Sunday, December 31, 2006
Saturday, December 30, 2006
How many times did you ask yourself this question?
Here is a popular question I found recently on The Artful Crafter site:
I enjoy making crafts and would like to do so as a business in the future. I make things for my friends all the time, but I never charge them any money. I was looking into renting a booth to sell from in my town, but it all seems so overwhelming.
What should I do?
Kayla
Question & Answer: From Fun to Profit - Starting a Craft Business
How many times did you ask yourself the same question?
Well, it really comes down to market research and getting feedback from friends and family. Starting with a small client circle of friends can give you the experience and lead the way to a bigger business.
Eran.
technorati tags:candle, making, profit, starting, a, business, craft, selling
Beautiful Gel Candles - Check It Out
Look at these beautiful gel candles!!!
Aren't they just amazing! I also love the idea of embedded shells inside them.
If you are out to try making gel candles, try using Brighter Scents' How to Make Gel Candles page. It is very detailed and covers all you need to know. Pay special attention to the suggestions on how to prevent bubbles - that is the biggest problem in gel candles.
The secret is to pour slowly and mix slowly, but there are more suggestions on how to eliminate bubbles after they appeared.
Check it out.
Eran.
technorati tags:candle, making, gel, project, instructions, tips, bubbles, preventing, BrighterScents
Friday, December 29, 2006
Is this winter I'm smelling?
Take a deep breath... Can you smell the winter Bay Rum? Or is it spring Lavender? Summer Coconut? Autumn All Spice?
Every season has its unique and wonderful scents. This is the time to make great winter candles, and start thinking about the spring.
Browse through this season scent list by Candle Business Corner for great scents ideas that will match your season perfectly!
Ever if your current seasons are different, you can still use the scent list. All the seasons are there!
Happy holiday season!
Eran.
technorati tags:candle, making, scent, list, seasons, CandleBusinessCorner
Great Votives
Don't forget to put aside some of the melted wax for that second pour that will fill the "pit" around the wick.
Eran.
technorati tags:candle, making, votive, project, instructions, pour
Thursday, December 28, 2006
Triple Scented Candles - True or Fake?
Have you ever heard about Triple Scented Candles?
It is quite common to hear or read people advertising their candles as triple scented. They are trying to suggests that the candles' scent is very strong or rich.
However, it is usually just a marketing term. You see, wax is like a sponge. It can only hold a certain amount of fragrance oil. The industry's standard used to be 3% (i.e. the FO weight is 3% out of the weight of the wax), but today you would usually use 6%.
Candles that are made based on 9% are sometimes called triple scented. They might have stronger scent, but they might not. 9% can be sometimes more than what the wax can hold. You can definitely have a strong beautiful scented candle by using the standard 6%.
It is ok to use marketing terms - hey, it sells! But it is important to be able to distinguish between the marketing and professional knowledge of your candle making business.
Eran.
technorati tags:candle, making, business, triple, scented, industry, marketing
Why is my beeswax cloudy?
Have you ever experienced a light dust layer or film over your beeswax sheets or candles?
Don't worry! This is actually a natural effect of a pure beeswax. Although it can give you candle a bit of an ancient look, it can be easily removed by a soft cloth or warming it with a hair dryer.
You can read more about bloom and other beeswax questions in Honey Glow Farm's Beeswax FAQ page.
technorati tags:candle, making, beeswax, bloom, faq, tips, HoneyGlowFarm
The Coolest Candle Holder Ever!!!
Take a look at this COOL candle holder:
This is so classic! A bit of wax, a bit of vinyl, a bit of retro!
"Instructables" shows just how to make this amazing candle holder. Check it out!
Eran.
technorati tags:candle, making, candle, holder, vinyl, retro, cool
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
Your next step in candle making
If you are getting serious in candle making, here is what you need to do to get to the next level.
Replace the good old double boiler system with a Presto Pot.
The presto pot is a cheap non-stick surface Presto Kitchen Kettle used to melt up to 8 pounds of wax in 20 minutes. You will also equip it with a spigot to dispense the wax directly into your pouring pitcher.
As Candle Tech warns in their detailed instructions of the Presto Pot, make sure you buy one with an adjustable thermostat! It is a MUST!
Eran
technorati tags:candle, making, presto, pot, double, boilder, melting, wax, cheap, safety, tips
You want to be close to your supplier
Finding a good supplier is a hard job.
Finding a cheap supplier is hard as well.
Finding a good and a cheap supplier is a blessing!
One way to cut the cost of supplies is buying local and save on shipping. That's why it's important for you to know which supplier is close to you.
Here's Candle And Soap Stuff list of suppliers sorted by the US states.
Hope you find it useful.
Eran.
technorati tags:candle, making, supplier, supplies, local, shipping, cost, cheap
Tuesday, December 26, 2006
Dipping made SO easy
Here's another great example of using your everyday household accessories.
When it comes to hand-tipped tapers, you need some dipping mechanism. You can either buy one, or make one from a bent wire coat hanger.
And once you have your taper dipper ready, making the taper are as easy as dipping them! Follow Candle Help instructions for hand-dipped tapers to get these beautiful results:
Eran
technorati tags:candle, making, hand, dipped, tapers, project, wire, coat, hanger, tip
A highly recommended starter kit
If you are only a beginner in the candle making world, a starter kit can be the perfect thing for you! Some of those kits have everything you need to make your first candle.
Lately I've read some very good reviews on Candle Peak's starter kits. Here is an example from Candle Tech's forum:
I did hours and hours and hours or research... I like Peak's starter kit because it offers you by far the MOST for the BEST price. No one else gives you as many fragrances to try and color dyes to try as Peak does, and they even threw in an additional scent giving me a sample of SIX fragrances. You will NOT be disappointed with a Peak starter kit. And I am now certain that candle making is for me :-)
Obviously there are lots of different starter kits out there. You should check and compare them carefully. There is a big range both in their price and their content.