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Thursday, October 27, 2011

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Christmas

Christmas is coming and people will start looking for gifts. Post your Christmas items here.

This is a great place to show off your items. List as many as you want. Don't be shy about listing.

Monday, October 17, 2011

Paraffin vs Soy Wax

I have seen quite a few comments and questions regarding the burning of soy wax vs the burning of paraffin wax. There is a lot of information out there in support of soy wax. Most of this support is that soy wax is biodegradable, which it is, it burns cleaner, which it doesn't and it doesn't produces soot, which it does.

I have been looking at these two waxes to find out more information. This is what I found out from the National Candle Association, www.candles.org, which is the governing body of candle manufacturers in the United States.

Both soy wax and paraffin wax are biodegradable, both produce soot, neither is water soluble and the soot is not harmful.

To make soy wax, the soybeans are combined with chemicals to produce the wax like properties. Based on this, soy wax is not completely natural. Most fragrances that are added are not natural, so a soy wax candle cannot be "all natural". Soy wax can cause problems in people who are allergic to soy.

Paraffin wax is commonly used to coat fruits at the grocery store, is used for canning or adding to food, is a known preservative. YES paraffin wax is edible. These are just some of the other uses paraffin wax can be used for instead of candles. Soy wax cannot be used for these purposes.

In my making of candles, I have found that soy wax sticks to the mold more often than paraffin wax. I have started mixing paraffin in with the soy wax I use. They both cost about the same per pound. Soy wax also will not make a good pillar candle unless it is mixed with something to give it the strength to stand outside of a mold.

Which do I prefer? I really have no preference. I use a mixture of soy and paraffin. Since I have to purchase paraffin wax to give the soy wax the ability to stand outside of a mold, I may go back to just purchasing paraffin wax.

Sunday, October 16, 2011

New candles coming

I am trying to get a few new candles ready for Christmas and listed. I have some already listed, but there are some more coming. Some of the scents that are coming are mistletoe, Christmas tree, blue spruce and some more Christmas Hearth.

I am also planning on listing some more candles besides Christmas scents. These candles wold be great gifts and could be used all year. Scents I am thinking of include cinnamon, lavender vanilla, peach, coffee, vanilla coffee and even some candles that look like a coffee with whipped topping. This would not be in a mug, just a pillar candle with a coffee scent and whipped topping on the top. I have made a few of these in the past. They look very close to a cup of latte with the cream on top. The scent has been very good on these candles also.

Saturday, October 15, 2011

30% off sale

I have a 30% off sale going in my artfire studio. I need to get rid of some of the candles for new ones. I am hoping this will help in getting things moving.

With this sale, you can get some really nice candles for any occasion. There are some candles for Christmas, Mother's day, or any other occasion. You could stock up and have candles on hand for your own home or to give as gifts. Visit my artfire studio at http://www.artfire.com/ext/shop/studio/shymousee_handmade_clothes.

If there is something you want, but don't see it, please email me. I may have it in stock or can make it.