SnowCow

welcome back! hope the move went well!

you might want to try just a speck of vybar. i've done that before...usually on accident...and sometimes it works. it cuts down a little on the mottle, but there's not enough of it to get rid of it completely.

Hey all, i work at university in the Student Activities Office and wanted to give everyone an idea. A lot of student organizations look for good fundraisers and more are starting to do the candle thing, although they tend to go with something like party lite or home interiors. if you want to do college fundraisers, contact the student activities office and see if you can place fliers in their student organization mailboxes. i know i will put fliers in if the company gives me the copies. due to multiple requests during the year, my office cannot afford to make copies for people. you are likely to at least get some interest and may get a few contracts. ONE THING TO REMEMBER: a majority of student organizations are NOT tax exempt. they do not always fall under the university's tax exempt status. In texas, it is a state law that student organizations may not use it, except for certain organizations. You will need to have them collect sales tax and you will need to pay it to the state. don't want anyone getting into trouble! this is the time of year (at least at my college) where students are trying to find good ideas for fundraisers. any questions, just ask me!

looks great! i bet james is a wonderful professional tester! lol

that's great! awesome job!

holy cow! that's a lot of candles! good luck!

You got some nice buns there, hun!

mine have burned fine and some people even want to buy them. it's just something that is uncontrollable and usually unwanted. there doesn't seem to be a way to get rid of them and it tends to "infect" a whole box of wax. it's just disappointing, like when you want wax to mottle and it won't no matter what you do.

i try to get close. i'm one of those cooks who sorta follows recipes, so it's hard for me to do it all precise with the candles. i do measure the wax and out in about the right amount of fo. i measure fo on the scale, but don't calculate the exact % for each candle. i do measure the additives too, with a teaspoon, tablspoon, etc, again don't go for exact %.

step 1: decide if you want to do containers or pillars. it is easier to start out with one and then move to the other if you want to do both. step 2: get a starter kit for either the containers or pillars. peak's has both, i think. or, you might want to find a supplier that is closer to you to save on shipping. eventually, you'll want to find a supplier that is close or that has great prices and shipping. wax is so heavy and costs a lot to ship. step 3: start playing around and take LOTS of notes. i didn't do so well at this, but i kept my testing to a few so, it was pretty easy to remember what i did. step 4: look at the gallery and find candles that you like. take more notes on what you liked about them, what type of wax was used, etc. this will help you later on. step 5: kiss all your extra money good bye! it will be spent on candle supplies from here to eternity! or until you quit. welcome to the board and have fun!

exactly what scented said! usually not a need to use stearic and vybar together. you also may want to cut back a little on the fo. vanilla's are heavy and you don't always need a full ounce to get a good throw. my pillars usually don't burn down too much the first burn. i just wait for them to get a good melt pool, then extinguish.

go to www.pens.com i just bought some pens from there (for my real job) and they have great specials of buy one get one free. got 1000 pens for work for like $350. you can order fewer too! good customer service and usually pretty quick. only some pens are on special, but they do have the good ones on sale as well

yes, what she said. we often spend months if not years (depending on how much time we have to play with wax) to get a "perfect" candle. perfect being different for each person. so, it's no surprise that you are having trouble. we all do! most of us have tested many different types of wax, wicks and fragrances in order to get our perfect candle. and then we might think about selling our candles. as you are finding out, making candles is not easy or cheap. it is very expensive and time consuming.

thanks all for the replies. i guess i'll break down and order some so i can start testing. devra....we must have the same wax! mine produces the most perfect solid colored candles with no additives. works really great for that, just not mottling and that is what most people want. thanks again!

i live in s. texas and wouldn't take my pillars outside. it's way too hot! i did a really short show and they were sweating and starting to melt after about 3 hours (in the morning and i was in the shade). if you have containers, you should be OK. hopefully tess will chime in here! i visited her at an outdoor show last weekend and she had a fan running. not sure if it helped the candles, but it felt good to me! don't mean to sound negative, it's just really rough on candles to be outside in this texas heat! not much can really be done. although, i have thought about just keeping a couple on the table and then having some in a cooler under the table, then rotating them in and out of the cooler. that's if i ever did another outdoor one in the summer.:smiley2: good luck!

Hi all I've been a faithful user of 1343 for many years and normally love it. however, i have received 2 shipments in a row from different suppliers that just don't mottle at all (i think it is actually 4625 or some other pre-blend) or very well (looks more like the N version, but says A on the box). That's all another long story, so i won't get into it.:lipsrseal so, because i am having problems, i am thinking of switching to 1274. i hate the thought of having to re-test everything tho! i barely have enough time to make some candles as it is. :embarasse anyways....i did a search and found that some people are using it. can anyone compare it to 1343 for me? i like the 1343 for its versatility in making rustics, mottles and just plain solid colors. is the 1274 as versatile? do flat ply wicks work well (if not, i might have a lot of flat ply's in the classifieds!) and is it easy to wick (i can use the same wick for all fos)? how is the hot and cold throw in comparison? any other thoughts about it? i've done a search to find suppliers close that are cheap and i can get it for about the same as the 1343. any comments are greatly appreciated!

it doesn't seem grammatically correct. shouldn't it be Nature's Secrets? (add 's). Secrets is plural, but nature is not and it seems it should be possesive and not just plural. i'm weird, i know. ETA: if you move the leaf design over, i think it would help with the spider web look. it gets kinda lost in the N and S.

i sell some of them. people are fascinated at how realistic it is and that alone will cause them to buy. i make mine in shades of brown.

you might be able to find them in Michaels. I've bought some at a craft store and painted them (didn't use them for candles). Can't remember what section though.

at least something good came out of it! good luck with the clean-up!

put them on sale. say it's a summer clearance on ABC scent. had a couple candles that were damaged after i dropped them (pillars - they just got a little dent) and i marked them 1/2 off. they disappeared in a hurry.

i think are some good threads on the old board about contracts. one thing i remember is to have a minimum order. i would also state what the time is from order to delivery, giving yourself enough leeway to make them and ship them. i also remember someone saying that it should have on there if there is a minimum number of candles to order per scent so that they couldn't say "i want two sugar cookie votives, 1 vanilla pillar, 2 fruit slices jars.....etc" it just makes it easier on you when pouring. be sure to cover damages (if something happens to it while in her store, she is responsible for PAYING for replacements, not you). all i can think of now.

what a great mold and those colors are fantastic! great job!

i agree! those look wonderful!

i'd have to say home for the holidays (to me, smells like pine and spice) and spiced cranberry. i sold a ton of those last year.