Bev

I understand your being discouraged. I've also had a bad year ... I had reconstructive foot surgery this summer, which kept me off my feet for several months. I wasn't able to pour candles or do much of anything during that time, and because of that I also didn't market my business. To be honest, I feel the same way you do. My website has only gotten me two online orders the entire time it's been operating and with all the months I was not involved in my candle business, it's been very difficult to get enthusiastic about it again. I keep thinking once I'm back to "normal" again (whatever THAT may be), I may gear up again so I won't make any decision about the business just yet. 2RottnDogs, you just suffered a loss, so it's understandable that your candle business isn't top priority at this time. Give it time and see how you feel several months down the road.

Congratulations and Happy Anniversary! You are an inspiration to all of us. Keep up the good work!

Yes, PLEASE, do tell!

My soy tarts get frosty, too. I had some leftover from a craft fair last fall and by spring they all had frost. I even sealed them in bags right away and they still did it. I plan to just use these tarts myself and if I get any new orders, I'll make fresh ones.

I only use liquids. I like the control I get using dropper bottles and find it much easier to keep track of how many drops of dye to add to so many lbs. of wax to achieve a particular color.

I used to be a die-hard Yankee customer. I just figured candles were SUPPOSED to soot and tunnel. I'd finish burning the candle for the day, scrape down the excess wax so there wasn't a tunnel any more, and when the glass was cool, I would clean it off with Windex until the next burn. It wasn't until I purchased a handmade soy candle at a local craft fair that I quit buying Yankee candles. I had no idea a candle could be made to burn all the way down without tunneling, without tons of black soot, and could smell SO GOOD. Don't even ask me why I thought I wanted to start making my own, but now that I do, I will never buy a store candle again!

I package my votives in clear votive boxes but I still put warning labels on the bottom of each individual votive.

I have always set mine up like Diagram A because I have been sandwiched in between two other vendors and if I set it up like Diagram B, no one would be able to reach back to the items on the side tables. I have noticed, though, that vendors who have their stuff "out front" as in Diagram B seem to have more activity at their booths. I sometimes think it's just hit or miss.

I'm burning Peaks Honeysuckle in the family room -- divine!! Burning Peaks Hot Chocolate in the kitchen. (I know it's not in "season" right now, but I can't resist my kitchen smelling like yummy chocolate!!!)

Those are incredibly awesome! I just love the name, too. A perfect addition to the Grumpy Girl line. Great job.

Just had to share some good news ... I just got an order this morning for 75 of my 6-oz. tins for wedding favors. This is the largest single order I've had so far and I'm tickled pink!

I've tested quite a few and still like EZ Soy the best.

I did my first open house with my cousin last year. She is a jewelry designer and I do candles, air fresheners, potpourri, etc. We anticipated that about 20% of the people invited would come to our open house, and we were about right. So invite, invite, invite!! We did ours in the fall and served cookies and hot cider and coffee. The open house was from 1:00 to 4:00 and we did very well. I made more money at my three-hour open house than I did at the huge craft fair at our local high school, which I had to pay to enter. I would highly recommend an open house. May I suggest you also have a door prize? I offered a candle basket and my cousin offered a piece of jewelry with a jewelry cleaning cloth. Everyone who came to the open house could sign up to win and did not need to be present to win. It was a great marketing tool ... everyone was thrilled at a chance to win a prize and the prize winners have become repeat customers as well. In addition, the slips the guests had to fill out to enter for the prize asked for their name, address, phone number (to call if they won the prize) and email address. We used these slips to add these people to our mailing lists. Good luck with your open house and let us know how it went!!

I used to eat wax as a kid ... those wax soda bottles with the liquid inside, wax lips, wax moustaches, wax buck teeth. Don't know if I would want to do it now as an adult but I guess it wouldn't kill you. That is, unless you ingest some additive in the wax that isn't meant for human consumption!

I used Peaks Pink Sugar in SFIC M&P and mine DID turn brown pretty quickly. I made rubber ducky soaps for all the kiddos for Christmas and used a blue soap dye (so the ducky looked like he was in water). Don't know if the dye had anything to do with the soap turning brown ... I just figured it was the Pink Sugar. It's a shame because I LOVE the scent, just didn't like the brown tinges throughout the soap!

That is a very nice looking storefront. Can't wait to see more pics. Best of luck to you!!!

The pictures are a bit dark and hard to see. I like the prim style of the website, though!

It's funny you said that. I never got into candle making expecting to make millions ... or even hundreds. As people started using my candles and then offered to purchase them, to my surprise and delight, my hobby sprouted into a little business venture. My website was created after most customers kept asking for my website address. It is mainly used as an online catalog for my customers. If someone from cyberspace stumbles across my site and orders from me, that's fine, too. As I said before, it just seems the handmade candle business is over-saturated, at least in my area. I won't throw in the towel just yet because I enjoy making candles too much. I think Vicky hit the nail on the head when she said it IS okay to do this just to relax and enjoy yourself.

Very nice site, easy to navigate, lovely products. You did a great job!

I like the second one as well. Nice sharp images and the colors catch your eye!

Let me start by saying I LOVE candlemaking. I am proud that I have learned to make a quality candle and I get that warm, fuzzy feeling inside when I receive compliments from customers who purchase candles from me. I have a very busy full-time job as a legal assistant and my candle business at the moment is probably considered to be at the "hobby" level. My advertising thus far has consisted of advertising in our weekly newsletter at work, mailing out flyers and putting them on the neighbor's front doors, hosting open houses (my best sales yet were from an open house), my website, and attending the occasional craft fair. I find the craft fairs most difficult because (1) it takes a lot of time to build up the inventory for these events and with a full-time job, it's hard to find the time to adequately prepare without losing lots of valuable sleep and (2) the craft fairs seem to be saturated with handmade candles. So far my sales have been mediocre, at best, and at times I feel like I'm beating a dead horse. Does anyone else feel that the handmade candle market is over-saturated? I really don't want to throw in the towel because, as I stated before, I LOVE candlemaking. I just don't know if it's a viable business venture for someone who already holds a full-time job (and can't afford to quit her day job to put 100% into the candle biz).

I sold some potpourri at a craft fair last fall. I didn't have cello bags on hand and time was short, so I improvised and used acetate boxes that I use to package my votives. I just taped two sides, put my label on the lid, and tied some raffia around the box. If someone wanted to sniff, the other two sides of the box were not taped and they could give the box a gentle squeeze and catch a whiff of it that way. It worked well for the craft fair, especially since the boxes could stack. But if I hadn't piddled around until the last minute, I would have opted for cello bags, too. I wouldn't worry about what two people have to say.

I skimmed through it since I'm here at work, but I really like your product line, especially the herbal packs. Your website looks very nice. Congratulations and I wish you much success!!

I don't know if you have a "Deals" dollar store in your area, but if you like modern, I found some nice wire baskets at Deals recently. They were in assorted colors: white, black and green, if I recall. They hold quite a bit of merchandise and you can't beat the price. I personally like cello shrink wrap for my baskets because it helps hold everything in place. As sockmoney stated, tulle is another option. Once you get it put together, post a picture! Good luck!

I like the tin tie, but I also like more of the potpourri to show. I use Stone Stew's potpourri and it is SO pretty! I package mine in the clear acetate boxes (like you would package votives in). I put my label on the lid and tie a homespun ribbon around the box. I think it looks very cute and you can still see all the potpourri through the box.