Spotlight Scented candles and soaps for all ages

SEELEY LAKE - Donna Hacker discovered her passion for candle-making after learning about it in a Martha Stewart Living magazine in 1998. Over 20 years later, Hacker and her sister Anabelle are selling handmade candles and soaps with their business Tin Shed Candles during the Seeley Lake Market every Sunday. 

"My mom told me you can paint and sculpt all you want but try to find something that you can make over and over that you might be able to make a living," Hacker said. "So I did and now it's a hobby."

This is Hacker's third year selling at the market. She and her sister sell scented candles and soaps, handmade wreaths, bath bombs and homemade pies. Some of the flavors for the pies include rhubarb, raspberry, cherry and apricot. 

Hacker said she begins making candles by pouring wax into a shallow tray, then cuts leaves out with an Exacto knife. She then places them into molds. Hacker said the buds are made like the "reverse of scrambled eggs" 

"As the wax cools, they form little crumbles that kind of looks like hyacinths or irises," Hacker said. 

She said one of the most popular products is the clear soaps her sister makes with popular superheroes and famous Pixar and cartoon characters inside. Lavender and Lemon are among customers' favorite flavors. For the candles, she said people's preferences are dependent on the day. 

"Most of the candles are so different," Hacker said. "I don't make the same ones over and over again. So it's whatever comes out of the shop during the week. My mood usually dictates the colors that I use."

Both Hacker and her sister are a third-generation Potomac Family. She said their business runs year-round and that they sell at the market in Orchard Homes during the winter. She said she's excited about the summer season. 

"I look forward to seeing the people that have become my friends and the different booths and all the money I can make during my time here," Hacker said. "I just turn around and give it right back to the market."

The Seeley Lake Market is held on the lawn behind the Seeley Lake Foundation Building on Sundays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. through Labor Day.