn't find it, so thanks a bunch. Soapymomma

times for different waxes and candle styles. I know each wax, oil, and pillar or container will vary, but I thought I had seen somewhere a list of burn times to expect. For example if a person wanted to know how long to expect a soy candle in a 16 oz. apoth jar to burn. Or a 3 X 6 inch soy pillar. Is there a list somewhere to look at? Help, Help, anyone know? You can email me if you want to. soapymomma@yahoo.com Thanks in advance. Soapymomma