Handcrafted Dried Botanical Candle

Shannon Cumberland has learned that “by letting go of expectations, you can enjoy surprises as they flower.” And how, as a burned-out waitress and messenger without a degree or “marketable” skills, could she have expected to become a successful, creative businesswoman? There were clues: her “lifelong love of craft, insane amounts of optimism, and what is commonly referred to as ‘grit.’” In 1995, with no previous experience, she began making candles in her “tiny duplex kitchen.” She got the basics down—and then boredom set in, cured by her garden’s infinite variety. “Tender shoots pushed and buds bloomed, with no two flowers ever alike,” she says. Inspired, she got the idea of transforming her garden treasures into candles. The concept, and her stunning execution of it, were a success. Now she lives and creates in Denver with her team, her husband, their two children and—naturally—a garden to inspire her.