ckelley116

I actually add my FO at 190 and pour at 175-180. I use 4627 as well and get great HT with HTPs

That's exactly what I did! Candlescience told me to start with a 52 for my smaller jar and an 83 for my larger one - they didn't even come close! Now I start testing with a 73 and a 105 and I go up from there (although those two work with nearly all my scents). Love them for their FOs...the wick guide, not so much :rolleyes2

You might want to try a 104 or a 105...I use 105's in my 3.19" diameter jars when the FO doesn't require wicking up It's so hard to even pick a starting point when all the suppliers' sites give different diameters!

I actually really like the no-hassle wax. Scent throw is good for both votives and tarts, and they make a really pretty, shiny opaque candle. And I love that it's in flake form and not a slab!

I've always been told it's not SUPER important to have a full melt pool on the first burn - because as you subsequently burn it down farther, the heat that collects will ultimately melt any hangup towards the top of the jar. And in my test burns I've found this to be true (and if it's not, I wick up until it is). I also use HTPs with 4627, in both 7.75 oz and 12 oz jars (2.69" and 3.19" in diameter, respectively). The 83s work great in FOs that I need to wick up on in the smaller jars. So as long as your hangup isn't more than a centimeter or 2 thick, you should be fine. If it is, I'd suggest wicking up a size. HTH!

I just made tarts of Peonies & Peaches, using their no-hassle tart wax...I love it! More peach than peony but it's a gorgeous scent.

Peak was the first supplier I ever used and they continue to be my favorite. Candlescience is a very close second and I still kick myself for not having found them sooner! Both are super quick to ship, customer service is great and like someone said before me, I have yet to find an FO that didn't work for me. And I also agree that you shouldn't go the craft store route if you're planning to make a good, marketable candle. The quality is usually inferior and the prices are jacked way up so the craft store can make a profit.

You can actually just get a drawing program, create your labels there and then insert the images into a Word template. That's what I do and it works out great. I use Adobe Illustrator but you can get a program called Serif Draw Plus that does a lot of the same thing as Illustrator. There is a free version with limited features but the full version is only $9.99. You can get it here: http://www.freeserifsoftware.com/software/drawplus/

He acts like one too! Following Bella around like a needy, whiny, lost little puppy, begging for attention...ick. No wonder he imprinted on an infant who didn't know any better! lol Sorry for my rant too! But your blend sounds perfect...Jacob to a T. Good luck getting it back!

Vamp Vogue is from NG right? They also have one called Bite Me...which apparently smells like Hawaiian Punch. Not at all when I think of when I'm reading about Edward. In fact, that would be a deal breaker! They also have a Werewolf scent, but since I can't stand Jacob I never even looked at the description for that one

I just ordered samples from Backwoods for holiday scents (yes, I tend to get started very early!!! lol). I ordered Pistachio Dream Cake, hoping it would smell like B&BW's Nutcracker Sweet that was out this past holiday season, and Sugar Plum Fairy. But I think I'm going to have to rename them. I already carry Peak's Sugar Plum Berries as a seasonal scent, so I don't want another name with "Sugar Plum" in it. And I carry NG's "Nutcracker", also as a seasonal scent, so I can't bite off B&BW's name, but "Pistachio Dream Cake" just doesn't sound holidayish to me. I haven't even smelled them yet since I literally placed the order 15 minutes ago, but I'm just brainstorming right now. Any inspiration would be appreciated

I agree with Rose - instant migraine! I made some sandalwood tarts for my step-MIL and almost had to give them to her covered in vomit, it was that bad. And I won't go near Patchouli even though I have a ton of people that ask me for it - I just can't bear the thought of my house smelling like it. There's one specific fragrance from Candlechem, Cozy Christmas, that activated the gag reflex as soon as I took the lid off the bottle. Needless to say, that never went into wax (and I can't even describe the fragrance notes because I can't remember off the top of my head, and they don't have descriptions on their website - argggh!)

I use Peak's (in 4627) and it's one of my best sellers. HTH

I'm wearing Twilight Woods right now! Damn, I just ordered from Peak too. They definitely didn't have it on there last week when I was browsing through their FO list for something new to try

Wow. If they'd put as much thought and effort into proper wicking as they obviously did into making a wick mushroom sound like a good thing, they'd probably have a pretty awesome candle on their hands, or at least one worth shelling out $28 bucks. Sounds like sheer laziness to me...they couldn't be bothered testing so they made it sound like you should WANT a giant black ball to form on your wicks. :rolleyes2

NG has a ton of good cocktail scents... Blue Hawaiian Cabernet Sauvignon Champagne Pear Champagne Pomegranate Christmas Cabernet Frozen Margarita Fuzzy Navel Gin Martini Hawaiian Splash Lavender Martini Margarita Merlot Wine Mojito Pina Colada Sangria Punch Sex on the Beach Shiraz Sparkling Cider Strawberry Daiquiri Sugar Champagne Tuscan Wine Vanilla Champagne White Zinfandel Now I'm thirsty...is it happy hour yet??

I do the same thing - except, I use Peak's liquid dyes, and their site states that one ounce of dye will color 125 lbs of wax to a medium shade. So I just divided $5.60 (the cost of 1 oz of dye) by 125 to come up with $0.0448 per pound. Then just divide that by the number of candles I can make from 1 lb of wax and get an approximate cost per candle. Of course, I dye some candles darker than a medium shade and with some I will just dip the dropper into the wax to get a light tint. It works out to an average cost though, and the overcompensation for the lighter candles works out to absorb the cost of dyeing the darker ones.

Yes - I take coffee beans to shows with me. I keep them in a little glass jar with a lid that I got at the Christmas Tree Shoppe for about 60 cents.

I second CS's green...Key West Green. I use it to dye my candles with CS's Violet Lime. Just one drop per pound (in my 4627) and it's a nice, bright shade. Not neon, but brighter than I'd be able to get using regular green (or blue + yellow) liquid dye. Haven't tried the Summer Breeze but I probably should have gotten it when I started making NG's Blue Agave!

Beach Daisies is NOT like Sun & Sand. It's nice though. Very...beachy More floral than anything but without being old-ladyish. The only other one you mentioned that I use is Indian Summer. That one's great too. Very fruity - it was a big hit with my MIL's co-workers (the 45-60 female demographic). I use 4627, FWIW.

Ok, it was delivered to my job yesterday...and first impression - I LOVE IT. My mouth literally started watering when I sniffed it and my boss, who smells all of my scents that come in, got so hungry from it that he went to Taco Bell for lunch. It's unlike anything I've ever smelled in a candle, and so realistic it's almost unbelievable. You can definitely smell the peppers and the spices with just a hint of tomato. This one was just for me - my customers with their leanings toward florals and bakery scents would never go for it. Hopefully sometime this weekend I'll have a chance to put it in wax. That is, if I don't drink it first.

I don't know how new this is, but it has to be pretty new because I order from NG fairly often and have never seen it. Has anyone tried this? The description is: A medley infusion of Peppercorn, Hot Chipotle Peppers, Crushed Tomatoes mixed with a dash of Coriander & Thyme sprinkled with a Freshly Squeezed Key Lime makes the perfect Tex Mex Sizzling Salsa. I am VERY excited to get this! It might end up just being one I make for myself, since my kitchen has a chili pepper/Tex Mex decorating scheme going on!

Blue Agave is amazing...OOB it smells kind of like shampoo, but I put it in 4627 and let it cure for a few days before lighting it. It's just really fresh and clean with a little bit of a bite to it. I can't really describe it! It's also a good unisex scent because of the oakmoss, even my husband couldn't keep his nose out of the jar! I haven't tried the Agave Lime (the Blue Agave has Kaffir lime in it already too) but it sounds like something I'd love...so maybe a sample bottle will be in my next order from NG!

Jamaica Me Crazy from Peak Ocean from Peak Blue Agave from NG (my new favorite!) Beach Daisies from NG

I too think the weather has a lot to do with it...we had a horrific winter here in the Philly burbs, but last Saturday it got up to 75 degrees and was brilliantly sunny. My best friend had asked me to do a home party for her and 20 people were supposed to be coming...7 ended up showing. She hosts a party for me once a year and her guests (family and work friends) usually show up and clear me out. She felt awful - but we all agreed it had to be the weather. At least it was beautiful when i was loading out all of my product!