Meet The Artist: Flax of Life
In her own words, hear the story of Sharon O’Connell—how a spark of creativity, a deep friendship, and a lifetime of small moments led to the creation of Flax of Life.
"Rewind the time to the late 90's. I was a freshman studying Leadership and Consumer Economics at the University of Delaware, hoping to own and run my own business someday. One afternoon at the Trabant Center I randomly bumped into my childhood friend Jammi. We had a good laugh that we were both dressed like hippies and just like that, our friendship picked up right where it left off. From then on, we were inseparable and the following year we moved in together near Wilbur Street. We filled our days between classes listening to music, throwing frisbees in the streets, and making hemp macrame necklaces to sell in local shops. During that year I also met and fell in love with my neighbor Tim, and together we made some lifelong friends.
Jammi and I later turned the art of macrame into making headbands, plant hangers, belts, and woven hemp backs for clothing. She taught me how to sew and we started making all kinds of patchwork clothing, bags, and other accessories. I still have some of the dresses and 'boob curtains' we made together!
This picture of Jammi and I was taken at the Kennett Square Mushroom Festival in 2001, and was the last picture I have with her before she died tragically in a car accident a few weeks later. I am wearing one of the first patchwork dresses I ever made. After Jammi died, I lost my interest in sewing and macrame for years. Maybe it was because it was something I did with her, or maybe because my life was busy with other things. I honestly hadn't thought about it until now.
Tim and I married in 2005 and had two kids, Timmy (or Tim O'Connell IV) and Jammi (my best friend's namesake). I worked full-time as an insurance adjuster for Progressive Insurance for a decade before leaving to take care of the kids when they were little. I picked up some part-time jobs when they went off to school, but still never got back into sewing.
While the kids played at the beach, I enjoyed collecting fossilized beach rocks along the beautiful coast of Broadkill Beach, DE. I made picture frames and mirrors, gluing the tumbled rocks around the borders. I gifted many of them to family and friends, and in 2013 opened my first Etsy shop called Sharon's Stones. I sold a few frames, but the logistics of shipping the fragile, heavy frames became too much.
It was right around that time, I went to my dear friend Stephanie's baby shower and saw my first neck wrap. She was gifted a long fabric tube of rice, and we heated it in the microwave, and we all 'Oooohhhed and Aaaahhhhed' over it. I thought to myself, 'I could make that, but I would make it have fragrance using herbs from my garden.' Just like that, I dusted off my sewing machine and started making rice neck wraps.
My first product was a very basic long tube of rice mixed with homegrown lavender and rosemary. I chose this solely because it was what I happened to be growing at the time. I would dry the herbs and grind them in a Ninja blender. I started selling them on my Sharon's Stones Etsy shop and did a handful of craft shows. It was mainly something I was doing to fill my time, and even in my wildest dreams, I never expected it to turn into a full-time business.
One night while having dinner with my parents, my dad suggested I add sections to the wrap to keep the rice from shifting all to one side or the other. From that point on, all of my wraps had sections. My business eventually outgrew my garden and I began using essential oils in addition to the herbs. I added Eucalyptus Peppermint as a second option, but Rosemary Lavender continues to be my top seller. My friend Yvonne suggested I add eye pillows to my products, which was another game changer for me. I sold them as sets with the neck wraps or individually and it opened up a whole new market.
My mom taught me so many time-saving sewing tips, and gifted me her commercial Singer sewing machine from the 1980's. This more than doubled my productivity and greatly allowed my business to grow. As the years went on, I added several new products ranging from 4"x4" hand fidgets to 36"x6" body wraps and so much in between. In 2018 I switched from rice to flaxseed, and changed my business name from Sharon's Stones to Flax of Life. My brother Joe designed my logo and business cards, and all of my packaging was switched over to the new name.
As I am telling my story, I realize that it takes a village. I am beyond grateful for my village, especially my husband Tim for standing by and believing in me all these years. I am grateful to my children, who are now young adults, for all their help and patience with me during the growing pains of my business. They have sacrificed a lot, especially during the holidays when work volume ramps up and I am burning the midnight oil.
I am grateful to all of my family and friends who believed in me, encouraged me, enhanced my business with their suggestions, and helped me grow my business by 'liking and sharing' my social media posts. I am grateful to Rooted, and their vision of bringing local artists together to buy and sell local goods. In addition to buying my products locally at Rooted, you can find them at flaxoflife.com and flaxoflife.etsy.com.
Over the years, I've received countless messages from customers who use my products daily to help with ailments ranging from migraines to muscle spasms and everything in between. I must admit that I started my business to stay busy and hopefully bring in some extra income, but creating something that truly helps people is a personal satisfaction that no amount of income compares to. Even though working alone can sometimes get lonely and boring, I find my work very fulfilling and that's what keeps me going."
Sharon O'Connell
Founder of Flax of Life
