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FIRE + FOLK | Heather

@fireandfolk

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cultivating cozy through the alchemy of fragrance + fire: beautifully scented candles that bring a little PNW magic into every home. #portlandor🕯️🏳️‍🌈

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Hi! I’m Heather @pdxmaker (she/her), the candlemaker behind FIRE + FOLK. △༄

This month marks the 2-year anniversary of reopening my candle studio as FIRE + FOLK, so I wanted to take a moment to welcome our new friends here and to reintroduce myself!

I’m a 49-year-old queer, chronically-ill woman with AuDHD, and I handcraft cozy, vegan, non-toxic soy candles that bring a little PNW magic into every home through the alchemy of fragrance + fire.

I am dynamically disabled with 6 autoimmune disorders, which is why it’s so important to me that the candles I create are clean-burning and free of toxins. It makes me happy to hear from so many customers who have asthma that my candles are the first they can safely burn!

I started blending fragrances and pouring my own candles 11 years ago, and I’ve had some version of this small, Portland-based candle studio for 6+ years. I never dreamed that my vessels of beautifully-scented light would be enjoyed in so many of your homes, or stocked in more than 50 indie retail shops across the country, and I am so incredibly grateful!

I handcraft every cozy candle in my tiny home studio using pure, locally sourced soy wax, botanical essential oils, non-toxic fragrance oils, eco-friendly wicks, and recycled and sustainable vessels.

When I’m not in the studio, you’ll find me wandering in the woods touching moss, exploring the Oregon coast, healing with magic mushrooms, dancing to live music, enjoying local food with friends, going on queer birding walks (hi @birdherspdx!), doing witchy things in women’s circles, petting all the dogs, writing, and creating various forms of art.

I’ve been involved in dog rescue for more than 25 years, and am the devoted human mama to Juni @northwestpittie, the sweetest pittie soul. I’m also an intersectional activist who is involved in my community.

I’m so grateful for this beautiful community. Whether you’re a new customer, have been supporting me for years, or you represent one of the gorgeous shops that stock my candles: THANK YOU for supporting my dreams! I love ya’ll to the moon and back. 🌙 🧡🍂

keep shining,
Heather 🧡 taken in Portland, Oregon by @fireandfolk

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20 days ago

I am so incredibly grateful for each one of my 500+ customers, and for the more than 40 indie retail shops that have stocked my candles! I also so greatly appreciate when a customer takes the time to leave a review on google or Faire. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

And I’m really proud that I have been a Top Shop on @faire_wholesale with a 5-Star rating for nearly 5 years now!

I wanted to share some of these reviews today and take a moment to thank everyone who has supported my small handcrafted business, and everyone who has left such a positive review. I also appreciate the kind emails I get from new and longtime customers to let me know how much you are enjoying your candles and shea butters. It truly makes my day! ☺️

So, THANK YOU. Thank you for lifting up my small business and allowing me to continue do the thing I love, then give back to our community. It truly means the world to me. 🧡

keep shining,
Heather ☺️

#fairewholesale #fairewholesaler #wholesalecandles #customerreviews #candlebrand taken in Portland, Oregon by @fireandfolk

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8 months ago

Have you ever struggled with a wood wick? Here’s how to properly light & burn a wood wick candle... >>>

#woodwickcandle #woodwickcandles #woodwicks #woodwick #candletips

1. Light along the base of the wood wick where it meets the wax, and light across the entire wick from side to side. 👇🏼

CANDLE TIP: because a wood wick takes longer to light than a cotton wick, a candle torch works much better on wood wicks than a match! 🔥

2. After lighting, it can help to tilt the candle side to side to ensure the wick is fully covered in flame. (Kind of like moving wood around in a campfire!)

3. Allow the melted wax pool to reach all sides of the vessel before extinguishing the flame. (This prevents your candle from tunneling down the middle, and will ensure a full burn.)

4. Before re-lighting your candle, be sure to trim off the excess burned black part of the wick so it can light! (Just like a burned log will not light, neither will the burned wood wick.)

A wick trimmer like this one shown is so helpful! You’ll find them on our website at fireandfolk.com. (You can also pinch it off with your fingers if you prefer… as long as the candle has fully cooled!)

5. After trimming your wick, relight the wood wick the same way as before.

6. Enjoy the cozy vibes! 🪵🔥
For safety, never burn any candle for longer than 4-5 hours at a time. Any longer will allow the flame to become too large and too hot. Let your candle cool down and trim the wick again before burning again.

QUESTIONS? Drop them below and I’ll answer! 🧡 taken in Portland, Oregon by @fireandfolk

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4 months ago

Took the day off to enjoy my annual bestie trip to the pumpkin patch @bellaorganicfarm with @pawsitive_steps_pdx! 🎃🧡🐦‍⬛

I always took Briley, and Juni went last year, but it’s too much walking for her shoulder right now. But my cute li’l niece Muffin got lots of pets and sniffs, and we collected some pretty cool pumpkins! Also gotta say: try the elephant ears with nutella + raspberry jam… SO GOOD! 😋

Also, for the record, this awesome farm on Wapato Island is very progressive + queer-friendly! 🏳️‍🌈✊🏼

#bellaorganicfarm #bellaorganicpumpkinpatch #pdxpumpkinpatch #wapatoisland #pumpkinfarm taken in Bella Organic Farm by @fireandfolk

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5 days ago

I’m starting to move things into the new candle studio, and the golden hour light in here is just so beautiful. Starting to feel cozy in here! ✨

I’m brainstorming an invite-only holiday open house for current stockists and local customers in November… and planning some candle-making workshops. The creativity is flowing. 😊

#fireandfolk #candlestudio #pdxmakers #pdxmade #localpdx taken in Portland, Oregon by @fireandfolk

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4 days ago

Autumn walks with my sweet girl are so good for my mind, body, and soul. I want to live inside October forever. Since I was a very young child, it has always been my favorite month. Halloween always my favorite holiday. It gives me life after being stuck in the house all summer hiding from the heat. It is my rebirth.

We sure are getting some weird looks from folks — my poor bb girl having to wear an ear wrap, leg braces… she looks like a strange turtle or dinosaur. 🦕🐢 taken in Portland, Oregon by @fireandfolk

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7 days ago

Let’s do it again tonight! Join us @portlandnightmarket for Night 2 from 4-11pm! I’m telling you, if you haven’t been to this event before, you’re missing out. Everyone dancing to the music, eating local food, shopping g local makers and artists, making fall witch brooms… and the community that comes out is EVERYTHING! I had total strangers step up to my booth, and within 15 minutes we were BFF’s. People shrieking and squealing over candle scents, closing their eyes and grinning and sharing memories of where a particular fragrance took them back to… and some even came into the booth to hug me after our conversations! Humanity and connection is overflowing in the crowd that attends this market, and my heart is just overflowing with the love and joy! 🧡😊

Don’t sleep on this! Come out tonight and stop by my booth to say hi to me and my friends Ama and Cam! 👋🏻

#portlandnightmarket #fireandfolk #portlandor #pdxnights taken in Portland Night Market by @fireandfolk

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15 days ago

Not my normal post on my candle account, but maybe this cutie brightens up your feed today. 🧡🍁

My poor baby girl Juni @northwestpittie is having such a rough time. We were up again all night for a 3rd night with her being sick, despite the meds and bland diet. (She has IBD, an autoimmune GI disorder.)

And now, she suddenly also has a huge aural hematoma that has come out of nowhere, and has to have sedation tomorrow to surgically drain it. (An aural hematoma is a blood-filled swelling on the inside of the ear flap caused by broken blood vessels. They are painful and can cause longterm issues if not treated.)

All this on top of her many months-long shoulder injury / brace / pt / exercise restriction.

We’re really going through it over here, but I’m just trying to take it one hour at a time.

In candle news: over the next 2 weeks, I will be moving my tiny candle studio back into the 200sf shed in my backyard.

If you are one of my longtime customers, you’ll recall that we built the shed in 2019 for my studio. When I opened my brick-and-mortar in 2021 and moved the studio there, my spouse at the time moved his office into the shed.

Now that I’m living alone, I’m moving the studio back into the shed. It will double my production space and allow me to work more efficiently and pour larger batches again. It has been tricky in the tiny 90sf spare bedroom, so this will be so helpful!

During the 2 weeks of this move, orders may take a little longer to go out. I’m going to get it done as quickly as possible, and I need to round up help — but with everything else going on, it may take me a good couple of weeks to be functional in the space again.

Life is constant change. This little shift is a strange full-circle moment, and it’s both exciting and filled with grief. Everything all at once.

Thanks for supporting my little studio. It truly means the world to me.

🧡, Heather

#fireandfolk #candlestudio #pdxdogs #pittiesofig #pitbullmama taken in Portland, Oregon by @fireandfolk

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10 days ago

Swipe for a peek at the handcrafted goodies I’ll have available @portlandnightmarket this weekend! 🎃🍁👻

I’m setting up our booth today, then the festivities kick off tomorrow (Fri 10/2) from 4-11pm! If you’re hoping to snag one of my limited edition vintage glass pumpkins, Strange Brew candles, or mystery Boo Bags, come early as they may sell out! 👻

And we’ll be back for Night 2 on Saturday from 4-11pm!

Admission is FREE! (Or, if you wanna skip the long lines, you can purchase a Fast Pass on the @portlandnightmarket website.)

Come browse 150+ artist and maker booths, enjoy music + dancing, amazing food carts and festive drinks, make your own witch broom, art installations + so much more. It’s the best party in town! 🪩🕺🍹

I can’t wait to see you! 🎃🍁

#portlandnightmarket #portlandor #fireandfolk #pdxevents #pdxnights taken in Portland Night Market by @fireandfolk

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17 days ago

Today is the LAST DAY to sign up for my monthly candle subscription in order to receive this festive October burn box! 🍂🍁

Treat yourself to a monthly burn box to enjoy cozy vibes and beautiful fragrance all year long! Every month, you’ll receive a handcrafted soy candle poured with an exclusive scent that reflects the season. Vessels and labels may change by the season or month, and some may be wood wicks and some may be cotton wicks.

And a few times a year, I’ll also tuck a free gift into your box as a surprise thank you for being a monthly subscriber!

Candle burn times run 40-45 hours.

These are available for shipping or free local pick-up, and you can also sign a loved one up for a subscription – just enter their shipping name and address.

HOW IT WORKS:
Sign up for a subscription, and your box will begin the following month. You will automatically be billed on the 1st of each month, and boxes typically ship by the 8th of the month. Of course, you can opt-out at any time (but honestly, you won’t want to miss all the incredible upcoming boxes I have planned!)

ABOUT THE CANDLES:
All of my candles are handcrafted in my tiny Portland, OR studio with locally-sourced, pure soy wax, sustainable wicks, botanical essential oils, clean, non-toxic fragrance oils, and a whole lotta LOVE! No icky ingredients, no allergens, no carcinogens or hormone disrupters, and no petroleum by-products. Just cozy, clean candle vibes!

#candlesubscription #monthlysubscriptionbox #subscriptionboxes #fallcandles #fireandfolk taken in Portland, Oregon by @fireandfolk

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17 days ago

I’m so excited to share some big news! 🎉

Next month, my retail partner @ecovibestyle will be opening up a year-long pop-up store inside @pdxairport and they’ll be stocking my Amberglow candle line as well as my new travel candle tins! Now folks from all over the world will be able to take a little PNW candle magic home with them. 🪴🕯️✈️

I remember the first time we flew into PDX to visit Portland in 2017. I remember us falling in love with this vibrant city, falling head over heels for the mossy forests and snow-covered mountains and wild coastline. And by the end of a week, we had decided that this was where we wanted to plant roots. The same week a year later, we drove across the country from Nashville, TN and made it our home.

I grew up in the Army, constantly moving somewhere new every 2-3 years. Nowhere ever felt like home. Yet, from the moment we landed in Portland, I knew I had finally found it. My heart has truly been home here for the past 8 years, and I love being a part of this incredible community. My candle collection is my love letter to the Pacific Northwest, capturing all my favorite magical moments and places.

While Portland has only been my home for 8 years, Ecovibe co-founder Len has been rooted here for 6 generations. His family’s legacy continues, and no one deserves this opportunity more than him and Dre and their beautiful family! For them to bring a little piece of their NE Alberta neighborhood into PDX to share with the world is a special thing.

Ecovibe was one of the first local shops I fell in love with years ago, and to get to be a small part of what they have lovingly built is such an honor.

Head over to @ecovibestyle to watch the video announcement — and stay tuned for their grand opening in March!

Congrats to Len, Dre and the whole team! I love and appreciate you all so much! 🌈✈️

#ecovibe #ecovibestyle #pdxairport #pdx #fireandfolk taken in PDX by @fireandfolk

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8 months ago

NEW limited edition candle for spooky season! 🍁🐦‍⬛✨

Available for a limited time only, this 11oz Strange Brew candle is perfect for Halloween season! The rich, cozy scent of tobacco leaf and cedarwood is balanced by a bit of sweetness and a bit of boozy, blending notes of golden honey with amaretto and brandy. It’s a deep, moody fragrance that is oh-so intoxicating… it will leave you spellbound! Infused with natural essential oils of cedarwood and vetiver.

And the sapphire blue vessel is just gorgeous. 💙

I’ll also have these available @portlandnightmarket on Oct 2nd + 3rd! Join us from 4-11pm both nights!

#spookyseason🎃 #portlandnightmarket #strangebrew #halloweencandle #tobaccocandle taken in Portland, Oregon by @fireandfolk

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22 days ago