Our Green Croft.

Green. "Going green" is about getting back to basics and choosing to simplify your life. It’s about making new choices, ones that are healthier for you and the planet - and making sure we have a planet for generations to come. {learn more at theecohub.ca}

Croft n. an enclosed field used for tillage or pasture, typically attached to a house and worked by the occupier; a small plot of ground adjacent to a house and used as a kitchen garden, particular to the Scottish Highlands.

When I first started Our Cottage Collective in July 2020, we were in the height of the pandemic, and I was looking for an outlet to find community in the midst of being quarantined at home. My husband and I had recently made the decision in November 2019 to sell our home and move out of the city. We both knew it was time to go, but looking back, I am still in awe of how seamlessly everything worked out for us to settle in the country just four months before the entire country shut down. We spent most of 2020 restoring our "new" 100 year old craftsman cottage and the surrounding property back to its original beauty. There's something very healing, yet very enlightening about slowing down and seeking solitude in your surroundings. We cultivated a little plot of land on our property as our "victory garden" to grow our own food using organic and sustainable practices. We met and befriended other gardeners, farmers, and herbalists. Plants, herbs and oils became part of our daily routines and regimens.

Looking back, our life and home has evolved so much over the past year - in a good way. It only seemed fitting to also rethink the future of Our Cottage Collective. What started as an account to share pictures of home decor has evolved into a place to also share about gardening and foraging our own food, using essential oils in our daily life, green and clean living and of course, home decor and DIY projects and renovations; and thus, Our Green Croft was founded - a little nod to my husband's Scottish heritage. He is, after all, my partner in all that is commenced, created or completed, so it only seemed fitting to also share this space with him.

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