Rivarossa Botanicals. A small introduction.
Hi, I'm Carly, a Canadian expat who's been living overseas for the past 9 years. During that time, I've lived in various parts of Australia and spent 5 years in the UK before recently immigrating back to Australia with my husband and daughter amidst the Covid pandemic. Our journey back home was an adventure in itself - we spent 9 months travelling in our bus, exploring different parts of the world while waiting for our chance to return to Australia.
While we were waiting to be allowed into the country, we were fortunate enough to stay in a beautiful family villa in Northern Italy, in a small village called Rivarossa. Surrounded by stunning mountain landscapes and natural beauty, I found myself feeling inspired and motivated to start tapping into my creative side once again. It can be a challenge to push yourself out of your comfort zone, but the rewards are well worth it. As I started exploring my creative side, my mind was flooded with new ideas, and I found myself feeling fulfilled and energized.
However, I still felt like something was missing until I discovered my passion for natural dyeing and eco printing. It's a unique and sustainable way to create beautiful pieces of art while minimizing your impact on the environment. I love being able to use natural materials like leaves and flowers to create vibrant, one-of-a-kind designs. It's a perfect way to combine my love for nature and creativity into one beautiful and sustainable passion project.
Rivarossa, Piedmont, Italy
During this time, we received the exciting news that we were finally able to return to Australia! We quickly booked our tickets, sold our beloved bus in England, packed our bags, and said our goodbyes to our Italian family. Unfortunately, due to Covid restrictions, we weren't able to say farewell to our friends in England, and our house and belongings had to be packed up and shipped to Australia without us there. Our journey to Australia was filled with uncertainty, as our flight had a high potential of being cancelled at any moment.
We felt incredibly fortunate once we made it to the airport in Milan and received our boarding tickets. It was finally happening - we were going back home to Australia! But the journey didn't end once we landed in Perth. We were escorted to buses and then police-escorted into the city, where we had to spend two weeks in hotel quarantine with our three-year-old daughter due to Covid protocols. Thankfully, having spent the last 9 months living on a bus, the hotel room felt like an upgrade, complete with a working bath, shower, and toilet, despite not being allowed outside.
These two weeks in quarantine were actually quite beneficial for us, as we had the time to get our lives in order before rejoining our family. We applied for my Australian permanent residency, and I delved deeper into my new business plan while keeping busy with our daughter. Sam kept us all entertained by building a massive dinosaur out of all our food containers, which we affectionately named Bagosaurus. It was a project mainly intended for our little girl's entertainment, but it ended up being so popular that we were featured on the local Perth news and even made headlines in Canada.
Gingin, Perth
After our quarantine, our new life in Australia began. We spent most of our time at my husband's family farm, located near Gingin, where I discovered my passion for natural dyeing. The area is full of stunning plants and flowers, making it a prime spot for foraging. With the help of my daughter Flo, we collected leaves, plants, and other natural materials to experiment with botanical dyeing. My mother-in-law Jonica has also been an incredible source of knowledge, sharing her expertise on local flora and inspiring me to learn more about the foraged botanicals I use. I find natural dyeing to be a therapeutic process and a great alternative to using synthetic or harmful chemicals. In fact, I plan to host workshops combining natural dyeing and yoga in 2022, with hopes of sharing my joy for this practice with others.
