Nicole Valentine Don (now Nicole Nelius) is a Canadian-born, Sydney-based maker and stylist. She shares her work and inspiration through her blog The Transcontinental Affair (now nickinelius.com), and you can buy her North American-inspired handmade dreamcatchers and more (she also makes to order) via her Etsy store. She has just returned from a trip to the snowy Saskatchewan prairies - read on for a cool antidote to our hot Australian summer. 

For me, to fuel my creativity, I find home and the travel to be the most invigorating sources of inspiration. This trip has combined both and left me with a fresh outlook on everything. I'm looking forward to heading back to Australia to make pretty things with awesome people!



Monday
My mom's and my favourite pastime is thrift store shopping; after our first outing I knew I would need an extra suitcase to get home. Check out the prices!!



Tuesday
My little sister and I went to Lake Louise and Banff National Park for a day of skating, strolling and hot chocolate with maple syrup drizzled on top. This has got to be one of the most beautiful places on earth.



We happened upon a team of Alaskan Husky sled dogs; amazing, energetic creatures.



Wednesday
We drove across the prairies to a family farm in the middle of Saskatchewan. There is something about being able to see for kilometres and kilometres across the great wide open of the prairies. So much room to think and daydream.



Thursday
There are two gorgeous horses at the farm - Socks and Indi. They are strong farm horses and endured the -35 degree Celsius temperatures with grace. These two were my favourite sights to wake up to as we were sleeping in an RV inside the shop/shed and had to cross through the snow to the house every morning.



Friday
There were snow-covered buffalo on the way to exploring an old family homestead. The story goes that my uncle's dad moved the family one day from this farmhouse that had no indoor heating, to the house they live in now and they left most of their possessions behind. It is eerie seeing old mattresses and curtained windows amidst fallen in ceilings and pigeons that have claimed this as their new nest. There is no glass left in any of the windows, so everything was covered in snow.



The weekend
The weekend (and most days of the holidays) involved sitting around reading by the fire and general fossicking and treasure hunting in the cute little shops in small-town Canada. My favourite things to see are the incredible Native Canadian goods. We also had the idea to shoot fireworks off the ends of a bow and arrow - ridiculous family fun ;)

To see more, follow Nicole on Pinterest, on Instagram @little_nicki_ or visit her website nickinelius.com.