Lifelace

THANK YOU for sharing that site!!!! I'm in Canada and cannot tell you how many of the things on that website I've wanted and not been able to find! Melany

Hi again, I completely agree 100% with you, sooooooo many soap and candle websites (well any small online shop really) all look alike with just a few minor differences but not many of them you will actually remember. There are many candle and soap sites out there, I definitely think you need to stand out to be successful. You (not YOU but people in general) might have wonderful products but if your website doesn't grab people's attention they won't stick around long enough to get to know the products and possibly order. I absolutely believe the designer you mentioned used the font again without the rights to it and that sucks that she would do that to you especially after you made a point of saying you wanted to stay unique. It does show she doesn't care about her customers (could she possibly have been mad at you for going with someone else for the final design?....Just a thought, maybe she was mean on purpose). I think any good designer would have respected your wishes without blinking an eye. When you say this though Had I not sent her that font, I would still have a unique look you have to think that anybody can browse your site and decide they like it and copy it. I've seen it done so many times it makes me sick. In any case, I have no doubt you will still come up with something totally cool and unique for your website and people will love it, remember it and come back to it again and again. Good luck! Melany

Hi Tereasa, ok, I feel I was misunderstood. When I said her wrong doing ends there, I meant legally (you said you knew you had no legal recourse so it did cross your mind). Legally she is not allowed to use a font commercially if that font has not been bought for that purpose. And she did that since she didn't buy it, you did, so she is definitely wrong about that but by reading your post I felt there were 2 issues: 1- the fact that you sent her the font and she used it again on other clients knowing she hadn't bought it herself (and I agree with you on that 100%) and 2- that you were upset that by doing that your idea was no longer original (while I agree that is bad business and cheesy it's not wrong legally by any means). If she HAD bought the font herself (as a designer, I have bought a ton of fonts), the second part would have still bothered you. I didn't mean to sound as if I thought you shouldn't post your comments and your feelings. Reading my thread again I realized it seemed that way (when I said she didn't deserve a thread) and I appologize for that, I just felt I needed to clarify some things so that people understand what a designer is and is not allowed to do. Remember though that on a public forum like this a person has a right to disagree with you (in part or totally) and post those feelings as well. You also mentioned buying the font and giving it to her, by buying a font you do not own it, you simply buy the rights to use it commercially so you didn't give it to her, only the font's designer can do that. I did say I thought what she did was cheesy and just all around bad business. I know YOU sent the font to her, I just wanted to make sure you and everyone else knows that is SHE had bought it she can legally use it on as many clients as she wants, as cheesy as it may be. MissMaryAFAIC, using a font a customer forwards for a unique look, since you paid for this logo, is only to be used by that customer. That is true only if the customer bought the font, but if the designer creates a logo using a font SHE (the designer) bought, then she does not have to use it only on ONE customer. As much as a customer might want that, it's simply not how it works. A GOOD designer would respect a client's wishes to remain unique for sure but legally she doesn't have to do that. Honestly, if you bought it off Myfonts.com for example, thousands of people, mostly designers, shop there and buy fonts so your favorite font can turn up in anybody else's website at any time and there is no reason to expect anything else. If a person creates a font they then decide what to do with it. They can decide that it will be distributed as a freebie for personal use, a freebie for any kind of use, a paid font for personal use, a paid font for any kind of use or a font designed specifically for one company at a much higher price. If you truly want a font just for you then you need to hire a font designer and have them create one specifically for you and it will cost you much more than buying one directly from a fonts site. Simple as that. Same with stock photos, if you buy one if can be bought by a million other people and they are not wrong for doing that, if you want to have exclusive rights to it you need to pay for the exclusive rights and that is not something most of us can afford. Only big companies will do that. Bottomline: Legally she should not have used the font again on other clients since she didn't buy the font. Business wise, if she HAD bought the font she can use it on as many clients as she wants (legally) but that is definitely not a <<good>> thing, it just makes a designer look bad. Melany

Hi there, I'm sorry you had such a negative experience...as a graphic designer though I wanted to put in my 2 cents. First of all, if she is an honest and experienced designer, she wouldn't use a font without purchasing it herself or use it only once if the customer bought it and then delete it from her computer after that project was done. The fact that she appologized etc...probably means she just kept the font you sent and used it again, which is not right. But her wrong doing ends there IMO. While it might bug you and dissapoint you, you definitely don't have any right to the font and how it is used and she should not have to ask your permission to use it on a 100 logos if she wants to. I don't think she deserved having a thread like this because the only thing she really did wrong is use it again without paying, and honestly countless designers do that (I most definitely don't though, but we're not all the same). Designers will often use pirated software (like Illustrator or Photoshop for example) and they will often use brushes, actions, fonts and so on without the right to them. It's a big pet peeve of mine but such is life. The fact that she used it again and basically made your look not unique is simply something that bugs you and you felt the need to vent about that, I don't think she deserved a negative thread for that, whoever she is (I have never heard of her). I personally would NOT have done that because I feel it reflects negatively in the sense that someone was looking through my portfolio (if I had one) they would see the same fonts over and over and think I have limited imagination but other than that there is nothing wrong with using that font on any number of clients if she purchased it for commercial use. Because honestly, if she had told you she paid for it and even showed you the receipt I think you would still be just as upset because really it's the fact that it's no longer an original idea that bothers you. I personally would also have been upset in your place, but being upset doesn't mean you are right. For example, if I lose an eBay auction on an item I really wanted at the last minute I would be peeved but the winner did not do anything wrong. Know what I mean? Again, she shouldn't have used the font again without paying for the commercial licence but that is not what's bothering you. Her using it again (say she had indeed paid the rights) is a bit <<cheesy>> but not wrong at all. My 2 cents! Melany

Wow, ingredibly beautiful and feminine. The scent sounds devine! Melany

Shucks, no IKEA store around here!

Hi guys, I wasn't sure where exactly to post this question....does anybody know where I can buy wooden or inexpensive little soap racks? Those racks for individual soap bars....thanks! Melany

From what I understand the SFIC bases are all natural, and many suppliers sell those such as Peak's. They don't contain any surfactants etc...I used to buy mine at Gourmet Rose on eBay and they are great. Just look at the ingredients. They sell a <<low sweat>> MP kind that is rock hard and feels much more like CP. It is less hydrating though so you could probably add a bit of Shea butter or something to it or maybe do half low sweat, half regular. They are not super drying or anything, just not really moisturizing (the low sweat bases). I looked at the website and their Cold Process base is not a Melt and Pour, its just CP soap that you rebatch yourself and they give you instructions. Handmilled soaps look different than CP soaps, they are hard etc....but not <<smooth>>, also I personally have had horrible luck rebatching, I never could get it to work. Don't let that discourage you or anything but it's certainly not as easy as MP and I find rebatching even harder to do than CP. Several other suppliers sell soap to be rebatched, such as Bramble Berry. Theirs is really great, I couldn't rebatch it right but just as it was, cut up was very nice! LOL I know what you mean about wanting to go natural, I do as well. I personally would do the low-sweat and then pour that in log molds and slice! Oh and a great tip, the low-sweat bases do not need to be wrapped up like regular MP, you can leave it out or just do super cute paper labels etc...to enhance the natural aspect. Melany

Ahhhhhhhh....see, I thought clover honey was some kind of nectar extracted from the flower. I didn't know it was still from bees, my bad! We learn something new every day. Melany

Aren't there many kinds of honey though? I know at the grocery store I've seen different kinds like orange blossom and also clover honey for example. I know that stuff is not really honey and I've never tasted them but I wonder if it has some of the same qualities as real honey and could be used in soaps etc...and they would be vegan. Melany

They are awesome, one of the best companies I've dealt with but unfortunately they don't take Paypal so I can't order from them often. They are top notch in customer service but also quality of goods. You won't regret ordering from them. Melany

Maybe 3 months ago I wanted to place an order and they did ship to Canada then but today as I was about to place one it only gave me United States and Perto Rico in the shipping options so I checked the Shipping Info and they said they no longer shipped outside the US. It gave a date of 2002 which makes no sense. Maybe I'm mistaken, I hope so! Melany

OMG I'm so upset! I just noticed Peaks is no longer shipping to Canada. Backwoods sounds awesome....might go with that! Still looking! Thanks everyone. Melany

Mmmm....just found Maple & Brown Sugar over at Peak's...anybody have any reviews on it? I've never ordered from them before but have been meaning to forever! Melany

Hi guys, does anybody know of a place that sells Maple Sugar FO? I'd had several people around here ask me is I had that scent, we are big on maple sugar products in these parts. This would be for candles mostly. Thought I would ask! Melany

Oh my goodness!! THANK YOU!!!! That is a goldmine! Took me a little bit to finally find the blends and the ratios but there are so many, Yay! Melany

Hi guys, not sure this is the right place to ask but thought I would give it a shot. Does anybody know of a site that offers lots of blend recipes for EOs? I have searched a long time and can only find this one: http://www.aussiesoapsupplies.com.au/Scent-Blending-p-20.html It's got several EO only blends in there. Any other ideas? Thanks so much! Melany

Hi girls (and guys!). Well my first ever CP batch in early December (a Honey and Oats) went super well and the soap is awesome and perfect (to me anyway!) so I decided to make 4 more batches that are now on the curing rack. I thought I would share! Oh man I'm so completely hooked, it's a good thing I'm all out of oils! I'm brand new to this so don't be too hard on me! First two are Batches #2 and #3, they are all natural scented with EOs and natural colorants. First is Chamomile & Lavender (not too great first swirl attempt colored with a blend of indigo root and pink clay) and with chamomile flowers and extract powder, the other is a Floral Citrus EO blend, colored only with the colors of the oils and a bit of orange peel powder. Both with flowers sprinkled on top. Bottom two are batches #4 and #5. The first is Be Delicious from SW, colored with Micas (it overheated a bit so top will need a tiny bit of trimming since it's wrinkled a bit, too bad for my copper mica sprinkle) and the other is Sea Salt FO with some coarse sea salt sprinkled on top. They all look great (to me) with nothing weird going on. Swirls are somewhat decent! Last is a pic of them <<sitting>> that shows the tops. Everything smells so yumm! I'm already dreaming of my next batches..... Thanks so much for looking! Melany

There's a CP and rebatch video series here, scroll down to see them all: http://hobbies.expertvillage.com/videos/soap-making-getting-ready.htm HTH! Melany

Hi guys, my dad is coming over tomorrow and just told me he wants me to prepare some goodies for his stepdaughter for hom to bring back. She's about 3 months pregnant and I thought I would make her some belly balm. I found a few recipes online but was wondering if you all have anything to recommend, something tried and true? Thanks so much! Melany

I like to use both liquid and hard oils, I use just a bit less liquid oil and then finely grate cocoa butter and blend that in, I don't melt the hard oil. Works great. Melany

Hi! You can do that but I personally just gently stir my soap in the pot non stop until it's thickened and cool enough that everything is suspended nicely in the soap. It takes a bit of practice for sure. If I don't keep stirring then I get big clumps of soap from the skin that formed or I toss the skin and lose soap so it's best just to be patient and pour only once the MP is thickened....I made some green glay MP just now and must have stirred for 10-15mins and poured when it felt like gravy. HTH! Melany

Thanks Barbara! Nope, the lye mixing wasn't bad at all, it's the fear of the unknown....I had no idea what the lye even looked like and how it would all go but I was calm and cool, nothing splashed and I'm not blinded (knock on wood!) LOL You know what I like about this, I was telling DH that CP is a super clean hobby, there is no mess left after you're done cause you gotta keep it all contained and clean because of the lye! LOL When I do my MP, my candles and other goodies the mess is horrible after. Yep, dreaming of my next batch now! Thanks for replying! Melany

Hi everyone! Well I am no longer a CP virgin. LOL YAY!!!! I know I don't post here alot but I lurk every day and really wanted to share! I've been a big chicken and have been putting this off forever because I was scared but this past Sunday I was mad at DH and in a horrible <<to hell with it all>> mood and I decided to CP for whatever reason LOL. I'm quite sure I don't know what I'm doing just yet BUT it's my very first batch and I'm happy with how everything went. Of course everything was going smoothly until I was waiting for my lye mix and oils to cool and went to get my Mr. Doright mold (a 3lbs no-liner one)....Why I didn't have my mold ready before I don't know but I found my mold all unscrewed with no screws in sight. I searched everywhere and ended up having to line a heavy cardboard gift-type box and just used that. I can't find my recipe just now but I put it through SoapCalc and it should be on the soft side with lots of moisturizing and both creamy and bubbly lather. I don't know if this is a bad thing to do but I had some Sodium Lactate here and added that as well to make the bar harder. I used Apricot Kernal, Coconut 76, Palm, Olive, Mango Butter and Castor I think. I added honey powder and ground oats and the scent is Baby Bee Buttermilk from NG which smells basically like an almondy OMH FO. I wanted to keep it simple for now, no colors etc...When I was cleaning up the little crumbs and stuff when I cut the soap last night I took a chunk with my rubber gloves and rubbed it under the water and it lathered like crazy!!! That was the neatest part I think, to see actual SOAP!!!! So when I made the soap I hand stirred for about 30mins then decided to use the stick blender because I was impatient and then things went fast very quickly, like 90 seconds later I poured my soap because the little swirls and drips stayed on the surface like the books say. I think I made a booboo though, I added my FO right after I blended my lye mix and oils, was I suppose to wait after trace? This is all so confusing. Also I kept peaking at it, I know.....I looked like 8 times so the top of the soap is whiteish, is that the ash? I have read and read but then when it came down to it I forgot things like when to add my FO, and to have my mold ready before I start! I dunno if I cut it too soon or not, it was basically like a brick of cheddar cheese, is that good or bad? It looks smooth and creamy, nothing odd going on that I can tell. Please tell me if I did anything wrong? I can't wait to try another batch already! Here is a not very good pic of the little babies waiting! The spots on the soap are oatmeal I THINK. I used a bit too much. That's the only thing that worries me a bit, I read about the dreaded orange spots but I dunno what that looks like. My soap's got lots of orangy-brown spots but I'm hoping it's just oatmeal...now wishing I had gone without! Anyway......here's to <<waiting>>! Thanks girls (and guys) for sharing all your expertise with us newbies! Melany

UUUGGGHHHH....you know I just read your story and got this yucky sinking feeling in my stomach. That is so incredibly rude on her part. The only thing I can think of is maybe she felt insulted as well that you would give her soap as a gift knowing her skin reactions. I KNOW you made those gentle soaps for her but maybe she didn't get that? I don't know. I just cannot see how you can give BACK a gift, Geeeesh! Just smile and say Thank You and either throw it out or give to someone else. I can understand her not wanting to use it for whatever reasons, it's the giving it back to you that bugs me. I just wanted to give you a cyber (((((HUG))))). My dad has been rude like that to me about gifts and I still am not over it, especially when it's a gift you made yourself too...I would be upset as well. BUT it's definitely not something worth fighting over or losing a friend over or anything like that, I figure in any relationship we all make mistakes, say or do hurtful things and we gotta forgive and accept we're all humans who make mistakes right? If she's a good friend then I'm sure you will get past that....it's still all <<fresh>> right now but soon you'll forget about this and only think about it once in a while and then just take a deep breath and shrug it off. I feel your pain though! A yucky think to have happen to anybody! Melany