No matter what. Even if I didn’t do anything bad at all – these feelings still come like a tidal wave. One morning, I woke up, had all the feelings, took myself out to brunch and reflected. By the end of brunch I had decided I was done doing this to myself and going to quit drinking.

By a happy coincidence, I started documenting the whole experience with short comic strips. The further I went, the more patterns I saw. And thus, this comic book was born!

Once I was finished, I had a tale of self-awareness, habits, mistakes, sober curiosity, and finding joy.

I’ve had so many cool conversations with people this summer about the awkwardness of social situations sober, finding a drink that is non-boozie but still fits in at an after-work function, or simply getting started. I aimed to address some of these hurdles by documenting the situations that I encountered.

Check out my Etsy shop to purchase a print copy :)

Thank you in advance for your support – I would love to hear your stories about drinking and sober curiosity in the comments below.

This year, I was lucky to do a few back-country hikes in Canada’s national parks. Leading up to these adventures, I was doing some researching; 1) to keep me safe in the wild and 2) to tap into my inner wilderness explorer. There are some really fascinating books out there of brave women, who love the outdoors, sharing their amazing adventures.

In my book club, we alternate who chooses. I couldn’t decide among all the cool titles I found, so I sent my whole list to the club and said “choose one and let’s chat about it”. I figure I don’t have time to read them all so this is a good opportunity to learn from each other.

Women in the Great Outdoors Reading List

• End of the Rope: Mountains, Marriage, and Motherhood by Jan Redford
• Lands of Lost Borders by Kate Harris
• Above All Things by Tanis Rideout
• Wild Fierce Life: Dangerous Moments on the Outer Coast by Joanna Streetly
• Tracks by Robyn Davidson
• Alone in Antarctica by Felicity Aston

I make the paper invitations for my Book Club and this year I had challenged myself to make a custom linocut design for each book we choose. This weekend, I got brave and I decided to put the designs in my Etsy shop to share with other book clubs.

The design aims to portray an empowered woman trusting herself as well as nature. Unafraid to experience the great outdoors alone. She is nude to symbolize her connection to the earth and the elements. 

I’m a big fan of the handwritten note. Some say its a dying art but I KNOW there are lots of us out there keeping this intimate and personal way of connecting alive and well.

A well-timed thank you card to a friend, colleague, or family member is incredibly powerful – a gift of self-care and wellness for both yourself and your recipient.

And a hand-written thank you note at work?! What a way to stand out and make your colleagues feel appreciated. For some time, my partner has been looking for a set of masculine or gender-neutral stationary for his thank you cards. It’s hard going. There’s not a lot out there. Later, when I picked up linocut, he was intrigued and carved his own. I was so impressed with his design that I surprised him with a set of his own thank you cards with his design for our first wedding anniversary.

He has graciously let me share the design with all of you! 

Each set is handmade to order and available for purchase in my Etsy Shop.

The details

Card size: 3.5″ x 4.875″
Paper weight: 80 lb. cover with black deckle on card and envelope
Set of 10 cards with matching envelopes
Packaging: Eco-friendly kraft cardboard box with clear cover to protect.
Mountain design by Jonatan Billiau