JanetsCandles

Peak Candlewic Brambleberry Haven't tried enough from MMS yet to see if they are going to be boosted into the list for me.

Check to make sure that the vanilla stabilizer is safe for M&P soap. I know the one from WSP is designated for CP, and there is another for M&P, and I was told they shouldn't be used in the wrong application. Most suppliers will be able to tell you if a fragrance has vanilla in it, and most are pretty good about calling it out in the descriptions as well. For the record, I have seen a couple of FOs that turned after 2 weeks, but it wasn't drastic. Also, check with your supplier about how long they say the Vanilla Stabilizer lasts. I have heard rumor (but haven't seen it myself) that over a longer period of time it still will turn, it just happens a lot slower than if you wouldn't have used it at all.

Hubby and I looked at both photos. He is a plastics engineer. The photo here does look like HDPE, but the other photo looks more like Closed Cell foam. HDPE won't break like what the other one looks like it has done. But we'd have to actually handle (as in hold and be able to manipulate) those in order to be sure. Where did you get the photos?

I'm actually not molding the flower portion at all. It is all hand shaped, a bit like a carved candle would be. It is actually a rapid process, the longest part is waiting for the wax to melt. This one is probably the easiest I've tried so far. I'm also working on a Stargazer lily and an orchid version. Neither of them are easy.

Sorry to take so long on getting cut pictures up. I have been swamped getting ready for a show. So here they are! Nothing fancy this time, since I'm running my buns off. No major discoloration, other than the green not turning out. But hey, it works anyway Peacock swirl accomplished!

Oakmoss Midnight Orchid Sweet Sandalwood

I still say your gift for sculpting never ceases to amaze me.

Not having them made, exactly. We will be wrapping these in foam, then using a box around it, then nesting in the outer box.

Been working on developing a line for weddings as well as the soaps I've been posting. Here's the first good turnout. Opinions, please?

Check with some of the cooking supply places, actually. They use some bamboo scoops for spices.

There is a reason I moved operations to my garage, even with the very minimal insulation. We ended up finding out that even if you clean up wax spills from certain types of linoleum, the color gets sucked into said linoleum, and no matter what you do, it DOESN'T COME OUT.... Oops. :tiptoe:

Yep, what Scented said. You could take a wick and dip it in wax and shape it with your fingers as it cools to make the proper shape. I don't work with these at all, but can you use wood wicks with pillar type wax?

Probably not castor, it seems to be thinner than castor is, but not sure.

Excellent point! And it helps thinking of it that way, too. Thanks! And thanks to the rest of you guys, too. It's easier knowing I'm not likely to meet up with someone willing to take a hatchet to my booth.

Contacted them. I will have to send it back and have them test it before they will refund it or anything else. *sigh* Well, off it goes, I suppose.

I don't know if my smeller is just messed up (hey it's allergy season, give me a break) or if I got the wrong scent in the bottle. I ordered Peak's White Lily and Amber, and both hubby and I swear that it smells like Spruce Christmas Tree instead. Anyone else get that off the fragrance? I'd rather ask here first, just in case.

I've been doing craft shows for years now, but I was recently invited to do a show at one of the local elementary schools (third year, widely publicized, etc.). The show will be having things like avon, scentsy, and partylite, but I am the only hand made candles. There is another lady doing soaps, but she looks like mostly melt and pour, so I've got a bit of variety on her stuff from what I can tell. This show is coming up on the 23rd. I'm planning to have quite a few of my smaller type items as well as a few of the bigger things as well. Booth fee was not overly expensive, which was good. But getting a bit nervous since I don't know the people running the scentsy and partylite booths, and have heard how nasty some of the reps can be. Anyone able to give me any advice on what to expect in their booths? I am aiming to be competition here, but in my own way. I will be working my floral soaps (pictures in the B&B gallery) as well as normal type stuff, and working in some of the florals into candles as well, which is interesting. And normal melts, votives, animal candles, etc. Am I missing anything that I should be bringing to make a good go in this sort of show? (My normal shows are juried, crafter only shows, btw.)

We couldn't find a lazy susan locally that was cheap enough to justify using with candles, so we made one. Two 12 inch pieces of pressboard, the lazy susan turntable piece, and some sealant to make cleaning off the top easier. Cost me a total of about $10 to do all of it. (I'm not counting the tools, guys, I had to cut my own boards, but we already had the equipment for other projects anyway.) But using the lazy susan makes the heat gun a breeze. It also works wonders with helping heat up jars for pouring container waxes and for palm wax projects. Keep it 6 inches or so away from the surface so it doesn't splatter, and angle it where you're not blowing across the top, but more at an angle downward. Makes it less choppy. And don't forget to keep moving it! If it stays in one spot too long, you can mess up what you are working on. Also, I have very heat sensitive hands, so use a glove when I'm working with it. Also makes jars easier to pick up and move.

You guys are awesome. I guess I'll have to get myself over to NG pretty soon and try them out. Oi, I need another supplier like another hole in the head...

Pretty! They do seem very summery. Great job!

A lot of florals come to mind, but any other good FO for springtime out there? (Yeah, I need more of them like I need another hole in my head, but hey...)

I did, Kelly. If I flipped it over, it overlaps. I may have poured my soap too thin, though, so that may have had something to do with it. I didn't need to freeze it the second time with the tape, so I dunno. And the tape reduced the seam as well. My finished soaps are right around 2 3/4 inches, I think. Seems about right, anyway. I'd have to go measure again to be sure though, but it's somewhere between that and just under 3".

Put a strip of either masking tape or electrical tape along the seam of the liner where it connects together. It leaked badly on mine and made the liner very difficult to get out of the outer mold.

I don't have the holder, but I do have the tube molds. They aren't bad. A bit tricky to work with if you have small hands like I do. I have to have my husband hold the bottom cap so I can twist the top portion off. The liner always stays inside the outer tube. Also, it seems that the liner makes it slightly less than perfectly round. That may adjust over time, though. Not sure since I've used them only a couple times. I would suggest taping the outside of the liner as well because it will leak if you don't, and that makes it very difficult to release the inner liner from the outer mold. Doing that also minimizes the seamline. The liner releases fairly easy from the soap (as long as you don't try unmolding it too easy, that is. You know. Standard stuff.) I don't think it would work well with a super soft soap recipe because of the evaporation times involved.

They do! I got up this morning and the whole house smells like it.