QTsmum

Thanks! I click the link for coop guidelines and it says 'no thread specified, report to administrator'! Not sure if it's broken for others or just because I'm on an iPad?

The forum rules are tight. I was looking for info on joining the coop forum, but I cant even contact a mod for info about joining. I assume I need a certain amount of time/posts before I can join, but I cant even find the info!l. If someone can help. it would be greatly appreciated. I can't even pm a of about it.

Wow, so much nice than the 'no, we don't fit candle jars!'. I love the look!

Woot, thanks! You're fast.

Does anyone use little travel tins of wax scents for people to sniff? I'm obviously not even close to selling, just brain storming. Hopefully I'll be ready for the markets next spring. I just picture people dropping the candles, lol! Is this silly or does anyone do it? I was thinking if I have to use lidless jars, I'll cover them with something (fabric, dust cover lid...something!) and probably will have ribbons, etc...holding them on. So it'll be a pita to have people unwrapping them. Pointless or brilliant?

Are they all discontinued? I fell in love but can't find them anywhere! Any frosted fancier jar would probably be ideal.

I don't know what you guys are complaining about, these candles are amazing! They are also a great heat source (when your house is engulfed in flames!)

Oh, cool! They are very pretty! I would totally be up for a co-op. Why in the world would they be so against selling for candles? Why would they care? It's sales! Anyways, I would definitely email them the pic and tell them we have a large group to see if they would do a co-op for us. Or we could just do it and split ship! I betchya I could craft something up though. Seems easy....Brown paper bag meets mod podge? LOL!

I am willing to invest is some good quality jars. It's a bit tougher being in Canada, in that they are harder to come by and you have to give your first born to cover shipping costs, but I would really love to have pretty jarred candles. I'm far, FAR from being a seller, but I want to keep my eyes open for deals, just in case we should get so lucky! What do you love? What do you have customers comment on? Is a lid necessary? (could you cover it with fabric and ribbon to pretty it up and allow smellability whilst keeping your candle 'fresh'?) I just have jelly jars and some cheap hex jars that were on clearance, not all that thrilling. So, yeah...which jars do you dream about in your sleep?

I'm curious what others do. I fully hope to start a business out of candle making. There is nothing like this in my town, so I think I'd do well! Anyways, I was wondering if you guys/gals make candles you're not really fond of? I LOVE bakery scents. Hands down my favourite. I love beachy scents too, but I'm not really fond of floral. I know there are plenty people in the world that DO like floral, so I know I *should* make some (in the future, when I'm ready!)...does anyone just suck it up and make scents they don't really care for? How do you choose which one to do, if you do this? Do you have a 'sniff friend'?

I just made my second batch of candles. My first round, I used (*grabs notes...*) 125 and 250 ml jelly jars. 1 lbs of 4627 and pumpkin soufflé FO (with some orange dye). I wicked the 125 ml (4 oz) with HTP 52 (since that's what I had on hand. I'm still waiting on my order of extra wicks). It sucked. Hard. I knew it after the first burn. That sucker drown like a popped gangster tied to a cinder block. The 8 oz, I wicked with 44-24-18 C wick. It's burning pretty well. Full melt pool. I worried at first that it was burning too quickly, but it looks nice. Has some left over wax on one side of the jar (a very thin layer stuck to the wall), but it's melting down nicely. Burning pretty even and the jar doesn't get all that hot. I'm 5 (or 6) burns in, about half way through the jar (averaging 4 hours per burn). Would you put that wick in that candle if you had the choice? Also, for my failure candles, can I remelt that wax and to re-wick it? I poured a few of the small jelly jars in my madness (I was really overwhelmed the first try!). So now I have 2.5 small jelly jars with this lovely wax that I can't burn. (If so, how the heck do I get it out of the jar?) If you're still with me.... Tonight I did (for experiment's sake!): 4627 with 'oak barrel cider' FO (smells divine!) in an 8oz jelly jar and a hex jar. Both wicked with 44-24-18. I did soy 464 with Pumpkin creme brulee with the same wick. I have CD 14s, but from what I read, they will burn too hot in those jelly jars. I didn't want to risk that, so I need to order some 10's and 12's. (Do you think this will burn in it? And how long should I let it set before I burn this?) The soy was sort of a night of a few mojitos and an impulse buy! And then, just for kicks, I did a 50/50 mix of 4624 and 464 soy with Plumberry spice (YUM!) wicked the same, in the jelly jars. I'm really curious to see how they burn differently. Should I let this one cure as well, since there's soy in it? Anyways, thanks a ton for all the getting started tips and support I've already received. I already was much more organized and relaxed doing this batch! I can't wait to do more! (And to burn these!)

What's your name? Jessica! How old are you? 28 and starting to feel old! Where do you live? British Columbia, Canada right now. Originally from Ontario (Toronto). How long have you been making candles/soap/whatever? I'm 2 candle sessions in! LOL! How did you get started making candles/soap/whatever? I just love candles so much. I LOVE crafting. I don't want to work 'for the man', so I did some thinking, put all my loves together and this is what I came up with! Are you married? Any kids? I am. Been married for almost 5 years, have 2 kiddies. Quinten just turned 4 yesterday and Owen is 9 months. If candle making isn't your primary job, what do you do? Firstly, I am a stay at home mom and wife extraordinaire! Secondly, I work at home for a popular App for Mac. I would love to make a small business out of candles (and eventually other related products!) I would love, LOVE to! Anything else we should know? I'm a crazy craftster. I do anything creative. I'm a big knitter (yes, I'm like an old lady!) and basically anything I can find on pinterest. Pinterest is my cryptonite! (sp?) I just got a box of candle supplies today and there's about 1800 fragrance oils. I don't know how in the world I will ever sniff them all and have even less of an idea how I will use them before they expire! It sure is fun opening a box like THAT though!

Oh yeah, that smaller jar totally drown! I had to run my baby to the ER (I had lit the small candle) and when I got home, the large jar was burning...I was so confused since I was sure I was doing my final test (I knew it was going to drown out) on the small candle. I asked DH and he lit the big one because the other one went out! I was like "ummmm....I'm supposed to be testing those, and watching and making notes!" LOL! C'est la vie. It looks to be burning nicely. What are signs of too big of a wick?

Try living in Canada!!! Add $100 for shipping. It's utter insanity. I'd have to sell 8 oz candles for $40! Lol.

The 2nd burn was sad, the MP was tiny. I'll be patient and burn again, but I'm thinking I have to wick up. The other jar (I used a different wick, I have the info in my binder, but I'm too comfy to go look!) which is the larger jar, I think the wick is too big. The wick mushroomed really fast and I had a full melt pool by the half hour mark. (and it was getting deep) In my candle burning experience, it seems too quick, no? I'm used to burning larger (IE: B&BW 3 wicks) candles, so I cannot say for sure, but it seemed too quick. I didn't let it burn the full 4 hours because I was worried! My candles smell freakin' awesome though. Wow. I smell them through out the house and they're not even burning! Amazing the difference in scent power compared to my previously mentioned favourite candle seller!!!

Hehe, I agree, there's at least 50 more I could have bought!! The hot throw on my candle was amazing!! For a tiny jelly jar, it scented my entire house as easily as a B&BW 3wick does! Impressive! I think I need a bigger wick though, since I Failed to get a full melt. It's funny because I've had candles act this way (store bought) but I just never related the term until I saw my own act up! I cannot wait to create my own scents!

It was quite fun! I just want to do another batch with some of the other paraffin (the non-gooey stuff!) that I have! I really over bought fragrances (I have approximately a bajillion coming, LOL!) so at least I'll have lots to experiment with! From different places too, so we'll see how they stack up. I'm in Canada, so you have to buy more to make it actually WORTH the ridiculous shipping rates! I cannot wait to burn one! I'm like a kid on Christmas morning! The cold throw is pretty awesome and the colour is quite pumpkin-esque!

I totally agree! The idea of a premium freebie makes me want to buy!

Whoo, just finished making my first batch. I couldn't wait. I needed to try it to see what it was actually like! house is still standing, so it wasn't all bad! LOL! I can't wait to get my wicks and actually test what works best. The house smells lovely, like 'Pumpkin Souffle'. I can't wait to see how it burns. I was able to make 3 125 ml jelly jars, 1 250 ml jelly jar and 3 tea lights from 1 lb of 4627. It feels so overwhelming. Like everything happens so fast. I never really clued in that I could, you know, TURN DOWN THE BURNER to make it rise in temp slower.

Fantastic info! Exactly what I was hoping to get! I will read and re-read this stuff. I'm waiting on my different wicks (I only got 1 type that would work with this wax in my kit) so maybe I'll try an unscented and a scented just to watch burn...because I cannot wait! LOL! But I would love to see how an unscented vs. a scented one burns differently! Thanks so much! I can't wait to actually SEE what I am reading!

Aaaaand, I just found some candle test sheets, which is a great help.

I love the look of the glass, but I do agree that the tins may be better with where you are selling! Lovely candles though!

I know that you have to test the hell out of your candles, and I fully intend on doing so. I was just wondering how you all start? How do you begin recording info to keep it organized as well? I just got a bunch of supplies in today and I'm excited to make my first candle, but I want to make sure I don't miss anything important. I don't want to make an exploding candle, and even more importantly, I don't want to make an exploding candle twice!!!! Anyone have a template or anything (showing which points you write down while 'cooking')? Do you make multiple candles from the same batch and try different wicks immediately or do you burn 1 wick and see how well that one performs first? I have jelly jars (125, 250 and 500 mls) as well as some hexagon jars from the online shop. I just want to make it as 'easy' as possible (and I don't mean EASY, but efficient, I guess is a better term!) and not have to re-melt wax when I could have just poured it to begin with. Do I even make sense??! LOL! Anyways..forgive me for my completely basic question. I'm sure it'll all come together when I'm actually hands on, but I'm nervous to actually GET hands on without knowing, kwim?! Vicious circle! I plan on melting tomorrow. EEEP! ETA: And, I just (re-read) this: Q. Why do you pour your tester container candles wickless? A. When testing, it is best to pour wickless. When the candle cools completely, take a skewer or knitting needle and poke a hole down the middle where the wick will go. Take the wick that you want to test, pop it out of its tab, and stick it down in the hole. Go back with a heat gun and zap the hole to fill it in. If you begin testing the wick and don't like the way it is burning, simply pop the wick out and put another one in. That's pretty cool!

Thanks for the awesome advice! I ended up ordering the kit to play with! Plus the wax (minus the soy). I'll play some more once I get a feel for actually making something! I can't wait to play! I really want to play with smells, lol!

I know this is super old, but the charges are really random! I do a ton of shopping online from the US and get off without paying duties probably 95% of the time! Although if something is made IN the US , I do believe it is supposed to be duty free. Labeling as a gift does help. Shipping within Canada is disgusting. I've been looking to place a large order for starter candle stuff, and it's $150, via ups, and their fees upon arrival are MAD!!