Candle Kitty

Welcome to the Boards and welcome back to candlemaking!! You are gonna LOVE it here. Very friendly and helpful people and you'll learn tons just being a member of this forum. I agree with Ducky and Breanna, read, read, read and then read some more. You'll find a ton of inspiration here and it will definitely keep you busy for a while and then some! Welcome again!! CK

I'm gonna agree on the marble, I do them all the time and it DOES look like one to me. Beautiful candle, making me think of something to try with my Green Tea later.

I unfortunately have to work this weekend and considering the fact that it's supposed to rain and storm most of it, I'm sort of sad that I'm working Doesn't keep me from at least getting the rest of the house candle-fied, though when I unloaded all of my supplies for the new workspace, I didn't realize I was so low on FO's, so at the present moment, I'm cruising Peak's and a couple other places for ideas on those. Other than that, getting used to the Presto. Since I was a stove-top candlemaker, I'm already spoiled on the freedom I have with it. I made a couple of Apple containers to go in my bedroom early this morning (made them in blue since my entire bedroom is that color), but that's it so far. Trying to come up with scents for each room has been a wee bit of a bear considering I'm trying to match the scent with the color (currently working on my green room, thinking Green Tea or the Cucumber Cantelope, though I'm seriously leaning on the Green Tea, I love that scent). Anybody got any ideas for a pale gray and burgundy bathroom?

All right y'all, ya got me to thinking entirely TOO much here... Time for me to go play.

You won't regret the decision. I've moved into containers only recently, but still find myself going back to the pillars over and over. They're fun to make, especially when you pull a candle from the mold and see that the technique that you've been working on has come together and you're standing there with a beautiful candle in your hands. To me, pillars are a joy. There's really only so much that you can do with containers and you can do so much more with pillars. Marbled containers are beautiful, but a marbled pillar to me is stunning, it's a standing work of art. Start small. Make only single color/single fragrance and then work bigger once you get the basic concept down. It won't take long before you're attempting marbles and swirls and mixing/matching techniques. Trust me, you won't regret the decision!

Like I said, should get interesting with the new house, the office I have is clear on the other side. So if we look at it that direction, I have to go through the hallway, through the kitchen, down 13 steps, around the corner, then back up the 13 steps, through the kitchen, through the hallway... That's not counting tripping over cats... Who needs Pilates, just start making candles!!! :laugh2:

I am very proud of myself, that took me roughly 14 hours from start to finish and I could be shooting low. There were things upstairs I had to do and that always cut into it, plus my younger sister was always coming over with the baby, so naturally I had to make time for baby therapy whenever she showed up... And I know all too well about the kitchen nightmare. The apartment I just moved from, the kitchen wasn't even half the size of that workspace, so even when I DID make candles, I had two sinks, a microwave, utensil rack, all that was in the way, so my workspace almost quadrupled when I moved in here and set up shop downstairs. I'm not sure how I'm going to act when I get going making candles again and better yet, I can actually use the kitchen for what it's for! The next task at hand is getting each room with its own candles and fragrances, which is the first thing on my list Thursday and Friday when I have my next days off. Thanks for the cuphook idea, gottabt, that I will definitely do, I didn't even think about it, great idea!

Okay, not completely. Still have to get a paper towel dispenser, also have to get my trash can put on the right side of the work bench, get the area rug down and get my presto pot out of the box. BUT, the cool thing is, I'm set to the point that twenty minutes and I'm making candles! Also came up with an idea to put another workbench on the opposite side of the bench that's there now, once I get that area cleaned up and straightened, I'll send pics to show what I'm thinking of. I got to thinking when I came upstairs that even though the space is great as is, I still don't have a lot of room, plus if I attempt to expand towards the right, I'm heading under the bathroom and all the plumbing would be directly above me. Didn't like that idea, so came up with the other bench. My handiman can knock that off in less than two hours, he's that fast and it would be a good quality bench. And yes, I realize it now but I DID cut one of my cats off in one of the pictures. That's O.J., my cross-eyed little cutey! Tell me what you think, still open for more ideas!!!

Hey hon! You might give this website a shot and see what you can come up with. It's got a ton of different molds, I'm currently getting ready to order the Yin-Yang. You might find something there, they deal with everything. http://store.yahoo.com/spiritcrafts/index.html HTH

I've got the perfect solution to the 'sitting on the boards while I need to make candles' problem. I call it the Candletech Cha-Cha... Start up the computer, run and put wax in the Presto Run back to computer, get on message boards Post a few replies, pics, posts, run and check the wax Run back to computer, check on replies, pics, posts Run back to wax, add dyes, FO's, additives, set your molds up, pour! Run back to computer and the time flies by while you're waiting on your candles to set up! It works better if you have cats or dogs, sometimes while I'm in between the sprinting, I have to change it to the Tango because I'm tripping over my felines! It worked beautifully when I was living in my apartment, now that I'm in a house where my workspace is downstairs, it should get interesting. I see a new weight loss program coming on.

Sounds like the wick may be either too big or maybe too long. If it's long, then trim it off as you burn the candle. If the wick is too big, then you need to wick down, what size wick did you use? Also need to know what kind of wax, FO and any additives, all that plays a part in the quality of the burn. Votives are meant to be burned down completely, I never have wax leftover when I test burn my votives. HTH

Personally, I think it's a matter of personal preference more than anything. I have aluminum, tins and an acrylic ball mold and I can speak from experience that no matter what you do to keep the acrylic clean, it still breaks down. I still use the ball, but only for myself and my best friend who just likes to burn candles no matter what they look like (fire bug if you ask me). I've only had the acrylic for roughly two years. Some have excellent luck with tin (I do to a degree, just don't like to trim down the line), some with acrylic, some with aluminum. I like my aluminum's much better, very easy to clean and since I do a lot of marbled candles, I can't do that with the acrylic and even though I can do that with the tin, if you apply TOO much heat to it, the seal can break down. Each has pros and cons, just a matter of experience.

Yep, I agree with TopofMH here. My best friend does it constantly with all of her candles, cracks me up because if she doesn't watch them, she ends up with a waxfall. Normally, that would be dangerous, and I DO remind her that wax is flammable... But it doesn't help that she has a cat that likes to tiptoe through the wax, I've nicknamed him the Flaming Furball, not only because of that, but the goof also likes to flop down on lit candles. I swear, this cat is a loon...doesn't help his human is close to it herself!!

Welcome to the boards! You'll love it here! Some say that the boards themselves are just as addicting as making candles... I can say that it's the truth

Asked a male friend of mine what that box could be for, other than temporary storage, that's all I got out of him. And I know what you mean about the whelping box, that would be absolutely horrid!! Although the scary part is that I've got plans for it and now my mom cat has discovered it and likes to lounge in it. She's petite, but not THAT petite and she fits in there decent. Considering that the earlier gal was a slob, I'm planning on seeing what I can do to rip that carpet out, I don't want my girl wollering around in something that I'm just not sure about. Not to mention, I have to make this cat friendly, mama likes to help me out a lot when I'm making candles. She's already discovered another lounge spot under the steps! I did some checking because I'm in an old sub-division just on the outskirts of Kansas City, Kansas, most of the houses has the same layout and my younger sister, who lives next door also has a workspace by her steps, but not like mine. She has the solid work bench, but nothing directly underneath the stairs so I'm not wondering if this is a late add-on or something. Things are going great guns down there, I am so unbelievably excited! My original thought of being ready by the coming weekend is off, I could be ready as early as Thursday! I have one more full day off from work before I go back for a couple of days, so it works out. I've cleaned off the wood really well, already have the contact paper ready to go and my plan this morning is to start painting. And it's pegboard, I remembered that last night when I was at Wal-Mart, go figure! So I bought a pegboard organizing kit and played around with how I'm setting up most of the night (if anyone is interested, it's in the hardware section, I paid eight bucks for it and it comes with 43 pieces). I've already got two shelves hung, with two more getting set this morning, also a wire organizing shelf unit and then it's paint city!!

Welcome to the Addiction Boards!! Always great to see a new face! I agree with everyone here. I've been making candles for roughly eight years now and I'm just now getting up the nerve to start making containers, I started big and worked small. Eh, go figure. Your best bet is also to find a good supplier for candle containers. I've got a great supplier here in Kansas City that does not only candle supplies, but bee keeping supplies as well. I'm currently working on the 9oz. octagons, they're small and very easy to work with. Make sure when you buy the container that you ask to see if they are good for candles as well. There's a huge difference in the types of glass that's used for just general decor and candles. The glass has to hold up to the heat the flame generates. Start small on the containers, when you nail it down, progress to something bigger. It's a lot easier and safer to go that route than anything else that you can do. And you've come to the right place, I've only been here a little over nine months and I've learned tons more than I would have had I not found it. We're always willing to help!! Happy candling, good luck and Welcome again!! CK

I'm not sure what that carpeted box is for, I'm hoping maybe one of our men can jump on this and tell us what it's for, I was actually thinking of maybe using that for a cold water bath station, when I put my bucket that I use for it inside the box, it's almost a perfect fit! I've got sheets of plastic that I can loosely hang over the candle to protect it while it's setting up. I know what you're talking about on the dust and debris falling into the wax, that's why I was thinking about just using that area under the stairs as storage more than anything and then use the long bench for a work area, right next to the box and then farther down away from the steps as a place for allowing my candles to set up. Great idea on the contact paper, I've got some left over when I lined my cabinets and enough I could probably do the entire work area!! White paint I've still got some from when the house was being redone, I've actually got several colors to choose from, will have to play the match game on the contact paper and see what I can come up with. Thanks for reminding me about the concrete floor, I think I'm going to get one of those area rugs that's indoor/outdoor and throw down, it would cover the entire area that I'm working in, thanks for that idea too!!! Something I forgot to mention in the first post that I'm mentioning now is that there is actually a 'wall' per sa above the long bench. Anybody that knows the name of this stuff, please don't laugh because I can't for the life of me, remember what it's called, but there are holes in the wood that you can hang just about anything on, like long hooks. Most of my shelves I'm thinking about putting there, along with the hooks for my heat gun and other tools when I'm not using them. The great thing about this place to is that I've got an attic fan that's so unbelievably powerful, that it actually slams the door leading to the basement shut. I'm using a bungee cord to keep the door open and when I'm standing in that space, I've got a great breeze. Thanks for the great ideas guys, please keep them coming, it's going to be at least a week before I can get myself set up and start making candles again, the itch is driving me hard!!

Hi guys, I'm back!! Yes, I know it's been a while, but there was good reason. I finally got settled into my new house!! WOO HOO, I'M HAPPY DANCING! And now that I'm settled, a new task is at hand for me this weekend and I would seriously LOVE some ideas, feedback, whatever you want to post. I've been monitoring my basement for possible candle work down there and I do believe that I've struck gold. I've attached only one photo of the area that I am working on, only because my dern batteries went dead on me. Before you take a look, there's a couple of things to bear in mind. Number one, the gal that originally lived here, was in essence, a slob and actually used the area that I'm going to use for candlemaking as a make-shift green house for marijuana. :lipsrseal Number two, while this IS a rental house, the landlady I have now has told me that whatever I wish to do to it, is fine with her. 'This is YOUR house, the only difference is, my name is on the title', her words exactly. I don't want to rip out what is already there and start over, that's too much of a daunting task considering my handiman lives an hour from me and getting him here for a weekend project like this is hard at best. Number three, it looks as if not only was it a workspace, but either a canning area or something different, I'm not sure. The arrow in the pic points to a built-in box, roughly two feet in depth, measures roughly three feet by three feet and carpeted. There are also two outlets and a switch just above the box, though none of it works as of yet. The landlady's handiman is planning on changing that, but there IS an outlet about six feet from there and I have heavy extension cords. With those said, I've monitored the temperature down there for the past week and it averages roughly 65-70*, with no humidity, regardless of my washer/dryer, furnace and hot water heater. I'm sure that will change during the winter months and I have a small space heater that I can use at a distance. I've already taken into consideration that I need more light and yes, there WILL be a stereo with CD/cassette player and my Doors collection at hand's reach Any ideas??? TIA CK

*shrieks* Jealous!!! I'm so jealous!!!! Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful!!! If I end up moving to this one house (keep fingers crossed, please!) I've been looking at, I've got an entire BASEMENT to myself, BWA HAHAHAHAHA!

Didn't take it as being rude, hon. Was actually a question I didn't ask myself until after I saw you post it ROFLMAO!!!!!!!!!! All these ideas for this candle are FABULOUS, THANKS LADIES!!!! Guess that means I have to order more Vanilla and Leather from Peak's. Oh darn............

Oh now oooh, hey, Scented, you just gave me an idea, I've still got some black wax left over (I overdid it just a little).... Probably have enough for a 6''.....

Uh, because I'm silly that way?? LMAO No, this is something completely different for me, I was attempting two different techniques on one candle and both I've never done before. I knew how to do them in theory but since it was a first, critiques aren't bad in my book. Edited: Because my grammar on my last post would have gotten me arrested by the grammar police!

WOW, ALAN I LOVE THIS BOARD!!! So incredibly clean and fresh! Okay, now that I'm done ooh'ing and aah'ing over it, time to move on. Yeah, been a while since I posted anything, I haven't actually been in the kitchen that much. Took a week off to do nothing and I think it did me some good, though my apartment is still a wreck. My first candle after my hiatus was for me, just me. The FO's used was French Vanilla and Leather, 9 x 3 pillar. Two ounces total of FO if I'm not mistaken, notebook not near me. Ivory IS mottled, the black wasn't. And it was exactly the effect I was going for. If this wasn't an indication that I need to get back and create my candle art, nothing will. Thanks for looking and please, I need feedback! CK