Tinta: A Dye Your Own Wearable Art Experience

2021 was a big year for Eastman Tourism. Together with four creative Eastern Manitoba businesses, we developed four innovative experiences. One of these businesses was Masagana Flower Farm.

Masagana Flower Farm’s Tinta: A Dye Your Own Wearable Art Experience pairs creativity, art, nature, and fashion together for the perfect afternoon of fun out in the garden. Join together with new friends and old ones, wander the garden choosing the perfect flowers and colours, then bring it all together as you dye your very own silk scarf and cotton bandana.

Learn more about this experience with Eastman Tourism team member, Skylor.

Unleash the Magic of the Garden

Connect with the environment and art through creation and all your senses; feel the soft flower petals brush your fingertips, the soil beneath your nails, and the smooth texture of fabric against your skin. Breathe in the fresh floral air, the sweetest of scents that is almost intoxicating. Listen to the nature that surrounds you, branches swaying in the breeze, birds singing in the distance, the laughter shared around the table and the stories and guidance spoken by Lourdes. Let your worries, anxiety, doubts, or any negative feelings melt away by immersing yourself in the warm, welcoming environment of Masagana Flower Farm. And finally, open your eyes to a world of beauty and connection through nature, art, friendship, and creation. This, and so much more, is what to expect during Masagana’s Tinta Experience.

I had the great joy of participating in the Tinta experience last year with a fabulous group of people. Even with my seasonal allergies in full swing resulting in constantly sneezing and sniffling around the flowerbeds, the Tinta experience was very much worth it, and I would do it again in a heartbeat! Whether you already have a green thumb or not or haven’t experienced the process of creating naturally dyed textile goods, all walks of life will learn something new, be in awe of the property’s beauty, and have an incredible time out in the garden.

Start the Adventure

Masagana Flower Farm is located in La Broquerie, Manitoba. When you arrive, Lourdes and the staff will eagerly welcome you to the farm. While waiting for the whole group to arrive, get to know the team and feel free to walk the grounds of the property, exploring the lines of flowerbeds bursting with colour and maybe even meet a few of Lourdes’ adorable kitty-cats!

Tinta begins with Lourdes guiding you through a short meditation session. The session is the perfect technique to relax your body and mind, allowing yourself to let go and be in the moment to fully enjoy the day’s activities. Afterwards, you’ll get to know Lourdes better as she shares her story; how she developed her love and passion for gardening, growing up in the Philippines and then moving to Canada and how and why she started Masagana Flower Farm.

Before you start designing, Lourdes will explain the process of creating dyed textile art, the type of flowers best to use for dyeing, different techniques you can use, and encourage you to get your creative juices flowing. After, pick up your collection buckets and snippers, and head out to the garden.

Walk along the flowerbeds, searching for the perfect arrangement of colours to create your masterpieces. Take your time and truly explore the stunning treasures in the garden – the vibrant colours, bees buzzing from flower to flower, inhaling the entrancing smells mingling together, and engaging in talks around the beds.Once you’re satisfied with your collection, it’s time to start creating! Gather around the table with your bundle of flowers, lay out your silk scarf and cotton bandana, and let your imagination run wild with ideas of designs. After carefully deciding your colours, patterns and placement of flowers on your fabric canvas, you’ll tightly roll the fabric, tie it off, and then submerge it in hot water. As you wait for your naturally dyed creations to dry, mix and mingle around the farm while enjoying a tasty salu-salo spread, a festive Filipino tradition of celebrating by gathering and eating together.

Once your bandana and scarf are dry enough to be transported, it’s time to go home with a newfound love and appreciation of the magic of plants, flowers, and gardening!

Masagana is currently taking bookings for the Tinta Experience. Visit their website to book today! And check out the video below that shows firsthand what to expect during the Tinta Experience.

About Masagana Flower Farm

Masagana Flower Farm is a small-scale flower farm and dye studio near La Broquerie, where you can find aspiring works of art created with thought and care. Growing flowers without synthetic fertilizers in garden beds where lawns previously existed, this creative and unique endeavour is one that you cannot pass up. Masagana advocates for an eco-conscious lifestyle and inspires others to reimagine their greenspaces.

Masagana grows seasonal blooms and cultivates dye plants that they use to make handmade, small-batch, naturally dyed textile goods. You’ll find the textile accessories tinted with prairie-grown flowers and natural dye. Each item is carefully designed, created, and are true works-of-art, ensuring that their newfound owners will love them as much as their creators.

Meet Lourdes

Lourdes, the founder of Masagana Flower Farm, is an unstoppable, compassionate, lively force following her love and dream. The idea to grow flowers on her lawn came from a deep desire to be a better steward of the land. In 2017, Lourdes began turning lawn into garden, and by 2018, she was blown away by how much flowers her small garden had produced. The only downside to the impressive growth was the fact that the house was filled with flowers merely used as a fresh flower displays.

Masagana Flower Farm gradually expanded to a year-round floral experience to better utilize the flowers in her garden. Local fibre farms inspired Lourdes to offer naturally dyed textile, and the Tinta Experience grew out of her love for helping people make plant magic a part of their lives.

One last fun fact is the meaning of the word Masagana. Masagana is a Tagalog word which is Lourdes’ mother tongue. It means abundant, plentiful and prosperous. Her love for this word as her business name is two-fold. First, it represents Lourdes’ Filipino heritage; second, it recognizes what she has been given. It is also a mindset for Lourdes. There is abundance around her, in the garden, and her own gift and calling. Choosing to live from this abundance versus to live for what she doesn’t have.