23 November 2015

A WINTER'S TALE


A WINTER'S TALE

Open House

Saturday, November 28th
11 - 4
Sunday, November 29th
12 - 4

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Regular Hours December 5th-20th
Saturday 1 - 5
Sunday 12 - 4

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Winter weaves her magic into that most glorious of seasons in familiar and yet ever changing ways.  While the season finds us foraging & harvesting and preparing as we always have, this season finds me doing so with a different purpose, a changing vision - and therein lies the tale.  We have been harvesting, foraging and weaving our creative evergreen spell for many years and it's so lovely and inspirational to have so many of you still gracing the doors of our little workshop, leaving with pretty green bundles and packages tucked in under your arms, over your shoulders, your friends shoulders.  Each year, I continue to find myself in awe of how that first cut of balsam or pine sends me into creative overdrive enveloping the workshop in the most magical all natural fragrance that only fresh cut evergreens can provide.  As those greens work their way into winter wreaths which grace your doors as you welcome the Christmas season and beyond, I am inspired and grateful that you continue to allow us to be part of such a special season. 


One of the things I love most about this wildly creative place is that all I do, all I grow, all I create, is with my hands.  I work the land, weed, prepare and plant the gardens, grow flowers, harvest evergreens, twigs and branches which weave their way into this and that here and there, sharing with you all along the way.  This year, more than ever before, the hard, but joyful work of these hands have begun to speak to me in ways that many of you, I suspect, experience also - that of arthritis.  I officially have inflammatory osteoarthritis which is most acutely aggravated by repetitive hand work.   Coupled with Renauds, my hands are in need of tender loving care and it is that acknowledgement which has led me to a changed vision.  Knowing how much our work has come to be a tradition for so many of you, I have not made the decision lightly but rather out of necessity, your visits at this special time of year are an important part of my life, one I look forward to and plan for each year.  And while this year is no different in that respect, we have been working hard, foraging, harvesting, gathering and making, enjoying mother nature's kind and gentle ways this past month or so, you will see changes, changes which I am hopeful you will embrace and understand. 


What does it all really mean?  It's a year of change but one which will allow me to continue to take special orders from the usual suspects, while managing time spent on repetitive handwork tasks.  Although you will not find our traditional collection of ready-made evergreen wreaths, you will find the shop brimming with wreaths of a different kind, beautiful fresh greens by the bunch, twigs, baskets, a selection of planters, all of the usual handmade goodness and DIY inspiration you have come to expect and Workshops to inspire and delight. 

The workshops are posted here ~ I hope to see you exploring your creative self. 

Cheers and blessings of this most glorious of seasons. 

All images:  the urban farmchick












04 November 2015

A Winter's Tale

It has been a stunning autumn, one of the best in a while and my favourite time of year.  With mild days and cooler nights, the greens are being harvested, the moss gathered, the cones dried.  The workshop is awash in those most familiar scents that arrive but once a year in preparation for that most glorious of seasons.

Details, and it is all in the details, are being fine tuned ~ ready to deliver.  Are you ready?  Stay with us for just a few more days and I'm absolutely sure you will be as excited as I am.



In the meantime, my husband Brad has been throwing the most stunning pieces in preparation for the Thunder Bay Potter's Guild Christmas Show.  I'd like to keep them all but apparently that's not a go!  

You can visit the TBPG Christmas Show, Saturday, November 14th and Sunday, November 15th at the Valhalla Inn.