Fern

They're lovely candles and the color choice is very appropriate...Dark blue/purple for the blackberry and green for the sage. I'd say you chose just the right colors. Nice job!

Ooooh....me likey very much!!!

I'm a big fan of Moonlight Path...so I say choose that one. :smiley2:

You don't really want to put a rustic in the freezer because you can end up with too much frost on it and lose the color of the candle itself. You also don't need to chill the mold...you can...but you don't have to. In the summer you can chill them in the fridge...in the cooler months...if your house is already cool...you can use room temperature molds. The trick is adding a lot of stearic (anywhere between 3-6 tablespoons per lb of wax) to get that white frosty look...if that's what you are going for (if you only want a little frost...use less stearic) and pouring at around 140-150 in room temperature molds. You can however, put them in the fridge to hasten the cooling time between layers but you've got to keep an eye on them so that they don't cool so much that they start to pull away from the mold. The layering principle in the rustics is the same as in the non-rustics...you've still got to pour each layer hotter than the next to ensure adhesion...or if it has set up too much by accident...you can reheat the top of the layer with a heat gun to the point of getting a small pool of melted wax and then pour your next layer.

You don't need to heat your mold...I never do. To have that distinct layer...let that first layer set up for about 30-45 minutes...maybe even an hour. It depends on how long it takes to cool. In the summer months it's going to take longer of course. The best thing to do is poke a relief hole to see how much it has set up. You want a pretty thick skin...say maybe about 1/8" or a bit more. Then pour your next layer "hotter" by approximately 10 degrees. Pouring that second layer like you did at 25 degrees cooler would never have held together. It would have broken apart taking it out of the mold or shortly thereafter. As far as the air bubbles are concerned...that was probably caused by very vigorous stirring or pouring too fast. Pour your wax slowly and steadily and you shouldn't get any bubbles.

AtticMonkey: I've been making the corn cob fresheners for about a year now. The length of fragrance retention varies with the scent you use. I always use my strongest scents in these and forget about the lighter scents because they just don't last very long. My experience has been that Twigs-n-Berries, Mountain Lake, Storm Watch, Clean Cotton, Cornucopia, Ocean Water, Herbal Ecstacy, Moonlight Path and few others, that I can't think of at the moment...lasted anywhere from 3 weeks to a month. I'd say that's pretty good. Yankee Candles Car Jars don't even last that long. I use to get 2-3 weeks out of those...if I was lucky. Periodically, I scrunch the bag to stir around the corn cobs to release more fragrance. Cross ventilation in the car will also get the scent swirling around the car again. The key is using a good quality, strong fragrance oil to get the best results.

OMG...I can't believe you guys! I LOVE Cornucopia...it smells like apples and something...just could never figure out what the something is. Amish Harvest is another one I love. And I normally go for fresh or floral scents...there are very few fruit or bakery scents that I like. I'll tell you what I do hate...Black Canyon. It smells like cheap 70's era men's cologne to me and it's way, way too strong. I ordered a whole freakin' pound of this stuff because so many people were raving about it. I got light headed and sick to my stomach when I poured it at 1 oz per lb. I could never pour that stuff again...unless I had a respirator. I learned my lesson though...just because lot's of other people like it...it doesn't mean that I will. Now, I get a sample size to see if I like or not before I go whole hog on a pound.

Hi Candlelovr: First...you really don't need to pour the wax that hot. Pouring around 175-180 is sufficient. When your first layer has set up to the point of having a somewhat thick skin...you can pour the second layer approximately 10 degrees hotter than your first layer so that the layers adhere well...otherwise they will split apart after cooling. It seems as though you poured your second layer way too soon since your colors ran together...meaning the first layer had not set up enough before you poured the next. Wait until you have a pretty thick skin on that first layer before pouring another. If you want your layers to blend slightly, pour your second layer when you can see the wax roll just underneath the surface when tilted. If you want a destinct separation between the layers...wait until the first one has almost set up completely...but don't wait until the sides have started to separate from the mold because the next layer will drain down the inside of the mold. Layering takes practice so just keeping pouring until you get it. Before you know it...you'll be making them like a pro.

You can get OK6228 at Wholesale Supplies Plus and Tristate Candles or is it Candles and Supplies...could be one or both of those places besides WSP.

Very, very nice Eugenia! Perfect color selections for that scent!

Very nice!

You've got to get Spruce Christmas Tree (Peak)....it's great! It is a very, very authentic pine scent...nothing artificial about it...just like a fresh cut Christmas tree...except maybe a tad bid sweeter. I love it...it's my favorite Christmas scent. Another really good one is Amish Harvest.

I agree 6228 does have great scent throw...better than any other pillar wax that I have tried...however...I don't care much for a smooth pillar. I'm more into the rustic and mottled look myself so I only use the 6228 along with the J223 to make my tarts. I love my 4045 for my pillars though. I can make my rustics, mottles, etc., and the scent throw is good...just not as good as the 6228.

I blend two waxes for my tarts. J223 (container wax) and 6228 (preblend pillar wax with great scent throw). I got this idea from another board member (Kimberly) who had sent me a sample tart so that I could smell for myself. She actually used J50...not the J223...but since J50 and J223 are very similar and I already had it, along with the 6228, I decided to use it...and with great results. Before I was using veggie waxes and straight pillar waxes for my tarts and they sucked big time...very little scent throw...but these tarts kick ass. As for my containers, I use straight J223 and for my pillars I use a straight paraffin which is 4045...which I like very much.

J223 here as well!

I agree with everyone...those do look great! I love how you have the dark brown or is it black...streaking through the candle. Great job! Oh yeah...I think the background would look nice with the barn board or burlap as well. It would be very fitting for the fragrance type.

I use 1 oz. FO per lb to a 50/50 blend of J223 and 6228. I kept changing the amounts but settled on the 50/50 blend because they melted faster. Was having a problem earlier when my Mom's electric tart warmer took forever to melt the tarts...or they would only melt partially. I settled on the 50/50 blend because they still stayed hard, shrink wrapped well with no melting whatsoever using the heat gun and they melted quickly in both the electric and tealight burners...but most importantly...they've got awesome scent throw!

It looks as though you are starting out the right way...small...with a sampler pack. I wish I had known about this forum when I first started making candles about two years ago...I could have saved myself a whole bunch of money. Anyway, I wish you the best of luck and try not to get too frustrated...there's a lot to learn. Luckily, you've got us folks here to help you along the way. Have fun!:smiley2:

Black Canyon will kill you if your not careful. lol Got so sick and light headed when I poured this stuff at 1 oz per lb that I haven't been able to touch the stuff since. You need to go 1/2 oz per lb with this one. Midsummer Night, Mountain Lake, Hyacinth, Sugar Plum Berries and Amish Harvest are other very strong throwers.

I'm totally diggin' your label! Very rustic and down home kinda feel to it. I hope it looks good for you once you actually get to see them on the label.

As always...your work is elegantly tasteful. And the presentation...right on the mark every time. Beautiful work Ange!

I agree with container candles using their logo and pictures of dogs with the oh so cute scent names that Debscent suggested. You could knock out a whole lot of candles, if you do the containers, in a decent amount of time. I think what will take the longest amount of time is designing the labels. Good luck to you!

Sounds like you've got your work cut out for you...you're going to be one busy guy! One suggestion I might add is that you incorporate more herbal/floral and fresh scents. The majority of your scents are bakery or fruit. You've got a whole lot of people out there that like their houses...and bathrooms...to smell fresh and clean...not like food. I'm one of those people. Although I like a bakery or fruit scent now and then...the sweetness of them gets to me after awhile, so I don't burn them for long periods of time. Now give me an herbal/floral or fresh scent, and I will burn them all day and night in several rooms of my house. Just my opinion, do with it what you may. Good luck in your venture!

Wow Eugenia...that looks great! I never knew that you would get such a beautiful burn with those additives...and 7% FO load...in a wax that only accommodates 3%...and no sweating??? Great experiment! How's the throw on that?

Here's some of my favorites from Peak: Country Garden Hyacinth Clean Cotton Spruce X-mas Tree Amish Harvest Mango Papaya Midsummer's Night Sweet Pea Mountain Lake Vanilla Hazelnut