TallTayl

Wow! Thanks for sharing. I’ve been looking for a reason to jump over there.

Is it the typeface or the size?

The coupon code is extended through the end of the year! Enjoy!

Sorry for the long response time. I was searching for the original soap trial from the first of the year. I think I liked it so much I used it up already. it did stick well in the CP trial. I’ll see if I can make a small 10 bar batch later today to evaluate further. It’s a myrrh kind of day here with the wind blowing leaves everywhere.

No kidding! It’s super frustrating to not be able to trust “professional” suppliers.

Out of curiosity have you tried the premier 700 series wicks yet?

Myrrh Fragrance - Scenter Square, Inc. Myrrh is an essential base note all by itself or in blends. This version is a woodsy, spicy combination that works its magic with practically every other fragrance in my collection. I love it with Frankincense essential oil (of course), and with other incense notes like Dragons Blood. It's also amazingly good with citruses, florals and other tart, bright essences. Use it in your Chakra blends, holiday and cool weather specialties for that grounded Myrrh energy. Acceleration: None Discoloration: Light to medium brown CP Soaping Notes: Was well behaved for me in my typical room temp veg blend. When blending with non-discoloring fragrances, I split the batter and scent the parts individually before pouring. The Myrrh part will discolor into rich colored swirls while the other part will remain uncolored (or colored with whatever you choose). Candle Notes: Had to wick up 2 sizes, but when it was dialed in OH MY is it nice. All alone or in blends it adds a spicy, warm note. Custom clients immediately asked for it to be blended with Clementine. I sniffed it with Frankincense and it rounded off the sharp essential notes in the frank. I love it with woods, firs, berries, spices, you name it. Like cute black shoes, Myrrh goes with everything. I may bring back a "Renaissance" fragrance of myrrh and dirt, it's that good. Pardon me while I go spray this fragrance everywhere. IFRA Categories Limit % IFRA Categories Limit % Category 1 Not Applicable Category 7A 7.4% Category 2 2.1% Category 7B 7.4% Category 3 3.2% Category 8 1.6% Category 4 38.8% Category 9 26.6% Category 5A 9.9% Category 10A 26.6% Category 5B 5% Category 10B 69.4% Category 5C 8.4% Category 11A 1.6% Category 5D 1.6% Category 11B 1.6% Category 6 Not Applicable Category 12 69.4

I sure appreciate this community. 20% off co-op fragrances extended through the end of the year!

I’m sure it will be fine. 🌞

both palm kernel and coconut have very similar properties in soap. You could likely use one or the other. Have fun!

you could also try lightly heat gunning the surface on a few to see if it helps or causes more issues.

A lot depends on your wax blend. Many will form really ugly grains or similar when reheated. You can surely give it a try and see. There's nothing to lose if the aesthetics of this set bothers you. The higher it is heated the more scent loss will occur. Sometimes you can heat it to just barely liquid and get away with the save. Sometimes not. What I would do is make a new batch, and add some of these to the new batch. The sinking resembles issues in some of my waxes when poured too warm. WIthout knowing more it's hard to say.

Coconut is the holy grail. The coconut experience you noted is so light in real life, that capturing the essence is next to impossible. I’ve found coconut suntan lotion, but not the fresh coconut white flesh that smells like a perfect treat. I would suggest finding a few fragrance labs that might be willing to work with you on completely unique fragrances to hit your mark. 9.9 out of 10 online retailers have the exact same types of fragrances. They’re pretty basic and come with reasonable price per pound to hit their target market. A few newcomers in the last 2 years or so have introduced new, perfumery scale complex blends. The price points are higher, the often the quality is worth the price tag if that is your niche. I had to bite the bullet and work with several different labs to get the uniqueness and qualities and fixed formula reliability I needed.

I use Etsy to reach customers that otherwise would never find me. It’s a marketing tool in my toolbox. like you, when shopping places like Etsy and Amazon, I seek out the actual web stores I discover and buy directly. Most buyers I find like the perceived buyer protection Amazon and Etsy provide, so I let them complete their purchase wherever they feel most comfy. 😊 too many new sellers come and go. Having a stable presence on several platforms can enhance the feeling of legitimacy. When you find your niche at Etsy (or Amazon or eBay, etc. ) it can be a super additional revenue stream. Plus, Etsy has been advertising hard so many people I meet ask if I have an Etsy. I can say yes, plus my own web store that grants points for your purchases. Win win. I’m in the process of expanding social media reach through Tiktok and Instagram. Why not? That’s where many of my target market hang out. It’s hard to market products to an empty room 👍🏻

If you can find a used primera printer, you can do short and long runs in-house on many label types.

I prefer big commerce to Shopify. Similar price points, but BC is slightly more powerful IMO. Pretty easy to set up, loads of fre templates you can plug and play. wordpress woocommerce was nice when I used it a few year ago for an artist’s site. I liked the cart and data it provided.

co-ops can work in many different ways. The most common I work on: A) I manage the whole process. I collect interest in a fragrance and order a keg direct from the manufacturer with the original code on my account. I pay for everything directly. I bottle, ship, etc. This method works when the original owner trusts to share the codes, and wants to outsource the whole process. B ) The original owner (DayStar) orders the fragrance and drop ships the keg to me. I pay (Daystar) for the keg and services, then handle the rest of the customer order process, bottle, ship, etc. This option works well for people who want to maintain their codes without sharing the details while outsourcing the most rigorous parts of the process. They work in their profit, I am essentially a contract service provider for them making a % of the prices for my time and materials. C) - Similar to B, except they receive the keg, remove all identifying information from the packaging and re-ship the keg to me without opening it. This is the most secure for the original owner, but is more expensive for the participants per pound as we have to factor in double-shipping for heavy kegs. I sign NDA, etc. as requsted. Basically I am temporary contract labor.

Do you mean letting the wick do what it wants til the candle is mostly cool, then drag it across the candle to center, and also expose the cavity? waxes that make cavities really are frustrating. There’s that little nagging feeling even when the candle is finished that we may have missed one. One lot of 444 I and several partners had, would form cavities as I filled cavities in cooled candles. We could poke an fill 4-5 times and new cavities would form. what crap wax. I vowed to never use a GB wax after that nightmare.

Yes, and some have been ordered. got in a fizzy one that seems like it will work, so far. More testing needed. It will make a lovely blender for effervescent blends. I think we need to look into spring soon. Blue hyacinth is next on my list.

Thanks @Belinda. don’t want to pressure her, but I’m happy to co-op for her.

If we are not able to reach Daystar directly, I can see what our labs have that might be super close. Duping is tedious, so the lab wants a pretty high commitment to do it. I would prefer if we could partner with DayStar during this stressful time and get the fragrances the forum membership needs. The process is pretty time consuming, so I totally get why she had to hit pause on the operation.hopefully things settle down for her soon. Sending big warm hugs to her from chilly N. IL.

@franu61 score! #goals

I’m willing to co-op if there are any with enough interest.

I feel your struggle. It takes the fun out of creating when a piece is missing. Plastic storage boxes of the right sizes have helped. Thought I need to think about parting with my sizzix and dies as I just don’t use them enough. They take a lot of space for the emotional ties to them.

I use wire spice racks on the wall for easy access to things like rolls of labels used frequently. If the flat counter is used as storage my organization just falls to pieces. It becomes stressful to work, which is the opposite of why we do these creative things. shelves and cabinets are often too deep. Restaurant shows feature “speed racks”, which gave plenty of ideas. “Mise en place” is the main thing, though. Everything in place before beginning, and easy to clean and put away when done. I get enraged when I can’t find what I need for a job, which makes it take many times longer than it needs to. We’ve got things to do! Youtuber Herrick Kimball shared some interesting ideas for using pieces of scrap electric wire to customize tool storage. I have not yet found the right mix of preformed pegs for the weird tools we use, so his ingenuity is inspiring.