Packaging

This post is going to be short and sweet tonight! Just wanted to share a little sneak peek with you. This beautiful cardstock is going to be part of the packaging. Any guesses how it will be incorporated?

Do you like?

Fragrances

I would have to say that one of the parts of making candles that I enjoy the most is testing all the yummy fragrance options there are out there. Then you get to mix things to come up with some that are all your own. It's kind of like cooking! Without the calories.

The smart business decision would probably be to find one or two suppliers and order strictly from them. A lot less work and less money in shipping. However there are way too many good suppliers out there with good fragrances.

One thing that I hope will set me apart is that my goal is to not settle for a fragrance that is good enough but find the best one on the market in that particular category. What that means is I have lots of samples sitting around my house.



I have boxes and boxes of these. In fact my oldest son ratted me out about a week ago. He told daddy that not one but two delivery men came to the house that day. Meaning we saw both our friendly FedEx guy and our UPS guy that we know by name and love. He even always brings a sucker for my oldest every time he delivers something to us.

All that being said I have learned after being a little foolish when I started this as a hobby a few years ago to order sample sizes of everything first. Then once I find something I love I order it by the pound. The best deal is by the pound but it doesn't work out to be such a good deal if you don't end up liking that particular oil!

Here's a little peak at some of my different containers from different suppliers I use.



Fragrance is a funny thing. Different things obviously appeal to different people. I always try to keep an open mind when trying new things. The first thing I always want to find out is does it smell strong when it's burning. If you can't smell it what's the point in burning it. There is a place for unscented candles for sure. But when I want something to smell...I want it to smell! Strong. Good. Enjoyable.

So most of my days involve continuing to try new things and pester my family and friends. What do you think about this? Does it smell strong? Does it smell good? I have to admit that there are days where my sniffer seems to get a little immune to everything I make so I have to take a breather or a day or two off to be able to trust it again.

A fragrance oil can smell nice out of the bottle but can change when it's mixed with different types of wax. Plus every wax behaves differently with different fragrances which is why I have to test every new fragrance to make sure it will meet our standards. Believe me when I say there have been some fragrances I so wanted to love but they just didn't perform the way I wanted them to. So all that being said what works for one persons application doesn't always work for the next persons. Once a good contender is found it gets tweaked and mixed to create a one of a kind, well thought out and executed product.

I know it's a hardship to have to test out my new frangrance oils right!

All that being said I am very excited about some of the things that we will be starting our line with. I think there will be something in there for everyone. With lots of room to grow and incorporate some of the best we can find out there.

What is your favorite scent in candles? What do you hope to see? I am really personally starting to like a lot of different things these days!

I hope to pop back on tomorrow with a peek at something fun to package our product with.

Containers

Today I am going to share a few of my containers that I'll be making. It's a hard decision to decide what containers you like. I finally went with a few different options.

None of the pictures I am sharing today are labeled yet but I thought I would give everyone a peek at what they look like before they are completed.

First up are two square containers. The smallest is a 7.5 ounce container and the bigger one is a 14 ounce container. They actually make a large one at 22 ounces that I may add at some point.

The picture above shows these containers in their raw form! Aren't they pretty. Never knew I could like glass so much. I think they are a nice modern candle that would fit in any decor.

Here they are once they have been filled with some wonderful candles. Anyone want to guess what fragrances these are?




Next up are the tureen style containers. These were what I first started making candles in. I obviously have an affection for these for that reason alone. The one thing I love about them the most is they have a nice wide opening which allows even the smallest one to really scent your room. They give off a wonderful fragrance and will fill your home with wonderful smells! They actually come in a few different sizes. In the picture below you will see 3 sizes. Unfortunately the 11 ounce only comes with the gold lid at this time. I know it doesn't quite fit in with the black lids but it is such a popular sized candle I think I'll keep it around anyway.

You are looking at a 6 ounce, 11 ounce and 20 ounce container. I am definitely carrying the 11 ounce and 20 ounce ones. I really think that 6 ounce one is adorable too though so I might add that one on at some point. What do you think? Do you like the 6 ounce little guy?





Here they are filled with some candles.




Last but not least is one last little guy that may be making an appearance sometime this summer.





I think this one will be perfect for my bakery line. I am thinking a cute little ribbon tied on to the handle with some yummy, almost edible goodness in these containers. They are a 12 ounce container.

What do you think? This is the first glimpse of all my containers I am currently working with. What do you think you'll see first? What would you like to see first?

Tomorrow I hope to pop back in and share a little about the fragrance testing....

Goodnight all!

Testing, Testing, And More Testing!

Today I thought I would share a little sneak peak into what is involved in the candle making process. The most important part of making a candle is testing it. I laugh at my naivety the first time I ever made a candle. I thought how hard could it be. Melt some wax, add some fragrance and pour it into a container. Right? Wrong! I learned very quickly that there were a lot more variables than I even could imagine.

The most important part in making a candle is safety. This is why I do so much testing.

No candle is created equal which makes it all the more rewarding when you achieve the desired result. There are many mediums to choose from. Do you want paraffin, beeswax, palm, soy, or a blend? What kind of fragrance do you want? What color do you want to achieve, which wick will work the best with your application? Learning which wick will burn the best in your medium and give you the maximum scent throw is in my opinion the hardest part of making a candle.

The picture above is just a little hint of a small part of the process I go through. I test burn many, many candles to find the best wick type, wick size and if I need to single wick or double wick a container. In this scenario the candles all are using the same wax blend that I have created, the same fragrance and amount of fragrance and the same dye amount. What is different with each one though is that I am testing three different cotnainer sizes and many different wick types and sizes.

My goal in doing this is to find the perfect combination that will give you a wick that burns optimally. This means that you will have a wick that doesn't soot to much, burn too hot or not burn hot enough to melt the wax. Once the safety issues are addressed then I want to make sure that I get the best possible scent throw from my final selections.

Once all of this has been achieved then I go back and test each fragrance individually as some are heavier than others and will still require a differnet wick size.

All that being said it can at times be frustrating but most of all it's such a joy to feel that you mastered that particular container and fragrance and can share it with others that will enjoy it as well!

I am actually off to do a little more testing right now! My wonderful UPS man just deliverd a couple of boxes of goodies tonight. It's always like Christmas around here lately.

It's kind of like cooking and even though I sometimes want to take a bite out of some of this yummy smelling stuff, I love that no calories are added in this particular recipe!

Tomorrow I'll share a sneak of some pretty containers that have been poured for individual testing!

Thank you for your service Lance Cpl. Garrett Gamble

This photo was taken by Brett Coomer of the Houston Chronicle.

This doesn't relate directly to Olive Blossom. But it does speak to my heart and I feel compelled to blog about it. Lance Cpl. Garrett Gamble paid the ultimate sacrifice on March 11, 2010. A young boy of just 20 was serving our country in the upmost honor when he was unfortunately KIA in Afghanistan. I knew the story and knew he would be brought home and flown into our local airport. I still can't quite put into words what I saw though. As I was driving home from a play date with my kids I saw the road leading up to our local airport flanked with car after car after car. I then saw hundreds of American flags flying on such a beautiful day for such a somber occasion. I truly felt blessed to live in this wonderful country and enjoy the freedoms that we so often take for granted. Because of people like Garrett Gamble my family lives in comfort knowing that the freedoms I have every day are not compromised.

I was raised in a military family. I like to think I appreciate what serving our country means. However as I was driving down this piece of highway that I drive down every day I was extremely proud to be an American and extremely proud of the honor this community showed a fallen soldier who I know was loved dearly. My oldest son asked me what was going on and why were there so many people and so many flags flying at our local airport. I couldn't even speak for a minute. I was so choked up and not sure how to explain such a huge concept to a boy so young. And being the mother of two boys I couldn't help but think about what Garrett Gambles mother must be feeling at that moment. The one thing I can almost guarantee though is that she was so proud of her son as she should be.

Moments like this remind me that each day is precious and the freedoms I live every day come at such a great cost to those that unselfishly defend the country that I love.

Thank you again Lance Cpl. Garrett Gamble for serving my country and paying the ultimate sacrifice. May God shine his light on you forever.

In the words of author Tim O'Brien:

"If I die, in the combat zone
box me up and send me home.
Put me in my Dress Blues
don't forget to shine my shoes.
Pin my medals upon my chest
tell my dad I did my best.
Tell my mama not to cry Marine Corps motto
is Do or Die.
RIP Warrior now go have a toast Chesty. "