CandleLytes

Sparky is my nick name. Just felt good to name my candle line after it. And when people ask or buy a candle I include a little note explaining the name.

Welcome to the board. I have been doing candles for about 2 years. I am so addicted to making candles it's not even funny. But then I got curious about lotions, butters, whips and more so now I am venturing into bath and body. It's fun! I love playing with the scents!!! There are certain scents I have added to my lotion base and gone to work and people are like "OMG, What are you wearing...." and I tell them my own lotion. I have a lot of people wanting Pink Sugar lotion. I poured my first bottle today.

Playing is fun... isn't it?

I am a little nervous because although I have been researching and reading for the past week or so.... once you actually do it it's different. I don't know for anyone else but I always second guess myself, and this is another second guessing moment.

I used lotion base from JBN. I contacted them and asked about presv. and they said none is needed because their base already has it in there and it should be enough, unless I am adding a whole bunch of products... in that case I would need to add more.

This is going to be a stupid question I know, I found some answers in searching this board... I just want to make sure I am doing it right.

When you test what do you look for? Obviously a good scent throw from the lotion, but how long should it last on the skin? I am also looking for skin irritation from the FO and dye. Is there anything else I should be looking for?

Thanks all

A friend designed this for me. I haven't decided if I like it or not.

Where do ya all get your shrink wrap that u use with a heat gun? I had a place here in town that had wonderful shrink wrap that worked with my heat gun BUT... since they were flooded last month, they are no longer in business. I want to wrap my votives, pillars and tarts.

Thanks.

and make candles instead. LOL. I have sooooo much housework to do, but I just got in Love Spell from JBN and I am just itchin' to make a candle to test. I really need to get my housework done though because I only have one day off this week and by a miracle I have no orders pending.

LOL... what would you do????? Just playing... but do u ever have days like that?

Thank. I am burning one myself today. I was worried about how close the scent is to vanilla. But I think it may just be my candle nose at the time. My mommie actually is the one who tested this candle scent for me and she loved it. So I thought, I'm going to try it, I did, and it is similar to vanilla, but it's more sweet.

These are all cotton candy from Bitter Creek. They smell very close to a vanilla scent when burning so I am only going to offer them in this pink or blue. They made me $187 this weekend at a friends candle party! Can't get better than that!

How far are u filling your mold? I always fill the mold to the very top, about a 1/16th of an inch from the rim I guess, maybe less. Because when I advertise my molded candles I put the dimensions (height and width) and don't want a customer to feel short changed. Filling to the top also helps in watching your pour level. I have never done this but I assuming repouring a candle that is only half way up the mold is difficult.

Wow. I guess I am the odd one out. LOL. As usual. I have just always taken it out. Not sure where I learned this habit. It's probably a bad one now that I've read that none of you do it.

I just tried Pink Sugar this week. All I can say is... AWESOME. I use Peak's frequently.... their scents are great.

I don't expect my melt pool to go all the way accross the jar until it is half way burned. My jars are wider at the top than bottom and I expect a candle to burn more than 3-4 hours with out a torch forming.. so I'm underwicked by many standards. But they totally consume so customers are happy.

I agree. When I first began I was freaked when on the first or second burn I did not get full melts pools but as the candle burned down, I realized that if wicked properly the candle will catch up to itself and consume all the wax. Now that I have learned that, hang up no longer scares me!

It takes a lot of skill to be able to not pour the wax too hot which in turn melts the "shell" of the pillar. That could have caused your spillage as well. I take mine out of the mold. I like to be able to manipulate the candle a bit to get an even final pour and removing it from mold allows me to do so. BUT I WOULD NOT ADVISE BEGINNERS TO USE THIS METHOD.

I notice you can't accept any suggestions a lot of the time.

I got where I am right now because I did listen to people's suggestions on this board. And it's not that I wasn't listening to yours, sorry I took offense. I myself do not like dips in votives, makes them look incomplete, but your post made me feel as though you were accusing me of giving my customer an incomplete or unattractive product. So I got mad. BUT, in defense, in my very first post I posted that the customer wanted them that way, I even burned one to make sure they burned properly, for my own satisfaction. Thanks for your input

I have about 20 of each of these candles on hand. The bright pink is Pink Sugar, White is Vanilla, light pink is Cotton Candy and Dark Red is Love Spell.

Seriously? Did you try to explain to her that a repour would get rid of those dips?

I did indeed explain to her that I personally do not like dips in votives, makes them look incomplete but they are her candles and she obviously had plans for them just the way they were. I even had votives on hand that are flat topped that I showed her. She preferred the dips.

I don't know what the hell I did to you but ALMOST every freakin' thread I post... you critisize. It's like you go out of your way... to be partically nasty towards my threads and pictures. I don't post them for approval, I post them to share my work. AND FOR YOUR INFORMATION, the customer, is a good friend of mine, and she just happened to be at my house wanting to look at how much of her order I had gotten done so far, so I showed her the votives explaining I had one more pour to do before they were complete. She stopped me and said she like them like that because she was using them as party favors and planned to decorate them up a little. Who am I to tell her what she likes is not correct? I explained the final pour to her and she still opted to have them left that way. I appreciate her business so I would never insult her, or any other customer, in that way. If a customer does not like the product they will either tell you to fix it, or take their business elsewhere. I know how to pour votives, I have done hundreds. Never once had any complaints with them. And I have been doing this for almost 2 yrs now.

And if you think you are going to bully me off this board.... it's not going to work. Just because you don't like my work does not mean other people don't and I generally like coming here and chatting with people as well as looking at their work. If you don't like mine, quit looking at it. Can't get more simple than that.

Sorry MODS if this post violates any rules but sometimes people have just had enough, ya know?

You don't have to worry about using preservatives? (because they are already in there?)

I am reading a lot on here and still have a lot more experimenting to go. Yes I have insurance. Now I just need to find some good bath and body suppliers. Anyone have some good ones to recommend?

Before anyone asks... I know there is a slight dip in the top of the votives but for some reason (not sure why) she liked the look of them that way.

Thanks Marsh

Nothing special but I am sure glad they are done! Had a customer order 48 Baby Powder Votives, 24 white, 24 blue, and four 4 oz. candles the yellow is Pear Berry, Blue is Ocean, White is Mexican Vanilla and Green is Aloe Vera. This took me 2 weeks for some reason. I was just not looking forward to this order. LOL. But as u can tell, the baby is a boy!

I have been doing candles for about a 1 & 1/2 years. Love doing it. But I would like to expand into body lotions and butters and maybe more down the road. So I had to pick one to start with. I picked lotion. Seems simple enough but I have well learned in this craft business nothing is "simple".

Where do I start? I am assuming I buy some lotion base and add skin safe scent and/or color?

I always inform my customer that I do my best to eliminate the problems that generally come with burning candles. Soot, Unused wax, smoking and so on but I can only guarrantee my candles don't have these issues IF THEY ARE PROPERLY BURNED as stated on the guidelines I include with each order and on my site. ANY candle is going to smoke if the wicks are never trimmed. I have yet to see one that doesn't. HTH

yeah I need more. I just never have that big of a demand for them.

Yes, always do a repour. I think the bottom of the mold is lopsided and that could be the cause of the uneveness. But oh well. u do what u can do, ya know?