Last minute Travel Prep DIY's

50 Shades of Khaki

I have packed and re-packed and then re-packed again. Packing 'light' ain't easy. Even when everything is all one colour.

I' m just about ready to leave but thought I would share some last minute travel inspired DIY's.

I have two camera bags. Two very nice camera bags. Unfortunately nothing says 'come rob me' like walking around Africa with expensive camera bags and equipment draped around yr neck. For this trip I have one large pack and a small day pack. I decided to convert this day pack into a camera bag.

By attaching velcro strips to both the inside walls of the backpack and to the edges of some soft material covered foam, I created dividers making a compartment for each lens and camera body. Easy peasy.

Now all my equipment can be safely stored in the bottom of my tiny day pack.

Next I wanted to create a bean bag to use as a base when taking pictures. Bean bags are used when a tripod isn't an option. Camera shake is a real problem on safari, especially with the hum of the jeeps and rovers we travel in. Camera shake distorts perfectly framed sunset pics or time lapsed photos of a starry night - especially when using long telephoto lenses. Most stores sell reasonable options but why buy what you can make yourself? Unless you want to buy something from us of course :)

Using a scrap of material I had laying around (I used a safari friendly print but you can make yours as cute or plain as you want) a ziploc bag and some un-popped popcorn I constructed a bean bag body. The ziploc is a good idea to protect from moisture, and also helps if you plan make your bag re-fillable. You can use dried beans, peas, rice whatever you have at home. Or - make an empty cloth pouch and fill your ziploc bag when you arrive at your destination with rice or sand, whatever you like. I made my pouch with a velcro closure but snaps or zippers would work great too!By filling it with small round material (like popcorn or beans) your bag is easily mold-able and can take on whatever shape you need it to. This can give your camera height, or allow it to be propped at just the right angle to get the shot you need. It can even be easily folded in half.

velcro closure & popcorn

finished bag

Bag folded in half - propping camera body

That's all folks. Ive procrastinated long enough. Time to go re-organize that rucksack one final time.

-H xo

Hakuna Matata

I've been brushing up on my Swahili. Jambo and Asante (Hello and Thank You) will be useful. Hakuna Matata really does mean, "no worries", and really is a colloquialism, not just a Disney creation. I mention this to you because I am about to embark on the trip of a lifetime. For as long as my swelling heart could beat I have dreamed of this trip. Africa. Specifically, Kenya. The country has always beckoned to me. I can't even explain why. The landscapes and animals are beautiful. The culture is intriguing; and the people are so warm - for the last month or so I have been telling every Kenyan I meet (which is a lot in my line of work!) about my planned adventure and each one has been so genuinely proud of their country and excited for my journey. The history and the story-telling are both meaningful, but I'm not even sure any of these things are what have drawn me to the continent. It's something deeper. Something inside me. A need to go. And so, next week, I set off. With a backpack, a camera, a journal and an armful of vaccines, I'm ready.

mug shot

entry visa

After several L O N G flights, we will arrive in Nairobi...


How I will spend 12 Days in Kenya


The first three days will be spent in Nairobi where we will visit an elephant orphanage and learn how orphaned elephants are cared for and raised until they can be released back into the wild. Stay tuned for pics of me hugging said baby elephants. We will also visit a giraffe sanctuary and several museums and restaurants.


Then it's off on Safari. First stop:  Samburu National Park, a spectacular sixty square mile reserve home to crocodiles, zebra and giraffe. There we will stay in raised tents and sleep under the stars at a lodge built in a national park, right near a watering hole. Unlike the majority of Kenya's flat terrain, Samburu features hills leading to the lush forested ravine of the Ewaso Nyiro River. It is along these riverbanks, that the majority of game gather for the promise of water. We will meet a local Samburu naturalist to learn about the beliefs and traditions of his tribe living in the northern foothills of Mount Kenya.



Glamping in Samburu

 Next we travel to one of Kenya's iconic game lodges, The Ark; located in the Aberdares mountain range and featuring a watering hole with a 24 hour observation deck to watch the local elephants.

The Ark


On day 7 we depart for Lake Nakuru National Park best known for its flamingos, Lake Nakuru is also home to rhino and the elusive leopard.



Great Rift Valley Lodge in Lake Nakuru

The Part of the trip I am most excited about starts on Day 8: The Maasai Mara. The Mara (as the locals call it) is home to the Great Migration (as seen in David Attenborough's amazing Planet Earth). This stop will be the highlight of the journey, I am sure. The Mara is home to the Big Five (lions, elephants, buffalo, rhinos and leopards) and is also called home by the famous Maasai Warriors. We will even get to visit a Maasai village. i can't wait to talk to some of the local women about their ways of life, and of course, the crafter in me can't wait to see the beautiful handcrafted blankets the Maasai are known for :)

tented camp at Maasai Mara

So, Dear Readers, please forgive the lack of shop updates over the next few weeks. I promise to come home renewed and excited and ready to create. I am already excited to see you all at the Herilooms show June 14th and 15th and can't wait to see what else the summer will bring. Mary, please forgive me for not being here to meet the newest family member, I promise extra love and attention and diaper changes when I return.

I also promise to post pictures as soon as I am  home, and recovered from my jet lag. My heart feels so anxious, but as the saying goes, Hakuna Matata, H xo

Networking 101: We've got No Strings to Hold Us Down

Female Entrepreneur Mixer A Success!

Our team was invited to attend an entrepreneur mixer this past weekend. It involved a group of courageous ladies, all of which are holding their own in the business world, in specialties such as Web Design, Photography, Real-Estate, Mental Health, Insurance, Retail (Stella & Dot) and HMFibres (to name a few).

We trekked to the "Big City" with business cards in hand and a cautious optimism about what today would involve. Inevitably the point of today was to network; to pick each others brains, and promote our businesses. This is easy enough to do when you are hidden behind a computer; that's why blogs, emails, Facebook and other social media tools are all wonderful places to share ideas, and promote your business - BUT - networking face to face? Face to face, meaning we have to get out from behind our computers,  sweatpants off, get our hair 'did, and look the part.  All par for the course, right?

Big Sigh, brush your shoulders off... and enter the business world.

Upon opening the doors to our first "entrepreneur mixer", we were greeted with the smell of  business success (real estate to be exact), the smell of floor cleaner, genuine excitement, and a wafting hint of icing. Yes, there were cupcakes, AND I don't want to spoil the ending, but they were delicious.

We quickly shuffled into a private room and headed right for some spring water. It was hot, and if you are going to be talking face-to-face to anyone you want to make sure that your throat isn't dry. Also it gives you something to "play with" when you have some down time.

Luckily that wasn't something we had to worry about. The next few hours were filled with brilliance. We chatted about what it means to have a home business; how to set schedules for yourself so you can have a work life, and home life. How to set guidelines and deadlines so you can still enjoy your life outside of your business. Most importantly we discussed tips for how to shut "IT" off; IT= the essence of your creating...the little voice that calls at 11pm or 3 am telling you that you should be knitting, sewing, creating....and not sleeping (the "it" is personal, but in our case it deals with yarn and fabric..for you "it"could mean anything from woodworking and gardening to computer design and mortgage documents..whatever your passion is that comes calling at all times of the night.)

We met the neatest web designer/branding team from Reservoir Studios who put it like this :
"We are not in a career where 1 +1 = 2. We have to work on a formula to appeal to a potential client....its the creative process...we have to go on a journey of discovery every time we tackle a new project..."

Aww, so someone else out there gets it!

AND that is basically how we felt the entire time we were there, in discussion with a great group of ladies who all get it! Who eat, breathe and sleep their careers, whether its in sweatpants or heels, behind a camera or sewing machine, they are out there getting it done.

What a great way to get inspired, motivated and realize there are women out there who want to listen and support you - pull you up, not trample you on their way up.

Soooooooo it just seems fitting that we all wanted to keep in contact - enter social media networking tool: Facebook. We suggested creating a small female entrepreneur group on Facebook, so we could throw out ideas, any exciting business announcements and to just keep in contact with each another.

Presto Chango - Reservoir Studios creates *Spark...because that's what they do...apparently they take a random idea and they make it look like this:

Pretty Eh?

An extremely talented group of ladies that we had the pleasure to meet, and hopefully meet again.

We are also looking forward to a neat collaboration with one of the business teams we met, so stay tuned.

OH, and we won a beautiful glass tumbler....no big deal.

It might look like I was driving during this picture, but I wasn't.....

H & M get your fibres on.