10 - SANDY (Ore.) POST Thur»., May 27, 1971 (Sec. 1)
H o b b y -tu rn e d -b u s in e s s :
Jane H arrison cre a te s w ith candles
By SUZANNE ASHMUN
Two Old English Sheepdogs
trouncing through her sand
boxes can ’t keep plucky Jane
Harrison from her appointed
rounds of pouring wax for sand
candles.
When not upsetting Jane’s
can d le-m ak in g, O llie and
Charlie are padding around the
garage inspecting the fruits of
her hobby-turned-business.
Jane’s unorthodox working
hours coincide with husband
A lan’s irregu lar hours as
a ssista n t m anager at the
Benson Hotel.
“He works five to midnight so
that’s when I make candles,’’
Jane said. “ It g iv e s m e
something fun to do."
Formerly a reservations girl
for Alaska Airlines in Seattle,
Jane has been in the candle
business for about a year.
When the Harrisons moved to
the Troutdale area there was no
Alaska Airlines office so Jane
started her at-home job.
She sells her diverse range of
candles to the Sweet Shoppe in
the Oregon Trail Mall, Gus’
Potpourri in the Hoodland Park
Shopping Center and Volume 1
in Mall 205.
She spent a recent weekend
at Marycrest High School craft
fair and will participate in the
I
I
WIDE RANGE of candles made by Jane
Harrison as her hobby-turned-business
include mushrooms, frogs, layered can
dles, sculptured candles, sand candles, a
Portland Rose Festival Fair
and
Canby
R enaissance
Pleasure Faire
Jane has taken over the
family garage for her business
and the family is hard put to
squeeze in their compact car
between the boxes of sand,
candle molds, hot plate and
blowtorch stand.
Hippies provided Jane with
some of her best techniques
They taught her to use a
blowtorch to melt away the
ragged edges on the candle
after it falls from the mold
For other professional
touches she puts two additives
into her wax to make the candle
harden and adds scent to most
hippo, an owl, a gallon candle and a
decorated votive candle. Jane sells her
attractive work to area shops.
(Outlook photo)
of the candles.
“Little old ladies don't like
scented candles, though," Jane
laughed. “They don’t want
anything smelling up their
house.”
Newest wrinkle in the candle
business is rubber molds and
Jane has made a couple of
originals. She poured liquid
rubber around a cut glass
toothpick holder and around a
liqueur bottle. When it had
hardened she had two unique
candle molds. She highlights
the in trica te d esig n s by
brushing on a contrast color.
Jane said animal designs are
dom inating the can d le in
dustry. Three of her favorite
molds are an owl, a hippo and a
little frog, who usually finds a
spot under one of J a n e ’s
mushroom candles.
Another good seller is the
teardrop candle, but Jane’s big
love is the layered candle,
which really brings out her
creative instincts in choosing
harmonizing colors.
Some layered candles take as
long as four days as each layer
must cool before another is
poured The cooling can’t be
speeded up because cracking
results.
"There are a few e x
periments that failed setting
around here,” husband Alan
laughed.
Jane loves gold, orange and
bright greens.
“Some people are hooked on
earth tones,” she sighed. “But I
prefer the vibrant colors.”
“You could guess that,” her
husband teased, “We’re the
only people in the neighborhood
with a bright orange house.”
Jane’s enthusiasm bubbles
like the water in the bottom of
the double boiler she uses to
melt her wax.
“I always have a candle of
some kind going,” she said. “I
can’t stand to be away from the
garage.”
Surveying the roomful of
candles of all sizes and shapes,
Jane adm itted sh e w as
probably one of the few people
in the world doing what she
really wants to do.
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OLLIE’S INTERESTED in his mistress’s sand candles.
Jane Harrison reports she often has trouble keeping Ollie
and his friend, Charlie, another Old English Sheepdog
from causing a minor sandstorm in the family garage,
which serves as Jane’s candle-making shop. When Ollie
gets his nose out of the sandbox, Jane will pour hot wax
into the hole to form a sand candle.
(Outlook photo)
H otbed plans a v a ila b le
If you are the type who takes
a liking to learning something
new and exciting, the art of
plant propagation provides the
opportunities
for
new
discoveries in the plant world.
S ca rce v a r ie tie s may be
increased by rooting new plants
from cuttings and new types
produced from hybridization
may be hurried into bloom or
fruiting with the use of a small
inexpensive propagating frame
you can build in a few hours.
Big season
due for
Blue Lake
Blue Lake Park, always a
popular spot, probably will
have more customers than ever
this summer.
Closure of Jantzen Beach
means that Blue Lake will be
more heavily used. The County
Parks Dept reports that over
150 reservations for picnics
llready have been made
The park will open for the 1971
season on Memorial Day.
The sw im m ing area and
concessions will be open only on
weekends until school is out.
Thereafter, they will operate
daily until Memorial Day.
Oregon State University has
a plan for a small backyard
hotbed and propagating frame
that can be operated the entire
year. All the homeowner needs
is a 3 by 5 foot space located
where it can be conveniently
served by an outdoor electric
outlet.
Construction d eta ils are
described by Wilbur W.
Burkhart, area extension
agent, as being simple enough
for anyone to follow.
The structure utilizes wire
mesh as a support for the
polyethelene
roof
ea sily
rem oved or replaced as
necessary.
Schematic design sheets and
instructions for ordering
working draw ings m ay be
obtained
by
w riting
“Minihotbeds” P.O. Box 1491;
Portland.
Brother visits
Mr. and Mrs. Joe Johnson,
Rt. 1 Box 993, Boring, recently
hosted Johnson's brother and
family who live in Guam. Mr
and Mrs. I^onard Johnson and
their daughter Emma Lee,
former residents of Gresham,
stopped briefly while on their
way to Texas for a family
reunion. The Johnson's operate
a dress factory in Guam.
Psssst!
Pass the word . . . electric air conditioning is so right
and reasonable now. Cools, cleans and filters for year-
round comfort. See an air conditioning dealer for a
cool deal and ask for free Oregon scenic placemats.
PORI LAND GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
Supplying denn energy fur u belter life
JANE HARRISON turns a frog candle from his mold in
time to place him under a toadstool, which Jane also
designs and makes.
(Outlook photo)
PROFESSIONAL TOUCH in Jane Harrison's candles
come in part from the blowtorch, which she uses to
smooth off the rough edges when the candles come from
the mold.
(Outlook photo)
HAPPY LITTLE frog in mushroom patch was made by
Jane Harrison, who lives near Troutdale.
(Outlook photo)
Black Thumb plagues
b e le a g u e re d g a rd e n e r
I hate Spring
Spring is when everybody finds out I have dreaded
Black Thumb.
This year was going to be different. I bought all those
slick gardening magazines and spent hours perusing
them, hoping some of their success would rub off.
I went into garden stores and sneaked looks at the back
of seed packets
I fertilized, mulched, weeded and groveled before I
planted my seeds After all. I am a farmer’s daughter-
some of that sow-and-grow blood should be coursing
through my veins
For once my garden wasn't going to look like the
"before” pictures
After a weekend of planting I was so sore from stooping
I couldn't sit up straight. I literally cringed behind my
desk
Two days later it snowed
Of the six packages of seeds I sowed only five scraggley
nasturtiums ever peeped through the ground One day I
came home and my husband had hoed out all five and
covered their nameless grave with bark dust
The marigold plants fared little better Planted in happy
little rows, the one at the far end fizzled and died followed
by the one next in line and so on down the row. The
Domino Theory obviously applies to marigolds.
There are still nine pansies left out of the two dozen I
planted Three of the nine have dog tracks at their heart.
I find myself seeking out others afflicted with Black
Thumb My friend Lee told me all she did was glance
around the manicured lawn that came with her new house
and three trees were dead.
Another friend can kill a fern at 20 paces It takes her
two days to knock off a hanging azalea
I'm going to give it all up and form a Gardeners
Anonymous We'll have an unlisted phone number (this is
garden country) and members can call when they get the
urge to ask a garden club member how she grew her
wisteria.
Scientists say plants know whether you like them or not.
Perhaps I should hang in there and hoe Next year will
be different—I’ll sing lullabys to my flower seeds and give
them tender loving care
If those flowers freak out on me again. I'll pray for
summer snows