Saphakasha

I was just curious about what types of waxes the majority of the board use. I buy wax with the additives already in it... what do you all buy? I know that certain companies sell pre-blended waxes and the such... do any of you find this to be easier to work with or do you like doing the measuring yourself? I'm about to re-order some wax and am contemplating whether I should buy the pre-set wax, where I don't have to do anything but melt it and pour... or if I should buy the plain paraffin, add the stearic acid, vybar... and so on myself. That would be entirely new to me as I have always bought the wax that was set to melt and I have never added anything to it. I'm torn here and could really use some opinions. It seems easier to buy the wax that has everything already in it... but it also limits you I would think on what sort of candle you can make. *sighs* ... help? -T.

How do you get the top so smooth? Mine always come out looking rigid. -T.

Very beautiful... if I saw these in a store, I would buy them. -T.

Very nice picture set-up. Oh... and nice candles also ... I love how the top lip is darker than the rest of the candle. -T.

Thank ya... The one candle burning actually is on a plate. I noticed the way that it was burning to the side as well but I think it is because it was leaning on the plate... I've burnt some that were level and they burn pretty consistently downward. I think I may be done with embeds for a while though... until I can get some better molds. -T.

Below you will see how a smaller votive burns inside of the larger one I was talking about in an earlier thread. Its actually pretty cool. I placed a small, dark red candle inside of a large votive mold, put some embeds on the outside and filled it with cool white wax. I've done this technique a few times and it always burns so nice looking. Below are a few more candles I have done over the last day or so. The blue one I call Ocean... it smells delicious! -T.

I honestly don't know what I was thinking with these two candles.. oh wait, yes I do, I was thinking that they would be magnificent and they turned out... well, fugly. My husband thinks this one is neat looking and sort of like a candy cane. He already wants me to make some for Christmas. This one here... oh my... it actually would have turned out nice, but it slipped into a vat of hot wax and nearly drowned! I saved its life, but it will never be the same again. So there are my two contributions... I'm sure I will be adding many, many, many more... *sighs*... -T.

I have to make one of these for my mother, she would love it! Excellent work. -T.

LOL... a straw? Now that would just be silly. *whistles* Actually.. I did use a straw and it worked brilliantly. The wax is a little flimsy on top, but it gets harder the more it sets I notice. Thank you all for your compliments. You're too sweet. -T.

You had to ask about the molds... lol... OK... I actually use dixie cups right now. I have metal molds, but don't like the way that the candles look. I did some experimenting and they come out looking very rusticy (is that a word? ). They come in different sizes, so I make small votives and large ones. Works great for me. I will be upgrading of course to better molds because I really want to start making pillars as well. For right now though, I get about 200 votive candles from a $1.00 box of cups. Not bad. -T.

Very smooth and shiny... I like them a lot. I haven't worked with Soy yet but have always loved soy candles. Great job! -T.

This is something I tried last night. It is a cappuccino candle with light froth and cinnamon on the top. Smells delicious! Odd thing.. the picture of the cappuccino candle was taken on top of a cappuccino maker. My husband is addicted to coffee. Yes, those are real espresso grinds in there, just along the outside. Didn't turn out exactly like I wanted to, but it was the first candle I made like it, so I don't think it turned out that bad. Man, this is a blast! Everytime I look at a candle, I start fiening (sp) to make one. I'm a candle fiend... an addict. I admit it. -T.

Again... hit me with your brutal honesty... That is a rune inside of that candle above. I put four of them going around the candle. Why can't I get the tops to look professional? Regardless of what I do, they are always choppy and ugh looking. The green and blue one are the colours of my husbands company. It was a special gift for him. More pic's in another thread... -T.

Wow... what a great welcome for me. Lets see... how to get a votive inside a votive... I have a small mold, and a medium mold, after the small candle is done drying, I put that inside of the bigger mold, add my embeds and wax and there you have it. I hope that makes sense. I may be going to Barnes & Noble next week to just browse through some candle books. I'm only working with a few colours & scents right now because I don't want to become overwhelmed. I have some more pictures that I will post later today. Miss debscent... I am not actually in PA, I just order my supplies from a company out there. A good company, I'm just looking for something a little bit cheaper. Again, thank you all for your comments and your welcomes... I feel so loved here. -T.

Thank you both for your honest comments. They are all votives as of now because I am still waiting on some molds that I ordered and votive size is all I have right now. The embeds are what I found around the house, a yellow flower, some leaves and so forth. The embeds are also placed in separate wax than the wax that burns. There is a smaller votive candle in the center, the embeds are around that and covered in white wax. I am burning a few right now to make sure they burn the way they should. I've done chunk candles, but find that most of the people I show them too aren't impressed by chunks. :undecided I've also done ice candles and again, they get a slight nod, but it's the layered candles and the embedded ones that got the most oohs and ahhs. What sort of embeds would you have used? I am open to suggestions. Like I said, I just started about a week ago and absolutely love candlemaking. I'm looking into buying a book as well, just need to do more research on the best one to buy. Where does everyone get their supplies from? I order from a company out of PA., and though they are helpful, they are a little pricey. Again, thanks for your honest opinions guys. -Tracie.