Sherl

Would think those looking for donations would be grateful for anything they get. Expecting and demanding is a quick way to turn my cheerful giving into looking for another cause. You paid an entry fee and the profit is yours, would think you 'owe' them nothing. The gift is up to you. I wouldn't do the show again and would probably send them a polite letter explaining why I made that choice. The people running the show might not be aware that the 'greed' is what turned your heart away from the cause and their show.

Adding soap and bnb gives people more reasoins to go into your booth and increases the chance of a sale. Some shows I sell very little, then others they tear up the soap/bnb and the candles sit. Would have missed that market entirely if I had not added. I say go for it!!

Did my last one this past Saturday as well. Got candles and bnb hauled in for winter. Still trying to get it put away. I'm not a morning person either so glad not getting up so early on weekends. Finished here in my town and did a lot better than I expected. Will celebrate with an order from JS!! Also did the Farmers Market this summer here so was a familier face to many. Got to get a Church project done then time to plan next year and get ready for the Spring shows.

I had the same problem and just let it go as ordered late at night. Got a call a next day asking what I wanted for the free gift. They are really great to work with.. I think they will contact you before they ship. I got 1# fo that was grapefruit ginger... I love it!!

You need some kind of bookkeeping software to print receipts. I use the QuickBook Premier. It pulls stock out of inventory and adjusts your cogs. I tried to print 2 receipts at the shows, one for me, the other for the customer.. but too slow. Using a cheapee Walmart printer. Now I just print one for myself unless a customer asks for one. Since there is no receipt with my contact info, I let everybody know my number is on the label and they can reach me when they want more. Got to get busy printing up flyers....

Go get you a soy candle and burn it like most people do.. don't trim, let it go for hours. Smoke up the inside good. Then put it next to a sign that says Any candle will soot if improperly burned. I have that and it takes care of the soy group. I had a soy vendor come into my [busy] booth and start talking loudly about how my product was going to blacken walls and pretty much kill them. At the time I was a bit stunned and speachless. Now,m if needed, I let customers know I worked with both and choose parrafin because of fragrance load, bright colors, and my wick is chosen because of such and such.. never do I bash soy. People then see an educated candlemaker and see the others for what they are.

In Texas it was once a year, here in Ohio it is twice a year. Think it depends on the amount you sell/collect.

If you have done 12 shows, had less than expected sales, and your booth looks the same... you will probably not do better next year. Something isn't working.. Every show needs to be looked at at what worked and what didn't. I agree with another poster that you may be offering too many different kinds of containers. No consistant theme or style like that. Walking into a booth like that can give one the feeling of flea market rather than professional crafter. One or 2 containers, melts, votives in a larger variety of scents may be the way to go. How is the traffic in and out of the booth. I rearranged my setup when I realized many did not like to come into the back of the booth.. made a huge difference in the traffic and the people that want to shop. Do you sit around reading or looking like your having a bad show?? I don't even bring a chair as I am there to meet people and sell my product. Can sit on the way home. I just did a show with 5 candle people out of maybe 20 vendors. I did great. They just sat there looking bored. Labels with hand written lettering or a white label with the scent printed on it and slapped on the side or top does not give the best impression. Too many people out there selling candles these days and buyers are looking for quality. Picking shows does have something to do with it as well. I've gotten so I don't look at anything under 3K in attendance. For me they are not worth setting up. I make money, just not the kind I want to. That took me a year to determine. If it's local and nothing is going on I might do it to try out some new product or setup. Ask other vendors what shows they like. If possible shop these before entering. How many candle people are there, what is their setup like, can I put out a better presentation to get the spending money at the show. If so, I do the show next year and afterward, determine if I did as well as I could have there. Keep notes as different areas have different personalities on what they like. Over time, things should improve as you establish a market and presence at the shows.

The best wax is one you can get the best price shipping on.. same with glassware. I changed my container when I moved from Tx to Oh because of the cost involved in shipping my old one. Scents.. I like to be different so with this one I try not to have the local supplier the main one. Nothing like going to a show and having 6 candlemakers with the same fragrances. Thats getting kinda tough as now I got Becky [JS] with really great oils and prices in my backyard. And the woman can throw a sale!! Wicks, you want to find a supplier you like and stick with them.. a lx-14 can be different from different suppliers. I get mine from Candlewic 500 or more at a time bacause of the pricing, color blocks from there as well. HTH..

Is the scent strong enough on its own. I wanted to do sachets and the eye pillows with flax seed and hear need eo..

I'm wanting to make some sachets and was wondering what the prefered lavender eo is for these? Where would be the best place to get as well?? Thanks

I got a nice heat gun from Lowe's that has variable heat settings and speeds. Have not tore up a band since. The 'commercial' heat gun I got for shrinking blew too hard and split the bands more often than not. The new gun gently shrinks these bands.

Takes me a couple months to go thru a 4.5 - 5oz bar. DH can go thru it in about a month. He's bigger, harrier and uses a wash cloth like a sander. I like a puff. Bars used as shampoo go 3 weeks or so, maybe a month. The hair does take them down faster.

Do you have them pay you all then write them a check for their part, or do they just write you a check for your percentage? Also, do these require a 1099 if they sell enough?

At the local fair this year there was a candle maker selling candles. A woman with a business in town bought a jar candle. She burned it in the bathroom to get rid of a smell and in 30 min blackend a freshly painted wall above the candle. It was out of control flame like that votive, smoking like heck. I heard from friends that sold at the fair that several people were returning candles and demanding their money back. It does not pay to put out an inferior product!! I doubt if they will ever be able to sell much in this town again.

Mine curl around the edge of the bar... one I bought from someone else is the same. Kind of protects the edge that way. Is that the way yours are curling??

How long are you burning? 3 hours each time or do you let it go for 6 hours.. a little hang up doesn't bother me because most people light candles and let them go all day. By hangup I mean a thin film, not a 1/4" ridge all the way around. I have a 4" jar and I test over the course of testing everything from 2-8 hours. Sometimes they get forgot about and go a tad longer. Heat from that kind of burning takes care of hangup. If a customer leaves a candle in the bathroom burning all night because they forgot about it, I don't want a blowtorch. So personally I'd err on the side of being a bit small on the wick, everything else being good, rather than perfect at several burns that are 3 hours long because I have a 3" jar. I just don't find the general population burning a set time every time they light a candle.

Last year at the shows I did them all alphebetically. Those shelves give me 66 fragrances. I noticed that most people just smelled the stuff on the top 2.. so if those did not catch their interest, they were gone. I've sold more this year by putting the stuff for the season right on top... they go right on down the line. I then get a chance to point out the new ones that are interesting [second shelf], they start sniffing those and pretty soon they are putting candles on the counter to take home. What ever you do watch and learn from the customers. They are used to being merchandised to. I have found they are attracted to the name first so not sure arrangement by color is going to be effective. Grouping by category is not as intuitive for finding a fragrance to a non candlemaker. Is pumpkin a spice or food type scent. Alphebetical draws their eyes along.. if they are looking for pumpkin they have to go past pecan pie and pomegranate. Hmmm, what does the pomegranate smell like, and they try it out. If the booth is busy they don't need my help to find if I have a fragrance.

I have vertical shelves.. the one for my jar candles has 6 shelves and is about 5 1/2' tall. Top shelf [shelves are 11 scents wide] are the 'seasonal' favorites. Then the second shelf are the new ones I've added that would be good for the time of year. Then next 4 are the regulars in alphebetical order. I do this to have the new/popular right up in their face. If they have to have lavender in the fall, they will look for it. Those top 2 shelves get the most action and are setup to get then sniffing.

6% is roughly 15oz wax to 1oz of fo.... 1 part in 16 is the fragrance. 1/16=.0625. If you do 16oz wax to 1 oz fo then you are at .0588 [ 1 part in 17]. Most waxes hold 6-8%. Do what works for you. If you are pouring into 8oz jars it would make sense to have the total = 16 rather than 17oz just to reduce the waste. Then again, fluid ounces is different than weighted ounces.... . I hate waste so I figured the weight of my 15 fluid ounces and then add 1oz fo and it all fits nicely in my jar. There, clear as mud, right??

Where you put a candle in a room determines the throw as well. I place mine away from the down vents so when the system kicks in, it pulls the scent accross the room. Have a table right above a down vent and nothing 'throws' on that table.. eveything gets pulled straight down. With a very large farmhouse I like to smell the fragrance when I walk into the room. Some take 30 mins some more to get enough of a melt pool to get that fragrance out. I look for the ability of the fragrance to be noticed when you smell it.. some are too subtle even closed in the bathroom. Personally I like a kick butt cold throw.. that is what gets them sold. I have a vanilla that has awsome throw but is very subtle cold... can't sell it because of that. When it's all said and done, go with what you're happy with and with what your market desires.

Everybodies different but a strong scent might be a clash with the meal. Personally I'd do a vanilla if I scented at all. The scents of the meal should not be overpowered. Sorry to go against the grain but smelling fruit or blueberry when I'm looking at turkey and gravy just wouldn't be right. [for me anyway]

I test all the way till they burn out from lack of wax.. so poking a wick in a hole is not an option. I use a stickum and burn like my customers will.. to the end. When the wick is not right I take another jar, another wick and melt the origional in the oven on warm and pour over the new wick. It gets to setup a while then burned.

Candlemakers store. I work in a basement and there is fine condensation on the jars that keep them from sticking. I have another turkey roaster that I am not allowed to melt wax in [who ever thought they could be used for food:D ] that I put a dozen jars in and warm up.. it gets rid of that moisture and the stickums stick good. I sometimes have to take pliers to the tester jars when they are done to get those buggers out.

How do you keep the scents fresh in soap over a show season. Mine seem to have mellowed some. Does the cooler temps of the season effect this? Also, what is the best way to store them.. plastic containers or cardboard boxes??