Holiday Crafting with Kids

With Mason Jars & Water Crystals on sale this month at BCS what a PERFECT time to visit making these gems!

These are a great project for the holidays. If you are a Scout Leader or a are in charge of a Sunday School Class or even a Grade School Teacher, these make PERFECT take and make projects for the kids to give Mom for the Christmas! If you have a craft show booth, have the product on hand and have the kids do them as take and make where they  "help" and picks their own scent (This can get messy so make sure to have an extra set of hands if you choose this route!) but in general these make great air fresheners for the bathroom or other small area.

Supplies List:
Fragrance (I used Mistletoe & Ivy)
Mason Jars
Vented Daisy Lid
Plastic Sealing Disc
Water crystals
FD&C Bath and Body Dye (I used Green) *DO NOT USE CANDLE DYES!
Distilled Water

Fill your jar with water. For every ounce the jar holds, use  .75 oz distilled water. So for an 8 oz jar you would use 6 oz water, for a 12 oz jar 9 oz water and for a 16 oz jar you would use 12 oz water. Warm the water up so that it's not boiling but hot, this helps the water crystals to absorb the water MUCH faster! Add now your dye. I used the green FD&C Bath and Body dye for this and just added until it was the color I wanted.  Now for every 6 oz of water, use 1 tablespoon of the beads for the best results. You can use less but I find more is better. Add these items together. Photo shows what the beads look like as they are placed in water before they are fully swelled.

Once this part is done, it's a waiting game. I like to wait until the water crystals have absorbed all the water and are plump. Once this happens add your fragrance. I find that depending on the scent, I like about 1/4 oz of scent per 8 oz jar. Add your scent to this and let it be. I don't stir or anything at this point, I find that the less floating water in these the better off you are. ONLY use distilled water to prevent the possibility of mold and pass this tip along to your customer who will refresh them as well. Distilled water only. :) 

These are not over strong with most scents so are best suited to small areas. You can decorate the jars, you can add labels, different colored Daisy lids and more!   

Smelly Jellies are the PERFECT item for Holiday Crafting with Kids!

Happy Crafting!
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I is for Ingredients!

This month we have a few great oils on sale at BCN that a lot of people may not use or understand. If you make soap or cosmetics or want to, this blog is for you! 

The first product is Sesame Oil. One of my favorite oils! 

This is a highly conditioning oil and is EXCELLENT in soap!!!! This is an excellent choice as a conditioning oil, and it also helps create a nice stable lather. This is also an excellent oil when used in massage oils as well and works wonderful as conditioning after bath oil when blended with Cyclomethicone! 

The second product is Liquid Glycerine. This is one of those things that really has a lot of uses but most people have never used it. Works great for mixing oxide colorants for use in soap making, you can use this to make Lava Lip Gloss too! 

We at this time do not carry the roller ball bottles for this but we do carry all the other ingredients to make it! The Castor Oil, the Liquid Glycerin, The Flavor Oils! This is an awesome stocking stuffer item and this is the perfect time of year to try it!

The third is Castor Oil. Oh how I love Castor oil too! It's the best thing on earth to make soap lather like there is no tomorrow! It's one of those I can't live as a soaper without it oils! It is also excellent for use in the Lava Lip Balms, and it's super for adding gloss to other lip products as well.

If you ever plan to make a shampoo bar, this will be your go-to oil! If you haven't tried it do so, you won't regret adding this rich oil to your line up!

Finally is Sweet Almond Oil. Sweet Almond is probably the best oil I have ever used for massage! I love a great massage and sweet almond gives the perfect glide! Ahhhhhhhhh! Along with being an excellent choice for massage oils it's great for an after bath oil mixed with Cyclomethicone, it's wonderful for use in CP and HP soaps, it works amazing in hand crafted from scratch lotions and so many more applications. This is one of those oils that truly everyone should have on their shelves and use it often!

Soap Pouf-on-a-Rope!

Soap Poufs, the 2013 version of "Soap-on-a-Rope"!

These easy to make poufs are fun, and are something you can market to men, women and even teens and children! Everyone washes so everyone can use them!

Use poufs that match the color of the fragrance and offer fun seasonal scents! The only limit is your imagination!

Supplies:
Microwave
Microwave safe glass (Pyrex) or HDPE Plastic measure cup
Sharp knife to cut soap
Rubbing alcohol in spray bottle 
Stainless steel spoons to stir soap
Mold for the pouf (I used a ziploc storage bowl. Find something that fits your pouf!)
Bath Pouf
Melt and Pour Soap. I used clear but you can use white and you can also color it using FD&C dyes)
Fragrance (I used Candy Corn *this scent MAY in time discolor)

First, cut up and melt your soap in the microwave. The pouf I used was quite large and required 6 weight oz of soap base. You will want to test to determine how much each of yours will hold. Melt your soap in the microwave using short 30 second burst and stirring between each just until the soap is melted, do NOT over-heat the soap. 

Once the soap is fully melted add any fragrance or color you desire and stir well. 

Pour a small amount of soap into the bottom of the mold. 

Spritz the pouf liberally with rubbing alcohol then the top of the poured soap and insert the pouf into the soap. 

Pour the remainder of the soap over the top of the pouf SLOWLY to be sure to saturate as much as possible. Using your spoon gently push the pouf down into the soap....be careful doing this or the soap can start to foam.

Wait until the soap completely cools and remove the pouf and your soap is ready! You can now package and sell. I recommend packaging in cellophane bags tied off with a cute hang tag for retail sales. 

Use your imagination and create some super fun Christmas poufs for sale at your next show! They are easy to make! This is also a great project for a Sunday School class to be made into Christmas Gifts for Mom! 






Happy Soap and Candle Making!
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Lip Balms & Solid Perfumes

Today I will be using our creamy, all natural base to make Lip Balms AND Solid Perfumes that are just plain awesome!!! Just follow the instructions below using the recommended supplies.

You will need:
Lip Balm & Lotion Bar Base
Lip Balm Tubes, Pots or Tins
Flavor Oil
Fragrance Oil
Mica which is optional


Scoop out your desired amount (a standard lip balm tube like I've used holds .15 WEIGHT ounces each) into a glass pyrex measuring cup. I find the 1 Cup size perfect for making balms as it is easy to handle.

Melt the base in the microwave on the low setting, stirring often until it liquefies completely. 

Add your flavor oil or fragrance oil if you are making a solid perfume and stir well (With our flavors and fragrances, I would typically use 6% or 1 weight oz of flavor or fragrance per lb of base. Average use is 3-6% or 1/2 to 1oz per pound, sweetener is optional with non-sweetened flavor oils or essential oils (our Kiss Kwenchers flavor oils are pre-sweetened). 

At this time, you can also add lip safe mica to the liquid base if you'd like to add a little color! Color really makes them stand out in the crowd!

Pour into lip balm tubes, tins or pots, leaving about 1/4" if using tubes and allow to harden. 
Re-heat any remaining base once they have settled and re-pour to finish them off.


These great little perfumes and lip balms cost very little to make but can make you a bundle of profit! Lip Balms range in the $3-$4.00 price range in most locations. 


You can make a variety of products with this base easily including:

* Menthol "Vapor Rub" Stick – use eucalyptus & camphor or peppermint, tea tree oil, etc.
*Under Eye Moisture Stick (best unscented for use near eyes).

*Lip balms (use our Kiss Kwenchers™ pre-sweetened flavor oils, or edible EO's)
*Lotion bars (use lotion/skin safe fragrance oils only).
*Solid perfume sticks – great for purse size & travel!
*Elbow grease – excellent on rough dry elbows, knees and heels!
*Foot balm – funky feet, foot fetish,
*Cuticle conditioning balm for fingernails & toenails - sell in sticks, tins or jars.
*Body butter – try whipping it!
*Massage bar – use massage bar soap mold and relaxing EO’s!
*Shimmer stick – add mica powder and/or cosmetic glitter for a sparkly perfume stick!
*Make up remover stick - use unscented in eye area.
*Suntan butter bar - use a tropical scent like Pina Colada or Honey Coco Mango! *Pampered Paws Doggy & Kitty Paw Balm – for rough or cracked animal paws! 
*Market it as either a Shea Butter, Cocoa Butter, Soy lotion, vitamin E bar, etc.
*Use with EO’s for an all natural product.

Don't forget to label your products ingredients per FDA guidelines.

Tip: Place Lip balms near your cash register if you own a retail store or on the table in the front nearest where you package the customers items at a show. Lip balm is a small item that fits easily in a basket and works excellent as an impulse item! Bet you sell a lot of them using this method!


Happy Cosmetics Making!
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Product Liability Insurance

Product liability insurance; It seems to be the last thing people think about when they plan to start selling their products. Weather your plan to sell one or one million, it's really the first thing they should have. Since I've been asked about this subject several times in the past weeks alone, I thought with the upcoming season of high sales and craft shows it was the best time to blog about it and give people some help in finding a policy that fits their needs. In our litigious society, people sue readily so it's best to be covered!

What is product liability insurance you ask? Product liability insurance protects the business from claims related to the manufacture or sale of products, food, medicines or other goods to the public. It covers the manufacturer's or seller's liability for losses or injuries to a buyer, user or bystander caused by a defect or malfunction of the product, and, in some instances, a defective design or a failure to warn. In a nutshell, it will protect you, the manufacturer of the products in the case of a lawsuit up to the dollar amount you are insured for. 

I have found that area by area and state by state coverage's will vary as will companies that sell policies.  I have been in the same shoes as you are now and I know how frustrating it can be.  We were dropped 2 months into our first renewal.  It seems that as we got bigger, fewer companies want to deal with the liability although my premiums keep making them more and more money.  I have yet to have a claim in all my years. 

Although I cannot help you find an agent or a company in your local area, I can help you find new coverage.  If you or any other person who is finding themselves in need of coverage, follow this you will find insurance.

• Open the local Yellow Pages and look under "Insurance".  I know this seems very obvious, trust me sometimes it is the LAST place people seem to look. You can also try an internet search engine and search for Commercial Business Insurance in your area. 

• The size of your area will dictate what is shown in the Yellow Pages. If you live in a smaller area, this may be a single page where as in a larger metro area it is likely to be broken down by insurance type. If you live in a larger area, be sure to look for "Commercial" or "Business" Insurance. Most agencies do not cover commercial needs as they are highly specialized so looking at companies that primarily insure Home and Auto are not what you want.
    
• Look for "Insurance Brokers". These are smaller independent agencies that deal more with specialty policies and unlike State Farm, and Prudential, etc., they deal with a variety of carriers and can generally handle just about anything that needs to be covered.
  
  
• Ask for the proper coverage. You need General Liability as well as Product Liability.  So many candle makers out there only have General but no Product, and that is not going to cover you in the case of a faulty product claim.
  
  
• Generally it's best for crafters to insure for $1-5 Million in coverage. $1 Million is acceptable in some areas, $1 million is not enough in others. Look at the areas that you will be selling in.
  
  
• Finally, get as many quotes as you can.  We found that policies can be exactly the same in coverage but can cost you in some cases 100% more than the next company. It really pays to shop around for this kind of coverage! 

There are two Crafters Guilds that I know of for sure offer low cost insurance:
Indie Beauty Network www.indiebusinessnetwork.com
Handcrafted Soap Makers Guild www.soapguild.org.

Good luck in your quest to find insurance. If you know of other guilds or groups that offer insurance at a special rate to their members, please let me know at techsupport@candlesupply.com and I will get them listed along with the above.
 
Happy Candle & Soap Making!
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