JAVAEBOY

sisters3, I have an Android phone (Motorola Droid X). I have tried using a stylus (I believe designed for an iPhone or iPad) and it doesn't work very well on my phone. I did have a friend who has an iPhone4 try it, and it seemed to work much better on his iPhone. Don't spend a lot of money on one though, they can be gotten through places online for as little as 3/$10. I believe most of them are pretty much the same, just with some having much higher prices. Do a Google search for "iPhone stylus" and you will see plenty to choose from. For a few dollars, it's worth trying one out. Hope that helped.

Stella, Quick question to you and everyone else on the left. If Hillary Clinton would have run for President, would you have voted for her? If your answer is yes, then she too voted to put us into those 2 wars, given the same information about WMD's that was given to the president by the weapons inspectors that were in Iraq. Everyone on the left seems to forget, that 3 years prior to that report, Iraq had 30,000 tons of WMD's. Does anyone really think they suddenly just disappeared? Also the left was in control of the other 2 branches of government for 6 of those 8 years, so let's put a little (well maybe a little more than a little) blame on them. Now Obama did say that he voted NO on the wars which is pretty amazing since he wasn't even a Senator yet, and most likely he would have voted "Present" like he did some 90% of the time he was in there to vote. I also believe that May 20, 2010 has passed us by, and that was the date that Obama promised we would be out of Afganistan. (He said 16 months after he became president). I also believe Guantanamo Bay is still open, contrary to what Obama said he would do. We are in another war that wasn't even voted on by Congress... How is that Hopey - Changey thing working for you?

The only thing that I can think of, is that if you accumulate over $1000 in charges in a week, they put a 30 day rotating hold on the extra funds. I guess, if you do a lot of charges, Square may not be the best solution for you. For me, it works out great, I may sell $2500 at one of my big shows, but usually less than $750 are in credit cards, since my candles are all < $25 each.

I currently don't have a website for my candles, I do have a website I built as a Tribute to my brother who died in 2006. It is hosted on 1and1. It is only $4/month. At that BASIC level, it can only be a site that doesn't have a monetary checkout. Although, I may at some point create a site just to display my candles with a email address and phone number to order my candles, I really have no desire to sell and ship them through a website. 1and1 does have commerce sites for as little as $9.99/month but they limit you to 50 products at that level. You can check them out at http://www.1and1.com. They give you the first 6 months free, I assume with a 1 year agreement. They have $29.99/month and $49.99/month plans also, but they all include some more advanced features. All of them, including the $9.99 plan have a website design tool, and plenty of additional free help in getting set up. Hope that helps.

I have to agree with GermanTownCandles here. As a IT developer, the only reason to worry about encryption with the Square reader, would be if the person accepting the credit card were being deceptive. It is true that one can write an application to gather the information from a credit card using one of these devices. The same can be said if someone has put another card reader over the top of the ones we use everyday at the ATM machine. NONE of the units in question actually encrypt your information when initially going into the device, it does get encrypted to actually make the transaction and get saved. Anyone that wants, is free to inspect any part of my Android device and it's memory to find these unencrypted CC numbers. Not knocking anyone's non-use of todays electronics (my parents still don't have a computer) but, for anyone to think that the paper left after a knuckle-buster is used, is anywhere near as secure as the new electronic devices, needs to read up on todays security. Every warning I have seen so far is from a competitor to Square. When the smartphone with Square sends the information to Square, the data IS encrypted.

To back up what mparadise said, it all depends on what type of service is available at the location. The first year I did a large craft festival, I used the WiFi that was available. In my area, I rented had to pay $5/day for access to WiFi that a Frontier offered in my area. Before paying for it, I brought a laptop to the location, and made sure I had a signal. For the past several shows, I have used my Android phone with the Square device to handle my CC transactions. Again, I went to the locations, and made sure I had a good Cellphone signal. I would think that you are safer with using your iPhone if you have one (or if your iPad has 3G), then you should be OK. Using an open WiFi signal isn't always reliable or available, whereas a smartphone is "usually" a safer bet, since you should have either WiFi and/or Cellular service available.

Vanessa, If you have a smart device (iPhone, iPad, most Android phones also) you can use the Square Reader, available at www.squareup.com . I have one, and it works very well. You just need to fill out an online application, and they usually can get one out to you fairly quickly. You just need a bank account to tie it to, and usually some type of tax id number (at least, that is what I had) They charge a flat 2.5% if you swipe the card, 3.5% if you type the CC card number into the device. There are other services available if you want to type the information into a laptop, through Intuit and such also. I hope that helps.

I have used Candlewic pretty much exclusively for my Gel and votive glasses. I am in Upstate NY, and although at first I thought the shipping charges seemed high, the weight of the packages made all the difference. I do not believe they charge much more (if at all) than the UPS calculator shows. I would call them also. What jars were you trying to order? I just put in a mock order for 288 votive holders, and their FedEX shipping was actually about $1.00 less than UPS (~$52 vs. ~$53) to Rochester, NY.

Judiee, I have had a few problems with having to do multiple swipes with my Square reader, but they will send you a new one, if you are having a problem. Not sure if they changed something, but I am getting a new one. I don't have another show for a few months, so I'm in no hurry. Go to their website, and there are directions on who to call to get a new one.

Judiee, I am going to assume you meant just plain Square. I have used both Intuit and Square, and I really prefer Square, at least for me. Most of my customers don't really ask for a receipt, and the ones that do, I can merely write one out, or offer them a email receipt via Square using their email address. I would have to look for my dealings with Intuit to remember their Percentage fees, but the $12.95 a month would have cut into my profits. I only do a few shows a year. I also had a problem with Intuit, using an incorrect bank account, so I didn't see my money for a couple weeks. I did use their 2 free month offer, but ONLY because my Square reader hadn't shipped yet. I think without a reader, the % fees were fairly comparable, and with the Square, I didn't have to write anything down to input later for payment. Hope that helps.

Anyone using the Square app, and a stylus. I'd love to know how the stylus works out for you. If it works OK, I'd like to know which stylus you bought, which device you have, and from where you purchased the stylus. I have read a few reviews for stylus' and none seemed to work that great, but I am open to trying one out. Thank you in advance.

Well, right now, I don't think it will work, but if you drop SquareUp a message, they will probably have a better answer for when/if it will work on a Blackberry. I don't see why it would be a problem fro them to write an app to do it, but I have never written code for a Blackberry before, so I'm not sure how much harder it would be than it was for the iPhone and Android devices. Good Luck.

I'm not going to say anything negative about this card reader, but if you want small, and you have a smartphone (iPhone, Android phone), I would recommend the SquareUp card reader. It is small, free, no monthly charge, and I'm not sure about what percentage you pay for your Propay account, I used to have one, and I remember it being a similar %, but the Square reader charges you 2.75% for cards that are present, 3.5% for transactions where you don't swipe the card plus 15 cents per transaction either way. Most importantly It gives you an immediate response as to whether the transaction has been approved or not, and can even send an email receipt (with a picture of the item and where it was purchased) to the buyer, assuming they have an email account. I would not go back to my previous merchant account, since using this. Just my 2 cents. Javaeboy.

Well, after doing a fairly extensive search for this resin, I did find a place that seems to sell it. http://www.craftlobby.com They go by the name Big River Wholesale. Do a search on their site for resin, and it comes up. It looks like 1lb - $8.00, 5lbs - $39.50. It looks like they try to get around the patent stuff, by using a disclaimer that states: Big River Wholesale does not sell CP9000 for the purpose of making gel candles. We sell Penreco finished gel for candle making projects due to the Penreco gel candle patents (U.S. Patent Numbers: 5,578,089; 6,066,329; 5,879,694). They then go on to tell you how to mix it. 2 cups of Mineral oil to 25 grams of resin. So if my math is correct, a 1lb bag of resin will produce approximately 15 3/4 lbs or so of Gel. This is how I achieved this number: Assuming a 5 gallon bucket of gel weighs ~35 lbs. 454 grams/ pound 454/25 = 18.16 (round off to 18) 18 x 16 fluid ounces (2 cups) = 288 ounces 288 / 128 (ounces in a gallon) = 2.25 gallons 2.25 x 7 lb/gallon = 15.75 lbs. A further search found clear Mineral oil to be about $25/gallon so I'm not sure making your own makes financial sense. Especially if you can get it with a 40% off coupon from Michaels, Hobby Lobby or such for about $25 or so. Hope that both answers the question, and makes a financial calculation a little easier.

Well, I used my Square card reader for the first time Saturday. Only one credit card purchase, (good and bad I guess). Well, it worked perfectly for the transaction. First swipe, and the credit card was accepted. Neat thing is that if the customer wants a receipt, and has an email address, you can send them an email receipt. The email has a map of where the transaction happened, to what company, and if you have a picture of the item they bought, that can be attached also. $18.00 purchase, I ended up getting $17.35. ($18.00 x 2.75% + .15 transaction charge). I have to admit, when I was trying to show a few people in my family how easy it was, I did have to swipe my own credit card a few times to get it to work, so it takes a little getting used to, but well worth the hassle. I waited about 6 weeks to get my reader, but I believe, the wait isn't nearly as long now.

Tony, Welcome to the forum. As for the second part of your question about whether something like a 4" x 8" vessel is available, I don't know. Some of us find our vessels in a variety of places. I haven't looked for anything like that, so I don't know if one exists. Now, as for making one, that probably can be done, you just have to take a few things into consideration. Obviously, you have to make sure it is "water" tight. The second criteria, and just as important as the first one, is whether what you use for an adhesive can handle the temperature that the gel will subject it to when filling the vessel itself with the gel. Since you mention aquariums, I believe an aquarium adhesive would work, and handle the temperature that you would encounter. http://www.dap.com/product_details.aspx?BrandID=67&SubcatID=27 is an aquarium adhesive from DAP that states that it will handle temperatures up to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. That gives you plenty of leeway temperature wise. I think it dries clear, so it should also look good. Hope that helps. SteveG

I did get reader about 2 weeks ago now. Used it for the first time yesterday. I will be using it for a craft show this weekend. Here are the particulars. $0/month charge for service 2.75% + 15 cents per transaction with a swiped card. 3.5% + 15 cents without card swipe (Internet or phone order). Limitation is $1000/week. This limitation is kind of hard to explain in few words. You can charge up to $1000 in 7 consecutive days. If you go over that amount, Square will hold anything over $1000 for 30 days. The full description is on their FAQ page of the webpage. For me, this limitation isn't a problem, for others it may be. I only do a few shows a year, and if I do $1000+ in one show for credit cards, I would be very very happy. Here are a few examples to determine if Square is better or not for your situation in comparison to the United Payment Services rate of 1.9% + $12/month: Example 1 ($1000 in sales (100 x $10 sales) 75% of sales card is present, 25% of sales, card is NOT present) Square: ($750 x 2.75%) + ($250 x 3.5%) + (100 x $.15/transaction) + ($0 monthly fee) $20.63 + $8.75 + $15.00 + $0 = $44.38 United Payment Services (assuming same rate for card being present) ($1000 x 1.9%) + (100 x $.20/transaction) + ($12 monthly fee) $19.00 + $20.00 + $12.00 = $51.00 Example 2 ($1000 in sales (2 x $500 sales card is NOT present) Square: ($1000 x 3.5%) + (2 x $.15/transaction) + ($0 monthly fee) $35.00 + $.30 + $0 = $35.30 United Payment Services ($1000 x 1.9%) + (2 x $.20/transaction) + ($12 monthly fee) $19.00 + $.40 + $12.00 = $31.40 As you can see, by the numbers above, which credit card service you choose, depends on the number of transactions you do in a month and the % charged for cards. If the persons in Example #2 for square would have had their credit cards present, the total cost would have been $27.80. On the other hand, if in the first example , all of the sales were made over the phone, the Square fee would have increased by $5.63, bringing the total to $50.01, which is much closer to the charge from UPS. The $12 fee can add just enough additional cost in these examples to make a difference, but on the other hand, a number of sales with out the card present, could also add up quite quickly. I hope these examples were both understandable, and helpful to my fellow crafters.

As an update, Square has started shipping out the readers, unlike one of the previous posters stated though, from what I have been reading, you cannot process a payment without the card "right now" without Square at least activating your account. Once they send you the reader, you can process without the card present, just at a higher % that they take. I finished my request for a reader about a month ago, and still haven't received mine. They "claim" they are shipping out readers at a fairly brisk pace, but they never have said (as of last week at least on their webpage) how many customers they have shipped to, and how many are still waiting. In the meantime, I have been using Intuits GoPayment solution. They give you 2 months free trial, and then it goes up to $12.95/month. I am hoping to get my Square reader soon, so I can cancle my GoPayment account before my 2 months are up. That only gives me about another 10 days. I have a few shows in October and November that I would like to do with the Square. Hopefully, I'll get a notice that mine is shipped in the next week.

They have been going through some problems. They actually announced their product before they had the financial backing. They have begun shipping out "some" readers. My guess, and it only a guess, is that they will start shipping out the rest of the readers, in about a month or so. They are still considered to be in a "beta" mode. From the help section of their website www.squareup.com there were a number of upset people whjo have been waiting since April or May for their readers, and as of today, still haven't gotten them, but those that have, seem to really like the functionality. Hopefully, they are also working on upping the credit limits for users. Hope that helps.

I have bought many inkjet cartridges from a place called LD products. Their URL is http://www.ldproducts.com/ I have only had 1 cartridge that has ever given me trouble. If I remember correctly they refill the original cartridges. As an example, OEM cartridges for my Canon printer are $14.95, refills from them are $5.99 ($5 each if you buy 3 of the same item) There is another place I get them, but I'm at work, and I don't have the name handy. Also, if you purchase $50 worth, the shipping is free. Worth a try.

That is the same way I received my tealight cups from Candlewic, but there weren't many peanuts in the box, so I didn't have a problem at all. I don't make the tea lights though, I just give them away with my candles that use tea lights for the nicer effect that the clear tealight holders give my glass embedded candles.

Dana, You may want to download Adobe Illustrator. That program allows you to do text, photos (although NOT with the abilities of Photoshop) and basic drawing. Realistically, even Illustrator is a pretty advanced program for most of the stuff that most of us would want to do for labeling. I believe someone may have mentioned before, downloading a free program from Avery. That program (DesignPro 5.4 I believe) is designed JUST for doing all types of labels and such.

Dana, There is really only 1 version at a time of Photoshop. The current version should be CS5 (I believe it came out in the last few weeks.) There is probably no reason, you couldn't find an older version that someone is selling though on EBay or Craigslist. The only problem (you may have) with the older versions, is that as of CS2, the previous users had to uninstall that version for someone else to be able to use it. (The software goes out to the web, and verifies, that that serial number is no longer being used) and that it may be harder to find self help books at the store. I have a copy of Photoshop 7 and CS2. You can probably do everything most of us here would need to do with an old version like 7. Most of the new stuff in CS2 - CS5 are more designed for Photographers that need to really touch up photographs and delete areas of them and such. You should be able to find an old version like 7 for less than $50. The other option, is to find a student at a college, and get it through them. Adobe offers a student discounted version for usually < $150 for the current version.

Darbla, If you want plain glass votive holders instead, I have purchased a few cases of these from Candlewic. They come in cases of 144 for $44.00 + shipping, and I have had great luck with them. I called and they sent me a sample before I ordered my first case. http://www.candlewic.com/store/Product.aspx?q=c24,p1038&title=-3-oz.-Glass-Votive-Cups [ATTACH]20024[/ATTACH] Hope that helps.

Bernadette, I wish my local Michaels stores would handle the 35lb buckets. Assuming they would still accept their 40% coupons, that would be $55.80. I have been paying around $81 plus shipping from Candlewic for their LP. It is now $90. I only need LP, so I would love to pay $56 for a bucket, if that is possible.