sockmonkey

It certainly sounds like they screwed up by not packaging your oils properly. I think every vendor I purchase my oils from seals them with tape and some even put them in individual plastic bags on top of that. I would definitely call to complain. Unfortunately, it sounds like you don't even like the quality of their oils, and at best they would probably only ship more of the same oils to you.

I will say this about Yankee--they do have good candles (no matter how you would like to trash their quality, they do sell for a reason), but I will agree, that they don't seem to know what they are doing. It seems that they are in turmoil and it's because of their own greed and arrogance. I think they need to figure out exactly what they want to do: sell low-cost candles or "premium" candles; sell b&b: sell housewares (that they always have to put on clearance); or operate tourist facilities. Did I leave anything out? They closed several of their own stores, now they're buying a "competitor." They are like the Walmart of the candle world, but without the brains. I think they've been ruined by poor leadership--perhaps with good intentions, but not much common sense. They've really screwed the small shops that put them on the map. Now they're in bed with Hallmark, offering discounts, test marketing, and scents not available to other retailers. With continued price increases and availability in chains, more and more small shops will be dropping them.

Well, excuse me, I listed the wrong state for Container & Packaging. We all know transit time can't be helped unless you pay rush shipping charges. The point I was trying to make is to make sure to ask them how long it will take before your order leaves their warehouse if you need it in a hurry and don't happen to live in the same state like Carrie does. That goes for any company you're doing business with. Most companies that I work with generally ship within 1-2 days of receiving my order (and many even advertise the fact that they ship within 24-48 hours), so I sort of assumed it's a pretty standard procedure for large companies. Well, I was obviously wrong. I'm not knocking C&P, 5 days to ship is not unreasonable. It was just that in my particular case I didn't have time to lose, so I went with another supplier. Now that I know how long they take, I can plan accordingly.

Here's a link to the story: http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2006/07/26/yankee_candle_explores_sale_of_deerfield_based_company/ Of course, Witch fails to mention Yankee is buying Illuminations candle co. for $22 mil, and that they have simply hired a company to analyze the possiblity of selling the company.

http://www.soapandthings.com/pc-1252-54-4-oz-black-low-profile-double-wall-jar.aspx Soap and things has them and I believe she will give an additional discount you purchase in large quantities. The ones I got from her were a matte finish, which I did not like, but she got them to me quickly without having to pay extra fees, which was what I needed. http://containerandpackaging.com/item.asp?item=J015LP Container and packaging had the ones that I wanted (nice and shiny), however, they took way too long to deliver. For me, it would have taken about two weeks--1 week for them to get them packed and out of the warehouse, and another week for shipping from UT to IN.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/40_acres_and_a_mule

Sorry, no good idea for a name, just a poopoo to another suggestion--I would stay away from 40 Acre Farm (remember 40 acres and a mule?).

Cottonblossomcrafts.com has the 1/2lb bags w/window. As far as what looks better, I would guess it would depend on how "clean" your salts are. Some salts have a lot of greyish or brownish specs, and I think that might not look too good against a gleaming white bag. If you color your salt it might not be that big of a deal.

I have C&BS from Aztec, and I think it's delicious. I have yet to buy a creme brulee that I've been happy with.

May I be so stupid as to ask what exactly you did to get such a luscious looking product? Is this part FBB + your extra secret ingredients? I've got FBB sitting around that I've never even opened the packaging on and your pic makes me think I better get started!

Thanks. So all you have to do is lay it in your mold and pour the soap over top of it? Does it ever get crinkled up or anything? Also, does it just gradually disintegrate as you use up your soap and dissolve into nothing? Or have you actually used the soap? I've seen soaps advertised where the art doesn't "wash away." I've never tried any of it though.

Rippedsheets is expensive, and they take a long time to ship.

Ok, dumb question...How did you get your artwork on there?

I personally don't like the look of the lumpy soap tops. But, I think you can goof up the top your your m&p if you wait until it's almost set and then take a spoon and rough up the top by stirring it only part of the way down. That should break up some solid pieces that will float to the top and cling to other solid parts around the edges. You might need to do this a few times at different stages.

I would definitely like to see suppliers post their sales here--they could offer the same thing they do elsewhere or offer something entirely different, just respect that the members of this forum have purchasing power as well. Anymore, the supplier offers are pretty much the only reason I check out the other forum. It really is in their best interest to have sales on multiple forums because guess what, when a forum crashes, no one is aware of their sale. Maybe we should start a letter writing campaign to our favorite vendors and ask them to post their sales here, and include a link to Supplier Announcements. What do you think?

I could be way off base here, but I've read many times that Peaks makes this forum possible. You can look at the ads and see others who advertise and obviously help pay the bills. Other forums don't have the same type of advertising. I wish other suppliers would post their sales here too, but maybe it wouldn't be proper etiquette. Perhaps someone in the know could respond as to what is acceptable.

I get mine from onlinelabels.com too. They are not found under waterproof labels! To test mine I poured running water over them and sprayed them with alcohol and they were not affected in the least. I also put a dab of fragrance oil directly on them and rubbed them with my finger to try to get them to smudge. The FO mostly just made the label feel sticky. There was only the slightest amount of smudging. On the other hand, when I was using white "waterproof" labels, if just a tiny amount of FO got on the label they ran all over the place and turned into a blurry mess all on their own.

I don't mean to sound condescending, but you always need make sure you are using the appropriate type of label for your printer. I've been tempted to use inkjet on my laser in a pinch, but haven't simply because I've heard it can wreak havoc with your printer if you use the wrong label type. The other thing I've found is that even with the appropriate label type, the white waterproof can still smudge pretty badly. I now use the crystal clear labels and haven't had a single smudge yet.

Thanks. I bookmarked it.

I submitted copies off of my laser printer. I provided close up shots of my soaps and a distant shot of my soap display. My display wasn't complete at the time the application was due, so I typed a message on my photo that the stand was representative of the look I was currently working on. I got in the show without any problems. I also printed my company's name and address on each sheet along with a description of what each photo was. I think it gave a good impression overall.

These are good: Lemon Sugar Juniper Breeze Christmas Splendor Cool Water Contrary to what some others say, I did not like Lick Me All Over or Blackberry Sage. I bought 1lb each, based on recommendations here, and boy was I disappointed. Blackberry Sage smells like someone captured a fart in a bottle and tried to mask it with fruity air freshener. I'm still trying to figure out what the evil scent is in Lick Me All Over that ruins it for me.

I don't know about all states regarding the requirement for needing a business license to sell Avon, but every state would require that you report your income--whatever method you use to obtain it.

I think the Avon thing has been discussed before. The "Avon Ladies" are simply sales reps. They don't own the company and they don't manufacture anything.

Are you talking about Swan Creek? They have some yummy smelling candles!

I'm just getting started doing outdoor craftshows, but I haven't seen a requirement for white tents yet. I've been to craft shows though, and seen some pretty skanky looking "white" tents. I think people might associate a red tent with food. It seems a lot of outdoor food vendors use red and white themes.