[TUTORIAL] Simmering Potpourri

A couple years ago, me and my littles started creating stovetop potpourris during the winter months when our wood stove was pumping out the heat 24/7. We got pretty creative with some by adding lemon peels, snippets of pine and some mysterious items that left some questionable smells in our living room. Here's one of our favourite mixes for you to try out during this cold snap to simmer atop your wood stove, burner or crockpot. Enjoy!

First collect your spices and either dry out your produce or if using right away, keep fresh (the cranberries look much prettier when fresh). You can add some bits of pine, some whole nutmeg and lemon peels.

I used dried cranberries as we will be gifting some of our mix and have noticed that when simmering, it creates a cloudy appearance to the water...still smells great but does not look as nice. We keep our mix going on our wood stove for up to a week while topping up the spices and keeping the water level up. It gets a very robust scent that is lovely.

Gift it - put some of your spice mix in a glass mason jar, add some pretty Christmas paper to the lid or fabric, wrap with twine and spread the joy!

[DOCUMENT] Photo Garland

Professional Day + Rain + Cozy Fire + Hot Chocolate and a ridiculous Fred Movie = Craft Time for Mama.

A couple weeks ago I ventured into Michael's to drool over the illuminated tin shapes that are worth a small fortune and lo and behold...THEY WERE ON SALE. After the well deserved happy dance ended, I dove into the bin and pulled out the most perfect, galvanized heart. I instantly fell in love (and who wouldn't at 70% off) and yesterday I found the perfect spot on my window. Of course, this little addition to the living room meant redecorating the entire room and taking a closer look at this window. It needed a little something something so out came the scrap booking supplies, washi tape, glue and Instagram and voila.

A photo garland!! I've seen this idea for weddings and birthdays but why not everyday. I downloaded some of my favourite Instagram images and printed them at 3.75" x 5" and left some photos as a square with a white band below for text and some I cropped to fill the entire rectangle.

On the square images, I added strip of washi tape and a bit of text. The rectangle images were left as is, or had the addition of some fun cutouts I had in my stash.

The small prints and text are from an Ali Edwards Project Life kit that I've had for ages...glad I didn't sell it. I love it!

[FAMILY + NATURE] Island Living

No we don't have malls, skate parks (although, that would be fun) movie theatres or even an indoor swimming pool, but we do have beaches, tide pools, meadows and trails. We made really great use of all those 'facilities' this weekend. First up, the Nature Dive.

Chloe and I had so much fun on Saturday, that we decided to go back to the dock with the boys to show them all the little starfish and gunnel fish we had found.

Next we headed down the road to the meadow and tried our hand at fishing off a little bridge that crosses a creek. It was filled with beautiful rainbow trout and crayfish - we caught five trout and a couple crayfish!

Last on the list was to have a bonfire at the beach to cook our bounty, but the weather had a different idea and instead we headed back with our friends to our place to BBQ, have the first fire of the season and listen to the thunderstorm. Island living bliss.

[FAMILY + NATURE] After School Home School

We are so blessed on this island to have the most AMAZING community school. The class sizes are relatively small, the teachers are top notch, community and parent involvement is encouraged, nature is at the centre of their everyday learning (heck, they back onto a forest) and we are kept in the loop of everything that is happening both in the class and out. We couldn't be luckier. The academics, physical activity, music, languages and social interaction is all covered, which leaves us the freedom at home to focus on what we're interested in without sacrificing any of the above.

So how do we 'homeschool'? We dive into nature. We pack up our explorer pack, we grab our nets, our buckets our test tubes and head out. We collect specimens, we research and we share. Our classroom is the beach, the forest, the front yard. We have been invited to help create a nature table in my daughter's classroom...to say I'm excited is about the biggest understatement of the century! It was as if the trees were listening to that conversation, as this week has been naturepalooza at the Degner residence!

First find was this amazing juvenile Northern Alligator Lizard which was spotted at our local eatery. We captured him/her in a coffee cup and got down to business creating a temporary habitat.

We researched what they eat, where they live, how they defend themselves and how large they are when full grown. And hey, did you know that Norther Alligator Lizards give birth to live young??!! Neither did I!

As if that wasn't enough excitement, we also found a birds nest on our property which looks as though it used our dogs fur to make it nice and cozy inside. During our lake walk yesterday we discovered a beautiful dragonfly, a dragonfly nymph casing, mystery eggs in the lake which we are guessing are snails, a beautiful large, blue crayfish claw and some small white eggs under a log. Our classroom never disappoints!

[GLAMPING] The Okanagen

Travelled from our moss covered island rainforest to the dry, tree speckled hills of the Okanagen for five glorious days. The bright green vineyards against the dry desert landscape and silvery sage bush creates the most beautiful colour palette. The neutral backdrops of this land makes every little colour POP with intensity and purpose.

[NATURE + EXPLORE] Forest Beaches

I love summer! I love the long days, sleeping in, fresh veggies from the garden and endless possibilities. What I don't love at all is the heat...I know, I know, boo, hiss, what is wrong with you, you're thinking. Perhaps it's my rather well insulated physique that stops me from enjoying those golden rays of blistering death or maybe I'm just more of a spring/fall gal. Either way, I always find it a bit of a challenge to find things to do with the kiddos that does not involve mountains of sunscreen and sweaty sun hats.

Lucky for us, we live in a lush rainforest that always has plenty of shade and dappled sun to keep us me happy and endless exploration ideas. One of our FAVOURITES is spending the day at a Forest Beach. There's cool water, 'tide pools', rocks to turn over and plenty of critters to put in our buckets.

Yesterday's adventure involved the girlie and me packing up our Adventure Pack and walking to our local creek for an afternoon of fun. The temperature was perfect, the forest smelled amazing, and the sounds from the neighbouring farm kept us amused. We packed a delicious lunch, brought a bucket and net and settled in for hours of play.

We found lots of beautiful baby trout, caddisfly larvae, some disgusting grubs and a clutch of mystery eggs on the side of a rock in the water which we later discovered are fresh water snail eggs!

So if you are anything like me and want to have a shady day play, we would love to have you!

[NATURE] Spring Exchange 2016

Another wonderful experience for both myself and my kids with this go around of the Nature Pal Exchange Spring 2016. We were lucky enough again to be matched up with a family from NOVA SCOTIA! Our trade family mama is Dawn Suzette Smith of Mud Puddles to Meteors blog (nature study blog Dawn co-authors with her good friend, Annie. It is filled with nature study inspiration and kitchen table science to help you and yours explore the wonders of the natural world) and the author of Whatever the Weather (science experiments and art activities that explore the wonders of nature). 

"Hello, I am Dawn, a self-taught naturalist and trained educator. For the past 15 years I have worked to promote children’s connection with nature and life long love of outdoor pursuits for both physical and mental health. My writing and photography have been featured in various print and online magazines and books, and in exhibits with the National Park Service. I currently homeschool my daughter while my son attends public school. They are both curious nature lovers who have their own individual nature interests and it is great fun to watch them grow and explore in their own ways."

Dawn's blog is a wealth of information and her Instagram feed is over the top inspiring. It has been a real honour to meet her and her family and to receive our beautiful treasures from our Eastern Neighbour, Nova Scotia! Thank you Dawn.

And now for the really fun part...our treasures from Nova Scotia. We were SPOILED!! Periwinkle shells, sea sponge, scallops, caddisfly larvae casings, beautiful soap, handmade bookmark, postcards, a beautiful stick and yarn sculpture and that's barely brushing the surface!!

Sign ups for the summer Nature Exchange opens May 30th. Head over to their website and join in this educational, fun and creative activity for the entire family!

[EVENTS] Creative Endeavours

Hello Friends. Spring has sprung, and our little island is heading full speed into summer. SUMMER...that is what's been on my mind and my plate the last month. I am the proud new coordinator of the Bowen Island Seaside Marketplace - a new farmers market to hit our shores starting July 1st and running throughout the summer months and possibly into the fall (weather depending). This new market will focus on our local Makers, Bakers and Growers from both on island and the mainland. Applications have been flying out the door, and the caliber of work that is coming to this marketplace is amazing. CAN . NOT . WAIT!!

OUR LOVELY CHUNK OF GRASS AT THE UNION STEAMSHIP COMPANY

In other super creative news, our Collective is continuing to grow steadily and hosted the first of it's Spring pop-ups at the beginning of this month. We have our next shop happening April 30th + May 1st at the Sugar Cube Gallery, so be sure to mark your calendars!

MY BEAUTIFUL VIEW FROM BEHIND THE FRONT DESK AT THE SUGAR CUBE GALLERY

And as if this was not enough creative wonderfulness to fill my plate, my husband and I have another very cool project gearing up to start soon. That my friends, I am keeping under wraps until we're ready to launch...but it will be good ;)