gmp Posted October 20, 2006 Share Posted October 20, 2006 I am making candles for friends, teachers, neighbors, etc. this year for the holidays. I made one test candle and had a lot of fun with it. I have a couple of questions regarding fragrances. First, I see many of you all order scents from suppliers on-line. I was getting my fragrance and other supplies from Michael's Craft Store. Is that okay or is there a difference in quality?Second, I purchased a hard fragrance brick to scent my candle at Michaels. I followed the directions but the scent was negligible. I would need to at least double it. I see many of you all using oils instead of the brick. Is there a significant difference between the two? The oil seems easier in my mind.Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luci Posted October 20, 2006 Share Posted October 20, 2006 I'm not sure what your Michael's carries, but mine in Myrtle Bch carries next to nothing with candle supplies. Haven't been in there in a while to look, but when I first started experimenting with candles a couple of years ago, I bought from them. The supplies can't even compare to what you can get from reputable suppliers. I started doing research after getting my feet wet with the things I bought there. I made a few candles for fun and strictly personal use. I don't think I even gave away any candles I made from supplies bought there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmp Posted October 20, 2006 Author Share Posted October 20, 2006 Thanks! I want to do a bang-up job with these Christmas gifts, so I appreciate your reply! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luci Posted October 20, 2006 Share Posted October 20, 2006 Depending on where you are, you would be better off looking at some of the starter kits from the suppliers. Based on my experience, I would have saved myself a lot of $$ and disappointment if I had known to do that. But, keep in mind it's been a couple of years since I even looked at the candle supplies in Michaels, etc. And, it wasn't a total waste--I sure learned what I DON'T want. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mindy5140 Posted October 20, 2006 Share Posted October 20, 2006 When I first started making candles I bought a starter kit from Micheals to. I bought the FO's there to. Wow they are expensive and they don't have as many scents as online companies do. I would suggest buying from a company that is close to you, I don't think you have enough time to make candles for gifts. Unless you know what type of wax you want to use, and test each wick, scent and container for the next 2 months and perfect one of them. Which is hard to do sometimes within that time frame.I would suggest making tarts, they are easy to make and easy to test. I would just make up little baskets of tarts, and a tart warmer. And then next year maybe start making candles to give as gifts for next Christmas.My fav place to order from is Natures Garden Candles, they are in Ohio.Good Luck,Mindy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smart tart Posted October 20, 2006 Share Posted October 20, 2006 I respectfully disagree with Mindy - you can perfect several scents before Christmas if you have the time to work on them.....I would choose a starter kit and several (max 2-4) fragrances.....Although I like tarts, if you really want to do candles and are willing to spend some time on them, I believe you can easily do so. Michaels (or any other craft store) supplies suck - especially their fragrances - plain and simple! IMO!! And, they are very expensive.I do agree with Mindy that Natures Garden would be a good starting point - order a starter kit, if you know what jars you will be using, do some research and figure out what type of wicks you want to use, buy a sample pack of wicks and a couple sample size fragrances. Test to figure out what size wicks you need with each your fragrances (different fragrances require different size wicks sometimes), then order a larger quantity of wicks, wax, and fragrances. You really will need to spend some time figuring out what constitutes a good burn (sounds like perhaps you have a start on that with the Michaels stuff), and makes a safe candle - reading back posts here on CT should give you lots of good information. Have fun and ask questions if there is something you don't understand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmp Posted October 21, 2006 Author Share Posted October 21, 2006 You are one Smart Tart! Thanks so much for the info and encouragment. And I will keep you in mind if I have any other questions! I am so excited to work on this project. I went ahead and ordered supplies from Bitter Creek, and am going to try A NorthWoods Christmas and Christmas Cheer FO. If it bombs then at least I will learn and have fun!Until next time...! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katie Posted October 21, 2006 Share Posted October 21, 2006 I agree with smart tart. You can do it. I did. I have perfected my candle. But just keep it simple one size jar one wax a few fragrances. I got my starter kit from Just By Nature. Everything I needed for a good start. I use soy and that is what I like but good luck with your venture. Don't let some of these people on here scare you away. Have fun with it. It really isn't that hard especially if your starting off as a hobby. Just remember to test before you give away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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