Fern

I've used SOS many times. Don't set yourself up for disappointment just yet. Some of the SOS grade FO's do well in candles..but it's hit or miss. If it doesn't do well in a candle, they usually do well in tarts and in linen/room sprays. If your going to do tarts, I'd use 1 oz to 8-10 oz of wax, this way you'll get nice strong tarts. If you make B&B, you can probably use the SOS grade in that and have good results. But in the future, if you're looking for FO's for candles, I would definitely get the Ultra Concentrate next time. Good luck!

Love the jars and the labels! Great job!

I suppose there are those that would like those candles because they're different, but I think they're...well...hidious. I wouldn't want my candles peeling down the sides like a banana. No, those are not my thing at all.

I always try out my samples in tarts before I buy anything larger than one ounce...this is one I'd definitely buy in a larger quantity.

Just tried out my sample of Peak's White Lily and Amber...OMG it is divine!!! Just thought I'd share this with the floral/fresh lovers. It's definately a keeper, in my book anyway.

If you go with a straight paraffin like 1343N or A, or any other straight paraffin, you will have to add additives. If you're looking for a wax that you will not have to add anything at all to, then you want to go with a pre-blend...such as OK6228. There are other pre-blended waxes for pillars out there, however, the one that I happen to use is OK6228, which I use to make votives and blend with container wax for tarts. I don't use it for pillars because I prefer to make rustics and mottles, but it does make very nice, shiney, solid pillars, however, it shrinks a lot and will require multiple pours.

Mandarin Bamboo from Tradewinds would kick ass in B&B...and is an upscale scent to boot.

www.saveonscents.com has tons of designer fragrance dupes. I've purchased many of them and have rarely been disappointed.

Every one of them are beautiful! Great job!

If it's white grapefruit...I'd do a very pale yellow (for the grapefruit) and for the vanilla, obviously, it would be off white or very pale cream...as for the twist part well...I think the twist is the grapefruit and vanilla combination itself...so I wouldn't add a third layer. Now if it's ruby red grapefruit...I'd color it a corally red and then off white of very pale cream for the vanilla. That's just my humble opinion...I'm sure there will be many others.

I'm totally diggin' it too! Lovely shade of blue!

Those are really cute...you did a great job! I've got a question for you though, when the candle burns awhile and the heat starts to build up in the jar, isn't that wax on the outside going to melt and fall off? Or are these just for decoration and not burning?

I like your label very much. Great job!

Candle Kitty: The reason you are finding caves and cavities in your candles is not from using wick pins. These are caused by not keeping your relief holes open long enough. When you allow your relief holes to close up too soon, you will get air pockets in your candle...which causes the caves and cavities. Just thought you might like to know.:smiley2:

Candlewic has them, but I warn you...wicking pillars that size is quite difficult, so prepare yourself for lots of wick testing. Only a few people on the board I know have been able to wick one successfully. I tried on and off for a couple of years, then finally gave up.

I'm there too. I haven't poured a candle or made tarts since January when I moved to South Carolina. All my stuff is sitting there packed in boxes in my closet. I open the door, I look in and think about making some, then I think about all the mess I'll have to clean up and then tell myself I'll do it later...but later hasn't come yet....

Are you using an aluminum or metal mold? Aluminum works much better. I had a very difficult time getting a rustic finish with metal molds, alot of people do. Don't know if that's your problem or not. But keep trying...it took me quite a few tries before I got it. You might also want to wait until the next day to remove your candle from the mold. Sometimes if you pull it when it's even the slightest bit warm your frost will stick inside the mold. If it doesn't come out easily after waiting overnight, try putting it in the refrigerator for about half an hour and then pull it. Let me know how you make out...

No problem, glad to help.

No, it won't give you lines. If you pour at the right time, you can still pour at the same temperature, around 150-160 and the layers will adhere just fine. If you wait a little too long, you can always hit the top of each layer with a heat gun for about 5-10 seconds first, then do your pour and swirl gently. No need to use a water bath either. This is how I do it and get good results. It takes a little practice, but you'll get it. Just keep trying....good luck!

I think you will get better results if you pour 2-3" layers at a time. After each layer, gently swirl the wax in a circle motion inside the mold and let it set up to the point of having a thick skin of wax, and when tilted, you can see the liquid wax roll just underneath the surface. Continue pouring in layers and gently swirling and then poke your relief holes about an hour after the last pour. From your picture it looks like you might have a mottled there but with bits of frost on the outside. When you pour your wax all at once, it's hard to control the temp because it stays hot in the mold for quite a while. If you pour it in layers, it can cool faster because there is less wax to cool. I hope that made sense. If I've totally confused you, I apologize. LOL

When someone put's "type" next to the fragrance name, they are letting you know that it is a duplicate of a designer, or well known scent from...let's say...Bath and Body Works, Yankee Candle, Victoria's Secret, etc. This is so they cannot claim it as their own original scent, so by law, they have to put "type" next to the name when they've made a product using someone else's "trademarked" name of that particular fragrance. I think I explained that right. LOL

I'm not very scientific or precise when it comes to measuring stearic for rustics...but I go with 3 heaping tablespoons per lb of paraffin wax and pour around 150 degrees into room temperature molds. Works great for me.

I used Joy Wax for about two years...at least I think it was two, anyway, I thought it was a very nice wax for awhile, until I couldn't get a few of my favorite scents to throw in it. Since it's mostly soy, it has the same problem as soy does with throwing certain scents. Sometimes, if you let it cure about a week you can get some of them to throw, that wouldn't throw the first go around. Peak's Hyacinth threw like crazy in Joy...a small 4 oz candle could be smelled all over the entire house...upstairs and down. I ended up switching to J223 and J50 and never had another problem with scents throwing well in it, unless it was just a light scent to begin with. Wicking and frosting was not an issue with this wax, in my case...just certain scents not throwing. I think it's a very nice wax, but since I can get two of the waxes I most often use from another supplier, I decided it wasn't cost effective for me to continue to buy it when I would have to use another wax for my favorite scents.

My favorite from Tradewinds is Mandarin Bamboo and for another great floral/herbal scent, Herbal Ecstasy is fabulous. From NG the fruit scents I buy are: Blackberry Jam Coco Cabana (renamed by NG to Coconut Cabana) MacIntosh Apple Coconut Lime Verbena Pearberry Cranberry Balsam (I wish this one was stronger, but it's a great scent) Ruby Red Grapefruit Strawberries and Champagne (Renamed by NG to Strawberries and Sparkling Wine) Strawberry Rhubarb A couple more florals/designer scents I missed that are really good is Very Sexy for Men and Very Sexy for Women, renamed by NG to Extremely Sexy for Men and Extremely Sexy for Women and Frosted Snowdrops.

I order from them and usually just get the Mandarin Bamboo and Herbal Ecstasy. These two scents are my all time favorites, but alas, it's true, they do not restock quickly at all. I had to wait six months for them to get more Mandarin Bamboo in and they won't respond to any email inquiries about when they expect to restock out of stock fragrances. So, if you are depending on certain fragrances from them and they're out...you can wait as long as six months to get it. Not good for business...if you ask me.