our story

Greetings ~ My name is Frances O’Halloran and I am an herbalist,  wildcrafter,  mother, medicine maker,  passionate kitchen witch, teacher,  reiki master,  gardener,  baker, and certified yoga instructor.  I have been working, playing, crafting and meditating with plants for over two decades.  My lifelong passion for optimal health, gardening, and crafting,  along with a dream of living a more herbally abundant and creative life, led me to create LoveJoy Botanicals.   I am truly fulfilled by sharing my herbal creations and assisting people in reconnecting with the healing powers of the plant ‘queendom’.

Since 1999 I have been living, learning, loving and teaching the herbal way.  I    am blessed and grateful to have this connection and calling that is sweetly healing and fulfilling. It is an honor and a pleasure to share my knowledge and wisdom with you and others.

I grew up in the City of Roses, Portland, Oregon, and am currently rooted here in the Pacific North West, in Newport, Oregon. I have also been formed by the High Desert of Eastern Oregon, the Maroon Bells Wilderness of Colorado, and the Piedmont of the NC Appalachian Mountains. I found my creative calling as a young girl, and my love for plants in my Daddy’s Rose garden. Working + playing with plants feels like home to me. It’s truly a dream come true to get to know these sentient beings which offer such sweet healing to us all. My passion and purpose for over 30 years is to connect deeply with the medicinal plants, to listen fully to their stories, and to share their beauty and healing power with my community.  I feel I am a bridge, a conduit, a direct channel for the plants to do their essential healing work. It is with deep gratitude and honor that I continue to nurture their potent and powerful work. I thrive when I am wildcrafting, swimming in wild water, crafting botanical delights, buried in books, and in sharing my knowledge and experience through teaching the art of Herbcrafting. ⁣

I believe that love is our greatest power and teacher.            

I truly believe that creating a life full of beauty, grace and love is deeply transformational, and the closest thing to magic I know.

☼ when we engage with plants~
growing, harvesting, appreciating, crafting, medicine making~
we are participating in historic traditions thousands of years old
we are not only feeding + healing our bodies, our souls, our families,
our communities, and future generations
we are embodying the work of our ancestors + all the wise ones that have gone before us~
so say a prayer of gratitude + sing a song of love~
abundant blessings are sure to follow ☼

 

Some of my outstanding teachers are–

~ my father jack who was most peaceful in his rose garden and who showed me discipline, faith, loyalty + love and who taught me along with believing in myself, that generosity, honesty, kindness, love + determination make for a successful life.

~ my mother donna who offered sweet unconditional love, a sharp wit, and possessed a deep acceptance for people of all walks of life, especially the disadvantaged. she displayed bright humor in the face of adversity and will always be a true inspiration for me.

~ my daughter emma shea who awakened my intuition and who is a shining example of beauty, love + grace.

~ the plants who continue to reveal their potent and beautiful healing powers, and who bless my life daily.

~ rosemary gladstar ~ suki roth ~ dana simerly ~ lea clayton ~ olynda smith ~ kim calhoun ~ all super talented plant lovers that I have been blessed to work closely with~ their deep wisdom  and connection to the plants helped show me the way~

~ john coleman who showed me to look for the best in everybody.

~ my wild + creative Davidjii ☼ who I share sweet love with, and who keeps me laughing, learning and lifted ☼

~ All the wise women + herbalists who have walked this path before me.  I thank them for sharing their wisdom + stories.  I am blessed to be part of this healing continuum.

 

 

Herbs play a vital role in our health and well-being. Not only are herbs important both nutritionally and medicinally, but they also form a direct link with  intuition and higher intelligence. Far more than just “green matter,” herbs have an inherent ability to channel life energy and to connect with those places in us that are “disconnected” and in need of healing. Herbs contain chemicals that have no apparent function for the life processes of the plant. However these very chemicals have a direct and positive influence on the human body. Is some divine plan at work here? Perhaps it is true that humankind’s oldest system of medicine offers a form of healing that transcends the physical and connects us directly with a higher consciousness.

 – Rosemary Gladstar