Forgot to say..please e-mail me direct@riddle249@tds.net for some reason I don't get my messages forwarded from GW. Thanks, Carolyn

I LOVE Gelluminations-- their scents have consistently good throw. I also like Cajun's Candles for their super strong foody smells and Early American Candle Company for just good standard basics. Candle Soylutions has some unique combinations too. Good luck. & always order SAMPLES!!!!! before committing to larger sizes! (Lots of experience there lol)

I've been making candles for the past 25 years and the one thing that I can tell you that you will hear again and again is TEST TEST TEST.. and it's truly the best advice to give.. Bitter Creek Candle Supply (http://www.candlesupply.com/) offers good things for newbies.. they sell sample packs of wicks, and wax in 10-11 lb slabs, and their shipping is pretty good.. and the prices are reasonable I've tried some of their fragrance oils and they are pretty good, if you like B&B Work type fragrances then it's TonyÂs Fragrance Oils hands down, they are a little higher on some things but they ship their oils in Boston Rounds not plastic! And you can use the empty bottles for mixing your own blends I also use them for room sprays http://www.tonysfragranceoils.com/ Hope this helps, tori~

I have been making and selling candles for ten years now. When I started, I was using parafin but within a year I switched to soy. That was about the time they had introduced soy. I use a crock pot. My husband drilled a hole near the bottom, on the side, and put a spicot on it. I melt the wax in the crock pot. I have it set on the dial where it wil heat the wax to 150 degrees. I then pour the amount of melted wax that I want (let's say 14oz) into a glass measuring cup. I then add the scent. Usually about 1oz. It also depends on how strong the scent is, so take a wiff while your stirring. That will be about how strong it will be when the candle is burning. Then I add the coloring. I've tried different ways to color and I liked the liquid color the best but now I don't use any coloring. My label for my jars are the color the candle would be. As soon as I have added the sent and color, I pour it right into the jars.(I use 8oz mason jars) I don't heat my jars first but I do have my wicks already 'glued' into the jars before I pour in the wax. I put a dab of hot glue on the wick tab and attach it to the bottom of the jar. That way it stays centered and in place while the wax is cooling. The 14oz that I mentioned above plus the scent will fill two 8oz jars just right. Once the wax cools, I cut off the wick and put on the lid. I have not had any problems with the scent of my candles. I have repeat buyers. My question to you is what kind of wick do you use. I use a hemp core wick that is already tabbed and dipped in wax to stiffen it. It sounds as if you might be using a zinc core wick. The zinc core wicks will cause alot of the same problems you're having. I tried to use up the zinc core wicks that I had left over from when I made parafin candles and they do not work in soy wax. I was trying to save myself some money but that didn't work. I buy my supplies from Bitter Creek Candle Supply. A link to their site below. I would recommend them to anyone. They have alot of helpful ideas and they do have live help on their site. I don't know what time of day but they usually have someone on there everyday. You can also call them on the phone and there is always someone available. They love talking about candles. I hope this has helped you. Keep trying, you'll get the hang of it. Cindy Here is a link that might be useful: Bitter Creek Candle Supply