LuminousBoutique

This mold is AWESOME for them... my friend makes them and this is the mold she uses: http://www.amazon.com/Tovolo-Perfect-Cube-Silicone-Trays/dp/B000QIU7X6/ref=pd_sbs_k_1 I dont think thats where she bought hers.. I know she got them in store somewhere (Target maybe?), but they are the Tovolo ones. They work AMAZING, perfect little cubes... she pours them, lets them sit overnight, pops it in the freezer in the morning for 10-25min or so and they pop right out. One is more than enough for a bath. I use hers before I shave my legs, it makes it so much easier! The only thing stopping me from making them too is I dont have any melt&pour and dont want to buy any... but I might have to, I cant keep trading her candles for the stuff, I use too much of it

Were you thinking about letting customers come in or just talking about a work space? I agree with insulation... it helps so much not only in the winter but also in the summer, as most garages dont have heat or AC its really important. You can insulate it yourself if its not already, by buying the rolls of insulation, laying it between the 2x4 framing, and then stapling a layer of plastic over all the walls and here is a SUPER cheap alternative to sheetrock... Beadboard!! You can buy it by the sheet, unpainted, for very cheap.. install it yourself.. and paint it any color you want. Next.. flooring. You can paint on this great epoxy paint that seals up the concrete floor, they sell it at Lowes I think but you can buy it online for sure. It makes cleanup SO easy and covers up any old stains your floor might have. You can also lay down that great lock together flooring too, its called "Lock-tile" but its more expensive. Then I suggest laying down some rugs, non slip mats, or something like that.. because its a pretty big empty space and that helps reduce echo and make it more warm and cozy.

sweet pea!

I'm happy with my line too... but I love testing new things. You never know when you'll find something better if you dont try

thanks guys! I hate skeeters.

whats the swirl pattern though? I heard something about making L's?

We're going camping in April for the first time in about 5 years (kids were too small before!) and I've been slowly building our camping gear back up... I was about to buy some citronella candles and realised there is probably a sutible EO blend out there, or FO ready made, which will repell the little winged devils of the night sky... has anyone ever made these before? I know I can buy citronella EO, and I've heard Patchouli actually works well too.. the only other combo I found was "Combination of lemon eucalyptus, cedarwood, bergamot, clove, citronella, lemongrass, rosemary and peppermint essential oils in a proven unique formula" but they want 3 bucks for 3ml. no way. suggestions or blends anyones tried? I might just end up going with pure citronella but hey... if there are better blends out there, I'd love to hear them!

cinnamon-citrus is what I am used to in the "odor blocking" type candles... I've tried CandleScience's smoke and odor eliminator and although its not my favorite scent (I wouldn’t burn it for pleasure!), it does work. Its blend has some Orange EO, Grapefruit EO, and Cinnamon EO. It kinda smells to me like this hot spiced tang drink my grandma used to make with tang, cinnamon, cloves, and tea! It JUST occurred to me as I was trying to describe it that really thats the smell that comes to mind.

I know Rae has done it and Billie has done it.. I found this... http://duffinsorientalbeauty.wordpress.com/2009/11/07/mantra-swirl-by-sonnee/ which shows how to pour the two sides of soap, but it doesnt show how to do the actual pattern. From what Billie and Rae posted though, its gorgeous! I'd love to try it sometime.

I really love the rustic look of those, but the swirls add such a unique touch! Very nice! All these pillar pics ALMOST make me want to try them... lol, im too chicken:laugh2:

I.LOVE.THOSE! You guys rock... seriously rock.

thanks guys! The glass is pretty thick so I thought hang up was going to be a big issue but so far so good! I'm thinking these would make really great wedding favors

I'm looking into offering them too... I thought it would be a nice easy thing to offer since I already have the FO's and all I'd need are bottles, base, and reeds. I've done a bit of searching, this is really all I've found so far though.... Peaks diffuser base is 12.00 for 2 pounds, and suggests using 25% FO to 75% base... BUT on the reed page it suggests 50:50 so I think alot of testing would go into it to find the right balance. The sticks are about the same price as save on. Peaks suggests using 2oz boston rounds and says 6 sticks will provide all the throw needed. I dont know if locally I could get away with charging more than $10-15 for a diffuser kit, but... this is the formula I came up with in my research.. .75 jar (avg price of 4oz jars/bottles, including shipping.) .55 reeds (6 reeds when bought in 1000 pack at .09 each reed) .95 base ([estm. 3oz per jar] when bought 7lbs at a time) 1.00 FO ([estm 1oz per jar] average cost of my FO's.) ...gets me to 3.25 per kit, so it may be worth it. From what I've researched it sounds like some FO's would need to be stronger.. some lighter.. and it all depends on how cheap you can get the reeds. 1000 for 95.00 is the best I've found.

No kidding. the more I get into B&B (I've always just made CP soap so this is new to me..) I keep thinking "If only I was a chemist..." lol

I've never met a CS FO I didnt like in soap OR soy. Sweet Pea was light, but thats the only one I've had trouble with at all.. and I just needed to up the amount, so not a big deal.

I LOVE CandleScience Gardenia.. its very true, IMO.. but I am getting some in an order from a member on here thats from Bittercreek so I'll let you know how that is when it gets here.. should only be a couple of days.

wow.. wrong side of the bed this morning or what?

I do wholesale, one consignment acct (because I know her and trust her), online (but hardly ever make online sales) and my best has been shows. Farmers market every Saturday, and random holiday or summer shows. My only problem is I am also a GB 464 fan, and I cannot have my soy candles out in the hot summer months in my booth. So I am planning on putting out some small testers, like tealights or 3oz containers, and storing the rest in coolers under the table to pull out if people want them. Thats my only option. For indoor shows and winter shows its never a problem. for wholesale, they all found me at shows. BUT- there is a local shop I think I would do really well in, and I am simply going to approach them this summer. I'm going to bring a big basket of several of my products in a mix of scents (soap, B&B, and candles) and a rate sheet, photos of my displays at other shops, and just see what happens! Thats really the best I can do. Dont be afraid to stick your neck out a little!

one of my accts does tealights.. I have boutique that sells 7oz tumblers I make for them, which they then private label. She buys tealights off me by the case and she will burn 2-3 a day in votive cups (carefully) placed around the store and counter. Since she started doing that, sales are up! She says people walk in all the time and go "wow whats that smell?" Why.. its our soy candles! boom, sale! But I think you are right that a 4oz or 8oz would do quite well and last them longer. In regards to not burning candles in the store.. im sorry but I think thats kinda silly. Sure they should be burned safely and yes they should be watched but in every store I've ever been into that sells candles they have one burning, its just common sense. And if an accident does happen, it happened on their property and they should have insurance.. and so should we, just in case. But I would say 99.9% of the time if an accident happened in the store such as a child getting burned its entirely THEIR responsibilty, not yours.

If they are getting more popular, and getting more orders.. might have problems keeping up with them. and if thats the case, they need to specify that it will be 6 weeks, or limit the amount of orders they will take at any given time. I'd be very unhappy with that time frame myself unless I was told up front that was how long it would be and I made the decision to buy it anyways.

After selling 5.5oz bars for years at $5.00 each I went down to 4.5 at $4.00 or 3 for $10 and I actually sell WAY more without taking a cut in income. The higher volume in sales more than makes up for the price drop. The price drop has made a big difference for people who are new to my products, and for my regulars it encourages them to always buy 3 bars at a time, which is nice. But thats just been my experience. My molds also make it easier for me now because I designed them, and had hubby build them to fit the soap boxes, and I cut them (a bit more than) 1" thick, which weighs out to 4.5oz (sometimes a bit more) after cure. I know some people have problems holding onto the larger bars, but again its all personal preference. For hubs I always make big chunky bars!

I had a customer request some smaller votive sized container candles, so I looked at 3oz tumblers but the cost and having to order 144 at a time to get a decent deal really turned me off. then I remembered.. IKEA! These containers hold 3oz of wax, they are the "GALEJ" tealight holder, and they work perfectly as small container candles. I've tested 4 so far, I used C-80s and there was quite a bit of hang up so wicked up to C-85s and those two are just right. They were a bit more in store than online but come in a pack of 4 for 2.00, not so bad considering I dont have to pay for shipping and I can pick up as many or as few as I want any time I want. I know they have had these for years, I used them as favors for my SIL's bachelorette party 7 years ago. Sorry the pics a bit blurry, I was in a rush this morning. GB464, Sweet pea from CandleScience... yummy. Happy dance! :yay:I also found these : GLIMMA tealight holders.. there are two sizes, the 6pack size are about the size of a hockey puck and would need to be doublewicked and were only about 1" tall... not interested. BUT the 12 pack of these snugly fit a tealight cup. These were 2.59 per tube in store, so that works out to about .20c per holder but they are adorable, and came in red and clear. I bought a tube to test with some tealight wicks and see how the perform, I'm thinking they would make a really cool, really "upscale without the upscale price" way to send out testers for new scents and send out with my soap orders to try and get some of my soaping customers to try out my candles. I'll let everyone know how those go, I'm waiting on some wicks.

Go with whats closest! I love hearing good things about MMS though, because they are only an hour from me and I am about to place an almost $1000 order with them.