Deb

Wow...just wow!! That soap is simply beautiful.

It wasn't that scary, was it?? I am still excited about my first batch and am already planning my next one. We both "lost our soap virginity" this week....LOL!!

If you hadn't explained that soap calc. to me, I'd never have even tried this. And you do inspire me, to search, research, and find the answers to my questions. I not only find the answers, but I find answers to questions that I didn't even know I had!! You are the Queen of Research, and I am learning to follow in your footsteps...LOL!! I am SO looking forward to Ohio!!!

Thanks Mystical...now I feel official....LOL!!! I owe it all to you!! BTW, my horoscope today said that I need to watch my purse strings this week. And I will...I'll watch them open for the new stuff that I need (want)....LOL!!

Thanks everyone for the nice comments! I can't wait to do the next batch!

Kimberly....Thank you! I couldn't wait to take a peek at it, and was sooo thrilled to see gel! Somehow I thought it was just going to flop because the process wasn't as bad as I imagined it would be. Freezin....The scent is Mac Apple from Peaks. I used it because I heard it worked well in CP and because it was something I had!! Scented...Having an enabler in the neighborhood is great!! She inspires me to do these things...LOL!! She also inspires me to spend money with all of her great finds!

I've been quietly lurking for months here, reading, researching, admiring, and doing my best to resist the urge to dive into all of this. I filled a three ring binder with research, just in case, but still held back not sure if I wanted to get into this B&B stuff. I was doing a good job of resisting, when my enabler, Mystical, stepped in bringing me some supplies and showing me how to create a soap recipe. Suddenly, my "extra money" was spent buying oils and a mold "just in case". Well, I finally did it. I made soap this weekend! My first!! Granted, it's not a great looking soap, but damn it lathers and feels good. (I had to try a little piece!) And...best of all...it didn't eat my skin off! It's funny how scared I was to do this, and how many weekends I would decide to do it, then changed my mind. The thread urging Michi to "just do it" is what pushed me to finally try. I have so much to learn still, but the best way to do that is to just experiment till I find what works! Now I have a whole list of new supplies that I just "have" to have. One damn batch and I'm hooked. Another "addiction", just what I need!! The picture is crappy, I know. I have a feeling that a new camera isn't in my future though, because all of my money is going to go to B&B supplies!

I love Peaks Clean Cotton. VERY strong cold and hot throw.

Squeaky clean jars. I swear by it! I used to take the jars out of the box, heat them, cool them slowly...every tip I ever heard, I tried. Then someone (Mystical) mentioned washing the jars first and that reduced the wet spots by about 90%. Someone else mentioned that when they are made, there's a thin film of something on the jars. (Can't remember why it's put on...I think to reduce fingerprints while packaging or something. Damn, my memory sucks lately) Anyway, washing whatever it is off, helped tremendously!

I have unwrapped votives that I made over a year ago that are just as strong as they were when I made them. It's all in how you store them. I store mine in containers made of polypropylene. They have to be polypropylene, as other plastics tend to "suck" the scent out. You might want to consider that as an alternative to a cardboard box.

I have to say...your second candle is fantastic! I see the rainbow in it! The first one was great, but didn't remind me of a rainbow like the first one does.

Since this post was "reborn"....(And since I am way too lazy to look back to see if I already posted to it...) Peaks - Never had a bad FO from them, and they consistantly out-sell any of my other FO's. Nature's Garden - Great FO's and Customer Service I am currently testing oils from Greenleaf, AWE, and RE. One of those may be the third choice!

What pretty soap!!

I work for FedEx, and may be able to help! Let me know what your questions are. Deb

Another Peaks vote here. It's fantastic!!

Peaks is the best I've tried too. It's one of my personal favorites.

Small package base rates (UPS, FedEx, etc) go up every January. LTL rates go up once a year based on contract dates. When you ship something, you are being charged the base rate plus a Fuel Surcharge. The Fuel Surcharge changes every Wednesday and is based on the cost of fuel each week. (The rate comes from the U.S. Department of Energy US National Average Diesel Fuel Index.) In the weeks before the hurricanes, the FSC averaged between 12-14% a week. Immediately after the hurricanes, it rose to between 19-22%. It came down to around 15% at the beginning of Dec. and then started rising again in March. Shipping costs are calculated on the base rate x the FSC rate. When you get a rate, either on-line, or a quoted LTL rate, that weeks FSC is already figured in. Bottom line....You can ship something one week, ship the exact same thing, to the exact location the next week, and the rate can be different due to the fluctuating FSC.

Japes, The answers to ALL of your questions are here. Take some initiative and use the search button. At this point, I believe that's your only option because your attitude has alienated some of the most helpful people on this board.

I tested the J225 and wasn't impressed. I saw little difference between the J223 and the J225 other than the J225 cost more!

I use J223, and zinc wicks in the hex jar and don't have sooting or smoking. I usually only use the 51 with the heavier FO's and the 44's with the lighter scents.

I've never been disappointed with an oil from Peaks!

Japes, When I first found this board, I had many of the same questions you do. In fact, I probably had more! Each question was answered fully by the members of this board and it was done without me ever having to ask! I came here with a ton of questions and a notebook, ready to research and learn, and every question I had was answered through the search section. I researched for months before buying my first supplies. I found my wax by reading every post that mentioned the various kinds of wax used, listing the pros and cons of each, then narrowing it down from there. I read everything I could find on wicks, and got a good starting point from what others found worked for them. I did the same with the various suppliers that I used. Once I bought my supplies, I made my first candles. I again came on here and searched for answers to the questions I had after making them, and again found all of the answers! For me, part of the "fun" of all of this was the research, and the fact that I found answers to questions that I didn't even have yet! I don't think I've ever had to ask a question on the board because the answer are all here, somewhere, which proves how willing the members of this board are to share their knowledge. I've seen this controversy over "spoon feeding" play over and over in the past few years. It always starts with new members coming on and wanting all of the answers in one post. People have grown leery of just handing over information to someone who wants it all up front. We've all worked hard to get to where we are now, and most of us learned that the only way to learn this is through trial and error. I think you'll find that once you've done some research, and made a candle, that the members will bend over backwards if you still have questions. There is nothing wrong in asking questions! This board is all about teaching and learning. I think it's the way some questions are asked that turn people off and make them leery of helping. I would hate to see the answer to any new member become "test, search,and prepare to spend thousands and thousands." While I agree 100% about the testing, I think we'd all have to admit that sometimes, no matter how hard you search, the answers may still elude you. I hope that we all don't become so hardened that we just answer all questions by telling someone to search. I also hope that the new members never feel that like they can't ask a question without fear of being blasted. I may be blasted for this, but I have to say....I didn't test for years and years and I didn't spend thousands and thousands in my testing stage. That's where my research saved me. I didn't have a lot of money to invest, so I decided what I wanted to do, researched for what I thought would be the best supplies, and went on from there. I found one wax, worked with two types of jars, and with various wicks and FO's until I produced a candle to be proud of. Because I didn't have a lot of money, I wasn't tempted to try everything out there. And because money was tight, I was forced to work with what I had until I came up with a candle that I was happy with. My candles were tested and retested until I was confident of my product. After that, I moved on to votives and did the same with researching supplies and techniques. You really don't have to "sell your first born child" to get into this, you just have to be smart in the way you approach it! This board is for learning, and I still learn something here every day. It's also for teaching, and if I can help someone along the way, I will! This is a wonderful board, full of good people who have provided a wealth of information over the years to new members. I think if you stick around for a while and read, you'll see it for yourself! Deb

What I do to reduce the bleeding is pour a thin layer of my second color, wait until it's fairly firm, then pour the second color.

Peaks Lemon Poundcake for me too. It's one of my all time favorites.