beechcreekcandles

Candy Corn FO......we didn't pour a white layer because of the shallow depth, and we really wanted to make sure the other two colours stood out more. Thanks for looking, and sorry if it's a tad fuzzy....

Well, I checked my account. and sure enough AP9 Business Max did indeed credit my account for 3 months payments of $14.95. No other action was needed on my part other than the one phone call. Now we'll wait and see if my account gets billed this month....usually happened around the 20th of the month. We'll let you know.

I want to make it clear to everyone reading this thread, that we have done tons of business with VP ourselves...and are very pleased with those purchases. We don't want to discourage anyone from using their services....but just be careful that you check your statements to make sure no other fees have been added without your permission. We'll make sure to give you all an update on whether satisfaction was met upon calling AP9 Business Max or not. For those who may have NOT read any of the links associated with members' responses to this thread, I encourage you to do so, from an information standpoint.

Artcwolf.....No...I've never signed up (nor ever would) with anything like this on my own doing....I know it came from VP because I was able to track it back to them.

UPDATE: I managed to get a hold of AP9 Business Max myself by calling 1-888-840-6296, and talked to a customer service rep. They agreed to cancel my "so-called" membership and refund 3 months of payments to my account. We'll keep you updated on this to see if it actually happens or not. However, I'm still going to call Vista Print on Monday and let them know exactly how I feel. After all the business I've given them and this is how they treat me? I'll definitely reconsider ordering from them again.

For those of us who use Vista Print...be careful of what you're buying. WE ordered business cards from them 3 months ago. Since then we have found charges of $14.95 per month on our credit cards. Apparently VP signed us up for some Business Max company thing....without our permission of course....and now we have found these charges. We are in the process of getting this sorted out with our bank, and Vista Print....however it will be a long day in hell before I decide to do business with them again! WARNING....check your bank statements!!!! If you do get a suspicious charge it will come through as AP9 Businessmax It's a scam!

Interesting discussion here, I thought I would put my in. We have found here in NEPA. our 16 ounce sells better than our 5 ounce. We also offer a 10 ounce jar, and those sell well too. Seems to us anyway, the only way we can really push our 5 ounce jars is when we offer them as a group...say 4/$20 or so. Just adding my own experiences here.

Thanks everyone for your kind remarks. They are selling quite well for us...we also do a chocolate one as well.

Strawberry shake. We keep the level low on purpose so that the ice cream when melted will not overflow.

We use 34'NST-2's in our 3.5" apoth jars and they work great for us...trimming is essential to maintain a great burn.

I'm not so sure that burning candles around birds is actually bad...per se. Our four parakeets, now nearly 9 years old have been around our candles all of their lives....if it was that bad to burn candles around them, I'm sure something would have happened by now.

Our reps who host home parties earn up to 35% in sales with a minimum 20%. In other words, $100 in sales gets $20. Anything over $350 in sales gets 35% or $122.50

We have had our website for four years now. It brings in about 45% of our sales, the other 55% are through wholesale accounts, fundraisers, and word of mouth. Plus we will be opening our retail store located on our property in the fall. The website does well (although we are revamping it at the moment), but it does act as an online catalogue for us. I say if you can afford the hosting services, then go for it. We currently pay $6.95 a month and it's well worth the cost.

It's a sticky on the General Candle area.

Try RRD's....they're what we use for our container candles with CBA.

This weekend we'll be pouring 200 votives for wedding favors. Also about 35 container candles, and some tarts as well for give-aways.

Well not all of us have to do a second pour to get good looking votives!

Which mold are you asking about? The standard or 16 unit flex mold? I would think the 16 flex mold would be a tad difficult when it comes to keeping the wicks straight....considering the size of the mold and having to use 16 wick tabs...IMHO. I'll stick to my individual molds and wick pins...

www.jkmribbon.com

Soy pricing will be fluctuating in prices now because the Agricultural department of our great nation decided to classify soy as a commodity, meaning that the farmers will now get paid as the market dictates demand. Before, soy was normally a set price with only minor price increases on a yearly or bi-annually time frame. But because China, and other countries are importing our soy. our government once again saw the "cash cow" coming from the fields, so to speak, and decided they wanted their hand in it too....just like everything else. The only advantage I see is that our prices for buying the soy may also fluctuate, but don't get too excited....I don't think any of our suppliers will change the pricing as much as they could/should. I only hope this doesn't discourage small business people like ourselves to quit....that so called American dream still exists...just might be harder to achieve. My father always says....your highest goal is only just out of reach...stretch more and you will grasp it.

We buy our gift baskets and shredded paper from Flowers and Baloons.... http://www.burtonandburton.com

When I use CBA straight I have always used roughly 9-10% FO. One must remember that results will differ from area to area as well as elevation, and FO brand. I've always tested my FO's from my suppliers to compare which gives the best results. Buying 3 or 4 of the same fragrance from each of our suppliers has always been my way of testing to achieve the best results thus giving our customers the best I can offer. Trust me, testing is an ongoing operation, almost as much as the actual production....after having been making candles for almost 30 years.....I don't want to even think of how many hours of testing I've done.

Try zcounter.com They have invisible ones.

CBA should be heated to at least 170 before adding FO and dye in order for the FO to bond properly with the wax. Try pouring between 130 and 140. This should cut down on any cracks that may appear....cooling too fast will cause the cracking. Though there are other factors that can cause cracking, the above mentioned will help resolve the majority of it. IMHO