Newbie Here!

[BrittyBea]

Hello! I am sooooo glad I found this forum! Maybe I won't be so lost now!

Well, let me introduce myself. My name is Brittany. I am a 25 year old married mother of 3 seriously CRAZY kids (5, 2, and 27, my hubby counts too!). Oh, and I live in GA.

I have ordered a candle kit to make sure that I will love it but I can pretty much tell I will! I won't receive my kit until Thursday and I can't wait!

The kit I ordered is from naturesgardencandles.com. I also like millcreek and candle science.

I am mainly trying to figure out where you guys think the best place to buy is. So far, I think my main problems will be in wicking.

I appreciate any advice and look forward to learning more!!

~Brittany

[ah-soy]

Welcome...read and read and read. You will learn so much...and yes wicking is the biggest PITA in the world of chandlers. On another note...they don't grow up...not the kids, the husbands

[BrittyBea]

Thanks for the reply! And yes, I know my kids will grow up and not the hubby! But you gotta love 'em!

I really hope to be able to make some nice candles. I plan on making some for some christmas gifts and teachers gifts.

Look forward to meeting you all!

[EccoLights]

Welcome to your new addiction... meetings are anytime in any forum hun

Best place to buy?? If you can, locally! But if your just doing this for gifting then I would highly recommend NG for your needs They are great people and so fast in shipping too! Prices we would say they can't be beat!

Best of luck in your candle making fun!! xoxo

[BrittyBea]

Does anyone know if there are any candle suppliers in Georgia? I haven't had any luck. Also, I'm a bit confused on some of the abbreviations. LOL Especially when you guys are naming candle suppliers! I'm pretty sure NG is natures garden, since that it where I bought my kit from. But if someone wouldn't mind giving me some help on the rest! It would be appreciated!

Oh and I get my kit tomorrow!! :yay:But of course, I am going to a Puddle of Mudd concert with my husband for our 7 year anniversary (which was yesterday) so I won't be able to do anything until I get back on Friday! Ahh!

Another question. I also bought a 4lb pouring pot from NG. I have an Aroma single electric burner that is only 6 inches in dia. (i think). Does the sauce pan i use as the double boiler need to be exactly 6 inches or can it be an inch or so bigger? Or as long as it boils the water, does it matter?

[ProudMarineMom]

Hi Brittany,

Welcome to the forum. You will find a wealth of knowledge and a lot of very nice, helpful people here. I know I was glad I stumbled onto the site.

As a fellow hobbyist in Georgia, I can tell you there isn't much in the way of candle supplies in the state. There is Southern Garden Sensations (aka Tony's) that is down Macon way. He has some very nice fragrances and a good price on shipping. I also found a place called BayouSome that mostly sells bottles and such, and they do have fragrances. But, their prices listed are for large volumes.

Nature's Garden is excellent, as is Candle Science and Mill Creek. You might get the best shipping rate on wax from Candle Science, they are also very nice and quick shipping. Other sites you might want to look at are Peaks Candle (Denver), Lonestar Candle (Texas), Elements Bath and Body, The Candlemakers Store, I could keep going.

If you click the Candlemaking & Home Scenting link, look for a topic at the top called General Candlemaking Discussions. In there at the top is a couple of stickies that will be helpful. The Helpful Link for Newbies has a link of the abbreviations of the suppliers that are used by the forum members. That is extremely helpful.

Also, if you have a question, it's a good possibility that question has been asked at some time. There is a search feature and you might get a gentle nudge from someone to remind you of that... But, it's not the most helpful search I've seen. Stella mentioned a better way to search in one of her posts using Google, and that method will give you better search results. The syntax is:

<search criteria> site:craftserver.com/forums

So, if you wanted to ask a question about wicking GB464, you can type something like this in the Google search box:

wicking gb464 site:craftserver.com/forums

I'll stop before I give you information overload. Have fun with your new obsession, I mean hobby!

J

[grama]

Hi BrittyBea, glad to see another Georgia Girl here!! Where in Ga are you? I am in Glenwood GA. I buy my wax from Candle Science, they have the best shipping for me. I buy most of my oils from Aroma Heaven, Elements, Wholesale Supplies Plus, some from Candle Science. The shipping is good and I usually get them in a day or so, especially from Aroma Heaven, I order today by lunch and they are here the next day! Oh, I do paraffin though and this is the soy section!!

[Ravens]

Hello, BrittyBea, and welcome!

Won't be able to help you much with wicking issues as I'm a beginner when it comes to candles (but I do make really good tarts, LOL), and wicking is a real PITA for me. I can tell you 2 things for sure: (1) this forun is a great place where you can learn a whole bunch and (2) this is one addictive, expensive hobby!

For FO, my favorite places are Peak's, Candle Science, Aroma Haven (Rustic escentuals), Bittercreek, and Elements. I buy my waxes from Lonestar (they're just a few hours' drive away from me), Candlewic, and The Candlesource.

Have fun making candles, and keep notes! :smiley2:

[jonsie]

Welcome, Britty I spend a good deal of time in Ga, mainly in Atlanta and Conyers. Candles were barely a twinkle in my eye at the time since that was many, many years ago, but GA was good to me anyway. come to think of it, that is where I learned to sew. Hope you find the help you need, and good luck!

[cgoff]

Brittany

My girlfriend and I are also new to soy, but I think wicking is one thing we have down.

First off, buying prewaxed and tabbed wicks is VERY cheap, we paid like 4 cents each for the ones we use in our 3.5 inch container candles, and even less for the ones we use in votives.

Also invest in GluDots for containers...they are amazing. We GluDot the wicks down, and use clospins and popsicle sticks to hold them in place.

For pillar candles, buy wick pins, they are pretty inexpensive (I think we paid under $3 each) and have made our life so much easier. Just pour the candle, wait for it to harden, pull the wic pin out, pop the candle out of the mold and slide the wick into the candle.

Welcome to your new addiction! It really is fun, and if you can get your husband to do it with you, it's something you guys can do together. That is why my girlfriend and I got into it, we were looking for a hobby for both of us.

as odd as it sounds...look on youtube for Martha Steward Candlemaking videos they have been helpful.

Chris and Lisa

[BrittyBea]

Brittany

My girlfriend and I are also new to soy, but I think wicking is one thing we have down.

First off, buying prewaxed and tabbed wicks is VERY cheap, we paid like 4 cents each for the ones we use in our 3.5 inch container candles, and even less for the ones we use in votives.

Also invest in GluDots for containers...they are amazing. We GluDot the wicks down, and use clospins and popsicle sticks to hold them in place.

For pillar candles, buy wick pins, they are pretty inexpensive (I think we paid under $3 each) and have made our life so much easier. Just pour the candle, wait for it to harden, pull the wic pin out, pop the candle out of the mold and slide the wick into the candle.

Welcome to your new addiction! It really is fun, and if you can get your husband to do it with you, it's something you guys can do together. That is why my girlfriend and I got into it, we were looking for a hobby for both of us.

as odd as it sounds...look on youtube for Martha Steward Candlemaking videos they have been helpful.

Chris and Lisa

Thanks Chris! I am actually going to make a few of the candle from my kit tonight! I can't believe I am actually nervous about it! Besides the wicks, I think my main problem will be all the different ratios for everything! I get so confused!! Thanks for all of the advice!