JanetsCandles

I'm not too far for them myself, so didn't know how bad shipping further out would be. To me it didn't cost a whole lot. Sorry.

I make these as well, but do them for both car air fresheners and Christmas tree ornaments. I hang the ones for the tree on a ribbon to make it look glitzier, and add glitter to the top of the beads before they are cooked. Turns out beautifully. If you guys are still looking for them cheaply, try www.aromabeadsonline.net

They also have bags and elastic and the aroma rocks too as well as a bunch of potpourri stuff. Not half bad, but their FO supply seems a bit expensive.

I have to say I absolutely love the info I'm getting from you guys and gals. I hadn't heard of Regional Priority boxes yet. So anyone know if I would qualify to use it with my standard business shipping account through USPS? Or do I have to set something else up to get access to those rates?

I've got pinon pine trees all over here, and love the smell of cedar, they are very different. The pinon pine I got from wellington smells just like the pinon pine trees here.

Actually Wellington Fragrance has an excellent Pinon scent. It doesn't seem weak either, I just poured it today to sample in wax, so far it's beautiful at 6%.

I got my last bottle of Myrrh from C&S. That's the one that smelled just like the EO for me. Might see how it works for you.

Thanks for the info too

I was going to be ordering from them and one of my customers does for an herb shop locally. The bulk orders for her are good, but she's been with them for years and years. I haven't heard anything negative from her about them.

Noooo. They are dye, not pigment. They DO bleed and fade. I use them for normal colorant (they match colors pretty easily for me, especially red and black). They aren't as "loose" in color as the liquid dye is, but you still have to use UV stabilizer in them and same rules apply as to the dye liquid, if you use too much, they plug the wick. Those claims are grossly exaggerated.

Use the pigment for the cut and curl stuff. If you're looking for cheaper, you might try looking at candlechem. They are cheaper than what you're looking at, especially for the red and yellow 4 oz. Titanium Dioxide is good for a white and won't bleed either.

That's funny. I guess I smell myrrh weirdly. It usually has a very sweet note to it, almost a maple syrup smell. But it's the same either from the resin itself or the essential oil as it is in the FO that I'm using. Weird stuff.

I've been looking for a cypress scent. Used to have a cypress tree in Louisiana and haven't found a scent to match it yet. I'll probably try that one out.

Oh yeah it has a huge effect. You're better off blocking the air flow if possible, a box over the top of the mold helps, or shutting the vents closest to the area you're cooling the candles in. It'll actually pull the wick to one side if you don't have a centering tool on it. Plus, the shrinkage is a lot worse usually. If you're prepared for it, it's not so bad. I remember fighting with this exact thing when I first started.

Ooh awesome, thank you guys!

Can't answer the wick question because I just have no idea on that one.

But with the tin, there isn't much to know. The star molds fold over at one of the points, so it's not overly visible. I would suggest spraying with mold release though, especially around that seam. They will sometimes stick if you don't. (At least they did for me!) Another thing to keep in mind is that they are very very sharp.

Completely agree with Steph. And I'm fairly sure all of us have done something like this in the past. I keep my overpour at about 190 F if it's kicked off like that. If you're using what you're showing as the bottom of the pillar, it's not quite as bad looking as you're thinking. But yes, try to get the wick centered a bit more during overpour if possible. I actually don't do quite as many relief holes as some people do. But mine do stay solid anyway. Also, you might try pouring just to the top of the well instead of all the way to the top, keep doing that until you get to the very last pour, a shallower well, pour one final time, de-mold, then level the bottom off.

I just posted a review on them here. Working on the "in candle" portion of the review. Check it out. Good customer service though.

Citronella and cedar together works well. Lemongrass does to some extent as well.

I just got a new bunch of scents from Wellington Fragrance. I'll be posting first the OOB review, then work with the wax (literally just got the stuff) over the next couple days in wax to see how well it comes out. Hopefully good stuff.

Note, they recommend Premium grade if you choose to order from them, but they have no minimums, but a $5.00 surcharge if you order less than $50.

OOB portion of Review:

Frankincense- Smells just like the traditional resin, doesn't seem to be a lot different from most fragrances.

Amber- I'm not sure how strong the amber scents are from other suppliers, but this one is a very thick scent out of bottle. Smells similar to the top notes in Amber Romance and Amber Vanilla. It does mix well with a couple other scents, but can easily overpower the others. I have poured some candles in this, waiting for cure on it.

Watermelon- Actually preferring this version OOB more than the others I've recently worked with. It's still got a touch of the "artificial" watermelon smell (think watermelon bubble gum), but it's much closer to a traditional "cut open melon on 4th of July" type scent. Not quite as heavy either.

Gardenia- This is the first Gardenia FO that I actually like. Doesn't smell "dirty" to me. Just personal preference I suppose. But it's amazingly colorless too.

Patchouli- Yep. It's Patchouli! Not a nostril killer, more like the incense or essential oil.

Vanilla (Non Darkening Candle)- This is a typical vanilla FO. Not one of my favorites, but a popular scent. It's possible to get this same exact scent oil elsewhere for cheaper.

Clean Linen- Snuggle Dryer Sheets. Nuff said.

Pinon- If you snuggled up to a pine tree, this is what you'd smell. Actually not overpowering like many of the evergreen scents out there. I think this will be a keeper.

White Tea- This is a very yummy scent. It's a mix between White Tea (the stuff you'd brew at home) and has a hint of floral behind it. Not sure if it's jasmine or honeysuckle, the scent is very muted within the tea.

Victorian Christmas- This is another interesting one. I can smell a touch of pine, top note is cinnamon and a touch of apple too.

Cinnamon- Red Hots candies with a touch of florals? It's weird. Not quite as strong as Peak's cinnamon, but not entirely bad either. I'll wait on the wax test to say more.

Dragon's Blood- Honestly they really missed their mark on this one. It smells like baby powder. I'm not even going to bother wax testing it I don't think. Ugh.

Sage- A good mix on this one. It's very nearly a blend of white sage and cooking sage. Light scent, not overpowering.

Clean Cotton- Downy dryer sheets for the most part, but there's an underlaying smell of... something. Hoping that part goes away in wax, I didn't care for the undertones.

I'll be updating (new postings on this thread most likely) as I get these tested. Hope it helps someone.

I just emailed you Teri. Thanks!

Additives, melt point, how soft the wax is and how sticky it is. You can use a general wax in containers, or votives. You can also use a votive wax in containers in a pinch, but if you use most container waxes in a votive, it'll stick to the mold and will slump during burning, if it is even pullable.

I found that taking a frosting spatula to cut it into cubes, then lift it out with a gloved hand, works pretty well so far.

Oh wow, I used to use that one. Haven't used it so much recently though. A lot of fairs in my area are outside stuff, and it's been horribly hot/windy the last couple summers. Think I ended up losing more product than got sold.

I'm working with a new site though called Art Fair Insider. So far seems pretty good. Think they're just starting up though.

I've had one that was similar. My response:

"Hi, thanks for the compliment on the candles I make. I work with a special blend that I have personally developed. If you are wanting to start working with candles there are plenty of websites and supplies with instructions on how to use the waxes and blend your own candles. It would be better for you to discover your own blend that works for you. I'd suggest doing a web search for "how to make candles" to get you started."

Didn't hear from them again after that. *shrug*

Candle Chem has a Fresh Cut Grass that I love. Smells like mowing. I haven't tried Peak's yet, not sure if I will this year or not. Just don't have a lot of call for it.

What wax are you already using? You might be able to find it from another supplier closer to you.

yeah the dollar store/walmart thing really is winning out. I've had people say "ooooh these smell so much better than my dollar store candles but I can get 10 of those for this price....)

yeah, and mine will burn longer than 3 of those combined and as you said, smell better... but sure... go ahead and keep supporting china! *steps off soap box*

Couldn't agree more. Most of these folks don't realize that we tend to test much stricter and worry about what is in our candles, where most of the places overseas just flat don't. I mean, China is willing to put poison in their own milk for their children to cut costs. I don't think I want anything flammable from them.

I've thought about opening my own shop on a store front. I don't have to have it to survive financially, and we just don't have a regular candle store in the entire city. We've got one company that does sand cast though. I'm still just not sure how good of an idea this is. With the economy, I'm worried that candles are just going to become a luxury again that people decide they could do without. I wish I could find a good soap maker or something here to maybe partner up with on a store front.