erinmfritz

Those look very nice. Good job. I like the jars.

Those are beautiful! A breath of fresh air for spring.

Demenshia, How do these do in the electric warmer and how long does the scent last? These are absolutely beautiful, definatly worth giving it a try.

Very creative, you could sell the grinch soaps at christmas.

I agree, BCN. It's great. Although I do add a small amount of beeswax to it to firm it up a bit.

My neighbor has sold Gold Canyon candles for years. She came over not long ago (haven't seen her since the weather changed) and was asking me about my candles. She started sniffing and fell in love. I made her a couple candles and took them to her last night after they cured for about 2 weeks. She couldn't believe how strong they were. She got the Banana Nut Bread, Vanilla Hazelnut Mocha and Spiced Cranberry. After she smelled them, she got out her GC sample bag. I haven't seen them for about 2 years, since then, they went from the small tins for their samples to lip balm tubs with screw on lids. They are very small, you have to put your nose right into them to smell anything. Other than that, they look great. If anyone is interested, I can post a picture. Does anyone know who has GC dupes, there is a couple I would like to make. Thanks for reading, sorry so long, had to tell the whole story. (and I need coffee!!!)

I second that, definatly 444.

I have been using this spreadsheet since I started making candles. It is very easy to use once you figure it out. I have even added to this sheet converting the oz to grams in a separate box, a place to put notes, etc. This has been an invaluable tool for me, I don't need to figure out % and such, this does it for me. For larger batches, just figure out how much wax you need on the first worksheet, transfer that to the 2nd worksheet, Put in the date, scent name, & any other notes you want and print that out. Then you have record of each batch. Works Great!

I saw that today also. That was the first time I heard of Snowtop. Can you tell me more about them. ICS is one of my main suppliers, I get my order usually the next day from them. I was thinking of trying the Snowtop buttercream frosting.

There has to be somewhere to get these cheaper, if some people can find them at dollar tree (mine doesn't have em) you know they have to be out there somewhere.

You all are amazing with all of your suggestions! :bow: Trae, approximatly how much do you pour into each bag? So, do you color your soap or is it clear? If you color it, do you use colored cubes or does that matter?

That is a beautiful idea. I bet the guests will love them.

Cow girl, can you post a picture? I'm not sure I understand, you are making 2 round fish soaps and putting them in one bag? What kind of bags do you use for this anyway?

I don't have any advice for you, sorry. Just wanted to welcome you to the board. You are sure to learn alot here just like the rest of us newbies. Good luck with your sink holes.

http://www.gatewayfoodproducts.com/soywax.htm The Rep's name is Kris Kackley, she has been great with me. I could order this from someone closer but the price is more per 50# so the savings in shipping doesn't make up for it. Tha only downfall is that they don't sell less than 50# at a time. But, I highly recommend them. Any time I have ordered, if I call early enough, she ships it the same day. She even shipped my wax out yesterday without the proper cc #, e-mailed me that there was a # wrong and waited for me to call back. You don't find that kind of customer service everywhere! Good luck.

See, what did I say, you all are an inspiration!!! Wow Michi, I love your soaps. When you put the ducks in, either way you described, how high do you pour the soap on the duck? How many uses should you get before the duckie goes swimmin' in the real water? Mine popped right out.

http://www.iotcusa.com/products/more/moregifts18.html?pagenum=2 Lorrie, I found this with my search.

Cowgirl, I think I will eventually do the fish in a bag, I saw some I liked (I think they were Meridith's) that were flat instead of a big blob. What problems did you have making them? I am just having fun right now. I just need to figure out how to keep the silly ducks in the soap for more than one bath. I also did a bar of "Cukes & Melon" in clear soap with a drop of red and put a small strawberry Shortcake toy in it, my daughter loves it but wanted to use the ducks tonight. What fun, huh?

I use this wax and don't think I'll ever change. (or at least not right now!) I would consider shipping for the wax too. Call them and see if they will give you a shipping quote to see if the price is right. I currently get mine from a supplier in IL and one that is closer to me in OH is higher priced with less in shipping but the total price is about the same as from IL and I love their customer service. So I decided not to change. 444 is a great wax, once you figure out the little quirks of soy.

Thanks everyone. You all are so funny! I definatly think I am addicted to the fact that I can make these things myself. My girls are in the bath tub right now with the duckie soaps, one fell out already, but trial & error right? This is very fun! My 6 year old is all about helping, especially with the soaps, I can see all kinds of bonding moments with this! Now I can't wait to hit the shower, hmmm, pink sugar or love spell... So, I haven't been looking for m&p soap bases long, is there any suppliers you might suggest near Indiana?

Groovy chic, So how do you clean your presto after the fo & color? I use mine just for plain wax, is re-heating the wax in your presto like tempering? SonShine: Good luck, I poured one tonight at 125 degrees and it turned out beautiful too, just a little grainy looking on top, nothing a heat gun won't cure! LOL. Beware with colors, the liquids tend to cause more frosting than the others I have tried. Some sites say that and some don't. I didn't realize that til I was well stocked on liquids. Although I love the ease of use with them!

Thanks to all of you for your inspiration! I just made my first m&p soap today. I bought some molds & colors on the classies, ordered the clear and the soya milk bases and went to town. I made a purple lovespell clear one, a pink sugar milk one, 2 rubber duckie soaps for my girls, and some small heart ones. I think this is going to be very addictive, it is soooooo easy! I love the soya milk base, but I'm not sure about the clear. It makes your hands feel soapy just by touching it. Is that normal? Just another question about testing, I know I need to try out the soap to make sure I like it, but If I am following the instructions, what testing is involved with melt & pour bases?

This is from the top of this page from Jason at GB. On here it says that the FO load is 9-11%. Maybe start there with mixing FO higher. I heat mine to 175, add y color and FO and cool to around 130 to pour. I don't have a problem with HT or CT. This wax has it's quirks, but scent throw is not one I have had with it. I've tried other waxes and came back to this one. Good luck. GW444: Soy Blended Container Wax This soy wax contains a soy based additive and is both natural and kosher. This soy based additive enables the soy to be poured at a hotter temperature, helps reduce frosting, and will help increase FO load. 444 has a higher melt point which enables it to retain a higher FO load to give you a stronger scent throw. 444 blends well with paraffin, slack wax, and microcrystalline waxes. We do not recommend blending this wax with beeswax. Pour Temp: 125-145 Melt point- 120-125 FO load: 9%-11%

Yea' I use about the size of a dime on it, so when I put it down I get a little around the tab. I have used the same glue for months and just now having problems with it. Go figure, I finally feel like I figured out the wax, finished testing on most of my candles, am happy with the burn I am getting, and now this!!!!!!! Does it ever end?

lindanelson: " If you have a scrapbooking store near you, go there and buy the "Zots". They are clear adhesive dots. I just bought a box of 200 for around $5.00. They work wonderfully." I tried the Zots when I first started making candles and couldn't get one to hold the wick.. Gave up on them. IndyGirlI: "have always used a hot glue gun and have never had a wick come loose. I use a piece of plastic tubing sort of like a straw.........or an ink pen with the guts removed to thread the wick, put a drop of glue on it and stick it down in the jar and press for just a second. :grin2:" This is how I am doing it, I have a couple different size tubes but my fav is the empty bick pin. I also have the wick centering tool with the magnet on the bottom so it is definatly secure. Yesterday, I tried even heating the jars and I watched one float to the top after pouring. I am sure that I have the high temp glue, I threw the other stuff away so I wouldn't get em mixed up. I just don't understand. :confused: