Slocan Valley Cheer 2024
Support Your Local Elves. Shop Slocan Valley.
Help us spread holiday cheer to every nook and cranny of the Slocan Valley!
From Frog Peak to Summit Lake – makers, artisans and community groups are busy toiling away in their wilderness abodes, harnessing the raw inspiration of the Valley around us, to bring you good cheer.
This holiday season, explore the Slocan Valley retail and arts scene and discover unique gems at local shops, markets and from the artisans themselves.
Slocan City Legion, 502 Harold Street, Slocan
Christmas in the Valley Craft Faire
Nov 19 from 10am-3pm
Bosun Hall, 710 Bellevue St, New Denver
New Denver Christmas Market
Nov 23 from 10am-4pm
Slocan Park Hall, 3036 Highway 6, Slocan Park
Slocan Park Christmas Craft Faire
Nov 24 from 10am- 3pm
Passmore Hall, 3656 Passmore Old Road
Grassroots Grammas Christmas at Passmore Hall
Nov 20 from 10am-1pm
Mt. Sentinel Secondary School, 1014 Playmor Road, South Slocan
Mt. Sentinel Winter Craft Market
Dec 1 from 10am-3pm
Multiple businesses, New Denver
New Denver Merchants' Night
Dec 4 from 5-8pm
For one night in December, the merchants of New Denver will stay open late as the Slocan Valley Chamber of Commerce organizes a festive evening for the village.
More info to come!
Silverton Memorial Hall, 203 Lake Ave, Silverton
Silverton Holiday Market
Dec 7 from 10am-3pm
We have a fabulous line up of local artisans offering a diversity of beautiful and functional handmade gifts for seasonal giving. Locally made delicious food and treats to eat in for lunch or take home for later. Handmade gifts from the hearts of Slocan Valley Artisans.
Passmore Hall, 3656 Passmore Old Road
Passmore Holiday Market
Dec 7 from 10am -5pm
Cedar Creek Gardens, Winlaw
Winlaw Winter Wonderland
Dec 14 from 10am -4pm
Come celebrate the wonders of the winter season at the 12th Annual Winlaw Winter Wonderland event! A cozy and cheerful day filled with holiday spirit for the whole family hosted at Cedar Creek Gardens.
Support local artisans and makers at the vendor market place at the Cedar Creek Gardens while enjoying warm beverages and delicious food offerings. Connect with your community around the warm bonfire at this special time of year.
Slocan City Legion, 502 Harold Street, Slocan
Last Call for Christmas
Dec 21 from 10am -3pm
The Last Call For Christmas Market is the perfect opportunity for all those last-minute shoppers!
This eclectic bazaar features everything from handwoven foraging baskets to gemstone jewellery, herbal body products to socks that rock, beading, baking, bowls, lamps, textiles, plant medicine and more!
Jess Duchart - Ritual Aromatics
Jess is an incredible botanical perfume and incense maker who calls Winlaw home. Fascinated with the journey that scent takes us on, Jess started, Ritual Aromatics, so she could introduce others to the modern magic of slow perfumery and handmade, artisan incense.
Jess went to school for aromatherapy in 1996/97 and has been exploring the world of scent ever since. In the last 10 years, she’s gone deeper into the study of botanical perfumery and incense making.
“Lately the forests have been a huge source of inspiration,” said Jess. “Everything from the multitude colours of green and the ever-changing scentscapes throughout the seasons. The world is pretty chaotic right now, but one of the upsides to that is being able to see the abundance surrounding us. Bio-regional perfumes and incense is something I'm having fun experimenting with. That being said, I've also been travelling through scent to places I've visited in the past and special places I hope to see someday.”
Jess loves working with raw materials and the creativity they inspire. The curiosity in which she approaches the world of scent and the way she expresses it gives her a medium for expression and is what makes her creations stand out.
Learn more by checking out her brand new website → link below
Christina Knight - Freedom Creations
Christina is a painter and loves to draw and create with bold colours. She also loves crystals, jewelry and photography.
Her business, Freedom Creations, was borne out of the freedom she wished to create in her life. She creates every day, and has made it her job. She makes hand spun yarn, hand knit hats, hand knit fingerless mitts, art cards, photography cards, stickers, original oil paintings, beaded crystal necklaces, earrings, and felted flower pins. And she loves it when someone finds that perfect thing they love to wear and use.
Christina started Freedom Creations 15 years ago, bringing her family along to markets where she sold her creations. Her business has been growing steadily ever since.
What inspires her most? The clear air, the mountains, the lake, the river, the swans, the wildlife, and her lovely Slocan Valley community.
Check out Christina and Freedom Creations today on Facebook and Instagram!
Jennifer McCaw
This is Jennifer McCaw, a silversmith obsessed with outer space. Her recent work uniquely explores the mapping, colour, texture and movement of the celestial bodies.
She tries to replicate the colours and textures we see in telescope images by using techniques such as extreme heat, impact, and oxidation. Using materials including silver, gold, precious and semiprecious gemstones, she creates jewelry objects featuring constellations, zodiac, planets, moons and comets.
By the way, Jennifer is also a farmer! She and her husband own and operate a small market farm in Winlaw called Fairway 4 Farm (TAG). She’s been making jewelry since she was a little girl but nowadays she draws inspiration from the beautiful night sky in the Slocan Valley.
What does she love most about being an artist?
“I love creating tiny, wearable sculptures, filled with layers of meanings, secret messages, and information,” said Jennifer. “I love to see people wearing my work and filling it with their own meanings and significance. Jewelry has so many stories...it is so personal, we carry it through our lives, and it has so many functions and languages. It communicates information about our lives, status, wealth, culture, place, membership, loyalties, and so much more.”
Thanks for sharing Jen! Your work is out of this world.
Erin McAuley - Soulumination Artworks
Erin is a prolific silversmith, using mixed metals, organic texture and vibrant gemstones to create one-of-a-kind whimsical jewelry pieces.
Her vocational path came accidentally, while pursuing post secondary training in welding and metalwork. Two months into the program she was given the choice to continue her training working in jewelry, and she dived in and never looked back. In 2007, she graduated with honours from the jewelry and small object design program at Kootenay School of Arts and launched her business, Soulumination Artworks. Erin now sells her creations on her website, at various local markets in the Kootenay region and in select boutiques in Nelson and Ucluelet.
Erin’s creations are bold, imaginative and other-worldly. She draws her inspiration mainly from the endless colours, textures and seasonal changes of the nature surrounding her in the Slocan Valley.
“To live here year round is to witness a parade of glorious change,” Erin says. “ From the first unfurling of the thousands of shades of tender green leaves and vibrant blossoms in spring, to the endless sparkling landscape of ice crystals lightly veiled in illuminated misty winter air, I grow more grateful for the sanctuary of this valley with each passing day. I feel supported by the deep roots of my community, and am moved by the history and stories that are deeply woven into each bend of this valley.”
Beth Campbell - Viva Cacao!
Beth is a passionate, driven chocolatier who not only loves making delicious chocolate alchemy, she also prioritizes human rights and environmental sustainability with every choice she makes in her business. That business is Viva Cacao - a small home-based chocolate factory near Slocan.
Viva Cacao offers a full line of ethically sourced, dairy-free chocolate bars that are soy-free, gluten-free and made with coconut sugar. Beth is big on environmental sustainability, with all their packaging being eco-friendly and compostable.
Halloween was always a favourite holiday for Beth until she had a child and started to learn more about the industry of chocolate. She was saddened to learn that most of the cacao beans used were farmed with the use of slavery and child labour.
“Being a lover of cooking and baking, I was inspired to dive into the world of chocolate to offer a treat that was ethically-sourced and did not rely on slavery to produce,” says Beth. “I wanted to create chocolate that one can feel good about eating in every aspect.”
What inspires her on a daily basis? Beth uses her natural surroundings in the Slocan Valley to generate inspiration and energy. Walking, skiing and bike rides are all things that she can rely on to clear her head and give her an extra energy boost when needed.
Sonja Ruebsaat - Sonja Rue Artist
Sonja is a contemplative multi-disciplinary artist using visual arts, poetry and dance to reflect on life, death, beauty and the environments that shape people.
Her primary medium for visual arts is acrylic, and she also works with pencil, ink, photography and digital mediums. She creates prints, original paintings, printed fabric and home decor items. She also works with her husband Luke (@robotintheforest) in designing and building unique artisan lamps. Art used on the textiles and lamp shades are original pieces created by Sonja.
Sonja has been exploring art and creativity since she was a child. After years of living in the city, raising kids and working long hours as a video editor, Sonja and her family moved to the Slocan Valley in 2009. It was after this move that Sonja began to have more time to re-explore visual arts. Eventually, she found herself doing art every day.
“For me creative exploration is a conversation between self and environment.” she says. “My art asks questions about reality, perception and how we interact with each other and our surroundings. My creative mediums often inform each other as I work within the context of these larger questions. It becomes like a little ecosystem of discovery that I am invited into simply by noticing things, by listening, and by wanting to share these slices of reality. In this intersection of inner and outer wilderness I discover how to reflect on the world through imagery, language and movement.”
Noam Ash - Noam Ash Pottery
Noam is a home-based potter who adds liveliness and originality to every piece of pottery he creates. His work is beautiful, highly functional and made for everyday use.
During his three years at Kootenay School of Arts, Noam discovered a joy for throwing bowls and cylinders on the potter’s wheel. He decided to go retail and Noam Ash Pottery was born. He has spent the last 15 years building a family home and clay studio in WInlaw.
Noam’s work is for sale at Camp Cafe in Silverton, as well as the Touchstones gift shop in Nelson. Direct sales can be arranged by appointment.
What inspires Noam while he is throwing and glazing pottery?
“I'm inspired to make ordinary yet spirited vessels that please the eye, are comfortable to hold, and therefore enhance the pleasure of eating and drinking,” he says. “The natural beauty and quiet pace of the Slocan Valley very much lends itself to my practice.”
Stacie Lobreau - Soluna Alchemy
Stacie is a dedicated herbalist who is committed to creating products made from locally-sourced, organically homegrown and ethically wildcrafted herbs. Three years ago, Soluna Alchemy was born, a herbal medicine business run by Sophie and her family in the Slocan Valley.
After experiencing an illness in her twenties, Stacie was led to explore different healing modalities. She dove into the world of herbalism and began intensive studies. For ten years she continued to learn and foster a deeper connection with the plant medicine world. Through this connection she was able to find healing for herself and inspiration to create medicine for others.
Soluna Alchemy is unique in the way that it offers products ranging from seeds to plants to handcrafted medicinal products. Steam distillation is a big focus for the business - providing hydrosols for various therapeutic uses. The business has a high standard for quality - they grow most of the herbs themselves, ensuring freshness and quality that cannot be found in mass-produced herbs shipped from far away locations.
“This land and these pristine waters inspire me every day,” she says. “ The ancestors here walk with us and I am humbled and grateful for this support. Also, there are so many inspired and creative people living in the Slocan Valley. It creates a vibrational matrix that I have been able to tap into to more authentically access my own creativity.”
Heather Tarr - Witch Way Soaps
Heather Tarr specializes in making soaps using high quality ingredients from her home in Vallican. Her soaps come in fun colours and use essential oils and other natural ingredients, such as clay. She considers beautiful soap an essential part of self-care (and we couldn’t agree more)!
“Hand washing is a huge part of our routine these days, so it’s nice to have soap that isn’t harsh, is fun to look at, and that makes you feel good to use!”
Heather began by making soaps as gifts for friends, and has now been selling soap for a year. She admires the diversity that exists among soap makers, but creating visually appealing designs by bringing her own unique style is what her business, Witch Way Soaps, is all about.
Check out Heather’s soaps on her Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/witchwaysoapery) - She even has one inspired by Frog Peak Mountain in the Slocan Valley!
kevin-joseph:Sisk - Valhalla Bowls
Valhalla Bowls, created by kevin-joseph:Sisk, are beautiful bowls carved from fallen trees in the Slocan Valley area. Although it’s primarily a hobby, kevin-joseph also creates bowls as a government pension top-up (great idea!).
He also appreciates the “journey of discovery” into the wood, and it’s his medium that has inspired his beautiful work for the past six years.
kevin-joseph does not use a lathe to carve, so his bowls are more organic. His Instagram page boasts that all his bowls are oiled using mineral oil and beeswax!
He is grateful to his friend Rose Petro, who kindly sells his bowls for him. Check out Valhalla Bowls right here —> www.etsy.com/shop/ValhallaBowls
K.L. Kivi - Maa Press Publishing and Distribution
Maa Press publishes and distributes radically-regional books and maps. They are based in New Denver, on the traditional and unceded təmxʷulaʔxʷ of the Sinixt Peoples.
K.L. Kivi, an author of eight books, founded Maa Press in 2005 at a time when Canada Council funding for small publishers was severely cut. Kivi had a book accepted by a publisher and touring grants secured, when suddenly everything was canceled and the only option was to self-publish.
Kivi realized that a clear need existed for a local publisher focused on regional titles, and that there must be other local, self-published authors who struggle to get their books into stores, and so Maa Press expanded into distribution.
“I love this place and the people who are inspired to write about it. In a globalized world, it's a radically meaningful act to uphold the ecological and cultural value of our homeplaces. I'm also deeply inspired by the Indigenous resurgence that's taking place across Turtle Island, and feel honoured to participate in uplifting Sinixt stories and Sinixt presence in their homeland.”
K.L. is also inspired by the valley, and many of their best ideas emerge when sitting by or paddling on Slocan Lake or hiking in the Valhallas.
“I love seeing our earth-loving, community-loving values shared and spread. I love the community connections that this generates and the sense of accomplishment and purpose that this nurtures.”
Thanks for sharing K.L! Buy unique local books and find out more about Maa Press right here → www.maapress.ca/
Vince Wishart - Wish-Art Studios
Vince Wishart, of Wish-Art Studios, has been a talented multimedia artist for over 50 years. From being an award-winning tattooist to having sculptures all over Calgary - he truly has a passion for art. His greatest love has always been airbrush, and he has a few murals commissioned as well!
Vince is inspired by deep and transformational spiritual paths, and has a lot of projects on the go, but is really diving into his work with wood.
“I have been able to combine my loves and passions into what my beloved and I call Transformative Artistry. This is the combination of healing modalities such as non-violent communication, restorative justice, NLP, hypnotherapy, transpersonal psychology counseling with the arts, music, dance, and fine art as therapy.”
The stillness of the flow-creative state, and the meditation that arises from creating his masterpieces is what keeps him creating his works!
Vince likes to observe who he admires in each artistic craft and run in the opposite direction, making sure no one is doing what he does. He calls it "Individuality in a Sea of Conformity."
Keep an eye out for his pieces to appear on his online store at www.lovealive.ca, but in the meantime, Facebook inquiries work just fine!
Jen Green - Plums & Roses
You most likely have seen Jen Green’s whimsical creations at farmers markets, craft shows, galleries and gift shops around the Kootenays. This textile artist, gardener and mother (among many other things) lives semi-off grid on a mountain side in the Slocan Valley with her partner. Her business, Plums and Roses, started in 2014 but she’s been sewing clothing for 25 years.
Jen’s grandmother taught her how to sew as a child, a skill of necessity back then. Her grandmother made many pieces of clothing for Jen and her sister, allowing them to choose the lace and buttons and encouraging them to spend hours pouring over her sewing baskets.
“I have always been surrounded by artists, crafters and musicians in my family and community,” said Jen. “All my artistic whims were encouraged and indulged.”
As a teenager, Jen traveled around extensively and realized she needed to make some money to continue her nomadic lifestyle. She began to make beaded jewelry and sew simple clothing and accessories to sell to friends, then on street corners, followed by markets, juried shows and galleries.
“Every day my life is inspired by where I live, the light on the alpine at dawn, the moss on the rocks next to the creek, and the support from my friends and neighbours at markets feed my creative soul,” says Jen. “My concern for the earth and my love of all things vintage also inspire me to constantly innovate and explore new ideas.”
You can find Plums and Roses on Instagram → (@plumsandroses)
Natasha Bogdasavich
Natasha is a Slocan Valley-based interdisciplinary artist. Along with creating bold and colourful paintings, she spends her time homesteading, mingling with goats, running in the forest with dogs and being at or in the river as much as possible.
Natasha began painting at 18 months old. Art has always been a huge part of her life, and she began her professional path as an artist after graduating from Emily Carr University of Art and Design in 2006. Her paintings can be found at several galleries and gift shops across the Kootenays.
Natasha says that it’s the natural world that inspires her the most.
“A lot of my inspiration results from spending time at the Slocan river and in the forest and garden,” she says. “The colours that I'm surrounded by in this valley come out in my work. It is all informed by observations of the natural cycles of growth and decay that plant life goes through as the seasons change. I love the type of outlet that art provides for expressing the way I perceive the world. There are no rules.”
Natasha’s paintings can be found on her website: www.natashabogdasavich.ca
Barbara Brown
Barbara is a Crescent Valley-based visual artist and author. She paints forest scenes in oil on canvas, and writes about spending time in the forest.
For 20 years, Barbara produced the region’s tourist and street maps, until 10 years ago when the call to create art was too loud to ignore. Map-making had ceased to fulfill her creative urges, and she decided to sell the business. This allowed time for her to follow her heart, spend more time in nature, paint images and write about her profound experiences in the forests surrounding her home.
Working with Isaac Carter of ICandyFilms in New Denver, Barbara has created a film and book project called The Sylvan REFLECTIONS: Wanderings, Paintings & Ponderings From the Forest. The book contains a series of forest paintings with writings about the inspiration behind the images, stories about time spent in the woods, and mindful musings on what it means to be human on this beautiful planet. The film is a companion to the book - it guides one through the seasons of the year with gorgeous forest footage. Barbara and Isaac are currently working on Part 2 of the Sylvan Reflections.
What inspires Barbara the most? “It is the forest outside my door.” She says. “I feel so blessed to live in our beautiful wild valley. Having been granted this blessing, I feel a responsibility to share it with others who might not have access to such bounty of nature.”
You can purchase her incredible offerings and learn more on her website → https://www.barbarabrownart.com/
Marina - tree.rina
Marina is a Winlaw-based, nature-loving artist (and school teacher!) who creates colourful, whimsical acrylic paintings, watercolour illustrations and ink drawings. She offers commissions and various products such as clothing and accessories featuring vibrant prints of her original artwork.
Marina has been drawing and painting for over 30 years, “making marks since the moment that she could hold a mark-making device in her grubby little hands.” Her creativity and inspiration is unstoppable.
“I am most inspired by the ultimate creator: Mother Earth,” says Marina. “Thoughts and images of the natural world, light, and a touch of whimsy are usually bumbling around in my mind, it's a delight to unleash them onto canvas and paper.”
Marina is deeply inspired by her surroundings. She says that the stunning land of the Slocan Valley stops her in her tracks daily. Marina spends time taking photos in nature to use as references for her art.
“Making art brings me peace, happiness, and growth,” says Marina. “My hope is to share those feelings with the world.”
Check out Marina’s art right here → https://sites.google.com/view/treerina/home
Bronwyn Hughes - La Loba Jewels
Bronwyn creates one-of-a-kind wearable art and decorative items from her tiny home in Winlaw. She produces original clothing designs and wall hangings made from ethically-sourced handwoven textiles as well as beautifully detailed beaded earrings. She runs an online shop where she sells her creations and also participates in a few select local markets.
Art and creativity have been a part of Bronwyn’s life since childhood. She would spend hours as a child practicing piano, sewing her own clothes and crocheting. The creativity list goes on. For Bronwyn, creating with her hands has always been an intuitive and fulfilling process.
Bronwyn is inspired to keep hand-crafting traditions alive. For her, crafting is a meditative process. She honours the connection of natural fibre grown sustainably and turned into a living art form. Bronwyn loves many aspects of creating art; the self expression and the fact that no two pieces will ever be the same.
The nature that surrounds her in the Slocan valley is also a never-ending source of inspiration. “The valley has a magical quality to it that brings inspiration to my heart on the daily,” says Bronwyn. “I am inspired by beauty; the beauty of a field of flax sparking in the sun and swaying in the wind, the beauty of snow dusted mountains and crisp mornings. I am constantly inspired by one thing or another.”
Check out Bronwyn’s wearable art on her website —-> www.lalobajewels.com
Christa Didham- The Cosmic Spindle
Christa Didham is a passionate, expressive fibre artist, musician and wordsmith. She is the owner and creative drive behind The Cosmic Spindle, a home-based fibre arts studio offering finished woolen products located near Slocan.
Her mission is to preserve the old ways of living and creating - through the threads that she spins and weaves and the hand-dyed colours of her wooly creative palette. Christa is prolific and highly skilled at transforming high grade sheep’s wool and a variety of other natural fibres into handspun and hand-dyed art yarn, warm woolen hats, and vibrant handwoven wool rugs.
Primitive folk arts are a timeless way of life, and Christa is dedicated to keeping these traditions alive and active for future generations. She is an advocate for self-directed learning; 20 years ago Christa began honing her fibre arts skills through attending ongoing workshops, classes, and extensive mentorships with elders in the fibre arts community. She now offers workshops and classes of her own.
“We live in a fast-paced and highly technological world,” Christa reflects. “These practices have become a way for me to slow down. These fibre art forms and the fabrications of The Cosmic Spindle carry a vibration that no machine could ever produce. It is my hope to keep fibre arts alive, thriving and relevant in these modern times.”
Support Christa and check out her work right here on her BRAND NEW website —-> https://thecosmicspindle.com/
Morgen Bardati
Morgen Bardati is a familiar face in the Slocan Valley. She is involved with so many different community initiatives, including Handmade Heart and the New Denver Friday market, but at her core, she’s an artist and maker who has made her home in the beautiful village of New Denver on Slocan Lake.
“Hatched and raised out of the red dirt and sunny beaches of Southern Africa”, she eventually migrated to Canada where she felt equally at home surrounded by lakes, mountains and the cold northern forests of her dreams.
The art she makes, including the collections of botanically dyed silks, screen printed purses and soft fibre jewelry are reflections of who Morgen is, where she lives and what inspires her.
“I’ve always had an intense curiosity about the natural world around me and the magical alchemy of making and creating from nature's gifts,” says Morgen. “As an artist, my prints, drawings and fibre art reflect ideas of human movement, economics and our relationship with the environment. As a maker of wearable fibre art, I am entranced by the magical botanical alchemy that occurs when cloth meets the vibrant and earthy colours of plants and minerals.”
Two things have always been a constant for Morgen - being an artist and being a gardener.
“Our garden is filled to the brim with food, plant medicine, dye plants and beauty,” she says. “Most of the art I make revolves around nature, the plant world and my relationship with them. The act of creating with our hands naturally connects heart, mind and spirit. I feel more whole in myself as I connect through my art to the living breathing world around and in me.”
You can find Morgen’s work at various artisan fairs throughout the Kootenays and on her online shop → www.morgenbardati.ca