Bev

More testing on my 8 oz. square masons. I'm determined to get several scents perfected in these so I can start adding them to my product line soon. They're SO cute! Testing is tedious, but my house sure smells great!!!

Very nice layers! I am going to have to try layers ... those are great! Be sure to let us know how they smell when burned.

I started with the 8 oz. jelly jars and 4 oz. quilted jelly jars because they were the easiest to wick and they sell well in my area. I am now testing the 8 oz. square masons. I really like the look of these, am finding them not too difficult to wick, and they, too, sell well in my area. The cost of the jar is higher but they will be priced accordingly. I plan to carry all three of these jars in my line, a price for every budget. Like they say, variety is the spice of life.

Yes, it does feel GREAT!!! Congratulations and best of luck to you!!!!!

That's pretty much how I have to remove the tabs from my candles when I use silicone ... the old spoon trick. It eventually works, but it's a bugger, for sure! I don't worry too much about what people may do with my jars after the candle is burned down. I'd rather have a secure wick and a candle that will burn to the end.

My votives are 2 oz. and I charge $1.25 apiece or 12/$12. No price break in between those two prices.

NEWBIE?!! Dang, girl, those are FANTASTIC! I don't make soap (yet! ) but you girls sure do inspire me!!

Who's the lucky recipient!? Pick me! LOL. Seriously, that's a really nice basket!!

Beautiful work! She's lucky to have you for a SIL!!!

I like it! I'd shorten it to Bella Beans!

Hope that helps.

Same here. I use a light blue for my Downy candles ... they look just like the fabric softener.

The layers look fantastic. I can't even begin to figure out how you did that!

I really like it! I'm always drawn to the country/prim look. Good job!

Saturday my DH and took a shopping trip to Rural King. While there, I decided to go thru their housewares dept. and stumbled across some soy candles they had for sale. HOLY SMOKES ... these things were hidious! I would have purchased one and taken pics to post, but I didn't want to waste my money. They were poured in mason jar mugs. The wicks on most of them were off center and the wax looked like a volcano that had just erupted. I'm not perfect 100% of the time, but I would NEVER think of selling a candle that bad looking. Wowzers!

Premium space by the cash register and your display looks fabulous! No wonder you are selling like you are. Congratulations and continued success!!!

I'm getting ready to launch a website, hopefully by month end, so I have plans to really step up my advertising, too. Vista Print is a good source for quality products at a reasonable price!! I recently ordered postcards and business cards from them on an introductory special. They cost me nearly nothing. The postcards will introduce my website and offer a free gift with the customer's first online purchase if they mention the postcard when they place their order. I plan to distribute the postcards at work and mail them to everyone on my customer mailing list, as well as to friends and family. My new business cards now contain my website addy. I plan to pass them out to anyone and everyone. You can leave them on tables of restaurants after your dinner, give a few to your beautician or anyone else you do business with. I've asked my family to hand them out to their co-workers as well. Since I don't have a lot of money to spend on advertising at this time, these are two inexpensive ways I found to get started.

Donita made one of her beautiful dogwood flower luminaries for me to give to my sister for Easter. Indeed, she does WONDERFUL work!!! Donita, you have a true gift!!!

I'm new to craft shows so I have just accepted cash and local checks with name, address, phone number and DL #. So far, knock on wood, no bounced checks. I was interested in others' opinions on using Propay because I have had people ask if I take CCs. The craft shows I visit do not have internet connections (and I do not have a laptop), so that is out. I have a cell phone, but the booth gets crazy at times so I think it would be very difficult to call in each and every CC transaction. I guess as with everything, there is a risk involved in accepting CC's without being able to verify them until you get home. Something I am going to have to really think about.

I was wondering something about Propay as well, and I'm sorry if I sound ignorant. I have never done credit card sales before so I am clueless! When you are at a show, do you call in each credit card transaction to Propay before you complete the sale to make sure the information on the card is correct? Or do you just accept the card payment, then when you get home, log all the CC information in on the internet and hope it was a valid credit card? What happens if it isn't a good card? Are you SOL? Also, if you don't need any special equipment to process the credit cards, do you at least write the transaction down on credit card slips to give to the customer as a receipt? If so, where can you purchase credit card slips? Sorry for all the questions but I am really wanting to know.

Got some new FO's from GL that I want to pour for testing this weekend. I got Indonesian Teak and Honeysuckle Blooms. I hope the Indonesian Teak smells as good in wax as it does OOB ... I'm liking that one!!! Hoping, too, to enjoy a relaxing Mother's Day. Will go to church in the AM and then hoping to just kick back and relax the rest of the day. The best present I could hope for!!!

I absolutely LOVE Peak's White Tea and Ginger! Good choice to fragrance your office with!!!!!

Seems to me that a person should quit cooking, too. You can burn your house down as easily cooking spaghetti as you could making candles. Insurance is a pain. I was fortunate in that I was able to add $1 million product liability insurance on my homeowner's policy. But each company, each locality, is different.

You have the patience of Job! I remember the first day I received my supplies. It's a good thing I didn't have company ... I may have had to move them to a Holiday Inn so I could get started!!

If it was me, I'd call her a third time. But that's because I hate clutter and it would drive me NUTS to have that sitting on my dining room table!