Support our Fund on Etsy Project to Make DejaVino Candles a Reality!

For a long time now my sister and I have wanted to expand The Pig and the Peacock and add new products to our line. However, between our real jobs, keeping up with wholesale orders and organizing charity events with Etsy Dallas, it leaves us little time to make anything new.

We have been wanting to launch a new item to our shop called DejaVino Recycled Wine Bottle Candles. We make DejaVino candles by upcycling wine bottles. First we hand cut the wine bottles, then sand them down by hand too. We then etch quotes or images into the bottles using etching creme before hand-pouring them with 100% soy wax.

Prototypes of our DejaVino Recycled Wine Bottle Candles. Production candles will be sandblasted for a more impactful etch

We got the idea to make these candles by watching the bartenders at my boyfriends restaurant (Cafe Izmir) toss dozens of wine bottles in the trash every night. We just thought that there had to be something we could do to give those bottle new life, hence the name DejaVino. We have actually now provided Cafe Izmir with custom DejaVino candles with their logo etched on to them!

Currently what stands in our way of making this new line of candles is two things:

1. Scalability of soap making production.
• Our soaps are made in small batches which make it time consuming to produce large quantities to keep up with orders
2. Scalability of DejaVino production.
• As mentioned above every step of making DejaVino candles is done by hand. While they will still be 100% handmade, there is a big difference between hand sanding, and utilizing a belt sander. There is also a big difference in time and quality in using etching creme vs using a sandblaster.

How will this Fund on Etsy project help us?

1. Scalability of soap making production.
• We will be able to have custom soap molds made that are 100% larger than the current ones we have. Doubling our capacity will give us back valuable time to create new items like the DejaVino candles.
2. Scalability of DejaVino production.
• Since our arm feels like it is going to fall off after sanding 5 bottles, it is really important to get some tools. Roughly half of the funds raised will go towards a membership to Dallas Makerspace. There they have all the tools we need to streamline production of DejaVino candles, such as belt sanders and sandblasting cabinets.
• The sandblasting cabinet is key to our production as it creates a much sharper, cleaner, deeper etch in the bottles that can not be achieved with the etching creme. It is also a lot faster too, which means we can etch more on any given day.

We are really excited about this opportunity to grow and hope that you will help support us by backing this project! We are also so honored that Etsy has chosen us to be one of the shops to be part of their Fund on Etsy launch!

How can you back this project? It's easy. Follow this link to our DejaVino Recycled Wine Bottle Fund on Etsy page and choose your reward level! We have a large selection of rewards from $5-$500, with a lot of goodies at every level!

How-To Prepare for a Craft Show Part 1.2: Lay Out Your Booth Space and Displays

A continuation of the blog post we guest wrote on Etsy Dallas about craft show setup.

From part one of the Etsy Dallas blog post:

Lay Out Your Booth Space and Displays

About three weeks before the show, plan your booth space. Decide what your table layout will be, how your displays will be set up and where chairs and product storage will go but still be easily accessible. Tape off the booth space on the floor or driveway and be sure everything fits. Once you have a "floor plan," decide how your goods will be displayed.

It is important to do this because often you only have an hour or two to unload and set up for a show. Depending on your product unloading could take you 30 mins or more. Have to set up a tent? Add 10-15 min for that...tables? 5 more. That is 50 of your time right there, give or take 10 min based on the product you make. So it's imperative that you plan ahead on set up or you will either be unprepared or rushing right before the show starts.

What should you do in this dry run setup? Tape off on the floor or driveway (with painters tape) your exact booth space. Bonus points for setting up your tent in your driveway and working with that (and double checking that your tent is in order and you have all your parts and pieces).

Once you have your booth space marked off or tent set up you should consider the following:

• How many tables will you need and what should their layout be-keep in mind you should leave room around the tables so you can enter and exit your booth space
• Where and how will my displays be set up
• Will my displays hold my product?
• Can I see over and work around my displays?
• Did I leave work space for myself to write receipts, wrap or package purchases, put my soda?

Try a couple different layouts. You may think you have laid out the best option, but try a few more anyways. You never know what you will come up with and it is a good exercise to do, just in case when you arrive at the show your booth space or location changes. It pays to be prepared with  a few options and be flexible.

Missed Part 1.1? Find it here:

How-To Prepare for a Craft Show Part 1.1: Make Enough Product

Candle Burning Tips

Woo! It got cold this past weekend here in Dallas! Time to bundle up with some blankets and relax at home with your favorite holiday candle burning to fill your home with yummy smells.

So we thought it would be a good time to post some candle tips to help you burn your candles safely and help you get the most burn time out of them.

A little science lesson first though...Just exactly how does a candle work? Understanding this process is important for candle makers but will also help you understand how to use and enjoy candles more :)
The wax in a candle serves as the fuel for the flame and is absorbed into the wick through capillary action. Too much melted wax and you can drown out your flame, not enough and you will starve the flame of fuel to continue burning. This brings us to our first candle burning issue, inadequate burn time.

A common problem we see with candles is inadequate burn time. A candle needs to burn approx one hour for every inch in diameter. When candles are not burned long enough to create an even wax pool, it will not allow all the wax to melt in future burns, and will leave a wall of wax around the wick. It is important that every time you burn your candle, you allow it to burn long enough to melt all the way across to prevent it from tunneling down. Sometimes when a candle tunnels down too far, there is too much melted wax and your candle will eventually drown itself out. When you don't have enough time to burn a candle for a few hours, consider burning a tealight or votive.

Example of uneven melting:

Proper candle melt pool:

Another cause of uneven melting is placing your candle in drafty areas. Not only will this cause uneven melting, but it may cause wax to splash out of the container or the wick to smoke.

In addition to that, another way to keep wick smoke to an absolute minimum it to keep the wick trimmed to 1/4" before burning your candle. A flame that is too big may melt too much wax for the candle to burn and may drown itself out. Don't cut it too short though or your flame will not be big enough to melt the wax!

What can you do if one of your candles starts to tunnel? Take a knife or spoon and scrape out the excess wax that has formed a wall around the wick. This will help allow your candle to burn properly, provided you allow it the correct amount of burn time in the future.

When you want to extinguish your candle use a dipper or snuffer to put it out. This will create less smoke and soot. If you don't plan to burn a candle for a while, store them in a cool dry place to preserve the fragrance.

One last tip-Never, ever leave a burning candle unattended! Regardless if you have kids or pets-it is never safe!