Mtngrl

That's beautiful! You've got the rustic thang DOWN. :highfive: I like that you have the darker color on the bottom. When I see candles w/ the dark on top they always look top heavy, and I want to turn them over. I also like the vivid white in the middle. To my eye, it's a very balanced candle.

I like your heart. I also like the little diamonds. I look forward to seeing the next one you do with less fill. I did a chunk once ... it blew chunks! lol. If you wanna talk about an ugly heart ... that would be my ex-spouse!

Those dang air pockets! I've had a few of those. In fact, I've had enough of them that when a tested candle doesn't go right, I'll put the candle on its side in the presto to melt it down soI can pull it out a few times to see how many air pockets there are. I'm happy to say that I've noticed the air pockets getting smaller. lol. I like to think I'm on the right track. :rolleyes2 Keep working it! :smiley2:

Typically, I'm not one for solid colored candles, but when you put it in an arrangement like that! ... more would be overkill. Well done! :highfive:

Thanks Donita!

So does YOUR moniker .... CandleFreak. Donita, you're too funny. Of course it's the size! Surely everyone knows that by NOW!?! The combo I like best so far is the red bow w/ the black lace.

Donita, you're not insane ... you are very gifted, and the fact that you so generously share with us your techniques, and that you go to all the trouble of putting together such clearly photograhed tutortials puts you in a class by yourself. While others freely share their info, and for them I am also grateful, you go above & beyond. I don't know what my thoughts are about heaven, but I picture you in a room of creative geniuses - Einsten, Mozart, Monet, Von Gogh (now HE was a bit nuts ... I think one would have to be to cut off their ear as a token of true love ... lol) etc. Should you ever put together a book, you let me know ... I'd be very happy to buy it, esp it it has lots & lots of color photographs. And now I'm going to pourette to see what other new 'cane molds they might have ... never seen the heart one before. Donita, did you have P'ette make the heart 'cane modd? I'm not seeing one on their site.

I would not have thought to use just words, & if someone had suggested the idea to me I would have thought it was ... er... stupid, but when I see your 'cane, esp with the lit votive (or whatever you've got in there) I'm thinking "what a very clever ducky!" That is so cool!!! Great idea. :highfive:

All three are lovely. I was wondering ... obviously the blue on the left is a marble (fantastic marble, btw), but are the other 2 rustic?

I know what a stylus is, generally, but is this a particular craft related variety? I'm having a hard time visualizing it. Maybe someone can PM a response ... I don't do a very good job of keeping track of the questions I ask, but I'd really like to know ... maybe a link? Those are lovely designs. I'm not a fan of red, but your red pillar with the gold paint is particularly striking.

Mozzie, your cackle celtic are AWESOME. Love the color, love the gold paint (or is it yellow & the lighting make it look gold?). :highfive:

I thought it might have been something like that. I'm going to look in a candle making book I have 'cuz I seem to recall a similar process. In the meantime, if you ever want to get any 'cane molds I've found that www.pourette.com offers the best price & 3 or 4 different shapes. If you decide to go that route, you'll probably want to get an insert for the mold. edited to add: the book I have says to pour the bottom & let it cool 'til it's hard. I know from doing layers that one wants to pour the next layer once the 1st layer is just firm enough to support the new layer. I'm not sure how to best guide you in this method of 'canes. Do you have a heat gun? I wonder if it would be effective to soften the bottom layer, add your bowl, etc to improve adhesion between your layers. If Donita makes a post to your thread, perhaps she can give you better advice since she is THE queen of (flower) 'canes. Another suggestion would be to increase the temp of your 2nd pour by 10*s or so to improve adhesion.

WOWZER! I've never seen anything like it. There's one color that I don't like at all, but the chunks, the solid areas ... how did you do that! I'm impressed!!! Welcome to the board. I look forward to seeing more of your creations

Not bad for a 1st try. Did you allow the bottom portion to completly (or nearly so) cool before you did the walls? If so, that may be why it fell apart. I or others might be more helpful if we knew your process for making your hurricane. Did you keep notes?

I don't know about votives so much, but if you make a pillar w/ the palm wax, larger relief holes are better than small ones, I've discovered ... 1/8" (I'm guessing is the width of the skewer I use)

Jaye - Trish, who I consider to be one of the top Rustic Queens, I believe pours her wax into room temp molds. The "trick" is the pouring temp ... I think it's around 150* (for paraffin), and many/most add stearic to their wax. If you search Trish's posts, I'm sure you'll find her pearls of wisdom. Layering is achieved by tilting the mold. You can lean the mold on it's edge or you can rest the mold on uncooked beans or rice in some kind of container. The danger of layers is waiting too long to pour the next layer. Once the candle is a certain amount of cooled/solid, the wax pulls away from the mold wall. When you pour the next layer, the molten wax will run down the candle in the space between it & the mold wall. So, the trick is to pour the next layer when the surface of the previous layer is solid enough to support a new layer. You'll just have to keep an eye on it. You'll also find that adhesion will take care of itself under these conditions. Make sure to take & keep notes.

As far as I can tell, the only thing wrong with all of them is that I don't have one. Fantasticfabulous! That pillar is excellent - great colors, great patterning ... The sphere appears to have a slick spot, but otherwise, love those subtle layers.

Hello & welcome to the board. You'll probably get really good answers by posting this question in the section titled Vegetable Wax Candle Making

One cool aspect of palm is that when the melt pool solidifies, you get another great looking top, all the way to the bottom of the candle. :smiley2:

I hope I can say this in a way that will be taken in the manner in which it's intended ... kind encouragment to sell at full price. Perhaps the lesson we can all learn here is that just 'cuz one thinks something is ugly, there's no real good reason to mark down the price right out of the mold (unless it had blemishes). If it were to sit on the shelf for a long time, then you might want to lower the price to sell it. Otherwise, give all of your creations a chance to earn you some good money. :smiley2:

Thanks for the feedback, Portia. I made some scented palm pillars a few weeks ago. The cold throw seems good, but I haven't test burned them yet. I AM suprised that the hot throw is better in the palm than paraffin. I had the impression it was the other way around, but maybe that's because you used a little bit more? I appreciate you sharing your thoughts. :smiley2:

Donita, those are all so cool. I totally dig the blue color, & the tear drop candle, with the hooked flower pattern .... :highfive: .... is that a mold or a balloon thing?

I haven't yet thought to marble using different colors. Thanks for the idea. How did you do the color?

Lookin' good! I wish I could get a rustic lookin' anywhere close to what you have. What's the FO like?

It's not spring 'til you've got some green! lol. How many votive cups do you have & how long did it take you to make all those? They look great.