FarmerJill

I would like to make tarts but wonder how that would affect my candle sales?

Steve

Steve, in my part of the country tarts are a very hot item right now (thank you scentsy!!) and quite unexpectedly have become about 75% of my sales. The people who want the ambiance of a candle still buy candles but offering tarts picks up a whole new clientele who want the fragrance but perceive melters to be safer. Tart customers also like the experience of having a whole assortment of fragrances versus investing in just one with a candle.

As far as the OP's original question goes maybe I'm misunderstanding but IMO a wicked candle would hold its fragrance longer simply because it typically should have a much smaller melt pool at each burn. Or is the wickless not being completely melted each time?

I love that!

Steve, if you can't find it locally, the tallow at Soaper's Choice is really beautiful quality. Make sure it's the 100% rendered beef fat, though.

Don't even need to smell it - that'll relieve depression just by the gorgeous colors!

I use a piece of board the same width as my mold to pour the soap on top of the pencil line.

Great idea!

Here's how I do it:

Pour the first layer at a not too thin trace.

Then sprinkle on whatever you're using for a line. I use cocoa powder a lot but also red, green or white clay, depending on the color scheme I'm after. I use those cups from Pampered Chef that have a sifting screen on top. Works great! Just tip it over and shake. There are also less expensive versions out there. It generally takes less than what you think except for the white clay which doesn't show up quite as well. I've also sprinkled on mica a few times but always worried about straight color like that staining a wash cloth.

Then carefully pour the rest of your soap batter over the top, trying not to disturb the line. Some people pour over a spatula or the back of a spoon. I usually ladle it on. This is why the bottom layer has to be a bit thick or everything will just mix together. Also, I tend to prefer lines which aren't straight so with a thicker batter I'll sometimes make dips and valleys with a spoon before sprinkling on the line. Adds eye-appeal IMO.

If your line is too thick your soap can fall apart so I always gel because IMO gelling binds it together better.

Have fun!!

Love them all, especially the lips. I had to look twice at those to realize what you'd done with them. I really like the bold color against the stark white. Cool! And, Maryann, those angels are adorable.

Here are some pics showing the Green Irish Tweed I talked about hating in another thread. The first shows an example of what I shredded. See? I said it was butt-ugly And I obviously can't cut straight either!

And here's the reincarnated version. It actually looks a little bit deeper green and the dark specks don't look so black. Smells much better, too!

Oh, I love that. Great job!!

Well the deed is done. I dumped the shreds into a batch lightly scented with Mint 'n' Herbs/Lime EO/Patch at a ratio of 2:1:1. Sounds weird, I know, to mix all that with GIT but smells darn good.

Thanks for the help, even if I didn't take your suggestions (a problem my mother knew all too well )

Thanks anyway, Steve, but its had a few months to calm down. Into the cuisinart it goes...heh heh heh (that was my evil laugh)

Maybe it's just my version - from Oregon Trail. We all think it smells exactly like Irish Spring which was single-handedly responsible for driving me to unscented soaps years ago.

Into the cuisinart

Into the cuisinart

Into the cuisinart it goes

Heh heh heh

Okay, apologies to those of you who love Green Irish Tweed but.....ugh! So I'm sitting here with a batch of CP soap that I can't stand to smell, plus it turned out ugly as sin. Saturday morning this sucker is gonna be shredded and confettied into a batch of something else. But what fragrance to use in the other batch? Something citrusy like lime or even coconut lime? Or heavy like sandalwood or bay rum? I know I should try to complement the fragrances rather than just overpower it but Green Irish tweed is pretty strong.

Ideas, anyone?

I emailed to ask that question and here's the reply:

"We have tart warmers that are two prong so that the base can swivel to work in multiple outlets, we also have the three prong oil warmers that have the solid base with the additional grounding prong."

Some of those new plug-ins are really pretty but I decided not to order since they look awfully heavy. Too bad, too, because I'd sacrifice the swivel part to get a three prong.

Very Cool! That's what I love about some of these techniques where you don't know what you've got until you cut them open. Nerve-wracking but fun.

Oh, those are wicked cool! And bats scare the bejezzus out of me!

Absolutely beautiful! I LOVE it.

Thanks all! Praise from a group I hold with such respect is much appreciated.

Those a great! May I ask how you did that?

It's a combination of layering, hanger swirl, pencil line and the willingness to make an absolute mess out of a batch of soap

I've been enjoying everybody else's pics for so long I guess it's time to share.

Rosemary Mint

Sandalwood Vanilla

Lavender with chamomile shreds

Black Raspberry Vanilla

Coconut Lemongrass - some with just a plain pencil line and some with a hanger swirl 'cuz I couldn't make up my mind and not much time to decide. LOL!

Old South Pumpkin Pie

Lavender, neroli, orange, patch

same fragrance mix as above because at the time I thought I had a good reason but can't remember what it was....

Cranberry - this doesn't look quite as holiday-ish as I had in mind but oh well.

Thanks for looking!

Been pouring candles the last two days and have been wheezing today. Maybe I need to think about a mask!

I've been doing some heavy-duty test burning the last few days and have had that same wheezy reaction. Finally put the testers out in an enclosed porch area. The pouring part didn't bother me but I guess I'll have to think about a mask now when lighting my candles

Whoa! Those are beyond cool!

A lot should be, but the thing sits empty! Kick me into gear!

You can borrow my excuse if you'd like - my order from Soaper's Choice won't be here until Thursday. But, darn it, that means I gotta work on candles instead.

Granny's Toddy leaps to mind. Maybe that says too much about my grandmother.

Noodle, do you want to smell Peak's? I can send you a sniffie. It's the only one I've used so don't know how it compares to other ones.

Oooooh, those are my cup o' tea!

So if you have other suggestions, I'm open to that as well.

Thanks

For tarts we sometimes just use bags from the Dollar Store.