Jeana

If you guys skip the middle man you can get your lye so much cheaper. Just go to a chemical supply place in your area. I have one I go to that sells 50lb for about $68. That's $1.36 for a lb. I didn't pay shipping or tax. It doesn't seem like you'll use that much but you'd be surprised how fast it goes.

How important is cornstarch in bath bombs? I was testing some bombs last night I put three in the tub. There was a powdery residue left when the water was drained. I can tell it is cornstarch. I don't remember seeing this when I only used one bomb, but I was thinking it may be a good thing to cut down on the cornstarch or eliminate it. Any thoughts?

I do the inserts too. Besides what you already mentioned I say: * Do not to leave unattended around children or animals * Wax and warmer will be hot, do not move them while they are hot * And warn about pouring hot wax down drains. I don't use these exact words, I just wanted to highlight the concepts for you.

Soap Diva, very nice soap! What did you use for the bottom color?

Your welcome Did it work? If so, post a picture of a good one.

Here is a video that shows a good amount to put in the molds. I don't like his recipe for myself, but the technique is good. And it is pretty much the same as I do. http://video.about.com/candleandsoap/How-to-Make-Bath-Bombs.htm The first couple times I made mine, I packed it till my arms hurt and the ball would still push apart, I'm surprised I didn't crack my mold, lol. When I would get to the end of the batch and didn't have as much to pack, I realized they worked better. My last batch I got too wet. That was fun to see what happened then Of course it was with Patchouli EO, couldn't waste a whole batch on a cheap oil, had to be an expensive one. Good luck.

Maybe you are packing them too tight. When I first started making them I made that mistake. I thought I had to really force the mold together, the sides wouldn"t stay together when I did that. If you are using the ornament ball molds, I found it best to slightly over fill each side of the mold then close it. If you have to force the sides together you put too much product in the mold. Then gently remove the top part and roll it out on whatever you are drying them on. Your recipe could be fine, you may just have to play with different molding techniques.

I used to used the exact wax mix you are, and I've never had a fuel smell. Like Brenda, I only do 6% too. It is such a strong scent, I never felt like I needed more than 6%. I bet you'd be happy with it if you cut back.

I found the solar pack for $125. I ran some tests and it powers three 60 watt lights for about 3 hours. I haven't put them in my canopy yet, so I don't know if I need three lights. It takes way too long to charge with the solar option, so that didn't work out like I wanted. That is very disappointing. I just charge it from the wall. It is worth it to have one of these portable electric things though. I used it to have music in my tent all day at a morning market yesterday. I was using regular batteries but CD players really suck up batteries.

Those are so expensive. The one I got is much better priced and I think it looks better. http://www.quikshade.com/Product_Detail.aspx?Id=905 I got mine on sale, so out the door with tax it was $149. According to this website the regular price is $159. I get a lot of compliments on it too. So far it has been holding up just as good, or better than the $300+ ones I've seen at all the markets I do. I have the merlot color. It stays cooler than the white, and has the extra ventilation on the top. It also includes a side panel.

Thanks you guys, I was a little nervous how other people would think they would look. Asking my family is practically useless. They are to the point now they don't want me to get one more opinion from them. Or ask them to smell one more thing.

These are for a customer at my market today. I've never really done gift baskets before. It was fun.

Would pipettes work for you? I use them to fill lip balm tubes or roller bottles. You can get them really small though.

It does help a lot. Thanks:smiley2:

I know what you mean. My canopy is burgandy so it gets dark fast. Especially with my side panel up.

So I saw something similar to this at one of my markets. You charge it and it is an energy source while you are away from home. http://www.duracellpower.com/portable-power/power-packs/powerpack-450.aspx The people I saw using it strung lights from it. It actually provided a really nice light, almost like tracked lighting in homes. Since I typically try to do things as environmentally as I can, I went with this one. I ordered it today so I will see how it goes. http://www.earthtechproducts.com/p2655.html

Are you going to give them full size bars? If so, how many? I've been wondering this myself for a place I want to present my products to.

.net does work. Why did they change that?

it won't open for me either. Hope it isn't permanent. I don't know of another calculator like this though.

My markets are starting to get dark so quickly now. Can anyone recomend a good way to provide lighting for a booth when the market doesn't provide electricity?

Yes they had the leaves in one mold then the pumpkins in the other. They looked about 3 or 4 oz. They aren't small. I saw them at walmart yesterday too. They were $9.00. I would rather get the 40% off from joannes if you can, but at least if you can't find them at joannes you can get them at walmart. The leaves were nice but the pumpkins were kind of angry looking. I don't remember if the pumpkins at joannes had faces. I would rather skip the faces and just have a cute pumpkin. they are worth checking out though.

I don't think "work of art" could happen but you could rebatch it to have a nice bar of soap. One thing I do when working with a new oil is separate a small portion and add a touch of the FO to see what it will do. If it doesn't behave in your sample portion then don't use it.

Would you guys include samples of some kind with the letter of introduction?

I saw some nice molds at Joannes if you have one there. They were for fall items. Then you can save on the shipping and use their 40% off coupons. How about Mistletoe for the leaves? The molds were silicon.

The majority of allergic reactions are from synthetic fragrances. But you could be allergic to one of the oils too. I had a woman at my booth the other day that started totally reacting to the soy in my soaps and candles just standing there. At least she knew her allergies and realized since my products contain soy, it wouldn"t be a good idea to buy them.