musings

I'm so glad you guys like the colors! Most of the liquid dyes I have are courtesy of the classified board here Thanks so much for the tips on the mini muffin tins - that was exactly what was happening! I usually melt 1 lb of wax at a time but that seems to still be too heavy for me to control (35 years of crocheting and knitting will lead you straight to a carpal tunnel surgeon! And I'm only 39! ) I think I will try 1/2 lb at a time and see if I can pour with a little more precision. Thanks for the tips! Teresa

Thanks! I love the Astorlite V and the Crafters Choice SP (both from WSP)! They are so easy to work with and yep, I can do the votives and the melts with one pour The melts were an 'accidental' mold discovery. I had bought some of the fluted molds but I just couldn't wait for them to get here so I poured the melts into some metal nut cups we had in the cupboard. I like them too but I'm not sure where to get more metal cups? I'm gonna have to search around in the domestics departments and see if I can get some cheap. If I find more, I will share what store has them! I have no idea where the ones in the cupboard came from? LOL. I got some of the mini muffin pans too but I thought they were a huge pain in the butt to use. I kept pouring too much wax into the itty bitty muffin cup and it would go everywhere and then I would have to melt it all down and start again - ughhh! Any tips? I would be most grateful if you had any to share Teresa

You all are too sweet - thank you for the encouragement! Teresa

Hi, let's see if I can get a picture posted Yeah!!!!! It worked! Okay, votives are made with Astorlite V and this first pic shows an assortment of scents/colors in a giftbox. This one shows some of my sample melts and some individually packaged votives. Sorry for the quality of the pics - a new digital camera isn't anywhere near being in the budget yet. The melts are 75% Astorlite V/25% Crafters Choice SP. Thanks for looking! Teresa

You're more than welcome! Glad I could help Being brand new to all of this - it is a rare occasion when I can offer anything in return for all of the wonderful advice! Glad I could help with what my hubby calls "ADP" - Additional Dealer Profit Teresa

Those are cute too! I didn't realize those were Oriental Ducks - sorry! The halloween duckies weren't in this latest catalog and I remembered seeing them at somebody's soap/candle supply site? Can't remember where? If you order lots and lots of duckies to sell in soaps, be sure to check out Fun Express. You may already know about them - same company as Oriental but they are true wholesale and give quantity discounts. I used them alot when I had my party favor business but I can't remember if they required a tax id or not? Your duckie soaps are the coolest! Teresa

Hi, just lurking again - I love looking at all of the cool soaps you guys make! I don't know if these would be the same thing or not but I got the new Oriental Trading catalog today and they have tons of rubber duckies in there! I saw Pirate ones, Bride and Groom, Camo Fatigue Duckies, all kinds! If they would work in soaps - I know you guys could make them look really cool! Teresa

Really, really new and green at candle making but so far this is what I do - I keep applying silicon mold release to the votive mold and wick pin until they are good and seasoned. So ar the votives come right out of the mold but the wick pin will stick sometimes so I turn it upside down - so the top of the wick pin is touching the counter. I grab the votive gently and push down until the pin releases. I am totally in love with wick pins because I can test the votives I make with different wicks without having to make that commitment when I actually pour them So far this method hasn't left any marks or scars on the votive. You have to be gentle but firm though - if you smack the votive top onto your countertop when the pin lets go - well, that's gonna leave a mark I use Astorlite V, no additives for my votives. Teresa

Those are absolutely the coolest thing! I'm still just trying to test votives so bath & body is still waaaay out of my reach I love to surf through here though and see all the cool pics you guys post I bookmarked your site though - I'm wanting some of those for xmas gifts! Too, too cute! Teresa

Those are pretty cool! The website says they are 14 oz - $28.00 each.

Thank you! You are too kind for replying and I appreciate it very much! I'm still confused over this one? Hehe - none of the other ones I have poured in other scent combos have done this? I keep thinking about that Ask Mr. Wizard kids show - if I can find a website for him I think I will submit my question! Thank you so much again for your help! Teresa

Hi, I'm really new here but had to say that your candles are gorgeous! I'm amazed at what you are doing with such limited supplies - you are truly an artisan! I checked with my hubby's Aunt and she thought commossa was maybe touched in the heart or touched with kindness, something like that My husband's family is pure italian and still owns property somewhere in the Abruzzi/Molise region? You will enjoy this - my son (the face in the sun) is named for his great-grandfather who is buried in Italy - Benigno Antonio We call him Benny. Zia is a dr. of languages at a local college and handy to have in the family Of course her specialty is Italian and she knows the dialect of her region as well so if I can ever be of assistance in translation, please pm me and I will get a translation from her for you as quick as I can! My Italian is limited to a couple of phrases my hubby taught me. My favorite is the one he said was the ultimate insult (excuse my spelling) - something like ma puta scheta el gorpe - which he told me roughly translated means I hope your stomach explodes! He was taught that that was the equivalent of flipping someone the bird. Ciao ciao! Teresa

Hi, I have really been cruising these boards trying to learn as much as I can about all of this but this one has me stumped I'm using Astorlite V, no additives to make votives and melts. I made my own mix of 50% apple and 50% caramel fo. Okay, the cold throw is predominantly apple and the hot throw is almost totally caramel? I'm gonna have to go get the fo bottles but I believe the caramel came from BCN and the apple came from Candlechem. Any advice on how this would happen? I thought if one oil was stronger than the other, it should be stronger both cold and hot, right? Scratching my head, Teresa

Hi There are "Save .55 on (1) case Ball or Kerr Home Canning Jars, (1) pkg lids or (1) pkg bands with lids" coupons out but you would have to trade for them quick because they exp. 8/31/05. Wal-Mart and Dollar General both take mfg. coupons, Big Lots does not. Hope that helps somebody! I'm really, really new to all of this but I figured for those who are buying 100 cases or more, that's $55+ still in your pocket when you get to the cash register! If you have paypal, you should be able to trade for these on any of the numerous coupon trading sites or coupon clipping services on the web HTH, Teresa

I've been to dozens of sites and I'm still iso these fo's: Aloeswood Bay Leaves Black Spruce Calamus Fennel Galbanum Lemon Leaf Mastic Milk Onycha Palm Peach Leaf Plum Blossom Rose Hips Rose Water Water If anybody has come across any of these oddball fo's in your travels, I would be most grateful to know where you saw them Thank you! Teresa

Hi! Newbie here also in Ohio! Teresa

Hi, thank you so much for replying! Yes, I appreciate the advice very much! I didn't even think when I was posting to include that DH is the candlemaker in the family currently I'm green but he isn't Weird eh? LOL. I checked out warning labels though because he has only made candles for us and family. I was thinking votives because that is what he has the most experience with but after reading all of posts I was thinking containers? But your advice has helped very much! I think I will stick to testing votives for now and see how that goes I plan to test everything thoroughly and if I'm not ready this fall, that's okay Thank you so much! Teresa

Hi, I'm about as green as it gets with candle making but I am so excited about all the scents and waxes and colors and.....! I'm hoping to make some candles to sell at a couple of craft fairs this fall and see how it goes. I want to start really small and just work on mastering one type of candle before moving on to others. I was planning to make just scented votives but after reading a lot of the posts it looks like container candles would be better? Anyone that can help with advice or experience would be grately appreciated I really want to make good candles so I feel more comfortable just offering one kind at a time until I am experienced enough to do more. Thanks for all of the posts here - it is a wealth of tips and advice that I appreciate very much! Teresa