Abbiepql

I have my labels done at Maverick - they do an excellent job, they are reasonable price and FAST.

OMG, I have some black amber I put in candles and I was told it was wonderful - but I am not an amber fan so I begged off testing it myself. I however might slap that bad boy in some soap...hm...I did put it in some balm too for an amber ho friend, might have to find that stash! Yes, I promise you don't have to meet the minimum if you call your order in and tell them you are a member of the guild, I have done it and it's on the guild's wesite if you look under "vendors". LOL That would be mean for me to tempt you so! I don't think I had to give a secret password, but a member number might be advised! I have not placed an order in a while...do I patiently wait for you to try the Vanilla Walnut or do I cave and order some F&M, Bay Rum and Acai Berry? I dunno - oh and there are a couple of others... Retro let me check my FO situ and if I order, I will PM you - been wanting a good wedding cake...you promise it is TDF right? LOL

but...but...but...you don't have to reach $150? Hey...what divine FO did I miss - must know so I can keep track! LOL Did you use the Vanilla Walnut?

If you ever went into big production or wanted to pay the extra (might not be so much with double labels and your labor) a printer could match the color or your craft and reproduce your label professional on a waterproof material. I have my labels, with a black background and they hold up fine in the shower or a steamy bathroom!

I can see this was already thought of - LOL Since you are going through all the trouble (and expense) have you condidered just adding a clear label to the top of the one you have? That will seal it and has to be easier than all those steps? I love the label and the paper is target perfect. I would reduce the size of my top label so that the clear one would overlap it - even only by enough to seal the sides?

NO Bohemian - you can not order any FO from Lebermuth - Are you happy now? Unless... it's their orange creamcicle which is TDF in soap and of course the tried and true - Bay Rum, Frank & Myrhh all of which hold up uber great in CP or their patchouli, peppermint, cucumber or black walnut vanilla...what was it I was telling you? A bit pricy for candles, but the ones I use are awesome in soap - worth the price of admission 4 sure! Now...back away from the keyboard and take ten breaths before typing www.lebermuth.com ROFL

Depends how large of a kitchen you have - was never an option for me, way too small a kitchen and I could never imagine having to carry all that stuff in, setting it up, breaking it down and cleaning it up - I could never have grown my business if I had to do all that work!

Honey, add to almost every batch and LURV it!

About two years ago when doing a fundraiser I was pouring about 4 cases of red hot cinnamon candles. Towards the end of the pour the top of hands, my face including my nose, wrists and forearms started to tingle and when I rubbed them to figure out why, they started to burn slightly - althought it's not the same tissue inside your throat and lungs as your "skin" that is all it took to convience me - what could be done to my outside skin could easily occur to the insides of me, now I wear a respirator, mask, gloves and long sleeves when I pour FO, especially those that are not skin safe! LOL

Join the Handcrafted Soap Makers Guild, Lebermuth waives their minimum for those members. Or find a member that might want to go into an order with you?

Are you going to sell this soap? I can understand impatient, but why would you waste money on making something with ingredients that you would not use again or would make it cost prohibitive to do so? I would research and find a FO supplier that has super fast service (some ship in a day) and get in an order for soap safe FO. Then while you try your hand at scenting soap - order your colorants. There are some natural colorants out there that you can buy at the grocery or healthfood store, but again...if you are planning on selling - I would be putting my money into R&D that could be replicated in a profitable way! LOL

I am with Deb, I offer a tumbler that is about 8 oz and a jar that is the same. If they want smaller they can buy a tin and if they want bigger, they can special order a 12 oz tumbler.

I can't give it away in my area, but I have a rep in NC that sells ALOT. By the bag, she offers three blends one spicy one, one harvest type and one that is a twigs and berries type.

Yeppers, that was a nice one! She won it at the MALLA gathering our first year and I have been craving once since, but they are expensive and keep finding other stuff that I need more! LOL

I agree with the bohemian...you have to be really careful about making claims - and I personally would steer clear from anything that could even be "construed" as a claim. JMHO

In my neck of the woods, no Apple type and that would be an issue! I usually limit their offerings to ten - and let them pick out half of them. You have a nice list there -

I use the cheapie one from Walmart that has the whisk attachment - Hamilton Beach - I have two identical ones so I can switch out between them - when one gets a bit warm I can swap the motors, by detaching the mixer part, or I can swap out the mixer parts without unplugging and plugging in another unit. Also it's nice that it has two speeds. Remember the lower the watts the hotter they run. I aspire to a KA 300 watt but I am not in that soap league yet!

LOL - I am a wimp! I wore no mask for many years and then I started experincing inhalation issues (dry cough, sinus issues) when doing cinnamon, spicy fragrances or fragrances with mint. I use a cannister respirator (bought at Lowes) when mixing lye water so I started wearing that for mixing the offending fragrances in large batches and it really helped - no more wheezing or sinus issues. That being said when I do less than a pot of wax I don't bother, only when I am doing more than a case.

Check out Moonworks Collection - her stuff is very earthy and tested in soy. All of hers throw great in my soy at 1 oz per pound.

Many years ago, they have been closed for quite some time.

If you use too much FO and the wax can not bind it - it will seep out - usually sitting on the top of the wax in droplets - or I have seen it sink to the bottom around the wick assembly too, in a puddle - not good!

I have been making soy candles for over 10 years and never double wicked, even in apothcary jars. Some crafters do what they read or hear and they don't do the research for themselves, which can result in some safety consequences. I have seen double wicked jelly jars!! Can you imagine the heat generated from having two wicks in a jar - Candles must be wicked for safety first. It sounds like your wicks are working fine, everything put into a candle makes a difference - there is NO blanket rule that soy needs to be double wicked.

My best testers are my reps. They love to know what is coming down the pike and if they love it - the sell it better. They don't want me making scents that don't throw, cuz they won't be able to move it. If I am testing for a supplier, or if I feel my reps can't be impartial (inclined to be over critical) I have a group of testers that have been with me for almost 4 years. We have an arrangement - they get a candle a month for every month they test - but they have to fill out a questionaire for each and make sure the candle gets to the next tester in line, it's a job - they have a responsibility to me, as I have to the suppliers I test for - so they get compensated. Works out good for me, they get the "candle scent of the month" which odds are they have tested and if they don't like it they can gift it - sell it - I care not.

Lori you are the official Moonworks enabler now! I have to get in on the Saffon & Spice prebuy, I have a bar of soap in my bathroom and it's been scenting it nicely for about a month, it's so soothing and it's definately unisex, everybody loves it. I just can't bring myself to work with lavender and sage, but she says it's the bomb in soap, I might have to cave!

I have been mixing CP/HP and MP together in soap for almost a year. Falling apart can be an issue, but a bigger problem I found early on what the difference in "melt" rates between the types of soap. MP tends to wear away faster than CP, what can happen is you end up with areas of the soap where the MP was that form holes, low spots it simply goes away faster. It's a delicate balance. Your soap looks really nice and I love the fragrance choices.