About 6 years ago, I began pouring candles. Soy candles to be exact. Soy because I like the motto: Friends Don't Let Friends Burn Paraffin, right? I was first introduced to soy candles at an arts and craft fair. I loved the fact that the wax used to make them came from soybeans that some American farmer was harvesting. As I went on to research, I found out the many health benefits of soy. From that moment on I was sold. Since I am an adventurous soul, I began reading articles on the art of candle making and decided to pour a few candles. I was shocked when I lit my first candle and there was fire and a nice scent. I thought for some reason they probably would not work. Kind of like the time I tried to make greeting cards with my new found calligraphy pen. I had all the equipment but no skill. Let me emphasis no skill. My pen kept leaking and I went around for weeks with a permanently tatooed right thumb.
After a few trials and errors, I began giving soy candles away as gifts and testing out new products on my poor friends and family. Over the years, I have consistently made candles for people closest to me and their friends. It has kept me fairly busy in spurts. Recently,I decided to bump it up a notch and start focusing a little more on the business/hobby. I attended my second craft fair this past weekend. It went.....well......well actually....see for yourself.
Nike Girl woke up at pre-dawn excited to go and participate in the craft fair. Against my better mommy judgment I said yes, she could go. She helps me pour and label the candles so I wanted to keep her involved. I absolutely love that she helps. Weebok was fast asleep when we left for the adventure or else she would have wanted to tag along , too.
It was a very organized event . Only complaint was that the booths were set up within 6 inches of each other so it was a tight squeeze. So tight in fact, Nike Girl got stuck in between our booth and the booth next to us. Unfortunately, the booth was manned by a rather cranky lady peddling her merchandise. Nike Girl knocked over an entire rack of earrings within 5 minutes of our arrival. Then 2 minutes after that I tripped on the corner of her table and knocked over a stained glass frame which did not break. Thank goodness. At this point I was offering the cranky lady free products straight from my table to her hands so she would not make Nike Girl and myself cry. 15 minutes after that I had lit a sample candle on our booth table. Nike Girl bent down to get her artwork bag and somehow managed to light her hair on fire. A customer who ended up not buying any products started clapping her hands in Nike Girls hair to swat it out. I turned around and saw the event unfold and stood in shock ,I believe. Nike Girl was okay but it sure did stink for awhile. Not good for business.
The rest of the day went smoothly until 30 minutes before closing. A lady was smelling one of my candles, Pine Forest , to be exact, when all of the sudden she just passed out and fell like a wet noodle. I went into professional PT mode momentarily and made sure she was okay. She was but had to be rolled away in a wheelchair while I chased behind trying to give her the merchandise she had bought and paid for. Kind of tacky on my part, but she paid for it. Again, not good for business. Even more ironic, was the sign that stated behind my booth that a portion of my company's proceeds goes toward Free Wheelchair Mission.
So there you have it, the life of a candle maker. It sounds uneventful, feels uneventful as I sit in my basement at the wee hours of the morning pouring candles, but actually it has proven to be quite the opposite this past week. I have three more shows lined up before Christmas. It will be hard to top this past weekend, I hope.
Peace.
The "New Balance" Girl
Running Report: Running in a cold north wind wakes you up in the morning. Just an observation. I dread the treadmill months but realize that there are more days than not of running outside. Looking forward to a spring marathon.
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