soygirl

I have to disagree with this. You didn't make the sweatshirts and you didn't make the paint, so you aren't responsible for any reaction to them. The original manufacturer would be. The maker of the paint already did their product testing to assure that it is non-toxic. My understanding is that in the case of candles and B&B, with product liability, you do your own testing because you need to make sure that your unique combination is safe. That is what you are covered for with insurance. You choose the jar, wax, wick, etc., and they aren't necessarily made to be used together. But fabric paint is exactly designed to be used on clothing, and sweatshirts are designed to be worn, so in my mind that is totally different. With the sweatshirts, you are basically just a reseller. If you got sick off a box of Raisin Bran, you wouldn't sue the grocery store, you would sue Kellogs. See what I mean?

I realize that I'm really late in following up on this, but I've been tweaking and refining my lip balm recipe for over a year now, and am finally happy. I gave up on using soy wax altogether - yes I was using the same soy wax as I used for candles - and created a recipe with soybean oil instead. Here's what I ended up using - can't remember the amounts, but you'd want to play around with the percentages until you get the hardness that you want anyway. Here are my ingredients: Virgin Coconut Oil Non GM (genetically modified) Soybean Oil Unrefined Shea Butter Unrefined Cocoa Butter Candellila Wax Vit E - a few drops Melt everything together on low heat and add the shea butter at the very last. Remove from heat when shea is just melted and add the vit E. The chocolate smell of the cocoa butter masks the "funky" smell of the unrefined shea very well, but you can add flavor oil too if you prefer. Work fast and pour into containers immediately. You can up the candellila wax to make this recipe suitable for lip balm tubes. This makes a really nice buttery balm that makes your lips moist and smooth, and lasts for quite awhile. The one problem with using shea butter is that if this balm melts in the summer and rehardens, it will get grainy, but it makes my lips feel so nice, that's a risk I'm willing to take.

I just recently did a lot of testing with ECO wicks and Enchanted Lites container soy. I've always used CD wicks in the past. What I found was surprising. The ECO 12 had a much deeper melt pool than the ECO14. Can't really explain it unless my supplier mixed up the wick kits during packaging. Wouldn't that be a bummer? Anyway, I found the ECO 4 to work well in a 6 oz metal tin, which has a 2.75" diameter. I'm currently testing an ECO 10 in a 465 ml classic jar with a 3.25" diameter. I found the ECO 14 to be too big - deep melt pool and huge wick mushroom. What I'm saying is that you might want to try some of the smaller ECO sizes, like a 6 or 8. They are pretty powerful wicks in soy.

Chempoint is no longer a distributer for ADM soy wax, which I use. They sent an email with a new supplier of ADM soy wax that I can order from, and told me to contact Bruce at Enchanted Lites (who by the way is a super-helpful guy). I asked Bruce if they would be adding ADM soy (MP 120 - 125) to their product line, and he told me that they have carried it all along. It is their 100% soy container wax. Well, don't I feel stupid. :embarasse I've been buying it from Chempoint for two years now, and I could have been getting it for a lot better price from EL. Am I the only one who didn't know they were the same wax??

A couple years ago I started a newsletter so that I could promote my website store. It mostly contains information about new products in development, current specials and sales, craft fairs where we will have a booth and who won the monthly candle drawings. I also try to include a little newsworthy bit, craft project or money saving tips. I think most people sign up just to try and win a free candle, so I don't know if anyone actually reads my newsletters, but in case they do, I want them to be worth reading. I am having trouble coming up with new points of interest lately. For others who put out a newsletter - from where do you draw your inspiration for interesting articles?

Well, I sent her a few tea lights. I get a LOT of requests for freebies, but she just didn't strike me as a freebie hunter - the way her email was worded. She did say she does a radio show, and I have no idea if that's true or not, but she didn't say she reviews for a candle review site. For the record, she sent me a check reimbursing the full amount for the tea lights and shipping, because of the flack she caught for all this. I think this whole deal might be a little blown out of proportion. I mean, the way I see it, I chose to send her the samples. If she lied, well that's not right, but I don't think she really deserves the name calling. I was motivated to send her samples, because I thought I might get exposure for my product. If she tells a few people that she likes my candles, well then I guess I got what I wanted. It is a good lesson for us small business people. We shouldn't ever send out any solicited samples, because anyone who was seriously going to submit a review, would not tell you that was the intention. They would simply buy the product and review it. So that is going to be my policy from now on.

I personally like ADM soy wax. I also use the recommended plant based additive at 1.5 tsp per pound. It's a little more expensive, unless you buy 250 lbs at a time. It is also harder to order, because you have to go through a distributor like Chempoint to get it. It has great cold and hot throw. It makes pretty tops, but sometimes gets air pockets near the wick in my 16 oz. candles. In that case I poke some air holes while it is setting up, and hit it with the heat gun later. It has mild frosting issues with the Eco liquid dye I use. I've never tried other kinds of dyes to see if it helps, because it wasn't that bad. Wet spots are not a problem at all - it has great adhesion to jars. Contact a Chempoint representative for a sample to try. You might find that you really like it. It makes a very pretty candle - by soy standards. Even with its little eccentricities, I don't think I could live without it:-)

That looks like what we used to have as insulation in our attic.

I normally use a CD-3 with my soy tea lights, but you might need to wick up to a CD-4 with the cottonseed blend. I can send you a few of my CD-3 wicks in an envelope if you'd like. I'd be interested in knowing how they work for other soy blends. I make them myself, because they were just getting so expensive. They are coated with soy pillar wax. Just PM me if you're interested. Thanks, Margie

That would be a trademark, not a copyright, but I believe the answer is no. As long as the two businesses couldn't possibly be confused with one another, there shouldn't be any danger of infringement. Now, if they have a copyright on a logo of a little girl playing hopscotch, or a catchphrase like "Hop on over to Hopscotch", or something like that, you couldn't use that of course.

When I started my business, I found the Wisconsin State website and the Wisconsin Dept. of Revenue site to be really helpful for information on what is needed to start up a business: http://www.dor.state.wi.us/html/business.html and http://www.wisconsin.gov/state/byb/. I don't know what state you live in (or if you even live in the USA) but some of the information applies to any state, or your own state might have similar information if you Google the name of the state and "starting a business", or something like that.

I agree:-) What about Country Girl Candles: What fresh country air SHOULD smell like.

Thank you Robin. I'm a little slow, but I'm starting to get what you mean:smiley2:

Well, you are getting a good amount of hits for such a new site. Your site also has a pleasing look and is easy to navigate. From a marketing standpoint I would say you need to differentiate. What makes your products different from something someone can buy at any store? Are they handmade, all-natural, long-lasting, unique or only available on your site? Do you have superior customer service? If so, then spell it out for your customers. Candles are difficult to sell on a website, because people want to smell them, so describe your products as fully as possible. I notice that a few of your candle descriptions say "lightly scented", but don't say what scent. Also, many shoppers want "super scented" so that they feel like they are getting the most for their money. If you want to sell the fact that your candles are NOT heavily scented, point out that it is better for people who are sensitive to heavy fragrances. Best of luck to you, Margie

Thanks Robin! What if I add palm stearic acid? That's supposed to make a harder bar (and unfortunately reduce lather), but wouldn't it lower the pH too, since it is an acid, or would I have to add way too much to make any difference? I might give it a try, but if anyone already has, please let me know so I don't waste a whole batch:grin2: . Thanks, Margie