For more than 30 years, I’ve been learning how to live closer to the land – growing, foraging, preserving, making things from scratch and bringing traditional knowledge and skills back into everyday life.

My story started at 18, when I knew the conventional path in Canada wasn’t for me. With $400 and a deep longing to figure out where I belonged, I started travelling the world .

A few years later, I was diagnosed with a lifelong condition that caused severe sensitivities and pain. Suddenly, my journey shifted from finding where I belonged to finding a way to heal. In every culture I visited, I began learning from their approaches to herbalism, holistic health, nutrition, movement and natural body care and how they used food, plants and traditional knowledge to care for themselves.

Over the years, I travelled to more than 37 countries, before eventually settling in a small off-grid beach village in Bali for 10 years. Bali changed the way I lived.

Life there was beautifully simple. We cooked over fire, ate what was fresh and in season, lived close to the land and made use of what grew around us. I lived without many of the conveniences I had grown up with like electricity and running water. Life was stripped back to the essentials and I loved it!

I learned to see nature and the garden differently. Plants became food, medicine, skincare and ingredients for the home. Meals were made from scratch, and much of the day revolved around simply living life and preparing for the next meal. Community, tradition and connection to the land weren’t separate from everyday life,  they were at the heart of it . As I settled into this way of life, my health improved in ways I hadn’t thought possible.

My studies and passion eventually led me into Bali’s wellness industry, where I worked in luxury resorts and wellness centres. It was also where I fell in love with natural body care & herbal remedies. I watched fresh ingredients arrive from local farms and skilled Balinese practitioners transform plants, flowers, roots and oils into beautiful creams, infused oils, herbal preparations and traditional treatments.

They taught me how to make everyday products for the body and home using simple, natural ingredients. It opened my eyes to how much we could make for ourselves, knowledge I’ve continued practicing and building on ever since.

Eventually, Canada was calling me back. After 17 years of living and travelling abroad, I returned knowing I wanted to bring this way of life with me. I married my husband, and when our daughter was born, everything I had learned became part of the life we wanted to build as a family. We wanted to give her a childhood rooted in family, faith, nature, tradition and practical skills to build her own healthy life.

Today, we’re building our own version of a modern homestead in the mountains of British Columbia. We grow and forage food, preserve and can our harvest, cook from scratch, my husband hunts and we source food locally, homeschool our daughter, and I make our herbal, skincare and household products. We’re self-employed and have intentionally built a life that gives us the freedom to do things a little differently – off the beaten path, and very much our own.

For me, self-sufficiency is freedom. The more you know how to do for yourself – for your health, your home and your family,  the less complicated life becomes. You learn what works for you, trust yourself and stop relying on someone else’s way of doing things.

I founded Oceans Bliss in 2020 to share what more than three decades of studying, practicing and living this way have taught me. Here, I share practical ways to live more seasonally, naturally and self-sufficiently — from growing, foraging and preserving to natural wellness, a non-toxic home, fitness, homesteading and self-employment — with the hope of inspiring you to step off the conventional path, become more self-reliant and create a healthy, happy and meaningful life that feels right for you.

The Mission Behind the Bliss.

When my daughter was born, I wanted to bottle up her baby bliss.
She had this pure, uninhibited joy, a light that seemed to spill into everything around her. Watching her made me think about my own life: how naturally we begin with that spark, how easily it can become buried when we don’t have the guidance to nurture it, when our health begins to struggle, or when we simply follow the conventional paths laid out for us – and how long it had taken me to find my way back to mine.

I made a quiet promise to her: I would do everything I could to help her hold onto who she truly was. Not by creating a perfect life for her, but by giving her strong roots. A deep connection to God, nature and family. Practical skills. Confidence in her own abilities. The freedom to think differently, follow her curiosity and know that there is more than one way to build a beautiful life.

Then one day, while she was napping, I decided to make bread. As I stood in the kitchen slowly kneading the dough, two words came into my mind: Oceans Bliss.
And suddenly, everything I had spent decades learning felt connected to something much bigger than myself.

Oceans Bliss was born from the love I have for my daughter, Ocean, but its mission has grown far beyond us. It’s about protecting that spark we begin life with — and creating a life where it has room to stay alive.

A life with strong roots and an open mind. A life connected to nature, family and purpose. A life where we know how to care for ourselves, trust what we’re capable of and aren’t afraid to choose a path different from the one laid out for us.

Because maybe bliss isn’t something we need to spend our lives searching for. Maybe it’s something we were born with and were never meant to lose.

Entrepreneurial Spirit

When I travelled the world,  I often exported goods to Canada and sold a variety of items like knitwear, jewelry, wood carvings, and blankets at markets whenever I visited. When I moved back home, I decided to stop exporting goods and instead create a handmade marketplace of my own. This allows me to indulge my creativity, spend time with my daughter while teaching her, and be a part of our local handmade community.

My Maker, Artist Story

My superpower is definitely my creativity. I’m always looking for ways to bring life to my ideas. From a young age, I’ve always loved making jewelry, pottery, drawing, photography, graphic art, and writing. I’ve evolved my skills over the years through studying across the globe, and by reconnecting with the energy of my home. I produce pieces that authentically represent me and celebrate the seasons, local holidays and festivals. I’m proud to share them with others online and at my hometowns famous market which is the largest in our province.

Handmade in Penticton With Bliss

Every item I sell in my SHOP are unique and beautifully hand crafted original products made with bliss! I take pride in every step of the creation process, from sourcing the highest quality materials, to drawing inspiration from nature, to thoughtfully bringing each piece to life and sharing it with others.

Where I Sell My Work

You can find my work in a few beautiful places—online through my website, where I share seasonal handmade collections year-round. In person, I’m part of the Penticton Farmers’ Market every Saturday, the largest market in the Okanagan, where I love connecting face-to-face with the community. You can also find a curated selection of my pieces at several boutique shops around the Okanagan.