This is it folks, I have been working many a months on creating stock for my favourite holiday show of the year. When I am not doing social media consulting, photography jobs, or teaching art or SUP Yoga I am painting letters or canvases or sorting wee images into catchy magnetic collages. Tomorrow is set up day for the Bottega Christmas Show in Kelowna.
Bottega Farm is hosting the fifth annual charity Christmas Market on Saturday, November 28th & Sunday, November 29th from 11am – 5pm.
Over the two days, the festive market will feature some of the Okanagan’s finest artists & crafters . Festive live music, kids activities, specialty treats, food, drink + much more, all set in the heart of beautiful South East Kelowna at Bottega Farm
Minimum donation $3 | children are free
All proceeds in support of Karis Support Society; a local charity that provides safe housing, support, life skills, and training for people caught in life altering addiction and mental health.
Karis Society supports a cause close to my heart and it's a magical venue in the forest with live music, wonderful food and the most beautiful Christmas spirit always. I am so honoured to be picked as a returning vendor.
Being a maker is not easy and unlike a 9-5 typical job there is no guarantee with pay no matter how hard you work. A forty hour work week would be a luxury during peak selling seasons and you pour your heart into your wares. Artists and makers of all types often struggle to make a living in the name of following their passion. This Black Friday weekend don't support the big box stores and be blinded by the masses into crappy stuff you don't need. Shop local, shop small, support your community. Find Christmas Spirit in events filled with the energy and passion of people working in a sustainable, creative way.
Come say hello and see what I have been working on with Eachanoriginal, I have been working with them for over a year now and love sharing their line with stores and at shows. Handpainted pieces all made in Kelowna with love. This show is juried and has a really gifted group of artisans, you will not be disappointed.
I am a serious smeller. As a kid I remember getting teased for sniffing things. If you had a set of the fancy Mr. Sketch Smelly Markers I was at your mercy. Certain scents bring me such comfort and joy.
Aromatherapy has been so interesting to me for many years. My boys grew up with lavender oil being rubbed on their feet and sleepy mist being sprayed over them to bring good dreams. When they were sick I gave them Thieves oil blend and diffused healing oils in their rooms. Orange oil in the car for nausea started when I was pregnant and I kept it for their car sickness years when their inner ears were wonkey. My ex wasn't a believer and joked I was a witch but plant oils have been used by so many cultures for years for remedies I felt strongly they could do no harm and generally the scents were beautiful.
There is also heaps of research on how they work available if you are up to some reading. I found a really well written piece on the wonderful blog Intoxicated On Life called A Skeptics Guide to Essential Oils and How They Work. For the past year or so I have had lots of comments from people on the plant oils I have been wearing and some people are really drawn by them. I wear them for my sanity and enjoyment but I get many people saying things like: you smells so good, or you smell like the spa or I love your Kerry smell. I am the same with my my friend Jaye from Bare Nature Products, she creates divine soaps and lotions and often smells like the oils of the scents she has been working with. I have also had some negative reactions from people sensitive to some scents like patchouli that I really like in blends in the colder months. I have taken notes on the specific, stronger scents I have been wearing when someone sensitive is affected.
Read on to hear about my aromatherapy journey and creations for you with special offers for heavenly treatments...
Chai tea smells luxuriously divine. Spicy and soul soothing. It a treat I crave when I am chilled on damp spring days like this. Anyone who knows me is well aware of my obsession with body oils and essential oils in general.
I don't treat myself a lot to stuff, and don't do fancy, but I am pretty passionate about what I put on my skin. Bare Nature is a local company devoted to creating organic products that I happen to adore.
Normally I get an awesome body oil mixed up and Jaye knows the rich spicy essential oils I love for the colder seasons. Lately though I have been LOVING her Bare Nature Vanilla Chai Healing Body Lotion.
It's a rich, thick lotion that goes on heavy but rubs in quickly. It leaves your skin smelling lightly of vanilla with a kick of intense chai spices. Load it on after your bath or shower and it feels amazing. Best part though is the little kicks of scent you get later. On your sheets, your clothes or my fave when the hot water hits your skin in the shower the following day.
What could be better than a chai scented shower on a chilly morning?
Looking forward to getting the Orange Creamsicle scent for summer as well. All of Jaye's amazing Bare Nature products are available online and locally through various retail outlets.
Thinking a contest is long overdue here...how some Bare Nature organic loose teas? There are ten wonderful blends to savour.
Hop over to the Bare Nature facebook page and like it, then leave a comment here on the blog, or on my Snicks Facebook page under the contest post telling me which of her products you most would like to use/try from the Bare Nature Products web store.
We will draw when the Bare Nature facebook page reaches 750 likes and the winner will get their treats in the mail.
Over the years I have tried lots of home care tips that claim to be eco-friendly and effective. Some work, some are so-so, some aren't worth the effort at all... but every once in a while you find a gem of a formula you want to tell everyone about.
Not polluting our water table with toxic cleaners and products is so important...water is life. I was thrilled to find these two recipes on Pinterest to help with my spring house catch up blitz. They absolutely knocked my socks off.
First off I tried a recipe that promised to make my shower shine. I have an acrylic insert in my bathroom and because I have better things to do than polish the shower every day it was looking a little sad and seriously not-shiny.
Here is what it takes to make the cleaning paste...
Super Sparkly Bathroom Cleaning Paste
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/2 dawn dish soap
4 tablespoons baking soda
On Pinterst there are many variations to this recipe. This is what I find worked best for me.
In the glass measuring cup heat the white vinegar in the microwave for 60-90 seconds till it gently boils. Be careful. Pour it into a heat safe bowl.
When it's cooled slightly mix in the baking soda, 1 tablespoon at a time till it's disolved. It will foam up and kids love watching and helping.
Then measure out the dawn in the measuring cup and add to the bowl.
Use a cloth or sponge to spread the paste all over the shower walls and floor. You will have lots and lots. Do the sinks and bathtub as well.
I also found it great to rinse the microfiber cloth under water with the bowl below. It will create so much cleaner. I took those bowls of sudsy remnants and filled the toilets with the bubbly cleaning liquid.
This one recipe allowed me to do four bathrooms this way by using the cleaner up that kept rinsing out of the cloth.
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That is my dull and dingy neglected shower before.
Note the frosted glass doors. I had them done as a special request, and it was one of the smartest things I did with all the showers during our build. It is next to impossible to keep clear doors looking lovely. Frosted glass allows for a lot of grace for busy families. Okanagan folks can have this done inexpensively at Sun Valley Glass here in Vernon. The locally owned shop offers amazing service. They also recently replaced a windshield and picture glass for me quickly and economically.
Here is what the shower looked like with the paste on.
I put a nice thick layer all over the walls, doors and floor and let it sit a couple of hours. That's when I went around the house in a cleaning frenzy with my bowl and cloth.
Sinks came first and faucets...then counters if needed and lastly the dreaded boys bathroom toilet. Warning this is a horrific image and as much as three boys and one man claim to clean this toilet I always find it in this state that brings me to tears quite often.
You will never catch me in the boys bathroom...they are revolting. I dumped lots of paste everywhere even onto the floor and used a brush to force it under the toilet and into all the hideous nooks and crannies.
After a while I went back with paper towels and the foam had loosened most everything up and it wiped clean and the pee smell was gone. I asked their Dad to witness this and actually made him crouch down and see the mess that escapes the piece of toilet paper wiping the seat version of cleaning they do.
As for the shower it was almost midnight before I got back to my room. I went in and gave a quick wipe then rinsed it using the shower head and cloth. Attempting this in my clothing was a terrible idea...you really need to get naked and get in there and rinse everything well...you will get soaked. But as it rinsed the acrylic was so shiny, bright and smooth. It was divine.
Look at that tap and the shiny shower wall...just like new again. This will be the only thing I ever use now on the shower, tubs and sinks. I must say that leaving that bubbly mix in the toilets worked wonders overnight as well. In the morining I used the toilet brush to give them a good scrub and flushed it down and they were spotless...even the nasty boys toilet.
The next day I used simelar ingredients to mix up a batch of weed and grass killer from a recipe I have seen over and over on Pinterest and hear amazing things about. Roundup and those types of toxic yard care chemicals are pure evil and they are expensive to boot.
We have lots of grass and weeds growing through the pea gravel on our driveway and it's too much to pull, it needed to be sprayed. We got a large sprayer like this and made the recipe shown.
Organic Weed Spray
1 gallon white vinegar
2 cups of epson salts
1/4 cup Dish Soap ( you could use eco friendly stuff...it just helps the formula stick to the plant surface)
Now...I didn't have quite enough white vinegar so I used white wine vinegar and apple cider vinegar too but their acidity levels are higher so if anything it was stronger.
We sprayed the gravel early in the day and by dusk the grass and weeds were already brown and dying.
Impressive isn't it? I went today and bought two more gallons of vinegar and a big sack of Epson salts to make a double batch to finish the job. Try and do it when rain isn't predicted as it will be more effective. The link to this recipe and heaps of versions of it are also on Pinterest and can be found on my Eco savvy love and Gardening love boards.
I am so excited. Today at Walmart I told several people in the garden center who were buying Round Up to put it back and save their money and our planet. They all were intrigued and went to buy their vinegar and salts intead. Help spread the word folks...this is good stuff!
After a long winter nothing is more fun than pulling out the spring stuff and packing up the bulky winter garb.
I am so excited to participate in this event tomorrow in support of the Kelowna Women's Shelter and Soles4Souls Canada. All week I have been trashing my closet and drawers...pulling out stuff barely worn, impulse buys, misfits, shoes, bling...you name it. Loading up with a friend tomorrow and heading to Kelowna for a day of fun selling and shopping for a good cause.
The garden can wait, the dust bunnies will always be breeding and sorry boys but Momma feels the need to purge my closet of clutter and edit my style today so dinner will be whatever you wrangle that doesn't contain the words candy or chips.
Okanagan ladies please come freshen up your wardrobe in an eco-friendly, community-minded way in the name of supporting two great causes.
Ry recently turned 7 and was over the moon excited to have a birthday party. He wanted a Lego themed party which seems to be so popular lately but it was his day so I was onboard.
As it was fairly last minute right after spring break it had to be done fairly simple and I did't have a huge budget. We used some generic invites I got from Indigo on 80% off clearance by Pistachio...a seriously eco friendly printing company. They were my fave green and cheery and simple enough for a kids party and $2 for 10! Invites out on Wednesday party for Sunday...yikes.
Before the kiddos came I set the table...I LOVE setting tables. I had a little cloth I bought from a friend that sorta worked and just simple paper plates I added Lego faces too. Paper cups and old fashioned paper straws as they are a cuteness weakness of mine. Could have done so much more but really once eleven seven year old sit down the table is destined to be trashed.
In the middle I set up a little game to keep them busy while waiting for cake. They liked it. Little pieces of paper and felts were left for them to use to write their names and guess and they took turns sharing.
The main event ws the cake which I definitely am not capable of making like this. I hired an local gal Amy Gervais who is so talented to tackle that. I love making deserts but I didn't want to be stressing off a Pinterest fail on Ry's day. Amy rocked it. If you are in the Okanagan I recommend her for cakes and cupcakes for special events...it was lovely and yummy.
Once the kids arrived we headed downstairs for a major Lego play...I layed out quilts and sat them in a circle and dumped all the baskets of Lego in the middle and they went at it. They liked it so much many chose not to do the craft I planned and kept building. They were all together though and it was fun...they munched Ry's fave snack foods while they worked.
I used up all the leftover science fair poster board pieces my other boys to cut out Lego man parts so the kids could assemble their own and decorate it with sharpies and dot stickers. Ry made the sample man shown and it was easy but complicated enough to satisfy 7 year old crafty kids...they made some cute creations.
After a good play we took them upstairs again for cake, ice cream and and presents.
Sparklers made the cake very exciting for them, it was sweet.
And look at all those smiley, giggly kiddos...so adorable. Ry was a very happy fellow and loving all the festivities.
The gifts party at kiddo parties is always mayhem, as much as you try to keep it humble and calm...they can't control themselves. You just gotta go with it and make sure no one gets trampled.
But the buddy hugs and huddles make it all so worth it. Ry is in the middle of this group love session. I think he was pretty darn grateful for his friends, the fun and his gifts.
As the party ended we headed outside for a little spring play in the sun and I gave them their goody bags as they were picked up.
They were used as decorations on the buffet for the party and did double duty. Just coloured paper bags decorated with dot stickers to look like Lego bricks, and tied with bakers twine I had. Inside I placed a Lego minifigure, a lollypop, some Lego candies, a little fingerlight, and a trading card.
I did a few other little decorations as well. Everything was simple and inexpensive and done within a couple fun hours.
Lego head balloons...
On Ry's actual birthday I suprised him at school with a bunch of seven hellium ballons. Being the frugal sneak I am, and yellow lover I intentionally picked simple yellow ones with the idea I would add Lego faces and use them as party decorations a few days later. I just used a Sharpie to draw face ideas I got off Lego minifigures...cleaned up the bottom of the balloon and stick with tape and covered it with a cheery ribbon bow. Then I took small balls of plasticine and stuck them to the bottom of big mason jars to hold the balloon stick securly and filled the jar with lego blocks.
Total cost $14 as I found the balloons already blown up at Dollerama and had the other stuff already.
Lego block banner decoration...
This is a terrible photo as I took it quick late last night. I did this so last minute but it was a fun way to welcome the kids at the front door before they saw the other decorations. Three pieces of bristol board cut into rectangles. The I used a mason jar lid to trace the circles and a hole punch to string them on a long piece of ribbon I had. The colours were bright and cheery despite this wretched photo.
Had I had an hour to spare the Martha Stewart in me would have liked to write LEGO inside each traced circle but I let that go as no seven year old would notice anyways and really the shindig was for them.
So that's it. One little boys Lego party done quickly, inexpensively and stress free. It wasn't easy to resisit the hundreds of amazing ideas calling my name on Pinterst and not become a kid birthday Momzilla but I did it...and I had the happiest little love bug give me the best thank-yous that night as my reward.
Lego is amazing...all my boys love it still and have loved it forever. So grateful for this timeless toy. It's such a staple in this house full of boys I have a Lego Love board on Pinterst we go to often for ideas...if your clan loves Lego too take a look and enjoy.
Wow...just finished watching another very tense hockey playoff game and I am in serious need of some time on my mat. This video has been my biggest yoga inspiration for a couple years...it is beautiful, graceful and shows the essence the art. Briohny Smyth makes it look easy and is my idol.
Hope you enjoy it...she is amazing and I adore the simple scene, filming and grounding music.
This is a random share but beautiful. Last year floating on paddle boards with a friend in Mexico we were part of the top of a bait ball of fish. It was an scary but amazing experience and we only saw a wee bit of what was happenning below us. I wrote about it in a quick piece called Paddle Heaven if you are interested in that little adventure.
I can only imagine how these two filmakers felt after experiencing a huge murmuration of starlings. I can't recall exactly when but I know I have seen a very modest version of this with Liam and we were both dumb founded. Watch this quick film by Sophie and Liberty and be amazed by the wonder of nature...
Life is beautiful...our earth is precious...please do your little part to protect it. The garbage can at hockey tonight was filled with plastic water bottles and I just felt sad...there is no need for us to be so small minded.
I rant about that one a lot, here is a smattering of my past posts on water...
Living frugally is not something I am ashamed of...I wear my good deals with pride. I don't think I am a cheapskate as I give generously but I always shop mindfully and try desperately to stay within our means.
I do LOVE pretty things though. My pretty isn't ever girly. I live in a house with nine males...five are not human but their testosterone still affects me to my core. My only allies are an aloof cat and one leopard gecko and neither are very supportive.
So when it comes to seasonal decor my look and style isn't easy to achieve. I look for good quality stuff at blow out prices that is a perfect mix of timeless appeal, charm and a certain masculine type of pretty that there is no word for. I thought I would share a couple of my fave finds and tricks in case there are any others out there with the same decorating dilemmas.
Collecting treasures that transition from Christmas to Valentine's Day is key if you want easy peasy, versatile and great deals. Almost all of my Valentine's Day decor staples are actually stuff I bought apres Christmas at 70% off or more. You will find this type of markdown from January into February.
Winners/Homesense and other home decor retailers are where to watch. I have had this red candle holder for a few years. Regular retail was $30 as it's really nice and heavy and well laquered. It was marked down to $12 and I actually got it on an additional 50% off...so $6 was the final output. It works well for Christmas as it's really tall and makes a nice statement behind things and it stays out well into February. Generally I am not a red lover so I tuck it away after that in favour of dark pink accents. My eldest made that blue paper dove when he was little so it's special to me and I keep it tied on to the candleholder. The candle was a Beaver Canoe find from Target a couple weeks ago...regular retail when I first swooned over them at Christmas was $15 which is fair for a unique, good quality pillar candle but four markdowns later I picked it and another up for $3.59. It's a creamy cable knit look so it's great for all winter holidays.
Here is another new thing this year. I always like the style of stuff made by Creative Co-Op. This wood and paper strip wreath was a Christmas item but it works fab for Valentine's Day. Regular retail $24.99...picked it up in the clearance section in Winners for $3. The red wooden dove is a holiday ornament too I added on for the picture but actually don't love with the wreath now that I look at it. Got it for 90% off at Chapters...$2.
We are prepared this year and got Ry's cards done on the weekend. They are waiting in this tin bucket I use so much from the Land of Nod, normally I have a sponsor button from them on my sidebar but I haven't updated. I sometimes write for their blog Honest To Nod. Now is the time to hit the clearance sections for holiday decor at higher end shops like that and Pottery Barn and Restoration Hardware...buy things you adore that you can afford now and tuck them away till next Christmas.
Be creative and have fun with it. Look around your house and find stuff that works you already have. Here is a mish mash of other finds I threw together to share. I use bakers twine for everything...grab it on sale and use it again and again for gifts. Another Beaver Canoe candle from Target $3.49. Heart ornament bought on half price at Chapters $3.50. Nice grosgrain ribbon from Chapters as well...$1 for the spool, regular $4. A holiday frame from Winners $2...I love that picture even though it's very Christmasy so I left it. Vintage book in red. Holiday kraft wrap with red dots, and a snowman ornament from my collection with a cute heart sweater.
Stay true to your style though...don't just buy stuff as it's cheap. Then you will smile every December as you unpack the holiday stuff and love it for years to come.
For more last minute Valentine's ideas and inspirations check out my Valentine's Day Love Pinterest page...it's chock full of gems.
Find past years of Valentine's fun from Snicks here...
If you are really brave or bored hit my archives for other Valentine's Day shares all the way back to Feb 2008. Just go into the Feb month each year and scroll around.
