FLORALINA COLLECTION - FORAGED HAND-DYED FABRIC

I met with Bailey a few weeks ago to hear how she got started in her Eco-dying process and how the idea of creating hair scrunchies with natural dye immersed.

Bailey has been a resident of Revelstoke for a few years now and she loves everything this town has to offer, especially when it comes to sustainable living.

She is one creative gal and enjoys living simply off the land. I got to catch up with her in her tiny home to hear all about her business endeavor.

Perhaps the long days of covid brought the dream about, or working at the local food bank and seeing all the items that would generally go to waste be given new purpose; whatever the case Bailey is onto something and it’s such a fun and unique idea!!

She’s using items in the pantry to make dye for fabric, fashioning it into hair scrunchies and up-cycled t-shirts (made from pillow cases!!) She has some other ideas brewing, but you’ll have to follow along to see them as they hit her online shop.

How does she do it? Some of it will be left a mystery for the maker herself to share but let’s start at the beginning.

The question we pose to you is what do you do with your onion peels? Toss them in the bin right? Maybe feed them to the animals outdoors or dispose of them in the compost. Well, Bailey found a new use for them and after some online tutorials, lots of research, trial and error she has found a method she loves and is still tweaking it as she goes. The onions are boiled in a giant pot until the peels leave their ‘natural stain’ in the water. Her Mordant (what binds the colors to fabric) is made with soy milk & water, because who needs to spend an atrocious amount of money on something you can substitute so easily at the local market?

The fabric is bathed in the water with the mordant for hours, then hung to dry for up to a week to let it set in and hold the color.

Once the dye process was figured out then came the sewing, a few more tutorials and fine-tunes later, Bailey was ready to give it a go and the outcome are these adorable scrunchies!!

All are hand dyed with items such as onions and beets and there will be many more natural ingredients along the way to get all sorts of colors the rainbow holds!!!

Bailey looks forward to expanding her collection, and having her items in one of the local shops here in Revelstoke called Forage and Fill, an Eco-friendly, zero waste refill and repurpose store. Give her a follow on Instagram and make sure to stay tuned for all she will have to offer!!

Floralina
Collection

Bailey - Floralina’s founder

Sutherland Falls - a winter's walk [Revelstoke]

It was a cold winter day, one you may not think of going on an adventure in. The ski hill was icy, the coffee was calling, but adventure we did!! We hopped into the car and drove down the road, 25 min south of Revelstoke and parked along the side of the road amidst snow piles and log piles.

The air was chilled and as we hiked down the snow burdened road, sometimes creating our own path and sinking hip deep into the snow. The road you can usually drive down in summer took a fair while to descend but the forest view and laughs we had a stumbling through snow were priceless.

Sutherland Falls is a must see if you are in the area. In summer the moss scattered across the rocks is a stunning emerald green and in winter the waterfalls turn into ice leaving you in awe at the water that would usually be roaring down the chute. The ice created a beautiful pattern along the rocks and we felt small in its comparison.

Once photos were taken and we got our fix of the falls we meandered along the pathway and came out at the Columbia River. Along another short forest walk and out we popped near the frozen grass poking out through the snow that held it there. We came upon some sand that was kept solid by the winter’s freeze underneath our footprints. And we held out breath at the stunning scene before us, the mountains surrounding us and the landscape were quite honestly picture perfect.

The only thing missing from our adventure was some hot chocolate and perhaps some donuts!! These things are a must on a cold winter adventure walk!!

WANDER [BRITISH COLUMBIA] →

‘When the snow doesn’t fly’ is never a saying said during a typical winter in Revelstoke, British Columbia, Canada.
Generally this little mountain town nestled in the valley of towering mountains is buried in snow that consumes your day. However this winter 2020/21 hasn’t shown us much in the way of snow.
To make the most of the days, my friend Stephanie and I gathered our warm outdoor wear and traipsed across town to walk along the pathway that leads down south of town, known as the flats.

A short walk through a forest barren of anything but twigs holding tight to their roots in the winter months, opens up to display snow covered mountains and a grassy terrain underfoot.

We wandered for a few hours, stopping to capture the beauty nature had unfolding right in front of us and we took advantage of the brown hues that popped under the bright colors Stephanie was sporting.

Do you have a favorite spot to wander and roam? Can you enjoy the scenery no matter the weather or do you prefer to stay cozy at home?

STUCK ON STOKE [WINTER 2020] →

Why do you move to Revelstoke? Answers can vary from, ‘work - adventure seeker - to ‘I just got stuck here’. Well if you are not a fan of winter, this most likely isn’t the place for you, considering it is known across the globe for it’s epic snow falls, extreme winter sports and beautiful scenery.

One of the reasons I moved to Revelstoke was in fact, due to the amount of snow this town gets and its ski hill. We are in what is known as a ‘humid continental climate’, which allows for hot hot summers and winters laden deep with snow.

In this series called ‘Stuck on Stoke’ I’m showing you the streets of our wee town after many snow dumps last winter (2020). Although this winter hasn’t shown as much snowfall as years past, the last few days with the snow at our doorsteps and pilling over the tops of our boots, soaking our socks, I was reminded of these images I took last winter and have held captive for some time now.

Does looking at these images make you want to pack your belongs and move to a warmer place or would you be happy to get stuck in the stoke?

[full series can be found in photos]

JOSIE + TY [MATERNITY SHOOT]

I met Josie about 10 years ago, when I first first moved to Revelstoke. We shared the same apartment complex and luster for discovering all that Revelstoke has to offer. Despite the small town vibes I think it’s safe to say we lost touch as she went her own way leaving town to study and I left to travel abroad for a few years.

Once I returned to Revelstoke, it was awesome running into her and realizing we both were drawn back to the beauty this town offers. When I saw she was expecting I was so honored to be able to share the joy in capturing Josie & Ty’s maternity images.
Josie’s positive attitude and luster for life and adventure pairs so well with Ty’s love for Revelstoke and they are looking forward to meeting the little one when he arrives.

It was unusually warm for January when we went for a wander in the woods to take these photos and try as we might we were hoping to get more images of their dog Bob, but Bob had other plans scurrying about enjoying the scenery!! This walk was one I’d never been on before, just a 5 min drive north of Revelstoke and I must say, when we stumbled upon the loader sitting in the forest I was quite stoked when the lovely couple was up for shots in front of it!!!

Josie & Ty I’m excited to meet the little one in a few weeks!!

GHOSTED

Hands up … Time to be honest, how many of you have ever been Ghosted before? It’s not a nice feeling, being completely cut off without notice, no follow up, questions left unsaid.

This shoot was done with two of my favorite models of all time. The autumn mood set in just right with some sun in the foreground and moody clouds in the back.

I’ve realized after being ghosted by friends or potential suitors that being ghosted can almost be a gift. It sure is odd at the time, being completely cut off, but looking back you realize you don’t need to keep being stuck in the ‘why’ instead it’s awesome to embrace being free from the ghosts of our past.

STEPHANIE

Meet Stephanie;
She’s called Revelstoke home for over a year now and it was so much fun to photograph her in our very short autumnal window.

Stephanie hails from Bohol in the Philippines, with it’s population of about 1,313, 500 I couldn’t help but wonder how she felt about living in a small Canadian mountain town? She absolutely loves it saying, "I've been to amazing places here! It’s quite different than home, because it's way colder here. I’ve been able to meet some awesome people, take in some amazing scenery and I look forward to making the ski hill my playground this winter.”

Stephanie moved to Revelstoke about a year ago to study, she’s taking the Tourism Management Diploma at Okanagan College here in town and likes it a lot.

I met Steph while working this past year and her bubbly personality and humor are what helped us through some interesting shifts at the start of the pandemic!!

If you want a good laugh, make friends with your co-workers and ask them to do a hair flip for your photography page!!!

HEATH FAMILY

Try as we might we could not outsmart the rain showers we were getting this Summer 2020. Revelstoke was becoming a rain zone and I was being reminded of all the times I’d shown up to work or college whilst in Scotland soaked to the skin.

Mind you nothing much has been ‘normal’ during this year so we figured we would keep postponing this family photo shoot until a sunny day. Eventually we caught a window in the rain and were able to snag some family snaps!! (It literally was raining right up until the shoot was meant to start and about 10 min after we said our goodbyes it started up again!!!).

I had such a blast taking these photos of this wonderful local Revelstoke family, whom I’ve had the pleasure of knowing my 10+ years living here. They were up for all the ideas I had in mind and dare I say we maneuvered the weather quite nicely!!

I hadn’t taken family photos since studying abroad so the nerves were high on my end. But like every single shoot I do after I clicked the first image I was in the zone and loving every second of being behind the lens.

If you don’t know these wonderful, kindhearted, giving folk you truly are missing out. It was such a pleasure being able to spend time with these bunch and get them some family memories that will last.
[More photos available in the photo section]