Lynn

Hello everyone...I've got a few nagging questions for ya'll.... Does anyone know where to find relatively inexpensive apothecary jars? I currently use the classic square victorian from candlesandsupplies.com and while they do carry apothecary jars, I was hoping to find a few other suppliers to compare prices to.... I've read many posts about shrink wrapping votives and pillars. I currently individually wrap each in cello bags (what a labor of love!) but I really like the shrink wrap idea. Any suggestions on where to get the equipment and some helpful advice while "shrinking"? Does anyone have their candles in a craft boutique? I just rented booth space in a very large craft mall (Quilted Bear in Utah) and was curious how other chandlers have done... I've noticed quite a few abbreviations on various threads/posts and have managed to figure out what they mean with the exception of "DH".... Last but not least, with the holidays fast approaching and time for fall festivals, craft shows and boutiques, it's my deepest wish that every CT member have a successful and profitable candle season!

Violet, I've noticed the same thing about my candles that have sat around for a few weeks too! I rent booth space at a local craft boutique and when I check in periodically, my pretty candles are frosted as well. Good luck at your fair on Saturday!! I had my first fair last Saturday and while the weather report said the high would only be 83 degrees, it shot up over 90 degrees by noon. (see my post and pics under the title of "A Shoulder To Cry On"). Sadly, my candles were trashed by the sun and heat. My wish for you is that you have a great time and sell lots of candles!

Oh my goodness, how simple was that? Sheesh, if I scrolled up high enough, I just might have seen that "search" button. I think my brain was replaced with a large chunk of wax....thank you!

I'm looking for old threads/posts on the topic of frosting. Is there a way to do a search for this topic?

I just want to thank everyone for their input and feedback! I appreciate the opportunity to whine and cry...you guys are awesome . I tried the oven and heat gun method and found that I actually preferred the gun because I could target the spots that needed it the most. None the less, within 48 hours, the frosting reappeared. SOOO, I took a deep breath and decided I was going to embrace frosting as part of choosing to work with soy. In the meantime, once this batch of candles is sold (she said hopefully), I will be changing wax and experimenting with GreenLeaf's 70/30 soy blend and after much reading about the "to color or not to color" issue, I've decided to go "au naturale" and not color my candles. Again, thank you for all your knowledge. I've learned so, so much from this website and it's members!

I use EcoSoya CB Advanced (now I'm considering changing my wax though)and I've been making them for over a year now....

I had my first outdoor craft fair this weekend, which sadly turned out to be a bit of a disaster. The disaster aspect was that with a west facing booth (I had previously asked the fair host if I could have a north facing booth) and just barely a few hours of morning and early afternoon sun, my candles melted. I had been watching weather reports all week prior and the high was supposed to only be 83 degrees but by noon it went above 90 degrees. So, after removing candles and putting them in a cooler along with covering my displays for a few hours a few survived, or so I thought...the next morning the few remaining survivors looked like this...(see pic) My problem is that I spent over a month preparing (practically used all my jars) and will be moving into my booth at a very large local craft mall within two weeks but now I have no inventory. I want to be able to salvage what is left but is it as simple as just remelting, repouring and adding a touch of FO and color to refresh the candle? What caused the white to appear on the candles in my pic? Will the white affect the integrity, throw and burn of the candle? What would ya'll do? (let me know if the pic doesn't show...)

Everyone...thanks so very much for the info! I can't wait to try all the suggestions and wish me luck!

Debra...thanks for you response! I will definately give the toaster oven tip a try for I'm desperate to try anything at this point!

Ahhh, had fantasized about having one as well but at the malls here in Utah the kiosks are really, really expensive and my wallet just isn't fat enough!

Another suggestion for risers...I frequently haunt my local kitchen supply store (which by the way is a wonderful source for candlemakers!) and found some of the risers which one would normally put in their cupboards (they say these are primarily used to neatly store spices). These have worked great for my shelves at the local craft mall.

I've made them as well and like Stella said tart molds work great. Right down the street from me is a discount kitchen supply store that I bought 36 tart molds from for $4.00 and with a votive wick, badda bing, they float and look really nice!

Enough is enough...I'm at the desperation point and after much experimentation I need to pick your brains... After my jar candles cool and set up, each and everyone of them has a sink hole. Which of course requires some serious "topping off" with my heat gun. My jars are the square classic victorian from Candles & Supplies and I use the exact recommendation of FO per pound. My wax is EcoSoya CB Advanced and I melt and pour at the exact temp as recommended from their website. Then I tried pouring a few degrees cooler and a few degrees warmer, cooling the jars at rooming temp on my kitchen table ( ohhh, you mean those are for eating at?) and then cooling in a warming box. Warming the jars before I pour and then not warming them at all. I stir, stir, stir and add the FO right before I pour as well. After hair pulling, I'm thinking that the sink holes seem to develop in the same location where I initially poured, so...I tried pouring real slow and then pouring quickly and again, to no avail....SINK HOLES! I'm now at the point of obsession and need your help desperately! What in the world can I do?

LadySJ, I may have a suggestion for you...my candle business is relatively new and I too wanted a logo but didn't have anywhere near the funds necessary that a lot of graphic artists/companies wanted to charge. I too didn't want anything fancy or ornate, just something simple and clean. So a friend of mine gave me the web address of a company that did her logo. I was a little unsure when she told me they only charged her $150. So, I decided to check them out myself...lo and behold, the logo process was quick, smooth and easy and sure enough, I only paid $150.00!! Initially, you give them an idea of what you want and within 24-48 hours I had six ( if I remember correctly...) designs to choose from. At that point, you can only work with the initial six BUT I was able to modify the colors, change the font and mix alot of the aspects of all the different logos provided until the one I wanted was created. You are allowed unlimited revisions until you are satisfied. The whole logo process took about a week. Their website address is www.thelogocompany.net and if you'd like to see the one they did for me (I don't know how to attach a jpg image to this message) my own website is www.hearthstonecandles.net and if you click on the "Talk To Us" page, you'll see the logo they created for me. Good luck to you on getting the logo you want!! :highfive:

Ahhh, chunk candles of course! A great idea! Thanks!