About me!
Welcome to Emerald & Rust, my name is Victoria and I’ve spent the last year turning my passions into more than just a hobby! In 2022 I started selling my homemade preserves and various crafts to friends, family and neighbours. In March of 2023 I decided to take the leap and apply to my first craft market! I’ve been going to craft shows, farmers markets and farm stands for as long as I can remember and hoped to one day participate in them, but honestly didn’t think it would happen. I’m an extremely shy introvert (until you get to know me) so applying to my first market was a HUGE step for me, now I only wish I started sooner! Last year I participated in a total of FIFTEEN markets, from Haliburton to Lanark and everywhere in between!
My soon-to-be hubby Mark and I have always talked about how awesome having our own farm stand would be as we both love gardening and canning, and were originally planning to open one summer of 2024. After visiting so many amazing stands last summer we were inspired to start early, so last October we opened the Roadside Market! We sold everything I typically have available at a craft market (flowers, plants, a bunch of crafts) as well as herbs and veggies from our garden, firewood bundles and more. The community support was amazing! This year we will be shifting the focus to more of a typical farm stand rather than a market, with less crafts and more fresh flowers, herbs, veggies and preserves. Not to worry, I will still be selling alllll of the flowers, plants and crafts at the markets I attend, and soon they will be available on my online store!
In the mean time I’ve decided to combine my love of photography with reading and writing (finally putting my English degree to use) to create a blog where I’ll talk about topics like floristry, recipes, DIYs, crafts, small town adventures, building a custom home and so much more. I’ve talked about starting a blog for YEARS, especially now that I’ve started my own small business. I’m so excited that it’s finally here!
While I’m at it, here’s some fun facts to get to know me better!
🖤I’ve always been a crafty person and for years would label the products I’d gift to people with little “Urban Craft Co.” tags. I could never pick just one craft so that’s why I sell a little bit of everything. I’ve always been inspired by nature and try to reflect that in my crafting!
🖤We have two rescue dogs, one my family adopted in 2012 (Rylie) and the other Mark adopted in 2017 (Amber). They are my world
🖤We are currently building an A-Frame home in the Ottawa Valley
🖤I graduated in 2019 with an English degree from uOttawa and was going to become a teacher, but immediately became a florist instead
🖤Photography has been my passion for over 15 years, I bring my camera with me everywhere but I’m VERY camera shy
🖤I’m originally from Ontario but lived in a tiny town in Alberta for 5 years. We plan on building a few more houses here then moving back to the mountains one day!
🖤I have five tattoos, one of them is a full floral sleeve on my arm
🖤My favourite places I’ve travelled to so far are Banff and New Orleans (I could never choose between the two) and I hope to one day travel to the PNW, the UK and Northern Canada
🖤Give me a coffee shop on rainy day with a maple latte, Harry Potter book and an indie playlist going in the background and I’m the happiest girl ever
🖤I’m OBSESSED with all things fall and Halloween. The name Emerald & Rust was inspired by the beautiful fall colours!
🖤I get to marry my best friend this October and I’m SO excited
That pretty much sums me up! As my first blog post comes to a close I just wanted to say a huge thank you to everyone that has supported me through this adventure so far. Launching a business is not an easy task, especially adding in life, work and building a home on top of it, but it has been so rewarding. I’m super proud of everything I’ve accomplished! I have so many exciting plans that I can’t wait to share including new blog posts, upcoming markets, our farm stand, floral subscriptions, partnerships, the online store and more! Make sure to follow along for more updates and announcements, and don’t forget to follow me on instagram @emerald.and.rust!🌲🧡