gerrie

You got that right Sharon!!!

My bottles are 9 oz and I add 1/4 tsp of FO. In my 20 oz refills I use 1/2 tsp. HTH

You bet. When I first started making candles I opted for straight paraffin (I was pretty green at the time). There was no consistency to that wax, and it was an IGI wax. I got tired of that and after a few years went to a paraffin blend. Things were going fine till one case developed the "brains". It took them months to finally tell me that "oops, we added to much vybar to that batch, just add some mineral oil and that will fix it". I didn't buy wax that I needed to "fix", and on top of that it was right during the fall and winter busy season. They fixed that and I used that wax for about 4 years, and now I'm using a para/soy blend and as you can guess, each case seems to be a bit different. I'd love to find a consistant wax, totally consistant, it's one thing to have to test everything when you buy a new wax, but to test each case is crazy not to mention time consuming and expensive!!!

It really isn't that hard to do. Just follow directions, and make sure you have all your ducks in a row before you start. I've used this type several times with good results, and another brand that I can't think of right now. http://www.smoothon.com/candle.htm The only problem I ran into was the object I was trying to duplicate floated. So make sure you glue or secure with double face tape your object down in your container. Make sure you know how much silicone you'll need to fill your container. The stuff is expensive and you don't want to waste it. I had made to much for my pour once, and I was running around trying to find something else to make a mold of when. On the other hand, make sure you have enough, you don't want to run short. I just always tried to make sure I had somehting else I could pour a mold of if I had to much. Good luck.

I had to spray my labels before I got my laser printer. I did find that they can yellow with time from that spray, so don't print up more than you'll need for 6-12 months.

OMG you guys, now I need to pick one of these. Like them all, might have to do the eeny meeny thing Thanks so much, all of you!! I've never been good at renaming scents, guess that's why I never do it :rolleyes2

I just can't seem to come up with a catchy name for Vanilla mint. Can you give me some ideas? I love this scent, but want to change the name so it's more fitting for the holidays. TIA

I started with Michaels.....what a disaster that was. I searched the internet right away (after almost burning down the house with a tealight) and found a message board, it was Todd's, can't even remember the name....maybe the Scent Review. From then I hit every supplier out there, I was like a kid in a candy shop with all those little 1 oz bottles of FO. I think I did a lot of my buying from BCN to begin with, and found Sissies, and Missy's, Ms. Randy (what a lady), and the list goes on. Was glad to find Peaks board and their scents finally in 2003. I suppose 99% of us started making candles cause it would be fun and easy. Oh how little did I know. Almost burned down the house and then it put me in the poor house, and I'm still learning.....don't think that part ever ends.

Wow Sharon, you gave me a lot of different ideas to work with. I like the idea of elastic, then I don't have to worry about the glue sticking. The ribbon would be a nice touch too! It's a everlasting pillar so I don't have to worry about the ribbon or anything I put on the outside of the candle. Thank you so much for the ideas. I'd like to just use the glue, but I don't think it'll work, especially since I'll be transporting this unity candle to the Cayman Islands........That baby will be right with me, not going to stick it in my luggage for the airlines to toss around. Thanks again.

Oh my, grandma does look like she'd like to knock your candles over:wink2: It's obvious she didn't want to be there, and I don't blame her, it can be pretty boring sitting at a craft show all day doing nothing. Your display looks great though, nice and neat and elegant.

Way to go Sharly I'm sure it was a lot of work, but doesn't just feel so good to see those repeat customers

I'm getting ready to make my daughters unity candle. Since her dress has swarovski crystals on it, she'd like to incorporate them into her unity candle, by gluing them around the top and bottom of the candle. I'm going to be using a plam wax, and last time I made one for my other daughter I had a heck of a time trying to glue on pearls. Is there a glue out there that I could get to help keep these crystals on the wax? Also it doesn't seem to appear that they come in a string, like a string of pearls, am I correct? I'm thinking the flat back ones might be my best bet, since they have more "glue" space, what to you all think? Is my best bet just to get them at my local craft store, or maybe JoAnn's Fabrics? TIA

Perfect!!!!!! I even have a doz. or so of those boxes (packed away ready to sell).........got so much crap that I can't even remember what I have and don't have. I'll dig those out, thanks for reminding me that I have them.......you're amazing Carrie, you're always there with anything I may need, I do have several risers I could put my boxes on, but thanks sweetie.

I got in on the co-op from Jacqui for the votive shrink wraps. I've always packaged my votives in a box of 6, which was easy to just lay out on the table for display. Do you have any ideas of a good way to display my individually wrapped votives? I hate to have a container for each scent (could be crowded on the table) but I also just hate to throw them all in a basket. Can you give me some idea of how you do it, so it still looks nice but doesn't cost an arm and a leg. I did look at some plastic food containers today, but I don't think I'd like the looks of that on my table. TIA

Yes, they can take it off. I just had my debit card number stolen last week and since I had to cancel it I also had to take it off ebay, paypal, etc. I had no trouble taking it off paypal, they have my bank account info, so I'll use that from now on. If you keep large amounts of money in your bank account they will still be able to use it. I'm now going to keep small amount of money in our checking account and just transfer money from savings to checking several times a month. That way I won't have a large amount in the checking so it would be hard for anyone to make a large purchase through my banking info on ebay or paypal. I'm still trying to figure out how they got my dc number, cause I'm very careful. I found it myself by checking my statement on line which I do at least once a week. I had hoped the company would have been able to tell me where the item that was purchased was shipped, but it was an e-book purchase so all they could give me was a email addy, which isn't doing me any good. I'd like to know where the email addy comes from, cause if it comes from my home town then I know someone got my info right here in town, as opposed to the internet. It sure can be a headache, and it sure did piss me off. Lazy bums that don't have anything better to do with their time than steal from the rest of us:angry2:

Super!!!! Should be stress free with all the good help you have and knowing you've done this before. I'm sure you have a real method of madness going on during these pours. Congratulations!!!

I got some a few years ago at the sage: http://www.thesage.com/catalog/UniqueItems.html

I like the border, and I'd use one if I could get it to print right, so I know what you're talking about. Since I can't seem to do that though, I have my label with no border. So, guess what I'm saying is, go with the no border just to save time, money and stress :rolleyes2 , cause they both look great.

Just so you don't feel alone Sharyl, I thought it was today too. I was out of town but soon as I got home I went to the computer so I could read all about the fun you all had today. Well, couldn't find a thing, so after about 1/2 hour I did a search, and low and behold, I found this thread. Not sure why, but I sure thought it was today. At least I didn't have my wax melted and all set to go like you did :undecided I'll be checking in next week soon as I get home, so I hope I'll have a lot to read, I'll be taking a lot of notes.

I don't have any problems with their supplies, but the shipping can be way out of line. So if you can pick up, you're way ahead of most of us.

Another one here for BCS Mulberry.

I agree with the others, the setup is very elegant and professional looking, and the most important to me..........not cluttered. It's looks very inviting, and easy to shop in. Good job!

After adding my sales tax to the pruchase price on the spot for 2 years I found that when you get busy people really don't want to stand around in line waiting for you to figure all the tax with your calculator. That's when I started to include the tax in my products, and at the same time not messing with the penny crap. Most the time they can add up their own purchase if they don't have to figure the tax, so they can start making out the check or getting the cash out of their purse, so it saves everyone time. It just runs smoother, and people can move on to the next vendor faster, keeps them happier.

You've got some good advice here already. One thing I don't like is a cluttered looking display. And that can be almost impossible to avoid if you have a lot of different products and you're very limited on space. I found the best thing to do is keep your table covering (I use sheets) covering the front and sides of the table, along with the top, this hides all the extra jars of candles you have stored underneath. Keeping your extras under the tables leaves more room on top of the tables. The cardboard shelves work great, and it's so easy to throw a piece of fabric on them to cover them up. Anything that adds height to the display helps. With each show you will find something else to change. It's a ongoing process, but you will eventually end up with just what's right for you. Good luck with all your shows.

Very, very pretty!!! I wish I had just a small percent of your talent.