MOOSE JAW — The Moostletoe Artists Spotlight is fast approaching and eight local artists will showcase some of their creations, conduct live demonstrations, and early Christmas shoppers may benefit from a few unique, hand-made gift ideas.
Moostletoe runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 23.
Mariia Ablitsova is one of those artists and will be promoting her business, Burn.Be Candles, which was launched in October 2023. She’s also attending her first Moostletoe experience.
“The idea of the brand Burn.Be came to me when I moved to Canada from the Ukraine,” she said. “I was a huge workaholic… Then I met my boyfriend and he had… a very good tradition every evening to light candles all around the apartment. It became our tradition to relax.
“I always wanted to have a business, so we just created from our routine.”
Moostletoe provides artists a platform to showcase their works ranging from paintings to pottery, jewelry, and photography. The event — which previously involved individual studio tours — will now take place at only two venues: artisaNGrounds and the nearby Moose Jaw Museum & Art Gallery (MJMAG).
Ablitsova’s story began on a darker note with the invasion of her home country and then — unexpectedly but thankfully — everything started to look brighter.
“We are a… Ukrainian couple who, like many, were displaced by the war that Russia started against our home country,” she said. “After moving to Moose Jaw, we found not only a nice place, but also each other.”
Her soon-to-be husband, Eduard, moved to Moose Jaw from the Ukraine around three years ago and Ablitsova arrived roughly a year and a half ago.
“It was here that we met, fell in love, and started a new chapter in our lives — both personally and through our business.”
Eduard was born and raised in Kyiv and Ablitsova recently lived in Warsaw. After moving from much larger population centres, the new couple came to appreciate a much simpler life on the Canadian Prairies.
“We enjoy the calmness; it’s very quiet and we like it,” she said appreciatively.
It was because of this welcomed contrast — and Eduard’s calming tradition — that Burn.Be Candles was born.
“Burn.Be was created for people who don’t ever stop; (it’s for) the people who are working, moving, and pushing forward… (Our candles remind)… people that you’re not here to work all your life. You’re here to enjoy your life, to understand… and to enjoy what you’re doing.”
After gladly accepting an invitation from the manager of the MJMAG’s gift shop, Xeing Senephimmachack, Ablitsova is excited to meet new people at Moostletoe and gain valuable feedback which she finds inspiring.
Ablitsova will showcase some of her products and hold live candle-making demonstrations at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. While she won’t cover the full process — each candle takes five to six days to finish — guests can experience one important step of the journey.
Each candle and jar is handcrafted from natural, environmentally friendly materials. When the candle is depleted these jars can either be refilled or repurposed.
Burn.Be Candles doesn’t have its own storefront but products can be purchased at Jillian’s Design Elements, the MJMAG gift shop, and the Starlight Handmade Market at the Town ‘N’ Country Mall.
You can also purchase her products online or learn more by visiting ‘Burn.Be Candles’ on Facebook or ‘@burn.be.candles’ on Instagram.
The artisaNGrounds studio is located at 262 Athabasca Street East and the Moose Jaw Museum & Art Gallery is located at 461 Langdon Crescent.
