Making a home.
Roughly two years ago my sister, Hilary, told me she was thinking of purchasing a cabin in the woods with the hopes of turning it into a homestead. My initial reaction was, a cabin in the woods? No power? No road access in the winter? While it seemed like a large undertaking to me, it was very on brand for Hilary. I knew she could pull it off, and make all of her dreams a reality. See Hilary is notorious for her non-conventional ideas and we all have come to love her for it. She has the most creative soul, she's an avid DIY'er, and the craftiest person I ever did meet. I've seen her stay up all night to crochet a full-sized quilt, and built her own fireplace unit in a day. When Hilary has an idea there's no waiting for tomorrow, there's no convincing her otherwise, and there's certainly no asking for help -- she's all in and it's getting done. Two years from her initial idea, and two babies later (she's superwoman) -- here she is with her little family living in her cabin turned homestead in the woods. While she still has a plethora of projects and ideas that have yet to come to fruition she has succeeded at making a home.
Capturing the homestead.
So here's where I come in. It's easy to tell a story in an environment so peaceful and one that is filled with love. I followed Hilary, Boyce, Sibyl and Forrest around for a few hours over the span of two days. We got some lovely shots of them doing some of their daily activities like preparing breakfast, harvesting crops, ATV rides to the beach, and more. It was chaotic and unorganized, but beautifully imperfect and genuine to their life. I invite you into their homestead through these photos. I also encourage you to follow along their journey as they tell their story the best! At the bottom of this blog I've linked their social media links including their Instagram, and YouTube channel.
I'll make a cup of coffee for your head
I'll get you up and going out of bed
Every morning Hilary and Boyce awake with the birds and get started on breakfast. Coffee comes first! If they're lucky they will get to enjoy a cuppa before parental duty calls. Coffee time is soon followed by whipping up some fresh toutons, where little Sibyl is her mom's assistant. Watching Sibyl in the kitchen with her mom was the sweetest thing. She was very invested in her task and didn't mind getting her hands dirty! The morning sun was shining in through their windows and created such a lovely ambiance.
And I was catching my breath
Staring out an open window
I don't know why all the trees change in the fall
But I know you're not scared of anything at all
Don't know if Snow White's house is near or far away
But I know I had the best day with you today
A walk down Remi's Lane.
The most picturesque, shaded, and overgrown lane is directly behind the greenhouse. Here we stopped for some shots of Hilary after she picked a few wild flowers.
We're all falling and we need a place to hide
A safe place somewhere in the woods we can start a fire
All we know is what will be our home
And they say, hold on to the ones you love
Keep 'em close to you
And they say, hold on to this time we have
And let the light shine through
Cozy moments in the Greenhouse.
The greenhouse is my personal favourite area. It’s toasty warm, bright, and filled with overgrowing plants.
Cowboy take me away?
We thought it would be fun to get some fun shots of flowers in Hilary's boots. While we were taking these, Boyce giggled and told us it looked like we were taking images for the cover of a country album. Not like it's any surprise but it just so happens among Hilary's many talents, singing is one of them. Who knows, maybe some day she will make that country album. She'll already have a few shots if she does!
The most precious and unposed moment was when Sibyl came over and wanted to cuddle up with her mom, she brought along a book for Hilary to read to her -- of course I was snapping away. These are some of my favourite moments captured from the shoot.
Together is my favourite place to be.
We laugh until we think we'll die, barefoot on a summer night
Nothing new is sweeter than with you
Seek to reach the heights of the alpine
Seize the golden light when the sun shines
Realise that time is a precious gift
So make these moments last
One of my most favourite things is spending quality time with my sister and her beautiful family. Another one of my favourite things to do is to capture sweet moments. This shoot provided an opportunity to do them both! I’m so incredibly proud of all of their hard work and I can’t wait to see it continue to flourish. I hope you enjoyed a little behind the scenes at Black Spruce Homestead.
As promised, you can find Black Spruce Homestead on social media from the following links.
Instagram: @blacksprucehomestead
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@saltwaterblackspruceboilup
Oh, home, let me come home
Home is wherever I'm with you
