toadallysoy

I love your antique candles and your website is lovey. I am looking for small crocks to use for Christmas. Can you tell me where I might be able to purchase some. I have looked all over the Internet and can't seem to find what I need. Thanks. Marty

Thank you, Marty! I searched for small "cheese crocks" and could not locate them in bulk either. Americana General makes some beautiful crocks and I purchased them at a local discount store here. I stocked up last year, so I haven't had the need to search for them this year.

OMG I love them. Do you paint your lids yourself?

Thank you! Yes, I sponge paint the lids. A little time consuming, but the jars came with either gold or silver lids & I spared myself the expense of ordering replacement ones that looked more primitive. Sales are awesome this year, so I guess it's worth it!

Thank you! Even after 4 years....it's still a "work in progress".

We received all of our holiday oils from AH/RE last month....the Cinnamon & Spruce is a sure winner!

A few pics of our new primitive candles.

www.toadallysoy.com

Issue resolved! I was able to search on-line & identify the website administrator who built the site for this woman. One quick phone call to him and my photo was removed from her site immediately!! Woohooo!

And....as suspected, she specifically asked him to use my photo on her site. He wasn't impressed, to say the least, to find out that she'd put the blame on him for using my photo.

I have to wonder if she's looked at her site recently & noticed the photo has been changed.....

Thanks again to all of you for your suggestions and/or comments. Much appreciated.

www.toadallysoy.com

Thank you Maxie. I am looking into this now for my page.

Sorry No Advice,

Its Just really weird to me as why she would even want/have photos of your product, if its not even at her store?? Arnt people gonna be like "wheres those candles at with the toad on them?":rolleyes2?

No kidding...if it wasn't so far of a drive, I was going to visit her shop & ask about the soy candles that I saw on her website....just to see what her response would be. Not to mention the response I'd get once I told her that I was the owner of Toadally Soy.

If they are photos of your products don't they have your labels on them?

I just use photos of my labeled products on my website. No way can someone claim they are their pics with my company name in plain view.

Oh yes, the label is in clear view. She's not claiming they are her photos. I guess she liked the candle in the antique canning jar and thought that putting it on her home page would help with her business...even though anyone visiting her shop would not find one of my candles there.

IMHO everyone should bookmark this website:

http://lorelle.wordpress.com/2006/04/10/what-do-you-do-when-someone-steals-your-content/

don't know of ANYONE yet who has admitted they did it, it is ALWAYS "my web designer, my soninlaw, my son, my nephew, my uncle's cousins brothers friend who did it" ALWAYS an excuse for why they STOLE your content AND it IS STEALING no matter the excuse.

Great info! Thank you so much for sharing it.

Ok, I need some advice. About 3 months ago I was contacted via email by a gift shop owner who was interested in purchasing my candles wholesale. Several emails back & forth and then I never heard from her again. Well....yesterday while playing around on Google, I found something about my candles being available in her shop. I checked out her website, and low & behold on the home page is a photo of my candles. I tried emailing her and the emails were returned undeliverable, so I called her this morning. I asked why the photo was on her site & she sounded surprised that it was there. She proceeded to tell me that she had copied photos from my website, and those of others. She claims that she gave her entire photo file to the "man who set up her business website" for her and he must have used my photo in errror. Does this sound like a crock of !&^$ or what? I can't imagine she had someone build her a business website and then she never looked at it to know what was on it. I advised her that I wanted my photo off her site immediately. She says it will be removed tomorrow...guess we'll wait & see. Any suggestions on what to do if she doesn't remove it? Maybe a letter from my attorney?

You can use the type of can opener that takes the entire top off the can, no sharp edges.

Thank you all for your nice comments! These burn wonderfully and I'm amazed with the great scent throw from these little guys. I've now poured 100 of them and have 500 more to go.... Glad I took a few days off from my "real job" to get more of these made.

I wish that I could spend every day making candles all day...I'd be in heaven.

I've got 2 nice craft fairs coming up and I'm anxious to see how these new jars sell.

Donna

Toadally Soy All Natural Soy Candles

www.toadallysoy.web.officelive.com

These are the new little 4 oz jars that I got a great deal on... I've poured a few and can't wait to test burn them.

http://www.toadallysoy.web.officelive.com

Thank you. They are 4 oz hex jars. The woman who sold them went out of business and was selling them bulk. I'll be picking up another load in a week or two. No tester poured since I had to drive over 2 hours to pick them up yesterday. I've poured some & will post pictures in the candle gallery.

Jenn,

Thank you. Recycled tin cans that I spray painted.

You can antique them in the oven as well.

Donna

I've found a great deal on these 4 oz jars and I'm picking up 50 dozen of them tomorrow. I'm so excited to try my soy candles in them.

Just wondering if anyone else has used a jar like this, and if so, what wicks worked well for them. I've included a couple of pictures, so you can see what they look like.

Hi Diane-

No, I do not ship them. The soy container wax is much softer, but the tarts are working out well with it, as well as the little votive containers. Would you add a pillar wax for loose votives?

Thanks,

Donna

I think the cloth looks cute. I've seen it used before with homemade jelly and jams.

I thought about doing the cloth at one time but decided not to because of all the craft shows and markets I do. If you are planning to sell at craft shows where you are packing and repacking your candles you may have some problem with the cloth getting beat up looking. It happens with ribbons, bows, hangtags, etc. So I only 'dress' up candles during certain times of the year.

Thank you. I have packed, unpacked & re-packed for craft shows and haven't had a problem with the cloth yet. I have to learn to not bring so much with me to shows! Hanging tags are another story, so I don't use them any longer.

your products are beautiful. love the name. I especially like the candle in the can. is that an actual tin can or is that a special container you ordered to burn candles in?

It's an actual tin can. There are some old posts on here that explain how to "antique" the tin cans by putting them in a hot oven, but I chose to spray paint them instead. I want to try spraying a primitive heart stencil on one, just to see how it looks.

Thank you for your nice comments. No, I do not use any color. Since I use an all natural soy wax & all natural EO's, I decided to stick with the natural color as well. Customers do not seem to mind at all that they are not colored.

I like the cloth 2. I also love your company name...so cute =)

Thank you! I finally decided on one after weeks of lying awake at night...running company names through my head...coming up with a name & then finding out on google that someone else was already using it. Almost as frustrating as perfecting a container candle!

Alot of people don't get the "toad" thing..glad you did!

Donna,

Do you heat to same temp and pour at same temp as you do with your container candles? Do you add additives to those?

Yes, I pour my tarts in silicone molds with the left over wax in my pour pot after pouring containers. No additives. The only difference is that I have the tarts cooling in a much cooler location than my containers. They firm up really nice & pop right out. I shrink wrap 4 or 5 together in the 4"x6" shrink wrap bags that WSP sells. A quick zap with the heat gun seals them very well, but doesn't melt them at all. I poke 3 tiny holes in the bottom of the packaging so that customers can smell the scent through the packaging. Good luck with your tarts.

I actually did research insurance. I would love to make something to benefit me but if it would benefit my family and friends, then why not? The first candle that I made was from a kit that and the man who sold it to me claimed I didn't have to even take the temperature. The instructions also said to pour and I would be able to light it the next day. I never researched curing because this man claimed to have 11 yrs experience. I am not trying to make a career out of selling candles. I am a licensed real estate agent looking to get that career started but any extra money I can make would greatly help me. I thought I would try making a candle because I'm tired of spending $25 at Yankee for a candle that is not that great. To be honest, with replies like that, it makes me not want to post. I thought sites like these were supposed to be helpful and encourage people. Obviously I came here to learn something. Had I not found this forum, I would not know anything. Try to Google "how to make a candle". It says nothing about curing,not much on amounts of oil or wax to use or the importance of wick size. I was reading and taking alot of notes and in my search I was able to find this forum. I'm in my mid 20's, a single parent, and trying to make ends meet. I figured if I could learn how to make a great candle I would love to share it with people. The only way I will learn anything at all is by asking questions.

I'm sorry if my prior reply to you came across the wrong way. It just seemed odd that you were asking about the business side of this so soon after making your first candle, something that others here thought was odd as well. Obviously, the man that sold you a kit did not give you good advice. As I mentioned to you previously, patience is the key. If you take enough time to experiment with this, you will eventually perfect it.

For me, it was months and months of experimenting, testing & more testing. In addition to alot of frustration, many sleepless nights & almost giving up. I did not sell a candle until 8 months after I made my first one, since I was determined that it had to be perfect first. Several hundred jars, 300 lbs of wax & many bottles of EO later, I was finally happy with my product.

I applaud you for being a single mom & wanting to do something to supplement your income. My daughter is a single mom of 2 and it's not easy for her either. If your real estate market is as bad there, as it is here, it's not a great business to be in right now.

I agree that asking questions is the best way to gain knowledge about candle making and this forum is the best place for that. I'm glad that the prior information that I provided to you proved beneficial and your next batch of candles came out better. Keep working at it, take lots of notes on every batch you make and don't even think about selling anything right now. If you focus on perfecting your product, things will work out in the end. I wish you all the best!

I have to agree with Chris...product liability insurance should be top on the list of things to research, as opposed to websites, marketing, affiliate programs & labels. Especially since you just made your first candle 4 days ago.

Your post on 2/25 gives the impression that you do not plan to sell your product (copy below)

So, last night was my first night ever making a candle. Decent cold throw, faint hot throw. Im not even looking to really sell these just to make an awesome smelling candle that will smell up my living room.

________________________________________________________________

You say that you researched for weeks before making your first candle, but your post later on 2/25 states "Thats all I've been doing, reading and writing notes for over a week."

Whether it was one week or several weeks, any research at all would have made you aware that candles have to cure. To pour your first candle, burn it the same night & come on here the next day to question the scent throw gives the impression to many that you may be "jumping the gun" a little.

Patience is the key to being successful in this business....it doesn't happen overnight. Months and months of research, testing, trial & error will all play a part. Sit back, relax & have fun with your new hobby.