cybersix

Stunning!!!!! I'd really love to make one but I have no patience LOL! You really must set up a tutorial!

Really lovely candles! You could post in the Valentine day challenge too!

Beautiful!! I agree, a tutorial would be great!

Congrats to the first poster! You did a great job I like them both, the first reminds me of the romantic soul of Dracula in Bram Stoker story!

I'm happy to read you find the challenge so..challenging LOL! I don't have much time since I'm working on a new website, maybe I'll do a couple of testers (changed wax so I have to change wicks.. the incubus of every candlemaker) and if I get some inspiration I will make something for the challenge.

Hi all dear members! This is the first challenge we mods are setting up for the candlemaking section. The theme is: Valentine Day is coming! Each member can try her/himself in realizing a Valentine Day themed candle. Challenge ends february, 14. By that day all picture should have been posted. There will be no winner, there will be all the lovely pictures in this thread as a reward for all our community! The few rules are: - Your candle can be made in any wax; - Your candle can be in any form (pillar, container, t-light and so on) - Your candle should be as much as creative as possible, you can make a solid color candle only if it will decorated in some other manner; - Your candle should incorporate a flower or other related sentimental items that makes everyone think about love. It can be the scent you chose along with your theme. - When you are done post your pic or pics here (it would be better to take good pics too, maybe with some decorations that fits for Valentine day) - If you want you can write a line or two about your creation, if there's a story behind it let us know it! - Please keep this thread as clean as possible, comments and questions are welcome only if are related to this thread and please keep in mind it will be a show-off-your-work thread, we don't want it to become too cluttered. The challenge is open to anyone, it doesn't matter your level or skills, we're here to have fun and to learn from each other and challenges are a great way to share amusement and knowledge! Now have fun, and let the creativity and the love flow! The Mods Team

I love peak's warm Apple pie to me it's realistic and my customers love it. Can't speak on floral, I don t like them much.

Don't know the waxes you're mentioning, but keep in mind that soy is pretty greasy by itself, and some heat may cause the sweating. Also, a 7% FO load it looks too much for me, I found that with the majority of the FOs I have I can use a 4% and get a wonderful throw.

To me it seems that the weight of the pendants generated a sort of traction toward the bottom (ah, gravity!), maybe the bumps are because the gel was sinking where the weigh was. I don't work with gel but if others who are more expertised suggest to try a heat gun then go for it.

Thanks a lot!!!

Thanks everyone!! ChandlerWicks I know you don't need years to find the right wick!!

I use CDs for the "softer" palm wax for containers I have. Something I wnat to do is to test the CDs in palm pillars, sooner or later I'll try. In regular size pillars I usually use 36 ply flat braid.

Thanks ChandlerWicks! I used 30 ply flat braid.

Hi all, working in a hurry, these have to be shipped today. Customer wanted 4 heart pillar in palm wax, scented Gardenia, 3 round pillars "aqua" scented Home for the holidays, and 2 pillars ivory/light brown scented White Tea and Ginger. Sorry for the poor pics, I know it's the same for everyone of us when we have to rush! Thanks for looking

Thanks Inez! The flew off of the table!

Inez, crappy customers are everywhere. Just build a strong policy and stick to that, make it clear, evident, people have to sign it up before closing their orders. I don't know what is like in Germany, here in italy online customers have the right to return goods in ten days starting from delivery date if they change their mind, for whatever reason. This doesn't apply to customized items made on request. So put a seal on those bottles and take them back only if the seal isn't broken. More work to do, but offer sample vials. The really small ones, and do not accept return on those. Of course when you refund you refund only goods cost, no shipping, and shipping back must paid by the customers. No real loss of money if the bottles are unopened. You refund only when bottles are in your hands again. Good luck!

Really cool!!!!! It's great, I hope things will turn out so well for you that you will be able to have a permanent shop! I wish something like this could happen here. But italian State is like a vampire they wait for you to try to open a business then jump on you to take every single cent you earn. This way, no real help to economy.

No I don't make soap. It's an idea I sometimes play with in my mind, but it looks a bit complicated and I don't have room where let soaps cure. Some pillars are going to friends and family, the rest will go through the packaging experiments and shooting sessions LOL, Ijust bough a new light tent!

Already did, they didn't give lots of hope! I love your signature!!!

Congrats!!! Hard work and passion always pay off, it may take some time but in the end people see the beauty of our work! I'm very happy for you!

Thanks everyone for chiming in, and for your kind words on my candles! All in all I'm satisfied, but I still have many items left. This last period was crazy I was making candles while discontinuing my motorcycle shop so I am too late now to apply to other fairs, there's one next sunday wich is huge (130 tables), concerts, spaces for kids but it's full. So I don't know where to go to try to sell the rest. Other venue I was thinking is, since I have to complete my website with a cart, is to use what is left to work on packaging and setting up the cart with some promotional winter sale.

Thanks Jan and Georgia, hubby said that maybe tumblers are a bit insignificant (I let them uncolored because of frosting, and to accentuate their natural aspect) and anyone can find them almost everywhere (at least something similar). Maybe the small pillars are a good half way between the 5 and 10 euros and they got a really nice and unique candle?

Here I am! I'm attaching some pics, I discovered only once I got there that my table was surrounded by a couple of ugly fake walls. I didn't have anythong with me to cover them up, so in these pics the whole thing seems a bit sad LOL. It was not bad, I was one of the few who made some sales. 60 tables divided on three floors. In the room where I was no one sold anything except me. I made 200 euros, the fee was 5, no other expenses since it was near home (5 minutes drive) and I ate some sandwich I had prepared before. Not too bad, but I'm puzzled by customers. I had small pillars I was selling at 8 euros, medium at 10, tumblers at 5. everyone bought the small pillars, I thought because 8 is less then 10, but the 5 euros tumblers didn't sell. Who knows. It was the first time the town organized this indoor fair so many things could be improved sicne they want it to become an annual fair. The palace was not decorated at all, from the outside no one could tell there was a craft fair going on inside, no signs in the streets at all. I was the only candlemaker. My friend went to see other fairs in other cities and she told me there were no candles at all. I am more puzzled. I would pay someone to tell me what's the matter here LOL! Thanks for reading!

Vicky that's truly a lot of wax and work! They're beautiful!!!!!!