Scents?

Scents, Fragrance Oils?  That has been my question all month.  I am wanting some new oils.  Tired of the same old ones and been trying to decide just what would be different, will customers buy it, will I like it.  Do you, the customer want something new with a description that just entices you to buy?  Or do you want the tried and true like Plumeria, Cinnamon, Rose, Honeysuckle, Mulberry, Cinnamon Bun, Pumpkin?  So many of the "new" scents/oils I have found smell so much like these basic ones until I just can't decide.  Will you buy Rose quicker if I name it Red Rose or Queen Elizabeth's Rose Garden?  Do customers buy because they like the name and the description of the scent? 

Well these are things I am mulling over this morning while I make some Nag Champa Votives.  This is a new Nag Champa, the supplier d/c the one I had been using and loved so hoping this will be as good.  That is another problem you run into with fragrant oils.  Just when you find one you and your customers really love, bam, it gets d/c!!  Then you start looking for a replacement and 9 out of 10 times you will not find one that smells as good as the one d/c.

I do have a new product I just added yesterday.  Hand Sanitizing Gel, love this stuff.  Keep it in my car, handbag, kitchen counter, desk in shop.  It would be ideal to give your children to keep in their pockets to have to use through out the day.  Also for you!   According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) it is estimated that 80 percent of all infections are spread by hands. Hands come into contact with millions of germs every day. Hand sanitizers are effective against both bacteria and viruses, health experts say.

Hand washing, and the use of hand sanitizers when soap and water are not available, are among the easiest and most important steps you can take to prevent the spread of germs that can cause illness. My Hand Sanitizing Gel uses the recommended 62% alcohol with a special blend of moisturizers and skin conditioning agents to kill germs and leave hands feeling moist and refreshed. This hand sanitizing gel includes Glycerin which helps moisturize, Aloe Vera which helps prevent dry, cracked or peeling skin, and Pro Vitamin B-5 and Vitamin E which contribute to healthy looking and great feeling skin.

Trying to add a picture but for some reason it keeps rejecting the picture!  You can see it though and also buy it here http://www.thecandle-shoppe.com/page8.htm

That's all for today, until the next time, BE HAPPY!



    

I have just taken Pepper outside, it is so cold, I think about 28.  Now it has been colder and I know it is much colder in other states but here in Glenwood GA that is cold!!!!  Anyway, we live in the "city" but where we live we have woods in our backyard.  Where Pepper goes for that "job" in the woods there are places where it looks like something has been laying.  Do deer lay down?  I don't know but I was thinking about the cold weather and how it affects animals.  We have about 5-6 deer that we (my neighbor & I) claim as ours.  He is retired and home most of the time, and he will call me sometimes wanting to know if I have seen our deer or to let me know what/when he saw them.  We try to keep tabs on them!  Mama had twins this year and she also had twins last year.  They do love my apple tree and another neighbors grapes!!  This is Mama eating from apple tree.   

I also just look in amazement at the beautiful red birds outside my garden window that I just can't resist feeding!  They are constantly eating it seems.  It doesn't matter if it is raining, freezing or what the weather conditions are.  This morning I had to "break up" the food in their feeder where the rain and cold had it frozen.   

I remind Pepper & Patches just how lucky they are that they have a warm home in winter and cool home in summer!!!  You know they understand me.  

This is my musings this morning.  Don't know what my next will be but "they" say you need to blog often so I am trying.  I am working on 16 pillars for a wedding.  They are white and gradually ending in what I hope is a slate gray.  Not sure I am satisfied with them yet.  

Until the next time - stay warm and safe in this cold, snowy, freezing weather!!   

It's Me Again

I am like the little boy who kneeled down side of his bad to say he's prayers and he said "it's me again Lord"!  It's Me Again!!  I always say I am going to blog more often but it just doesn't happen.  Well, gonna say it again and see what I do!  My biggest problem is that I just can't think of anything to say. 

I do want to share a photo with you.   The pillar and votives are layers with Fudge Brownie on bottom and strawberry on top.  Smells really delicioua.  Fudge Brownie, Strawberry, Roses, and Tuscan Lace are what I have "dubbed" as my Valentine scents.  You can read their description by clicking here. 

The strawberry is so good.  I just can't get enough of it!  Reminds me of the first strawberry scented candle I ever smelled.  Actually about the first time i had really seen candles burning in a home!  A couple - friends - of our, invited us to eat with them and when we got to her house and walked in it smelled so good.  When I asked her about it she explained it was her strawberry candle she was burning.  So......burning strawberry scented candled brings back fond memories.  I still call them our friends though we have lost contact with each other.  They will always hold a special place in my heart!

I have never been a fan of chocolate scented candles until I tried this chocolate fudge, it smells good enough to eat!  Now combine the strawberry and chocolate together and you have a really yummy smelling candle! 

My website has a different look.  Totally out of the ordinary for me but I thought "hey, I need a change"!! Take a look and let me know your thoughts. 

Check out my scents.  I have added some new and removed some old scents.  If you don't find your favorite just email me to be sure I still have it and then you can choose unscented on your order and I will make it in your favorite!!

Until my next time - Happy New Year!!

Some things just bug me!!

Some things sorta bug me.  I was looking at a website a few minutes ago of a candle maker and when I read the "About Me" page it hit me!!!  Some candle makers are like politicians.  They like to tell everyone what a great Christian they are, they are a Sunday School Teacher, Boy Scout/Girl Scout leader and blah blah blah.  Just like all of that is going to make them a better candle maker. I guess some people are fooled by that.  If they are then send them to me and I will toot my horn and see if that makes them want to buy my candles just because!!!  And since I am all of those things you know my candles are going to be so much better burning and better smelling than someone elses who can't add all the so-called religious affliliations to their name.  Now there is certainly nothing wrong with saying I am a Christian, it is just when you try to add all the other "stuff" that is supposed to make you greater/better/smarter than another candle-maker that bugs me. 

Sorta like the Parable of the Pharisee and the Publican.  I think of that parable often when I think of certain people!

This is from Luke Chapter 18. 
(10) Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.

(11) The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.

(12) I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.

(13) And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.

(14) I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

Guess I need to get off my soap box and get to making candles.  Now when I get through with them I am going to start tooting my religious horn so you will know how great I am and that my candles are so much better than another's!!!

I believe in living my life like a quote I read somewhere and it goes something like this "You may be the only Bible someone reads"









 

Just things!

My first thought for today is that I am so thankful all the miners got out safe.  It was a miracle!  God gives man the knowledge to do the imposibble with his help!

I have not kept up as I had planned, never do.  I am not a writer and trying to come up with something to write is just impossible for me.  But ----- I am so glad fall is here.  Not sure which I like the best, spring when everything is turning green or fall when everything is turning the beautiful colors of brown, rust, orange, gold.  It is truly a beautiful time of the year, breath taking!  I really love the fall colors also.  They are my favorite colors.  I am just not a pink, bue, yellow person!

It is strange how our sense of smell can change all of a sudden.  I had never been the bakery type in scents but it seems in the last couple of months I am constantly trying to find bakery scents.  The only problem with that is that some of them really get to smelling almost the same and it is hard to detect the difference.  I do have some new bakery scents though - Iced Lemon Biscotti, Toasted Almond Torte, Pumpkin Creme Brulee, Fall Harvest, Orange Chiffon Bundt Cake, Gingerbread Village, and Amish Spice Loaf.  I have added a couple of new Christmas scents also - Mistletoe Whisper (this is really a very different type scent),  Bayberry, Christmas Morning, Aspen Winter.  There again it is easy to get to many Holiday scents and they sorta run together!!  I do have a new Pumpkin Pie Spice that came in yesterday that I will try to get a tester poured today and see how I like it.

There is one scent that I really love for anytime of the year and I always forget about it until I finally make and burn a candle made with this scent, which I remembered last week!  Falling Leaves, it is a clean scent but still has sort of a "woodsy" fall freshness to it, if that description makes any sense! 

I have been wanting to change my labels and looking through my Gifts & Decorative Accessories magazine I see some really beautiful labels.  But I think they would be almost impossible to make, would have to get them printed and of course that wouldn't work with all the scents I carry and it would also be very expensive and you know adding expense to the making of a candle makes the price of the candle go up.  I try to keep mine priced as low as I can but that is hard to do with the cost of candle making, it is a very expensive business.  But I am going to be thinking and working on that.

Well, that's about all I can think of today.  Need to get to work!  I will leave with a very cute card saying I saw looking through my magazine.  These are cards from the Greeting Place.  They really have some unique type cards with saying I really love.  This says "I don't like to brag or anything....but I can still fit into the earrings I wore in high school"!!!!!!!

Happy Fall,
Elaine

Candle-Shoppe Newsletter

Hi Friends,

As the song says "Love is in the Air", well here "Fall is in the Air". Especially late night and early mornings, during the day though summer is having a hard time saying good-bye!! With fall and the holidays approaching I really get in the mood for my spicy and bakery scented candles. If you are like me you hardly have time to turn around and then it is Thanksgiving and Christmas!! Time to get the Santa list ready and start shopping!!

If you checked my website during August you saw that I was closed due to medical emergency. Actually on the 3rd of August I fell and broke my R wrist, had surgery on the 9th, a plate was put in, supposed to be quicker healing and no hard cast!! The last of August I started back to making candles, though it was a little slow because I could only use my L hand for most of the process.

http://www.thecandle-shoppe.com/

I have added a page to my website with my holiday scent list. Some of them are new and some of them are old faithfuls that I just can't say bye to! You can click the link above to see the list. To go shopping all you have to do is click the picture and it will take you to the shopping page. Some of the new scents added are Pumpkin Creme Brulee, Iced Lemon Biscotti, Toasted Almond Torte, Fall Harvest, Cinnamon Glazed Baklava, Blackberry Jam Butter Cookies, Country Christmas Store, and Gingerbread Village.

I also now have 100% soy candles available. If you order them I will keep them for approx. 2 days and let them cure so by the time they reach you they will be ready to burn and enjoy! After several request I have also add the 16 & 26 oz Apothecary Jars back to my containers.

http://www.pepperpatchcandles.com/

As the link above says I now have a new "sister" website called Pepper Patch Candles. This is named after my almost constant and under foot dog Pepper and kitty Patches!! I started this for the customers that like the country/primitive look and jelly/mason jars. I have the 8 oz jelly jar and 16oz mason jar with black lid, tied with rafia and a kraft label. I really like the looks of these jars.

Thank you for taking the time to read my "news" and for being my customer. I look forward to hearing from you. If you have any questions, comments, or complaints please email me. I will try my very best help you.

Happy Fall,

Elaine

Sorry I have not posted in a while. Broke R wrist on the 6th Aug & had surgery on the 9th.  When I am able to resume with candle-making will have some new scents & containers!

Square Pillar Candles

Made these the other day.  I really like square pillars and have added them to my website.  They are 16oz, 20oz, & 29oz pillars.  Been burning a tester in Nana's Old Fashioned Apple Butter.  Smells great, but when I went to supplier website couldn't find it.  Got to find out if they have any left or plan or restocking it this fall.  Hope I can get more cause I really love the scent!

Testing soy wax in some status jars I had that have been sitting around and never used.  I am bad about buying jars I like and then never using them.  Also have a large vase jar I may decide to test later.  Today have 50 votives I need to get wicked and put in clam shells for customer to use for a wedding rehearsal dinner.

I will leave you with a quote about friendship from a book my best friend gave me!

"Friendship bridges the gap between what things are and what they could be." Roger Holmes

Small Town USA

As my title says, Small Town USA has been running through my mind for the last month or so.  Only problem couldn't think how I wanted to use it.  Knew I wanted it for a banner but you usually see candles in a banner for a candle website.  Today it was on my mind again so I started playing with it.  After all, Glenwood GA is your typical Small Town USA.  I love it, wouldn't have it any other way either!  I have always lived here and hope I always will. 

I got my website changed and am really rather pleased with it.  Just hope it doesn't sound to "corny"!!   This is a picture of the banner -

To see the complete page just click here - http://www.thecandle-shoppe.com/

Sorta like the name Small Town Candle-Shoppe but it would be to much trouble to change all that.  If you like to see deer pictures then check out what I saw in my backyard today!

It is hard to see the deer but the first picture is of Mama Deer who I saw earlier on in the afternoon.  Second picture is of her twin babies.  They were really at a bad angle for picture taking and I couldn't open door to step out on deck, it would have scared them away.  I really love watching the deer, they are so pretty and graceful!  I know my neighbor doesn't feel that way though, he has a garden and they sure do love his veggies!!

Getting ready to test a new jar in both paraffin and soy.  It is the status jar and probably holds about 7.5 oz wax.  I haven't measured it yet! 

That is all for today.  Please leave your comments if you would like! 

Blueberry Cobble Chunkie!

Was still in playing mood and just loving the Blueberry Cobble and Blueberry Cheesecake oil.  They both smell delicious!!  Decided to make me a chunkie in the Blueberry Cobble.