Gel Candle Articles: Gearing up for Valentine Sales

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by Bettie Saccardo

Now that the holidays have passed, everyone is gearing up for Valentine's Day. Already the forums are abuzz with ideas for romantic candles and baskets. What are your plans?

Baskets that are made as a gift for couples are very popular. I used to make a basket with two champagne glasses, bubble bath in a chocolate cherry scent and candles. You could substitute the glasses with candles in a champagne flute and maybe some glitter sprinkled in. Makes for a nice romantic bath with your favorite partner.

Gel poured into a heart shaped containers is another idea. The gel could be a pink or red color, maybe some glitter and a sumptuous scent like Chocolate Cherry or another romantic type scent. Other great scent ideas that I've seen suggested include Chocolate Raspberry, Victoria Secrets type scents and S*x On the Beach. Also any type Champagne, rose or strawberry scent is a romantic aroma.

In addition to scents and glitter, many gellers are using embeds to add pizzazz to their creations. Many of the suppliers have valentines day embeds. Great embeds to add are hearts in pink or red, those wonderful lips and X and O's. Some chandlers are even being a bit risqué by adding "body parts" to their creations.

Another way to add embeds is to color and scent your gel, pour a layer of gel about ½ inch thick into a cookie sheet. Let it set up and use cookie cutter to cut out hearts, etc.. Be very careful when pouring your gel. It will give the gel hearts a different kind of dimension than the wax embeds. These ideas are also wonderful to keep in mind for wedding showers and gifts.

One other issue brought up this month is how do you politely tell someone that they are making dangerous candles. You know the type, you go to a craft show and there is a person selling gel candles with real candy or flammable objects. The wicks are doing the jiggly dance. There are many crafters who want to tell the person that not only are they selling dangerous candles but they are hurting the reputations of knowledgeable chandlers as well.

How do you approach these people? Your first impulse might be to shred them apart. Or maybe tell them that they are selling an inferior product and should take lessons from you. This approach might alienate you at best from this crafter, the show's producers and anyone else within hearing distance.

I have a hard time with confrontation. So I generally don't say anything knowing that at some point their inferior product will come back to haunt them. But some of the great suggestions I've heard include striking up a friendly conversation with them. Say something like "Gosh don't they have wonderful embeds for gels these days?" or "So what do you think about the whole polar vs. non-polar issue?"

By creating a friendly environment you can hopefully educate some of these folks. You know the old saying "You draw more fly's with honey than with vinegar." Many people have been given the wrong advice on how to make gel candles.

If you have a favorite forum you can invite them to join, thus hopefully educating them further. You will always come out ahead by not attacking their products but by being polite and friendly.

Thanks for letting me be a part of you life this past year and I hope everyone has a wonderful New Year.

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Gel candles may resemble a beverage or food product. All pictures and references are "non-edible" items made of nonfood (wax, glass, etc.) components. Be certain that you understand the steps and precautions in making any gel candle design and in using the gel candles. Failure to follow instructions could result in fire, injury or smoke damage. If you have any questions contact your Supplier.

It is not recommend to use flammable items, dead sea creatures, or real food items in gel candles. It is recommended that you double glass your designs, with the wick and gel in the inner glass, away from the design and gel in the outer glass. It is up to the designer to ensure that the design is safe for the end user. You/Designer should provide instructional warnings to end user, especially to not leave any burning candle unattended.

Never leave a burning candle unattended. This material is NOT intended to be used by or made by children under 18 years of age without close adult supervision. Keep all candles (gel, soy, wax) away from children. Anyone younger than 18 years of age needs adult supervision to make or handle Gel Candles. safety

Burn candle only on a stable, heat-resistant surface for no more than four hours at a time. If flame gets too large or exposed wick is greater than 1/4 inch, extinguish flame and trim wick. Keep away from drafts and flammable material. Do not allow matches or wick trimmings to fall into melt pool. Never burn the last half of a candle. Do not move while burning or if gel is still hot. Keep wick centered and trimmed to 1/4 inch to prevent smoke and soot buildup. Do not extinquish gel with water -- if possible smother the flame, or use baking soda for small flames, or a fire extrinquisher.

Get updated information about the gel from Penreco, Before lighting any candle (gel or wax) review safety precautions here. If you have any questions contact your Supplier; if you are the end user contact your Gel Candle Maker.

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