Workshop

Botanical Candle Making Workshop – September

January 10, 2025 by Adrienne Crombie Leave a Comment

Date: Sunday, September 28th

Time: 1-3pm

Cost: $80/pp

$80 – Share the Abundance – Paying full price helps to subsidize and support those that may not have the means at this time.

$70- Essential – Paying this price is in line with my financial integrity. Please use coupon code FLAME10

$60 – Basic – Paying this price is what feels right for me and my financial situation. Please use coupon code FLAME20

This hands-on workshop invites you to reconnect with the timeless art and valuable skill of candle making while cultivating a sense of calm, creativity, and mindfulness. As we melt wax and blend fragrances, you’ll experience the meditative rhythm of the process—breathing in the therapeutic aromas of pure plant essential oils and engaging your senses through each step. Participants will learn how to melt and pour wax safely, blend scents mindfully, and adorn their candles with dried botanicals like lavender, rose, and chamomile for both beauty and benefit.

We’ll explore the properties of various wax types and how different botanicals and essential oils can enhance your candle’s aesthetic and aromatic qualities. A variety of vessels and accessories (gemstones, washi tape, labels, ribbons) will be available, allowing you to personalize your creations to suit your space, style, and spirit, or to make the perfect gift.

As we allow our wax to firm up, we’ll take part in a ritual to connect with nature on the beautiful grounds of the farm, and to reflect on what the candle’s flame can inspire us to ignite within ourselves, and what it can allow us to let go of.

Whether you’re drawn to the craft for its practicality, artistry, or serenity, this workshop offers a welcoming space to slow down, engage your senses, and create something beautiful and useful with your own hands.

Each participant will leave with at least one hand-poured candle, a deeper understanding of the materials and methods, and a DIY kit to continue the candle making journey at home.

Tara S Ocansey is a multimedia artist and maker, mom, gardener, environmental educator, nonprofit leader, and community advocate. Motivated by a desire to more deeply connect with self, family, community, and the natural world, her work explores the rhythms and patterns of our human and ecological systems, and seeks to cultivate connectedness through story and shared experience. As a collector of crafting endeavors, Tara began her candle making journey after coordinating a sustainability-focused vocational training program in Ghana that trained young un/under-employed women to make upcycled products out of discarded glass and plastic, with a skilled glassblower serving as one of the trainers. To support the trainees’ business, Tara imported the beautiful handblown recycled glass vessels into the US to sell at markets, and learned candle making to put their artistic works to practical use. Tara has been a purveyor of handmade candles, plant-based skincare, home decor items, and accessories at dozens of markets across NJ and NY.

Create Explore Renew

January 9, 2025 by Adrienne Crombie Leave a Comment

Day: Sunday, Oct. 5th

Time: 1pm -3pm

Cost: $65/pp

TRE

This unique workshop explores flow states of creative exploration through the lens of embodiment and TRE ; a nervous system regulation modality. T. R. E. utilizes the natural tremor mechanism in the body to release stress and chronic tension patterns bringing us more deeply into the present moment and our innate creativity. Creative visualization and free writing will be explored as we trust our bodies to unwind and express through this innate vibration or neurogenic tremor. Please bring a journal and pen to class.

T.R.E. allows the body to drop into a flow state in the same way that creativity does. The tremors emerge spontaneously and follow their own path when we let our mind and urge to control get out of the way . A flow state is not created consciously, rather one must produce the conditions for the flow state to arise. We go into the body to feel, release, strengthen and create anew.

We will explore connections between T.R.E.and the written word as they relate to creating from the present moment and a deeper more embodied flow state . Books/creative examples and brief lectures will be included.

“I have literally tried a gazillion practices/practitioners. For the first time after class Sunday, I really felt energy moving and felt spaciousness in my body,” – Analesa B. (participant in 6/1/25 TRE class at Mad Lavender Farm.)

Nicole Strafaci is a certified T.R.E. Provider and a working artist . She creates in a variety of mediums including collage, painting, fiber arts and performance. Nicole has exhibited her work internationally in many group and solo exhibitions for the past 30 years. She has sought a connection between her art and embodied states for as long as she can remember, studying at Esalen Institute in Big Sur, California, working as a professional artists model for 16 years and performing improvisational pieces for the stage. She has additional trainings in Reike and Hypnosis as well as a B.F.A. in photography. Most recently, Nicole has been combining embodied states into art classes and has taught at a variety of locations including ArtYard in Frenchtown NJ and the Newark Museum and is very excited to be combining TRE and creativity; two things that have enriched her life in countless ways.

Fall Inspired Botanical Mocktails & Pestos – October

January 8, 2025 by Adrienne Crombie Leave a Comment

Date: Saturday, October 11th

Time: 1pm – 3pm

Cost: $65/pp

$55/pp with early sign up before Sept. 27th

Please use Coupon Code MOCKTAIL2

FallMocktails

Join Rosemary, Lavender, Sumac and Pine for a fun-filled exploration of Fall inspired Botanical Mocktails.

During this workshop you will mix three different herbal mocktails using tea infusions, glycerites, syrups and shrubs. As we sip, we will discuss how to use these methods at home. Then tickle your palette with a variety of seasonal pesto and herbal butters served on crackers, all recipes provided.

We will be taking a farm harvesting walk to identify the herbs used in my recipes and you will leave this class with some plant material, instructions and recipes to continue creating mocktails at home.

If you enjoyed our Summer Mocktail workshop, join us again as we will be working with all new recipes and plants.

April Morecraft is a mother, teacher, gardener, and creator of Oak Root Herbals, a home based, small batch herb business. She began her studies 5 years ago, taking a farm based herbal foundations course with Linda Shanahan of Bluestem Botanicals. April has completed a 3-year apprenticeship with herbalist, author and green witch, Robin Rose Bennet of Wise Woman Ways and is currently studying herbal astrology online with Sajah Poham of The School of Evolutionary Herbalism.

She looks forward to sharing plant medicine and magic with you.