Pets

Pets!!!  What would we do without them.   I have a beautiful doggie, her name is Pepper.  She is almost 6 years old and just the biggest baby.  Scared to death of weather.  Just mention the word "rain" and she goes into a "hissy".  Finally started giving her 25mg of plain Benadryl and that sorta helps to calm her down some. 

For the last several weeks though we have been chasing hair/fur balls around the house.  They are everywhere you look it seems.  My kitty Patches has decided they are something she can play with!  Pepper is shedding the worse she has ever shedded.  On a forum I visit it seems there are others that are having the same problem.  At least glad to know there isn't anything wrong with Pepper!  I will try to attach a picture of her if I can get it to work.  On the other hand though, an outside kitty "Nome" is shedding very little and he usually sheds bad.  Who can explain??  My only explanation for this has been "It's the moon"!!!!

But seriously, our 4-legged babies become like children, our children, and we love them dearly.  Everytime I have lost one I always say "No More!" because the grieving really hurts!  But that doesn't last very long.   

Just finished up a day of pouring candles and thought I would take a break before I started cleaning up and labeling the ones I finished yesterday.  Tonight I will top off what I poured today.  Hope to get them out tomorrow! 

Here goes for the picture of Pepper hopefully. 

Soy Better Than Paraffin? Think Not

Thought this was interesting since so many candlemakers of soy candles claim all kind of bad things against paraffin and claim soy is better. 

This was written in response to a recent study by South Carolina State Researchers.

National Candle Association



529 14th Street, NW, Suite 750 • Washington, DC 20045 • (202) 393-2210 • Fax: (202) 223-9741


Email: info@candles.org Website: www.candles.org


August 19, 2009 Contact: Barbara Miller


Tel: (202) 207-1113


NCA Statement Refuting Study by South Carolina State Researchers


Suggesting Candles May Be Carcinogenic or Release Harmful Pollutants


The National Candle Association seriously questions the scientific validity of a report by two South Carolina State University researchers* suggesting that candles, especially paraffin candles, can release carcinogens or harmful amounts of indoor air pollutants.


The assertions of Drs. Massoudi and Hamidi contradict the overwhelming body of scientific evidence on the topic. They have provided no data for review, and their conclusions are based on unsupported claims. No scientific study has ever shown any candle wax, including paraffin, to be harmful to human health.


An authoritative international study in 2007 tested candles made from every major wax type and analyzed them for more than 300 chemicals known or suspected of toxicity, health risks or respiratory irritation at elevated concentrations. The study found that all waxes burned cleanly and safely, with no appreciable differences in burning behavior. The combustion byproducts of every candle wax were virtually identical in composition and quantity, with all levels registering far below the most restrictive of any applicable indoor-air standards.


###


* Emission products of petroleum-based candles, Ruhullah Massoudi and Amid Hamidi, South Carolina State University, presentation before American Chemical Society symposium session, 2:15- 2:35 p.m., Wednesday, Aug 19, 2009; Washington, DC.

Is Fall Close???

I would love to see a long and beautiful fall this year.  I always think when fall arrives that I love fall more than any other season.  All the pretty colors and the brisk mornings and nights.  Pepper (my 4-legged baby) really loves this cooler weather better.  She has been shedding so bad this summer.  My beige carpet in bedroom stays covered in black patches of hair.  Of course with all the hair she has she never misses it!  Don't know if it has to do with the benadryl I have been giving her or not.  She is so afraid of bad weather.  Just about the mention of rain sends her into a tizzy!  I give her 25mg of straight benadryl wrapped in a piece of ham and that helps some.  She has just about begun to think that when she senses bad weather she is supposed to get ham now!!!

Well, sorta strayed from topic.  Love fall!  Then spring comes and I look around and see everything greening up and it is so beautiful until I say, "Oh this is my favorite time of the year"!!  Aren't we fickle people.  God gives up these beautiful seasons and then we try to say one is better than the other.  What God does can't be beat so all seasons are beautiful and have their upside and downside.  I look up at the pretty blue sky and white clouds during the day and then the sky with the beautiful stars and moon at night and just wonder how do people that don't believe in God think all that happens! 

Right now the weather can make you think that fall may not be far away.  Really makes me want to start making fall candles.  I have been testing some new scents and really liking them.  Just about finished burning a tester of Gingerbread Pumpkin.  Out of the bottle and while I was pouring it I was thinking sure glad I just got a tester of the scent.  But after burning it I really think I like it.  Really makes me think of fall, even seems to have a faint scent of like a fire burning, may not sound good but it is!  This is the definition the supplier gave for it - A drop-dead FABULOUS fragrance! A year 'round favorite that fuses warm, freshly baked gingerbread with creamy pumpkin.  Think I will probably be adding that to my pumpkin line! 

Got another tester poured in Southern Pecan Pie - A fragrance that smells as scrumptious as it sounds! It's an amazing duplicate of the mouthwatering classic dessert of the American South. You can almost taste the creamy butter, Georgia pecans, and real whipped cream. It's a rich, super-sweet aroma not for the faint-hearted. Try it if you dare!  I will test it when I get through with the pumpkin. 

I also want to make some chunk pillars.  Really love the looks of chunk pillars and want to make them with some pretty fall colors.  Today got to deliver some candles to a shop in Vidalia.  Better close and start getting ready.

Oh, almost forgot.  If you did not reach my blog through my website then you don't know about my special this month.  The Carrot Cake and Carmelized Praline is on sell this month in selected jars and pillars.  I also will be having a drawing this month.  If you purchase $15.00 or over your name will be entered to win a $15.00 gift certificate.  Winner will be announced on website Oct 1st.  If you are the winner you will receive an email with a special code to use on your next order.  I am hoping this will go over good and I can add to the gift certificate amount each month until Christmas.  We shall see!!

Happy Fall!

PCI Compliance

Forgot to mention, after all my complaining about all the questions to become compliant, I MADE IT!!  I am PCI Compliant.  Guess I spelled it right.  Think that means you are safe on my site, your cc info and all.

Social Networking

You know, certain things can get very addictive!  All this Social Networking, think that is correct term for it, you just gotta check out and see what everyone is saying.  By the time I get through my list looking, commenting and so forth, half my day is gone!!  Isn't that terrible! Of course it really helps me not to have to do what I need to do.  That is my mile high stack of envelopes to go through, open, throw away, post, file.  Which ever it requires.  This is work I have been needing to do for most of the year and a couple folders still from last year that just need filing!  When you have 3 businessess to keep up with, my business, my husband's business, and my church it can really stack up.  Well I have probably killed a good 2&1/2 hrs so I guess I had better get serious and get to work.

Picking up my granddaughters from school this afternoon, their Mother has a late meeting.  Spagetti night!! they love it. 

Soy Candles

I have finally found "my soy" mix where I get great looks and scent throw both. I just decided to combine the 2 soys I had been working with and that did it!! One wax had great looks but no scent throw, the other had great scent throw but did not look good in container. By combining the 2 I think I have the best of both worlds!! I will be offering them in the 9oz tumbler and the little square cube I have on my website. I have been testing scents to see the ones that are working best in soy and hope to have them on my website in approx 1 week.

This will be the link to the page when I have it up.
http://www.thecandle-shoppe.com/page5s.html

Well hopefully everyone has their children back in school and now you can take a breather for yourself. I know it can be like a whirlwind trying to get clothes bought, school supplies bought and everything else. My daughter-in-law was just saying the other day that the oldest girl who is 8 and tall like her "grama - me" has just outgrown everything she had just during the summer and the youngest who is 6 her feet won't fit in practically new shoes she had got before school ended in May! They sure can grown fast.

So now it is time for "you"! I probably have the best special this month that I will be having for some time. One customer asked me if I would have a better one before Christmas and I told her I didn't know, just depended on "how the mood" struck me!! I know, not a very good answer but I will have more but they probably won't be as good as this one.

So, all that said, now is a good time to stock up for Christmas gifts. Beginning about the middle of Sept I will have 2 fundraisers coming in and then I usually have another 1 or 2 from the school. It will probably get busy for several months.

Of course in all the hurry, hurry that things can get there is 1 thing I always try my very best to do and that is to have time for my family and church. To me those should come ahead of everything else. When I was working an 8-5 job I couldn't always do that and I said that when I was not working for the public anymore that would not be the case.

Well, I sorta got wordy here and I had better get to work now. Starting late in the day but Friday's can be like that! Hope everyone has a great week-end.

Saturday Night Fever!

Well, how does that title grab up??? You could call it a fever as hot as it has been today! But actually I am just wrapping up finishing some pillars I made for a couple of orders and thinking. You know, I know people like to do searches for things and then click on every link that shows up under them and that is what they are supposed to do! But, the searches that show up are called ppc - pay per click. Every time someone clicks on my link to go to my website it cost me money. Now that is fine if they end up ordering from me but if they are doing it just to occupy their time, no that is not fine! So to that end I have decided to try some other avenues for advertising.

I am on Facebook, Handmade Georgia, and Artfire. The links are below.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/edit/?id=107131717411#/pages/Glenwood-GA/The-Candle-Shoppe/107131717411

http://www.handmadegeorgia.com/profile/ElainePope

http://www.artfire.com/users/rubyelaine

Now I am still trying to learn all this stuff. To me it gets rather complicated. You know the old saying "You can't teach an old dog new tricks"? Well, that where I am!!

Well, back to my candles. Just thought I would let you know.

PCI Compliance

I have to tell you, this PCI compliance thing is a bunch of bull******!!!!!! There are probably about 230 questions you have to answer and I would need to be a network specialist or whatever you call them to even begin to know what they are talking about! Most of my answers were "n/a".

A little ole business like mine doesn't even have all that stuff they want to know about. Anyway it is a bunch of crock!!! But if you don't become compliant the bank that processes all credit card transactions charge you a monthly fee. You would not believe what all it cost just so my customers can use their credit cards and not have to go through PayPal to complete the transaction!!!

Oh well, cost of doing business I suppose but you would think little people like me wouldn't have to fool with all that crap!!!!

AUGUST SPECIAL

August special is: Buy 1 at regular price and receive 2nd at half off. This applies to internet orders only, no other discount or special applies. This offer is available on select jars & pillars.