The
1st Annual Gel Candle Convention
March 2001
Las Vegas
Comments
& Observations by Jeannie
The
First Gel Candlemakers Convention was
held in Las Vegas, NV on March 12, 13, & 14 2001
The number of gellers attending were 140 and we all
had a great time, except maybe the ones that came down
with the flu (bummer). With 11 Vendors and 4 speakers
a lot of information was given out.
The
Speakers:
Penreco (gel wax producer) had a booth and David Morrison
talked about "Polarity Test" the miscibility of fragrance
oils in mineral oil" and about the gel wax, flash points
testing fragrance oils for being gel safe and mixing
the fragrance oils into the gel, using grafts on a overhead
projector MIXING FO INTO GEL: mix FO into the gel when
it is melted and stir thoroughly for 4 to 5 minutes,
then let sit, so the bubbles will raise to the top,
bring temp to 220*F, then slowly pour.
Roy
Demaret from SCORE talked about "Starting a business/Marketing
your business/Insurance for your business". He
said you should go to a insurance company that handles
business insurance instead of a company that covers
our homes and cars. He answered questions on these subjects.
Jill
Bullwinkle from Wick N Clip gave us a "Wicks 101". She
talked about the start up of her company and how they
had started small and now have 11 employees. Jill described
how they make their wicks. Then she answered question
on wicks asked by the attendees.
Clariant's
(a dye company) Mark Self talked about "Color Chemistry
& Coloration of Candles" with pictures on the overhead
projector. Sorry I was not able to hear the talk.
The
Vendors:
Penreco (gel company), Barbara Montgomery & Tom Daly,
Jr. from Belle Aire Fragrance Company (producers of
FO), Lynn & Tom Thomas from How To Make & Market Your
Gel Candles with her new book, Jill Bullwinkle and Tom
McGuire from Wick N Clip (Wick producer), Dee and Reed
Buckley from Silky Tyme (Online Store), Critter from
Critterlights (geller T-shirts), Pylam Products (candle
dyes), Jeanie (me) from Purrfect Scents (sand castles,
lighthouses & more), Wicks Unlimited (wicks ), Bill
& Dave Binder from Candlewic (wicks & wax embeds), and
Clariant (candle dyes).
Most
of the booths give out samples and loads of information.
There were others like Doreen from Wick Your Wax, and
Karla from Creations of Illumination who also give out
samples. I want to thank Lyn Lewis (Queen Carmelita)
who went through all the trouble and expenses to make
us all the cute Gel Candlemakers Convention Buttons.
The
dinner of Chicken Picatta was very good and the
company delightful. Centerpieces were provided by me
Jeanie/Purrfect Scents.
Through
the generosity of many companies and my begging we had
75 door prizes to give away and only about 60 people
(due to the flu) to get them. Door Prizes included:
gift certificates ranging from $10.00 to $100.00; glass
and wax embeds;Gel Candle ebooks; luggage, and even
shirts (Penreco).
A
good time was had by all. I want to also thank everyone
for sharing their experience in gel candlemaking and
answering questions for a lot of beginners.
SEE
YOU NEXT YEAR IN SAN DIEGO, CA or check my website for
conventions in your part of the country.www.conventions.bigstep.com
Jeanie/Purrfect
Scents
Comments
From Lynn
Thank
you, Jeanie.
I
hope Jeanie's report and my pictures give you a taste
of the convention... the information... the ideas...
the fun.
We
all had a wonderful time... and it was such a great
opportunity to put faces with the voices and emails.
The following is a sampling of the fun... hope you enjoy...
and more importantly...
Hope to see you Next Year!
Welcome
to the 1st Annual Gel Candle Convention
~ March 12-15, 2001 ~ Imperial Palace Hotel ~ Las Vegas,
Nevada..
Upon
entering the Showroom, you will have been greeted by
Karen Giordano... who was Jeanie's helper as she handed
out Goodie Bags stuffed with information and free "goodies'.
Karen makes paraffin candles as "Two Angel Candles"
~ Thanks, Karen!
Vendor
Booths. It was great meeting all the Vendors. There was:
Belle-Aire
Fragrances~Illinois
http://www.belle-aire.com
Thomas W. Daly, Jr. (Texas) & Barbara Montgomery
Very friendly... and informative.
Candlewic
Candle Supply~Pennsylvania
http://www.candlewic.com
"Wax, Wick, Color, Scent"
Bill & Dave Binder
Gave away really cool wax embeds and wicks... Thanks!
Clariant
http://www.clariant.com
Mark F. Self, Ph.D., Technical Manager
Talked about "Color Chemistry & Coloration of Candles".
Be sure to get your Gel
Candle apron and T-shirts before you leave the Convention.
Thanks to Critter McDonell Critterlights Gel Candles
CONVENTION T'S ARE
HERE! http://critterlights.homestead.com/convention.html
If you mention you got
the link from here, you can have a 30% discount
on your order.
HowToMakeGelCandles.com
Lynn & Tom Thomas
Lynn launched her new book and autographed copies...
and met many enthusiastic gel candlers...
Patti
from Biomax visited the HowToMakeGelCandles.com
booth... and offered free embeds and a gift certificate
for each book purchased during the show... Special Thanks,
Patti!
http://www.biomax1.com
Karla
Miller (left) from Creations of Illuminations
http://www.gellycandle.com
visited Lynn Thomas (right) from HowToMakeGelCandles.com
As you can see... Karla is a lot of fun!
Penreco
http://www.penreco.com
was represented by:
David
Morrison, Ph.D., (pictured at left in picture) New
Product Development Manager
Ed
Potter, Market Manager (pictured at right in picture)
David
Guth (sorry, not in picture) Sales Representative.
David
Morrison spoke on "Polarity Testing".
Pylam
Products Co Inc.
http://www.pylamdyes.com
Pylam Dyes
William Row, Sales Representative
SilkyTyme.com
http://www.silkytyme.com
Dee Buckley's table was impressively arranged with gel
candles and supplies... and look at those hand painted
candle holders! Thanks, Dee!
Wick
Your Wax
http://www.wickyourwax.com
Doreen Colmer came all the way from British Columbia!
She is standing at a table displaying candles that were
brought to the convention by gel candle makers.
Wick
n' Clip Inc.
http://www.wicknclip.com
Jill Bullwinkle, President
Jill described how they make their wicks and answered
wick questions.
Wicks
Unlimited
http://www.wicksunlimited.com
Thomas Rubino (Marketing Manager) and Chip Rau (Technical
and Sales Rep)
Seminars
& Attendees
Penreco
Seminar - David Morrison's talk.
http://www.penreco.com
Linda
Williams from Amazing Gel Embeds stayed for a little while,
though she was feeling under the weather. Hope you're
feeling better, Linda!
http://www.gelembeds.com
Jeanie
made the ~coolest~ gel candle centerpieces!
This one looks like a real goldfish bowl!! She also made
seaswept images, and others... wish I had photographed
them all!
Update
4/6/01
Karla Miller took additional pics of the centerpieces
(made by Jeanie!) and has graciously offered them
to the newsletter! Thanks, Karla!
"Shhh...
quiet everyone... Jeanie's announcing the door prizes...
How many prizes did Dee win???"
Congratulations
to Sandie Brauns of Bubbles&Wicks who won the doorprize
(a box of embeds!) from the HowToMakeGelCandles.com
booth that was donated by Patti at http://www.biomax1.com
Banquet
Dinner networking...
Front:
l-r Ed Potter (Penreco), David Guth (Penreco), Dee Buckley
(SilkyTyme), David Morrison (Penreco)... Standing in
background -- Karla Miller (Creative Illuminations)
and...
Patti
Smith (Biomax) and Jean Dillard (Just4U Candles) and Wendy
animatedly discuss gel issues.
By the way, Wendy has terrific design ideas... and has
promised us an article for the newsletter!
It
wasn't all business... there were plenty of laughs too...
Karla
Miller (right) with her mom, Judith Lake of
Creations of Illuminations
Thanks
to all who attended... and a special thanks to Jeannie:
3
Cheers to Jeannie!!!
Editor's Note:This information is designed to provide competent and reliable information regarding the subject matter covered at the time it was published. However, updates to the topic and its industry is ongoing and it is up to you to educate yourself about current procedures regarding this topic. It is up to YOU the candle maker
to TEST TEST TEST each design or procedure prior to distribution
as sales or gifts. It is up to you to contact your Supplier and ask questions about updated procedures, design tips and products.
This information is provided with the understanding that the author and publisher are not engaged in rendering legal, financial, or other professional advice. Laws and practices often vary from state to state and if legal or other expert assistance is required, the services of a professional should be sought. The author and publisher specifically disclaim any liability that is incurred from the use or application of the contents of this publication / website.
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.
The opinions expressed
by the authors and advertisers are not necessarily those of
this website, corporate directors, officers and employees; nor is website endorsing any product or company, nor is it responsible for any information presented herein. Disclaimer.
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3
Cheers to Jeannie!!!
