Long Time!

Oh my gosh!  Can't believe it has been so long since I last blogged.  I always say "no more" but it always happens.  I am really not good at coming up with something to blog about.  Always did hate having to write letters when I was young, which has been a long time ago.  Now in this age of emails, face book, messaging it seems no one writes letters anymore.  My sister-in-law had sent my granddaughters a birthday card with some money and I told my son they needed to write her a letter thanking her.  He said they would just call and I said "NO" write a letter or send a card.  Well after about a month he told me they did sent her a letter and my sister-in-law had already told me about the sweet letter they had sent.  I'am afraid in a case of do what I say and not what I do I would have just called!!

Well down to candle business.  I keep telling myself that after about 13 years of making candles I am about ready to quit then I see some new scents that just sound so good and then I am off buying more oils and of course then I can't quit, got to play with my new oils!  Business has slowed down over the last couple of years.  The internet is saturated with candle makers, some good and probably to many bad because the buy supplies today, make a candle, then start selling.  A lot think it is a get rich quick business but the real truth is the opposite.  Get poorer!!  Buying supplies, shipping, testing and testing to make sure what you have made is really good is certainly no money maker!  Add to that a lot think they have to buy a "big name" candle or it won't be good.  Of course many just pick up one at WalMart or Dollar Store because they just don't want to spend the extra dollars for a good candle.

Well for somebody that can't think of anything to say not sure where all of this has come from.  Could be the 3 cups of coffee I've been drinking!

Down to candle business now!  Like I said I have added some new oils and I have added the popular jelly jar to my line of jars.  I have had to go up on the price of my jars, would add a sad face but don't know where to find the little smiley things!  After doing the bookkeeping it told me what I really should be charging!  Especially after I saw where a candle maker was selling the same jar I have for double what I was charging!  Honestly I said I wouldn't pay that much to buy one myself! My price is still not as much as their's was but it is more than it had been.  The jars are the only candles I did go up on though.  Shipping on jars with the weight of them and then some suppliers had also gone up I just couldn't wait any longer.

These are just some pictures of the 20 or so new scents I have been testing this month.  Really liked all of them but of course couldn't afford to order that many new ones.  I did order 11 of them and I do have a special on certain jars, pillar sizes, and 4 and 6 pack votives and melts.  Order any of them and the price shown is 10% off the original price.  This is the link to the page- http://www.rubyrosecandles.com/newscentsales.html

I have decided to join the age of Instagram!  Still learning it and at my age it does take a while.  Never used my phone for much than calling and texting!  I have a link on my home page to my Instagram but if you just want to look me up just search for rubyrosecandle

Another new thing I am trying to learn is hash tags!! Gee, when I first saw people using them on face book I didn't know what in the world they were and why they were using them!  Trying to learn all this after 65 is not easy!!

Guess I have rambled enough.  Probably should have saved some of this for maybe next week but then I wouldn't have remembered.

Thanks for reading this if you made it this far!  Like my face book page https://www.facebook.com/rubyrosecandles and I also have a group page you can join and keep up with new things and such, post questions, reviews (good I hope) or whatever as long as it's about me!  https://www.facebook.com/groups/rubyrosecandles/

Explanation of Different Waxes and Just Ramblings

I have never been one to bash any candle maker's choice of wax they choose to make their candles from.  I make paraffin candles.  That is what I started with, didn't really know there was another choice!  I like paraffin wax.  It makes a good candle with a great scent throw and when made correctly there is little to no sooting.  Many soy candle makers bash paraffin and they will list all kinds of harm that it does to the human population.  I have made soy candles in the past and offered them for sale but have not had even one that ordered soy over paraffin.

I saw this link I will post below that someone posted on a candle forum after yet another candle make had posted a YouTube of  the worst bashing I have ever heard of paraffin wax!  This YouTube I will link to does a very good and informative explanation of paraffin, palm, and soy wax.  Hope it works, can't test it until I publish it!
http://www.youtube.com/attribution_link?a=JIJxjAUUaJ4&u=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DniByF8xHPQI%26list%3DUU-Znny2_fN1XXq88QdENAyQ%26feature%3Dshare%26index%3D21

Things have been slow in the candle shop this summer.  Of course I was expecting it to be, many people don't burn candles that much during the hot summer months.  Many are on vacations or like my son's children are busy all summer long with softball.  Softball has seemed to really gain popularity in the last couple of years.  My granddaughters love it and it seems they have practice about every day and games every week-end!  I really don't see how working parents manage!  My daughter-in-law is a school teacher so she has the summer off and can make a workable schedule for the girls!

School starts back for my county Friday.  I remember when I was young and I was always ready for school to start back after what seemed like a long summer.  Anxious to see my friends again and I enjoyed school. Mother always made sure I got a new hair permanent and had a new outfit to wear my first day!  School was so much simplier back in the day.  Now they give you a long list of supplies you have to buy for your school year and you absolutely have to have a new book bag with your name or initials monagrammed on it! Back "in the day" we just carried our books in our arms.  I remember I did have a - think we called it a "book satchel" one time but it was just to much trouble to carry.  Now the ones they use and all the "stuff" they have in them will give every child a bad back!  I won't even talk about how expensive it is now.  Parents with many children will go broke just getting them ready for back to school!

I will be adding several new fall scents to my web page in the next few days.  I have been testing them and so far am really liking them.  Of course that's my kind of scents - spicy and bakery!  I don't remember if I have blogged since I started making candles with wood wicks but I am really liking them.  (Memory is another of "those things" that goes away when you get my age)! You can actually hear the sizzle & crackle sound they make. Feel like you are sitting by an open fire place and it is cold outside even though it is actually 100 degrees but you are cooling it in your air conditioned room!  The wood wick candles are only available in two size jars and a tumbler.

I have been making several chunk pillars this summer and one customer said they were to pretty to burn and I do agree with her!  I told her I would just have to make her some ugly ones to burn!  I love chunk pillars with the different color chunks in them!   They are fun to make also!

      

Well, that just about covers all that I can think of at the moment.  I really need to get up from this computer and clean house and wash a load of clothes.  I have let everything go this week because I had my granddaughters Mon & Wed, their Granny had the Tue & today!  I am Grama!

Don't forget to like me on Face Book and follow me on Twitter to stay up with what's new.  I am on Pinterest but haven't been as active I should be!

Until I can think of something new to ramble about!
Elaine
www.rubyrosecandles.com