bells4shells

Those are gorgeous! Nice job.

Sure. HT = hot throw CT= cold throw A lot of people abbreviate suppliers names also. You can find a list of them for reference here: http://www.craftserver.com/forums/showthread.php?5492-Supplier-Abbreviations-and-Links

I personally don't think they're worth making. I just can't find a way to make it worth my time. Maybe I just have a pour pot that sucks. lol I spill more than I get into the little containers.

Yep. I agree. It reminds me of a creamier, less spicey CS Hansel & Gretel's House OOB

Yup, totally agree. Haven't put it in wax yet, but great in soap.

Now that would be a good idea! As soon as I get my oils in, I open up my spreadsheet and put them in. I have the ones I like enough to eventually test in closed shoeboxes with the supplier name(s) on it. Numbering the tops is a good idea! I recently had to go in those boxes and find an FO and picked up several before I found what I was looking for. I'm not die-hard enough to put them in there alphabetically yet. lol

I do this too. I'm awful. I actually took inventory of all of them and made up a spreadsheet that listed things like strength OOB and if I would re-purchase. I also put them into scent categories and had a spot where I put extra notes. I know we're not supposed to judge OOB, but it's hard.

What's your name? Christine How old are you? 33 Where do you live? Missouri How long have you been making candles/soap/whatever? A little over 5 years. Soap and lotions within that time frame as well. How did you get started making candles/soap/whatever? I started out of sheer boredom. I was working a full time job while going to school part time and I guess I didn't have enough on my plate creatively speaking. I've always enjoyed fragrance in all its forms (esp perfumes). A friend wanted to go into business together, but that didn't pan out. I'm very much a research the heck out of something and she wanted to jump, jump, jump. Guess steady wins the race as she has since moved on to other things and I'm still poking along nicely. Are you married? Any kids? Not married, though technically I should be. I've been with my boyfriend for about 7 years now. No kids. We have two cats and one dog. If candle making isn't your primary job, what do you do? Freelance graphic/web designer. Anything else we should know? -I recently moved from Iowa to Missouri with my boyfriend. -I'm a beauty junkie. I really love makeup. Seriously. Love it. -I can play the flute but would really love to learn the piano (can play right handed, but need to learn the left hand) and violin. -I LOVE to cook. That includes just throwing random ingredients together and looking forward to the outcome.

Awww! Cute pup! I'd say you have winners as well.

I smelled a wax tart that was a leather and amber combo at Hobby Lobby yesterday. It smelled nice.

I really need to vent. I'm exploring options for closures on my glass containers. I found a company that has CUSTOM in its name and the last response I got from the assistant sales manager was that they don't have what I'm looking for in the size I want. I literally didn't know what to say at the time, but I wanted to scream! They sent me a variety of products in different sizes to sample and after I found what I liked and inquired, I'm being told: Yeah, we do custom packaging, but not in the size/color you want. I'm just so frustrated with the contact so far. It's been like pulling teeth to get any information. I decided to skip this guy and reach out to another area within the company. We'll see how that goes. Anyways, how have others dealt with contacting companies for unique options for your own business? How have your experiences been overall? I'm interested to know if this is the norm when you make it known you're a small business. I'm not giving up on finding a solution by any means, but this is so disheartening to deal with.

Got my order in and the standouts for me are Cypress & Berries and Peppermint Bark. C&B reminds me of Juniper Breeze but softer and more berry overtones. I can actually smell the dark chocolate in peppermint bark. It's delicious! I'm excited to get it into wax. It sounds strange, but it has a perfumey quality to it. It's soooo interesting how we all interpret fragrances!

What line is it from? Looking at their site, they have a candle line for men now. Man Town is a purple color. The feedback doesn't sound like it's musky/powdery, but worth a shot? From their Pure Radiance line maybe try After Dark. It's a dark navy, but from my experience darker blacks and blues can turn a purple color after being used.

Hmph. If it's any indication of how easily I'm swayed... it's back on my list to eventually try. Thanks Jack!

RE: peppermint bark I get my package today. It'll be the first one on my list to put in wax. Will report my findings. I was going to sample pinecones, but based off of the few that hate it here...good thing I didn't!

Yup! I've never personally owned DK's Cashmere, but had a previous co-worker who did. While I wouldn't call it exact, it does have VERY close similarities. BW's Cashmere and Pearls is the same too. I never did compare the two side by side to see which I thought smelled more like DK's Cashmere though.

Thanks for the update Jack. I have never tried Moonworks. It sounds like there are a lot of good oils here.

NG's Cashmere is similar to Donna Karan's Cashmere Mist perfume if that helps at all.

Re: pepperming bark - Too much on the mint? That's what I keep reading. I sure hope it mellows out and the chocolate comes alive in the wax.

Candle making started as a creative outlet for me. That and I am obsessed with fragrance. I do sell what I make, but right now I'm back at the creative grind trying to give myself a focus (too many choices in supplies for this!). While working on my candles as a whole - including packaging - I was able to put my art/design background to use as well as marketing/advertising. Overall, it's been really fulfilling. So while I'm hesitant to say candle making is all I do, I do know I'm working on finding my focus. I'm interested in hearing how others got into this as well as those who have been able to make it a career.

Anyone know of a similar peach scent? It's a nice, bright peach. I got a sniffy of this awhile back and finally got a chance to catalog it as one that I'd purchase a full bottle of, but it's no longer on their website. TIA

They each have their own look. A few people mentioned selling both. I happen to agree with this idea. Let your customers help you decide which to carry.

Adam, I'm not sure why you keep asking for help. It's clear you're not REALLY listening. Good luck with your venture. I sure hope one of these days you can look back at this and have a good laugh after you've realized what it was exactly you were asking from us under the circumstances...

I get mine from CS. It looks like peaks 16oz diameter is smaller and height is taller than CS. I normally put 10.5oz in mine. It was a tiny bit under the lip for the lid if that helps. I think even 12oz wax would be a good place to start as well.

No I haven't but I'm intrigued!