SheilaW

I just do it the lazy way. I order the Peak label without the scent and then print all my scents on Avery 8167. That way I can slap em on anything.

I haven't tried NG's lemon pound cake but Peak is so yum I could almost lick the candles. It's one of my many faves. Oh and have you tried the "Sweet Potato Pie from NG? OMG is it good, smells just like my grandmas.

To me it smells good enough to eat but no one has ever bought one. I even tried layering it with coconut, cherry etc. It was summer time when I tried selling it so that may have made the difference since bakery sells better in cooler weather. I still buy and make it just for me though:cheesy2:

I was very excited when I saw that JS carries it. It is my sister and one of my aunts favorite!! They use to spend a fortune on the sprays and potpourri for the house. For the longest only "Cierra Candles" carried it and it was costing me a fortune (price has since come down but shipping was also a killer) To me it's a very spicy scent. I have only seen it in the higher end department stores so you may want to go in and have a sniff to see if you like it. Cierra is a dead on dupe and is $15.95 per lb. Here is their description: "A duplicate of the Claire Burke signature fragrance. A classic blend of roses, lavender, and spices." I have never smelled JustScents so I can't comment on how close of a dupe it is. It is $20.95 per lb and here is their description: CLAIRE BURKE ORIGINAL type - This timeless blend of roses, lavender and spice, laced with patchouli and vetiver is perfectly suited to any season. This classic fragrance has been a Claire Burke tradition passed from one generation to the next for over 40 years! VERY STRONG! Excellent in soy and paraffin! It is bath and body safe! You can't go wrong with this! A definite must have for your scent line! I would be more than happy to send you a sniffie. ( I would send you an ounce but then you have to deal with shipping:( Send me your addy and I can get the sniffie out to you today.

I'm far from an expert on eo's but I love "Majestic Mountain Sage" http://www.the-sage.com/index.html They are in Utah. Robin uses a lot of eo's so she could probably give you some good advice.

I have been wanting to make salt bars since the first time I saw them and finally got around to it. I just made a 1 lb batch, 14oz coconut and 2oz castor. Put it in a warm oven to make sure it gelled pulled it out while it was still warm and it was a beautiful shade of pale blue scented Tropical Island. The problem was that it was sooo crumbly, I couldn't cut it . I had added a bit over a lb of salt so I thought maybe that was too much and since I hate to throw anything away that can be rebatched I thought that I would make a 3lb regular batch and just add my crumbles to it. Ha NOT so. It still crumbled like mad and the lather that is suppose to be creamy was nonexsistant. Without a doubt it was the worse soap ever:( I went back to the soap dish and re-read everything I could find again and low and behold it say's to NOT use DEAD sea salt. Duh, don't know how I missed that. So anyway for all you that want to make salt bars just use the cheaper sea salt instead of the Dead sea salt. I left it sitting on the counter for 4 days hoping it would get better ( it was cpop) and it really hurt to drop it into the trash:cry2:

Yeah, I think most of us have done that. I was making carrot cake, pumpkin spice and sweet potato pie and darned if they weren't the same color in the jar even though they looked different on my test plate. Oh well, at least they smelled good.

Well I don't have a basement (FL) but I never throw anything out either. Have you tried mixing it in tarts? If I have a good blend that I use for something I'll just add small amounts of the "crap" stuff until I use it all up.

Someone on here does the octogon votives ( or use to) so you may get a good answer yet. Have you tried putting a little bit of sealer on the bottom of the wick pin to hold it in place? Not to hijack the thread but Top, I put in an order at "Candle Science" and they couldn't have been nicer. GREAT customer service.

I use Peak at 1/2 tsp. per lb. It makes a huge difference to keep your candles from fading.

I have ordered a lot of their dupes, and they are dead on. (all were premium) It does take a bit longer for shipping than I like.

I wouldn't dream of using a flat ply without twisting it.

http://froogle.google.com/froogle?q=candy+corn+candle+molds&hl=en&lr=&sa=N&tab=ff&oi=froogler http://www.scottcrewcandlesupply.com/store/agora.cgi?product=Molds-Silicone-Candy&hdr=mscottcrew Did a google search and here are two I found.

I make a lot of this and the guys love it. ( I include a small bottle of lotion in the same fragrance) Something for the men! « on: Aug 4th, 2004, 3:05pm » Quote Modify My DH is absolutely not a "lotion" kind of guy, but I wanted to make something soothing for his face for after shaving. He loves my shaving soap, and I wanted something to complement it. I wanted something that would be greaseless with nice skin feel and might help with any nicks, cuts or ingrown hairs. So I was fooling around and created an oil-free, light, quick absorbing aftershave balm that he absolutely raves about. He said it is just like an Yves St Laurent balm he got as a gift over 20 years ago, it was $15 at that time and he hoarded it for five years, using it only on special occasions. He was thrilled with this formula, so I wanted to share it. 15% aloe vera juice 65% distilled water 1% citric acid 1% allantoin 3% Structure XL 10% witch hazel 1% hydrolyzed wheat protein 1% cyclomethicone 1% polysorbate 20 1% fragrance of choice (I used Peak's Midsummer Night) 1% Germaben II or suitable preservative of choice Heat and hold water and aloe vera juice. Add allantoin and citric acid and stick blend. Add Structure XL and allow to hydrate. Add witch hazel, wheat protein and cyclo, stick blend. Mix fragrance and polysorbate 20 until blended, then add to mix. Add preservative at appropriate time and temp. Pour into malibus (small orifice tops work best) and cap when cool. Here's the reasoning behind the seasoning: Aloe vera - healing and soothing Citric Acid - pH adjuster (ph should be about 4.5-5 to counteract the alkaline soap residue) allantoin - soothing and healing, helps repair skin so I thought it would be good for nicks. cyclomethicone - gives "slip" and good feel, but is not greasy or poreclogging hydrolyzed wheat protein - mildly conditioning, adds silky feel and a mild "film" quality, making your skin feel smoother. Structure XL - a corn starch derivative that gels waterbased substances. I use it to give body to the balm and make it easier to apply. You could sub any other type of gelling agent if you want, I suppose, like Ultramaize. Witch hazel - antibacterial, cooling because it contains alcohol, quick dry You could leave out the allantoin and wheat protein and citric and cyclo if you want, just replace with water or aloe in the percentages. It will feel a bit different, and won't be as healing without the allantoin, but it is still nice. You could also leave out the poly 20 and FO if you don't want to have that, or replace with EOs as desired. This balm is milky in appearance, kind of a thin gel consistency. It goes on smooth and dries quickly, and it's soothing. And definitely NOT girly in the least LOL «

I had the same problem and I really hated the way the oil would float on top ( FL heat ) Now I use hard butters like cocoa and sal with a much smaller ratio of soft oils/butters. When my scrub cools it's very solid and stays solid even in this heat.

Those are sooo cool! Good job on the colors and Paulette, excellent job on the mold!!

I like using a crock pot for rebatching.

I have some that I bought off the classifieds ( you never know how old they really are. ) The main way I can tell they are old is they start smelling like the plastic bottle they are in. That said, I have fo's I bought from "Natures Garden" and "Peak" and they are all in plastic bottles and still smell fine after a year. I think it must depend on the type of plastic used?? Also I have noticed that old ones can get kind of a vinegar smell to them sometimes. The ones that have the plastic smell will be the same in wax (yuck) but the ones that have a slight vinegar tang lose it in the wax and are fine.

All I know is that last year I loaded up on "Christmas" scents and every single order was for fruity summer type smells:confused:

I have tried a lot of the scent event oils. It's kind of a hit or miss thing. Some of them are really good and some weren't worth the $6.00 per lb. I paid for them. You can NOT judge them oob. I ordered the muscadine grape wine and thought it smelled really gross oob but it's one that everyone just loves in candles and tarts and reorders. Now I order it in 5 lb increments. I also get the straight fruit ones for mixing.

I have a couple of metal funnels that work great for pouring clamshells and tealights. Without them I had more wax on the table than in the containers:p

I used a recipe off of "To Die For" suppliers site and it called for a 1/2 Tbls. of salt and 1 Tbls. of sugar per 64 oz of oils. You dissolve it in the water before adding lye. It turned out well so I add it to every batch now.

Yeppers, like Fern I can never just buy one mold and like Trish I love the look of a three piece set. I also have the 9" but only use it when someone request a 4 pc. set.

Wow, all of the good superlatives have been used but those are some really good looking candles.

I think votives are a good choice for first attemps at candle making. A lot of suppliers have kits that should have everything you need. One word of warning though-- I'ts just as addicting as making B&B:)