moon candles

Waxing moon: Artisan candle maker karmen ohme

BY RON EVANS

Candle making may be a bit of an under appreciated art form. Anyone can buy a kit at the hobby store and try their hand at it and maybe they will have success. Maybe they will cry and throw hot wax at the wall in frustration. But true artisan candle making is a delicate craft from start to fi nish, requiring patience and often the fi ne measurements and careful hand to eye coordination of someone conducting a science experiment. After trying candle making yourself you may just want to stick with buying them from one of these dedicated wax scientists instead.

Locally grown Karmen Ohme is one such scientist. Her Moon candle line has been fl ying off shelves of local boutiques and making homes cozier for a few years now. Moon followers are always thrilled when a new scent is announced, like hearing your favorite band has a new album coming out. I wanted to chat with Ohme about her business, her craft and her philosophy of the somewhat mysterious culture of candle making.

Tell us about your background and how you found yourself as a maker of fi nely scented burnable art?

I have been pretty active in experiencing the world through my sense of smell since I was small. I’m literally the person picking different parts of plants like pine needles, bark, fl owers, grass, and giving them a deep expansive sniff! I apprenticed under a wise woman to study the artistry of perfuming and soap making and the alchemy came extremely natural to me, like a fl ow state. After a few years I noticed my mind beginning to layer memory, visual imagery, and scent together. And candles seemed to be the way I felt most called to go; candles change the aesthetic for the better, always in my opinion, haha! They can be ritualistic, celebratory, calming, igniting, and sensual.

Tell us how you arrived at Moon as the brand moniker - its meaning to you, and talk a little about the logo. Who designed it?

Well actually, long before I thought of candles, I doodled a lot. I bet you can guess what I drew! The moon has always been comforting, magical and mysterious to me. It is a balance of dark and light and it is fascinating to me that every part of our planet is connected by it. It’s astounding if you sit down and think about how every pair of eyeballs has looked into the moon. Nature lives by the moon. It makes me feel so human, and so connected. And I designed the logo!

Do you have a specifi c philosophy ingrained into the work? Or are you just happy to create a good quality candle?

A lot of companies make low quality candles that burn for short periods of time and also charge you quite a hefty amount. I wanted to create a high quality, long burning, uniquely scented candle that would be used to enhance people’s experiences. Scent helps hold memories. Memories and stories help us exist.

Tell us about the process you have developed from start to fi nish. Does inspiration tend to start with wanting to convey a mood, a particular scent or naming scheme?

Well, I was super fascinated with the folklore behind the moon in general, but let me tell you, that is a lot of stories. I decided to focus on full moon lore. Each of my candles gains inspiration from the different full moons in a year. Just as the changing season and celebrations marked on our calendar, the lunar cycle offers a plethora of agricultural, energetic, ritualistic, historic, symbolic and natural cycles to draw from. An image comes to my mind and the colors and shapes are easily

translated into the language of aroma, and I speak that.

When you have nailed a recipe (is that what you would even call it?) and are ready to put it into production do you have test sniffer/burners to provide feedback, or do you just put them out and let the market decide?

Mostly I just listen to my intuition. I have a few friends who have ASTOUNDING sniffers, so they help guide me.

As someone who has “dabbled” in making -attempting to make- candles I can attest that the YouTube videos make it look WAY easier than it is. Especially in terms of consistent high level quality, which your candles certainly have. How was the learning process in the beginning and how often (these days) do you attempt a new candle that ends in colossal failure?

Haha! No candle, a colossal failure! How dare you?! Just kidding. Even if a candle has giant sinkholes, wet spots, crystallization or is goopy and something went terribly wrong, it’s not a failure because I am gaining information on what works, and what didn’t work in the way I expected it to.

Were there any candle makers that have inspired you (or continue to inspire you) along the way?

Well, actually my big sister. She wouldn’t call herself a chandler as I do, but she used to make candles as gifts when she was in college. I am 10 years younger than her and she allowed me to help her.

kitchen operation?

I have my own studio where all the magic creations happen!

Your candles can be found in boutiques all over the valley, tell us about your distribution process and reach? And do you have your own boutique/storefront - or are there any plans for that?

I don’t want to over saturate the market with my goods. I pick and choose the boutiques I think best align with my inner compass, my values - boutiques that are derived from passion, care and curiosity. Lets see... in the Valley I can be found at The Plant Ally, The Bubblery, and The Cactus Room on most days. I have been in Tumbleweed and Salt Creek Apothecary too. Bear Foods in Chelan and Evolve clothing in Ellensburg carry me as well. These shops speak to me; I like the hearts and minds of the people behind the business, and I am inspired by those individuals in so many different ways!

My studio is dual function; store front and creation all in one. It will be available to the public soon, just aligning with the surrounding shops for a summer opening. (Along with the long awaited perfume line, shhh, don’t tell!)

What have been your most popular candles?

Oh dear! That is really hard! Most of my candles are pretty even on popularity...I think because my scent palette is broad. But looking at numbers from last year, Hunter, Wolf, Dark, and Dragon were most loved!

Where can people purchase online?

Well, for right now, you can follow me on @moon__made (double underscore) because I am a procrastinator when it comes to web design. Anyone can directly message me for orders or questions! It is fairly simple, I send an invoice via email and either ship, drop off, or arrange a pick up. C