jazzbo848

Cheryl, I looked at your pics before & enjoyed looking again! Your scenes are beautiful! A couple of questions, if you don't mind. Those oblong containers with the golfer and shark scenes--where did you find them and approx how long are they? I love what you did with that golfer set. I had that set and used it when a friend asked me to do a candle for a golfer. Mine wasn't anything as wonderful as yours! What do you have on the right side that looks like a cliff from the pic? Is that craft sand on the bottom that you have looking just like a putting green and the water? I love it! luci, thanks for the compliments. i only had a few of the oblong containers and it was a few years ago. i am afraid that i don't remember where i got them, but i think i found them through a florist's glass supply. they were aprox. 5" x 2". the bottom of the candle is all sand that i got from rustic esscentials or biomax. the thing that looks like a cliff is a ceramic pine tree. cheryl

gel candles ae not like soy or paraffin. here is some basic info: http://www.biomax1.com/html/candle_tips.htm scroll down to bottom of page and www.silkytyme.com under gel candle instructioins. you do have to be prepared to test wick sizes for the containers. if they are going to be near food while lit, i would strongly reccommend no fragrance. but if you are going to scent them, you must use non-polar scents. i have a wedding section on my photo album at www.picturetrail.com/candleheart48 hth, cheryl

i dip the tabbed wick into very hot gel, put it into container, hold it with a pick for a few seconds or until set. my mext pours of gel are done cooler so they don't melt the setting gel. i have had problems with wick tabs puffing up and causing the wicks to list. i use rubber banded craft sticks to hold the wick in place...... cheryl

no problem! cheryl

when i pour the tall ones, i want the top of the insert glass to be even with the top of the outside glass. so i measure by eyeing it, where the bottom of the insert glass would have to be in order for the top to be even with the top of the outside glass. i do my pouring until i get to where the bottom of the insert glass would need to be. i let the gel set up as mentioned in the above post, put in the insert glass, and let it set up. THEN, i pour my layers until the gel reaches its uppermost level. i hope i have my directions clearer for you. cheryl

ladysj, when i am placing an insert candle ( like an oyster cup, for example) in a container where it sits on the bottom of the glass and the top of the insert is even with the top of the outer glass, i pour a thin layer of gel and when it is almost set, i put the insert in and wait for the gel to set, and trhen i pour the rest of the gel into the outer container ( see the heart shaped forever candles in "home decor). when i use an outer container that is much taller than the insert, i pour in thin layers and let them set until i am about to the level where i want the insert to be. i pour that thin layer and wait until it is almost set up and then put in the insert (partly set gel makes sure the insert is anchored). then i pour thin layers until the candle is complete. hth, cheryl

you say that you have been making things for a couple of months........i'm going to be blunt here......you really need to do a lot more research and testing before you start to sell. just like with gel candles, there are many variables to bath and body products....and a lot to learn and insurance is definitely a necessity......... you've come to a good place to research and to ask questions... hth, cheryl

http://www.silkytyme.com/cgi-bin/VirtualCatalog/CatalogMgr.pl?cartID=b-6883&SearchField=partnumber&SearchFor=EMI&template=Htx/template.htx&hdr=Embeds cheryl

scroll down to bottom of page http://www.biomax1.com/html/misc_embeds.htm and this place also: http://www.silkytyme.com/embeds.html hth, cheryl

spa, did you try using any of the recipes for the soya butter listed on kangarooblue's site? how long have you been doing bath and body products? cheryl

when i do forever candles like you are talking about, i use a votive glass (like an "oyster cup"). when that candle is used up, the wick will just come out and i can refill it for them or they can put glass tealights into them.............. cheryl

i also have some forever candles...... www.picturetrail.com/candleheart48 check under home decor, outdoor scenes, and wedding. cheryl

using uv protector in the embed wax will also help. reds and blues seem to be the worst for bleeding. i sometimes think that some embeds end up being "over colored" and thus bleed easily, but have no scientific proof...... cheryl

i warm the inserted glass with a heat gun before inserting it into gel. does your "child" glass (insert glass) reach the bottom of the "mother" glass (outer glass container), or are you putting it onto gel? cheryl

uv protection powder (i use it for gel also) will help keep the gel from bleeding. you can also lightly color the gel the same color as the embed and that hides the bleeding. hth, cheryl

do you know how to test for gel safe fo's? cheryl

http://www.creativegemsmolds.com/store/index.php good molds, great customer service, great turn around time, cheryl

why do you want to make wicks from scratch? you don't have to buy pre tabbed wicks. you can buy lengths of wicking and wick tabs so that you can assemble the length you need. for gel wax, you do not want wax on your wicks. it melst and clouds the gel. cheryl

i buy from either oilsbynature or ak. i don't feel that there is a really strong odor to the shea butter at all. my whipped body butters is a combination of several unrefined butters and a couple of oils and by the time i have finished whipping it (in my ka) it is very white. cheryl

i do it the way vicky does and do not get lines. pouring cool is very important and making sure that you have high melt point embeds is also important. cheryl

i second oils by nature........ cheryl

container wax would have too low a melt point. what is the melt point of your pillar wax? cheryl

my children's father used to get these patches all over his body, especially in the summer. i read in a magazine that sometimes these can be fungal outbreaks, so for a while we treated it topically with otc lotramil cream (jock itch cream) and they responded. but i also made him go to a dr. and after some tests, it was determined that he had a rather intensive, body wide fungal infection, so the dr. put him on some pills (can't remember what they were). it took about 3 months, but his skin AND toe nails all cleared up and he has been fine since. cheryl

with the hot weather, you may want to up the % of butter so that your product does not melt AS quickly................. i use about 1 TBS. of cornstarch pp and i add towards the end of the whipping process. another thought...double walled jars also provide some pretection from the heat. remind your testers to use just a smidge because it will be very rich. remember that this is not a water based cream. i was demoing this at a show and had just explained the above to a customer who got a huge amount out of the jar with the plastic spatula and proceeded to rub it into her hands...........she asked me for a paper towel to rub off most of it and then she said i really meant it about using a small amount....... cheryl

coconut oil and emu oil are wonderful additions. i also add corn starch to help with the greasiness.........what % of butters to oil are you thinking of using? cheryl