Floral artisan Terry Jordan with Longridge Gardens Floral Shop demonstrates wreath production techniques last Saturday at the Ocean Pines Farmers & Artisans Market during a DIY workshop series that returns this week with a tutorial about essential oils.

By Greg Ellison

Staff Writer

(Sept. 19, 2019) The Ocean Pines Famers & Artisans Market is sponsoring the second in a three-part series of DIY workshops this Saturday with a crash course on therapeutic uses for essential oils presented by certified aromatherapist Joy Galicinao.

Galicinao, who operates the farmers market boutique Aromatic Essentials by Joy, will be on hand from 9 a.m. until noon to discuss the secrets of using essential oils for their healing properties.

“What I’m going to be doing is showing people how they can incorporate essential oils, easily and simply, into their daily lives,” she said.

With cold weather on the distant horizon, Galicinao said Saturday’s DIY workshop would provide an opportunity to highlight oils that strengthen immune systems.

“I’ll talk about pain management and then some chemical cleaning ideas that they can use essential oils for,” she said.

Relieving anxiety is another hot-button topic, with Galicinao noting stress management oils are, arguably, the top seller.

“It seems like everybody and their mother has a need for calming and finding a way to decrease their anxieties,” she said.

The DIY workshops began last Saturday with a tutorial on producing long-lasting wreaths by floral artisan Terry Jordan with Longridge Gardens Floral Shop.

Longtime market vendor Jordan offered practical knowledge and craft production techniques while using freshly harvested sweet Annie (Artemisia annua, or sweet wormwood). Jordan said the custom wreaths are incredibly durable and maintain freshness for over a year.

Next week the DIY series will conclude with a fall planter workshop presented by June McKenna with June Buds Floral Shop.

McKenna, a garden designer and florist, will review the steps involved to produce a vibrant planter incorporating varied hues using flower blooms and harvest shades.

June Buds Floral Shop, operated by McKenna, retails original garden décor and orchids, as well as perennial and annual plants.

For parents looking to occupy offspring while attending a DIY class, the Kids Market Zone will also provide an array of no-cost craft activities and weekly story time readings on Saturdays beginning at 10 a.m.

Looking ahead, Galicinao said for anyone intrigued by the potential health benefits of essential oils unable to attend the workshop this Saturday, all hope is not lost.

“I’m actually opening up a store front in Bishopville in the next couple of months,” she said. “I’ll be teaching a lot of classes there as well.”

For more information contact Famers & Artisans Market organizers at www.oceanpines.org or visit the weekly gathering in White Horse Park on Saturdays.