blacktieaffair

Its very VERY nice !!! Im jealous ! I so wanted to be in the malls this year but it just wasn't fesible. BUT ! You have no idea how tickled I am to see someone that carries as many melt scents as I do LOL I get so much flack for carrying so many LOL

What size tent is it? How many tables do you have ? Do you have risers? Spinning racks ? What all are you selling? Will you be blocked in on each side by other vendors or will you have 3 sides open? Will you have your own table that has your cash register/sacks/etc on it and where you might sit down from time to time ? Theres a ton of things to consider. First, always have more than one "set up" planned out. I've been to shows where I was told I had this one spot, only to get there and be moved and have to rush trying to figure out how to effectively set it all up. I got some really good advice from Flickr once years ago ( I think it was her lol ) ... either set your tent up at home, or at least mark it out on the ground, and then take all your tables, stands, etc and set it up and start playing with it. Once you get the layout you want, I know this might be a pain, but actually put your products out on the tables like you plan on doing at the show. You might find you dont like that layout afterall ( too crowded, too one sided, no "flow", can't see over/past/around something..) I have a 10x20 and 4 different layouts (if my tent is small side to the front ) depending on what all Im taking, how large the attendence is, and I have another 4 layouts if my tent will be running the long way ( all 20 ft to the public ).

I want to thank the OP and all the people who have Squared Up, for this thread. I had no clue this thing even exsisted ( guess I live under a rock ! ) . I was going to get Pro Pay and the swiper and all that, but this sounds so much better and yall seem to like it a LOT more. I don't have an Iphone or Ipad or whatever this calls for, but, if yall love it as much as you seem to, looks like Im going phone shopping after the first of the year! Thanks again everyone! It means a LOT that everyone shares like they do on here. It really helps so many of us out !!!!

Another thing to check into other than just making sure they are responsible for any missing items is, if their insurance covers them taking on consignments and will cover it in case of fire, theft, flood, accidental breakage, etc.... my first consign, I had an agreement signed, that included "missing" items........ they had a tornado level the building, and come to find out, she didnt have a business license nor insurance much less the types that covered a consignment shop or its contents. Needless to say , I didnt see a dime out of about 400.00 retail price of product....... and as much as I wanted to in one way, I couldn't very well press the issue, the lady had just lost her livlihood. I felt horrible for her but that was a good chunk out of my pocket too

Since I change scents just about every time I pour, I dunk my measuring glass is slightly boiling water, after I've wiped out what I could... and get the rest off. At the end of the day, after I turn the water off, the next morning I get up , peel off the wax that's on the top and has solidified, gently take that out, let it dry really good, and use it with my other "scraps" to make firestarter wax.

Naturally, I love your list, your site is very nice and clean. Like that a lot !!! But I gotta ask, where in the world do you get those gorgeous pictures ???? I mean you just dont see a picture of what was it.. raspberry with thyme sitting on top of it. Just think they are very very professional, informative and eyecatching !

Here's your 3rd O HECK YEAH to Candle Science's Hazelnut Coffee........... Lawd help me if they ever stop carrying it. Im not afraid of my customers revolting........... It's my mom Im scared of ! All 4'10 and 90lbs soaking wet of her !!!

dbsummer, I would be happy to send you some clamshells made with 4794 that will blow the doors off your house, and I only use 1 ouce per pound. Im not the best melt maker in the world, but I carry just over 100 full time scents, and have tested right at 400. Not all wax works with all FOs from every company out there, but I pretty much have these 400 scents down to a science and I'd love to show you that this wax can make the most amazing melts. Yes, the wax is hard. But its SO much fun taking a hammer and beating the living snot out of it ! LOL Takes out a ton of pent up emotions in a very productive way !!!! LOL

That sounds almost kinky ..

I know what you mean Beth. I've seen some labels that made me go:shocked2: they are so gorgeous and colorful!!!! ( gotta be a laser printer cause theres no way to have achieved that with an inkjet, or been able to afford printing out that many with that many graphics and colors.) All I did was find a kind of scrolly boarder, and put my info in the center of it, all black ink. Thanks for EVERYONE'S input! Everyone has had very valid points on why they do or don't. That's the great thing about all of us, and our customers. We're all different and it gets us and business people to try different things in that illusive chase to please as many as we can!

" cool them upside down or wreck the tops.. " See there you candlers go again, fuddling up my lil brain. LOL Dont explain, I probably wouldn't "get it" anyway ! lol This is bad, I have to go get a couple slabs of wax to finish this order and I flippin know Im going to go FO crazy over there . It's Jeanie's fault........... yup, thats it !

Thanks for coming by Suzy. It's not the customers, its the potential store owners I take my things in to see if they will carry. The customers dont seem to mind one way or the other because like I said, the entire front of my package is one huge white with black graphics cardstock inside label so until they pick it up and open it, they can't see if its dyed or not. I love colors too. I'll be the first one on the block to buy all different colored candles but in melts its never mattered to me whether they were dyed or not cuz like I said, you can't tell what color it is after it melts, unless your warmer is clear glass.

I cant tell you about candles, but I know if my work environment isn't around 71 for my wax melts, using para 4794, all h e l l breaks loose with them. And I really dont have to worry too awful hard about how they look in the pack ( well I do but not like yall do with candles ). I promise you Im not trying to be snotty but........... Im just a little confused on how if you make up to 200 candles at a time, you aren't familiar enough with the wax you use, to know the temp environment you need to not only work in, but store them in. Yall dont "hate" on me, Im just confused so I asked BTW, I've always worked in our garage. When it wasn't heated, I bought an AC/Heater combo. They are pricey but that 500.00 to 700.00 is a lot cheaper than moving. JMO

Thanks for popping in Kitn Yeah, I figured since no one had answered, it was kind of a "duh" question on my part LOL Would I be totally awful to "re-gift" this stuff ?:tiptoe:

No NO NOOOOO DON'T tell me that !!!! Dangit woman !

CCG, you are so right. I guess other than the above stated reasons.......... It just blows my mind to figure out over 100 colors. I know I could make some the same, or near it but still.. that's a heck of a lot to deal with. Guess Im just a wimp ! lol

Ive eliminated that by 1. already having tested SO many scents, IF they pick one I haven't tested.... I do what CandyinVA said, I get payment upfront, and I always make them well aware, and it is written out on the receipt that this is an order for a scent I have not tested before in my particular wax, and I am not responsible for whether it works in my wax or not due to needing it immediately and me not having time to test it. That right there has cut down on a LOT of bs from people who do what you were saying in the above post. Just like tons of everything that is sold everywhere, buyer beware. I do my absolute best but I can not be held responsible for them wanting something I have not tested before.

" Candybee to the rescueeeeeee Candybee to rescue !!! " As always, THANK YOU !

Thanks for the input David!!! I do see your points. I guess its just that I haven't had an issue selling them "dye-less" to customers, it was always the store owners that asked for the most part. After I dropped off a few testers for them, they never mentioned it again and stocked my products. The side by side comparison would be a good idea though, just for chits and giggles , to see what happens. Its kind of like my lotions. I know a lot color theirs. I dont. I do use colored bottles, but honestly, to me ? I really dont care of its dyed or not as long as it works. ( there's just something about light green or blue lotion that doesn't "do it" for me LOL )

:laugh2:Dont I know that to be the truth ! It really gets fun when they come from across a 100 acre field talking about it because the wind was blowing that direction ! Can't complain, they'd always end up buying at least one of whatever drew them over there !

It did help TYVM ! I think if I end up getting the molds and all, I may just toss the lot of oils and butters and start from scratch, since I know all of the other stuff is at least a year old. Dang it LOL O, one last question Candybee since ur right here. I dont know the dimensions of one of the molds, since I dont have it yet, but what's the best way to figure out how big a batch to make in it, fill it up with water? (with a liner of course lol ) Reason Im asking is, they can't remember, and all they remember is it would make 20 bars of 3/4 in sliced soap.

Ok, since the beginning, I have not colored any of my melts with the exception of "left overs" I have from making up dyed wax to make other products. My reasoning for this was : 1. I kept hearing that some dyes can actually in some cases affect scents 2. I honestly didnt see the sense in coloring something than when melted, unless was used in a clear glass warmer you couldn't tell if it was colored or not. 3. It was just another way to cut corners 4. I liked the "natural" look and schlept of keeping things as natural as I could 5. It just goes with my business color theme ( black/white/silver. 6. I just didnt figure I could duplicate EXACT colors, batch after batch after batch even with notes lol I've had people ask me over the years why I dont dye, that it would help draw attention to my product ( which I found odd since my white and black label covers the entire front of the package) and people " just like pretty colors". Am I the oddball here, by not dying my melts? ( and by this , I mean totally undyed, I dont even add "whitener" or white dye to make the melts all white. Whatever color the FO turns the wax, that's the way it stays) Thoughts?

I see what you're talking about Karie, but, if it helps any... its a GORGEOUS color !!!! Like I said in another thread, sometimes the "goofs" are fantastic ! ( my only problem is I've never been able to duplicate the goofs LOL )

I would like to " thank " yall for this thread. Candy, PA, I have been kicking around the idea of dabbling in MP but after reading this thread , I can see another addiction fast coming up. I can't wait to try the OH and PA's receipe. I just have one question ( for now ). What is the "shelf life" of the main ingrediants used in most soaps (from OO to Jojoba to everything and anything in between. The reason Im asking is, I may be getting a ton of oils and CP molds (can you use these too for mp ?). It would be amazing if I could keep at least half of the oils... but I know for a fact they haven't been used in a year. Should I just toss the lot and buy brand new of everything? I appologize for the iggit question and I should do the reasearch myself, but honestly I dont even know where to start !!!

Melts ( tons ) , dipped and decorated out the ying yang TPs, bears, pinecones, lotion, hand sanitizer, sugar scrubs, room sprays, linen sprays, car freshener blanks (think little tree thingys you hand from the rearview mirror ) and just about anything else you can do to scent a home without lighting it on fire ! lol And yep, I use clamshells. Every so often when Im testing a new scent, I will make up the wax in those tiny lil muffin pans, and then take different ones, and put them in a "grab bag" of different scents. I just like the clams... pour , close, label, gone !