Cotton candy can save the world

Trust us—you will want to make your very own Self Love Jar!

Wonderpuff founder Jackie Morin will lead you through this joyful process when she visits the Libraries on Thursday, Sept. 8 for a talk and a hands-on workshop. At 4:00 p.m., Morin will talk about her entrepreneurial journey with Wonderpuff, her positionality, and how she started this small, local business. Then, at 6:30 p.m., she will lead a workshop in which you’ll make cotton candy and Self Love Jars and have a guided meditation session. Both events take place in the Hill Library’s Fishbowl Forum.

So, what exactly is in a Self Love Jar? It sort of depends upon who you are and what you need an affirmation about.

“Affirmations are healing and can help encourage you throughout the day,” Morin says. “We've been selling our own love jars at Wonderpuff but wanted folks to create their own. It's literally love in a jar. You get to write powerful and loving things and possibly switch with others and put those affirmations into their sparkly jars to carry with them.”

At Wonderpuff, Morin combines scientific knowledge—they make their own sugar for their cotton candy—with a holistic approach to emotional knowledge. She recognizes the connections between physical self-care practices like resting, stretching, and drinking more water and mental self-care habits like allowing yourself to feel your emotions and being gentle with yourself.

To Morin, cotton candy is the perfect expression of this connection. “Cotton candy is lit and accessible to everyone. Not many folks can enjoy ice cream or chocolate but the majority of them can enjoy fairy floss,” she says. “There's a silkyness to our cotton candy, and that's because we make it from scratch. Alhamdulilaah!”

Morin’s appearance is part of the Libraries’ Making Space event series which features underrepresented groups in science and technology. This program is co-sponsored by WISE (Women in Science and Engineering).