sockmonkey

I think it's advantageous to group all scents together. My reasoning is that shoppers can see all items that are available at once. Some shoppers may only burn candles and never use room spray. If they go into your shop with the intention of only buying a candle they may never venture into other areas of your shop where the room spray is located. But, if while they're standing there looking at candles they see their favorite scent is also available in a room spray they might decide to add a bottle to their purchase. Organizing that way makes it easy for lazy shoppers or people who are in a hurry to make their selections. I think if you display by container type something will probably get overlooked by customers.

Coconut Lime Verbena from B&BW is a favorite of mine. I use WSP. I bought a sample of NG's and decided to keep searching because there was just something about it that I didn't like. I tried a few more samples from different suppliers and finally settled on WSP as the best dupe.

I line my wood mold with freezer paper (shiny side up). The very first time I used a wood mold I didn't have it properly aligned, but I didn't realize it. I poured all of my m&p in the mold and went about my business. I returned later and saw m&p all over the place--all over the counter top, down the sides of my cabinet, and on my kitchen floor. I wanted to cry looking at the mess I created that I thought would take forever to clean up. It was easy as pie to clean up though. It basically peeled off of everything without much effort, so I thanked my lucky stars for that. Any residue left on my mold was easily scraped off by taking one piece of the mold and scraping it against the other. If your mold doesn't break apart you could also use a knife or spoon to scrape it off. I never wash my mold to get rid of soap.

I don't know the benefit of using them. Based on what I read it sounds like they would be more trouble than they're worth. But that's just my opinion, call me lazy.

Thanks for the link, Eugenia. That's a good price on those boxes, but the picture of them makes them appear kind of flimsy to me. Do they look better in person than they do the photo? Thanks.

You can also find serving inexpensive wooden trays, ceramic or glass platters. I made a very nice, contemporary centerpiece using a wooden tray, pillar candles and greenery. As a centerpiece it didn't require any type of covering or packaging. I can't imagine someone would not be pleased with having something like that donated. It has a very high perceived value, but in reality cost about $9 to make. Are you sure you have to give them baskets? Some organizations will accept donations and put together their own baskets. Just make sure everything you donate has your label on it. I personally like shrinkwrap on giftbaskets, but it can be difficult to work with. Tulle is another option you might work with. It's rather inexpensive and comes in a wide variety of colors.

WSP and NG both have fast delivery. I'm in Indiana and have received next day delivery from them before.

http://cgi.ebay.com/BARTIZAN-MANUAL-CREDIT-CARD-IMPRINTER-KNUCKLEBUSTER_W0QQitemZ7601071331QQihZ017QQcategoryZ46714QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItem

WSP has it. http://www.wholesalesuppliesplus.com/ProductDetail.aspx?ProductID=3904

I don't know what botanicals you may be using, but I've seen bags of potpourri that sells for $.99. Potpourri that sells for that price is basically junk--it looks like a lot of cedar shavings with some small bits of floral fragments. The high-end potpourri like Yankee is filled with large, whole pods, leaves, etc, so they can command higher prices (plus they have name recognition). Sometimes I think the secret to selling potpourri--besides having scents that people like, is all in the packaging. Is there anything cute or unique about the way you are packaging your potpourri?

Are you wanting a soap for your face or an all over body bar? Most clays draw out oils, but I see that yellow, pink, and white are suitable for use on dry skin. http://fromnaturewithlove.com/soap/Clays.asp From personal experience, I've found that no "moisturizing" bar will do the trick on my dry skin. I have to slather on lotion, vaseline, or any other butter directly on my skin. Any moisturizing properties in a bar of soap get rinsed right down the drain or toweled off.

Anybody that can't see them, you're really missing out! The citrus cherry is my favorite. I'm just imagining how good that one must smell.

Lidsay, it might be a bit more expensive, but could you have your labels made with a perforated part to include a tear-off part with the rep's name on it? If you did that then you wouldn't need to make two separate runs.

FYI, Don't expect any better treatment from Arminak.

Dang. Why couldn't it have that effect on me?

Wow, this thread was a blast from the past. I wound up getting them from the candlemakers store. I got a special order from an insurance company and printed a picture of a building in town on the envelopes and they were very pleased with the results. Out of curiosity I checked out conniescandles and didn't find them anywhere.

I say we stage a boycott!!!!

Here are some things you might consider experimenting with: orange essential oil salicylic acid bentonite clay french green clay tea tree oil

I didn't add SAO, but added jojoba oil and glycerin per the recipe. I don't think I overwhipped it, since the person who provided the recipe said it can take a long time to whip it--up to an hour. I didn't spend quite that amount of time--the cheapie mixer I'm using would probably catch on fire if I did. Maybe that could be part of the problem too. It increased in volume as I mixed it, but it certainly wasn't fluffy. So far, it's holding its texture and what volume it has without collapsing or separating.

I wanted to revive this old thread because I finally made my first batch of FBB and don't know what to think. I got my FBB from Florida Soap Supplies. The recipe I found called for white sugar, but all I had available was demerara, so I used it. I read somewhere that somebody said their's was like a mousse. My finished product looks more like a wet cookie dough. I tried some on my hands and think it feels great, but I'm definitely not impressed by the way it looks. I don't know if maybe I goofed it up by using larger sugar crystals, or if maybe my base was too old or something--it's almost a year old. Any thoughts or advice?

Sorry about your problems. That's why I don't like to do business with Canadian suppliers. It's very possible that they shipped it out in a timely manner, but it could be being held up at Customs.

Have you checked your local hardware store? What size of bulb is it? I've seen warmers that use round bulbs , halogen bulbs, and those bulbs shaped like old-fashion Christmas lights. I recently found a large assortment of hard to find bulbs at Big Lots.

I think Soapermom is right. If something smells good and comes in fancy packaging people with think it's good stuff and buy it. If it comes in cardboard and has green somewhere on it, people will think it's "natural" or "organic" and buy it. I think that is true in the case of most American consumers of b&b products. However, there is a small percentage that will read labels, regardless of the packaging. Some look for things from a naturalist's or vegan's concerns. Other's read labels in an effort to avoid certain chemicals that cause allergic reactions on the skin. I would imagine there are more people with skin allergies than there are people who simply choose to be vegan or "naturalist." Products geared toward any one within those groups makes up a very small percentage of the marketplace overall. But, because there is such a small share, you can get premium prices for it.

There are some packaging suppliers who advertise specific packaging for bathbombs. http://www.boxcoop.com/soap.php Also, perhaps a pillow pack might work for your shapes: http://fromnaturewithlove.com/package/product.asp?product_id=acepillow550350