scifichik

Those are very nice and I really like the color. I have a good feeling about your results!

Those are really lovely!

I'm very happy for you! I wish you much success.

Welcome, April! I'm also a newbie and have learned very much in a short time from the posts and people here. Making candles is an addictive hobby, but one I find to be a great stress-reliever. Best of luck to you in May!

My favorite way to remove a tab from a tester is to get out the electric skillet, put about two inches of water in, bring it to a simmer and sit the containers in it. After about ten minutes, hot glue and other adhesives become pliable enough to easily remove the wick tab with a pair of needle nose pliers. I'm sure there are easier/better ways, but this works for me.

I got a Cinnamon Bun sample freebie from a recent order. That was the BEST cinnamon fragrance ever. Hubby came running up from downstairs and was quickly disappointed to find that there was not a batch of cinnamon buns in the oven, but a only couple of melts in the warmer.

We have either used high-temp hot glue sticks or BCN stickums and haven't had any problems with sliders, but we may have just been really fortunate, too. Also, I got a new toy that also really helps you apply a decent amount of pressure on the tab--an EZ wick setter tool, which takes all of the challenge out of wick centering in containers if it doesn't have an indention in the bottom to help with the centering. We were using the barrel of an ink pen as our tool, and there's nothing wrong with that, just that we like this wick setter tool better.

This is some really good information about why a Presto Pot is so beloved when making candles. Note: this information has been copied directly from the Candle Cauldron website at this address: http://www.candlecauldron.com/prestopot.html What is a Presto Pot? If you're a candlemaker looking for an easy and inexpensive way to melt your wax, Presto Pots are a great way to go! They are called Presto Kitchen Kettles, and you can find them at your local Walmart, Kmart or Target stores for around $20 each. They will hold approx. 6 to 7 lbs of wax, and they melt nice and quick... about 20 minutes and you've got a full batch of wax melted and ready to go! They are made of a thick metal with a non-stick coating, so they clean up real easy... just wipe out the wax residue with paper towel while the pot is still hot (careful not to burn your hand, I wear gardening gloves!). If there seems to be any scent leftover in the pot, try wiping it out with a baby wipe (very handy!). The pots have a temperature dial on them, so you can set your pot to an exact temp, not just low-med-high like on a crock pot. But you still need to check your actual wax temp with a thermometer because the wax inside can be a different temp than what you set the dial on. Since these pots have a concealed heating element, you can melt wax directly in the pot without having to use water and a second pot inside like a double boiler. The trick is getting your melted wax out of the pot and into your pouring pitcher. Some people prefer to pick up the pot by it's handles and dump the wax carefully into a pitcher. Others prefer to use a ladle or a pyrex measuring cup to scoop out the wax and transfer it into a pitcher. Or another alternative is to install a spigot or faucet onto the pot. This of course involves some know-how and a little more work, but some people have found these to be very handy.

Congratulations! I wish you much success, but you have a very nice product, so you don't need my wishes

Quicken is really more geared to the home user who wants to keep their checking account reconciled, monitor savings and loans. QuickBooks, and there are multiple varieties from "quick start" to professional accountant versions, is more suited to a business environment. You can invoice, do collections, accounts payable/receivable, and it is typically the program that most accountants HOPE you will use if you want them to do your taxes. You can go to intuit.com and download a 30-day trial of most of their product line, and then they offer you a discount on a purchase at the end of the trial.

Teri, thanks for your kind offer to review policies! I've emailed you a copy of the sample policy of the coverage included with membership in IBN and HMSG. Maybe you can turn it into "plain English" for us.

I'd like sign up to be a hostess at this shower! Those gifts are really lovely. I'm sure everyone who gets one will really appreciate them!

I really like the way you have everything organized. It's very pretty to look at and sensibly arranged. I'm curious too! What is in the baskets?

Keep checking back, as it may reappear. The same thing happened recently to my company's corporate website. There was a mixup in communication between the billing department of our hosting company to our web developer, and our site was in limbo. Essentially, we were "off the air" for about 12 hours. Customers were very concerned, believing we'd gone out of business! Before everything was resolved, we ALMOST lost our domain name, which would have been a huge deal since it's tied into several marketing campaigns.

Good to know that you have that area of experience! What is your opinion on the insurance available with membership in the Indie Beauty Network or HSMG?

The Association of Artisan Businesses has recently begun offering product/business liability insurance. Membership in their organization is $100 annually, and their goal was a policy around $200 - $300. I have an app that was emailed to me, but haven't completed it yet to get a quote. I was curious if anyone else had submitted one and what quote they received. For more information, or questions, contact: Mandy Basista Director of Member Services Association of Artisan Businesses www.artisanbusinesses.org (800) 542-6183

That's a really nice design!

Congrats!

No thunder stolen at all, charmcandleco Carol, the lady said that she got the molds I purchased from her at a store called Ben Franklin. Hope that helps, or perhaps scented could tell you where she got her molds.

Someone shared this link with me, and it might be helpful to you: http://www.wicknclip.com/recommendations.html#rrd

They are silicone molds, but don't have any names or trademarks imprinted anywhere. I've emailed the person I purchased from on eBay to see if she can share with us the source where she originally purchased I'll post back if/when she replies.

I can see the pictures now These are really lovely!

I don't think I would buy those candles, either. You can only imagine if the appearance is that poor, that the burn and throw probably is substandard, too. I think you SHOULD take samples of your candles to show was good one look and smell like!

Stella, I'm so sorry you had that experience.

Thanks everyone, for encouraging words to this newbie