It's May Long weekend, The Camellia, Thunder Bay.

Thunder Bay Flower & Gift shop

Hello!  It's  MAY long weekend...that long-anticipated weekend when fishing season opens!  Preparation has started weeks ago...cleaning out Campers and Rv's, and making sure Boats & trailers are ready to go. Many of you are likely heading out this long weekend to open up your Camp. It feels good to freshen things up at Camp - add some handmade flannel Camp pillowcases, and tackle that musty scent with our Forest-scented Balsam & Cedar diffuser. Our No-see-um and Mosquito nets are a must. Don't forget to cover up in our Camo leggings, the ticks are already out.

We are OPEN this May long weekend,

Wed. 11-5, Thurs. 12-5. Fri. 11-5. Sat. 11-5 Sun. 12-5. Closed on Monday.

Extra blankets and pillows are a must...the air is still chilly. This is a classic Lake colour scheme - Navy blue, sunshine yellow and Cottage white. In stock now at our store.  

Spring project DIY: Updating your Floor.
A quick way to update your floor is to paint it with Serenity Cottage Paint. Here we started out with 1/4" automotive tape on a cement floor, basecoated with Serenity CP in the colour Lichen, stencilled a Coral motif, then finished with Cottage Paint satin varnish. You can sweep up dirt easily, and mop with water and dishsoap.   

Spring project DIY: Updating your Doors. 
Tired of your wooden doors? Just paint them with Serenity Cottage Paint...choose from a palette of 58 colours. Lightly scuff up doors, clean with Cottage Paint Clean ' Prep, then use a 10mm microfibre roller to roll on 2 coats. No topcoat needed. 

This is our view at our store. It's worth the drive to come and see us! We are well-stocked with products, and you can custom-order Painted signs, Floral Wreaths and Dried Florals. 
We are triple-vaxxed, and we encourage you to continue to wear your mask when indoors. 
Have a wonderful May long weekend! See you soon! 

The welcome effect of Spring, after a long, cold Winter.

via GIPHY

It really has been a long Winter here in Northern Ontario...never-ending amounts of snow, shovelling snow, long weeks of cold temperatures with no day or so of warmer temperatures, which might give us some much-needed hope. What has your Winter been like? 

Maybe you live in  a place with no Winter. I grew up in such a place, a few degrees below the equator, warm temperatures every day, tropical and humid heat with 2 seasons...Dry season and Rainy season.

In the evenings, we would head to the ocean, to catch a cooling breeze, and listen to the waves. Our parents would make us wear a sweater afraid that we may catch a 'chill' from the evening ocean breezes. It was probably still 75 degrees F. Hey, if that was the coldest temperature you had ever experienced, then in your eyes, it was well, chilly.

Another thing one gets completely fed-up with in the Winter is the amount of clothing you have to put on, in order to go out in the cold. You long for the Spring, for sandals, for that time when you can throw on a light jacket and quickly head out the door. 

You start hallucinating about green leaves and Flowers. You run over to your Plant collection which you tried to save from last year's Garden, some of which are flourishing and green and healthy. You rush out and buy Spring potted bulbs, they provide a temporary relief from the winter blahs. 

You pore over your photographs from your trips to Holland in the Springtime. You continue to dream about Camping, and fishing, and you find you really have to work at being positive, and remembering that Spring will come. 

Here at The Camellia, we are hard at work on our Lake/Summer line of products. Blue seems to be a favourite this year as seen in Ikea's Spring forecast below. 

Photo credit: www.Ikea.ca 

Wouldn't this make a great outdoor shower area? This is part of the OTTSJON PHI59488, from Ikea's Spring 2019 Collection. Are you planning on sprucing up your Lakeside retreat? Navy blue paired with crisp white is always a popular choice. 

Why is Blue so popular? It's the colour of our skies, the Lake, Rivers and Ocean. It's calming and goes well with whites, greys, yellows, and so many other colours. We sell #CottagePaint here at The Camellia, visit our store to see our palette of almost 60 colours!  

We often need a change in the Spring, something to get us excited about Life again. A quick and affordable change is to makeover your furniture with Cottage Paint. Painting is therapy.  Stop in and see us here at The Camellia, at 30/32 Hacquoil Rd.
The Camellia, Slate River, On.
www.thecamellia.com
See us at the upcoming #Springhomeandgardenshowtbay 2019. We are excited to take part in #SpringCraftRevival which takes place on Sunday, May 5th. 2019 ( 10am. to 5pm.)

When is it going to be shorts and sandals weather in Thunder Bay? Searching for Summer...

Aaaah Summer! The very word conjures up visions of hot, sunny days, fanning oneself, drinking tall glasses of Lavender Lemonade, wearing shorts and sandals, and being outside in the Sunshine. Imagine sitting on a beautifully decorated Patio, with beachy Lanterns, outdoor rugs and comfy Patio Furniture. 

Reality in Thunder Bay has been Rain, cool temperatures, and more Rain. It's almost JULY...Canada Day long weekend is almost here, and yes, surprise, it's been raining all day!! It's enough to drive a Summer-loving person crazy! As for going Camping, well, it's not too much fun in the pouring rain, with blackflies bugging you. 

We tend to sometimes dwell on all the things that we want to do, and can't, because it's RAINING AGAIN!! One thing you can do is look around inside your Home or Garage or covered deck, and do one of those jobs that need doing, like this tiling job that's been in limbo for 2 years. Do you have jobs waiting around for the right time to do them....?

There is always the dreaded Closet clean-out. We might not want to tackle it, because we have clothes we are hanging onto ( in case we lose weight), or clothes we have never worn ( but spent a lot of money on), or a mountain of Summer clothes we can't wear because we have no Summer! Once we clean the closet out, (we hate to admit it),   we can find our clothes easier and the whole room seems to just feel better.  

Rainy days are great days to get to those pieces of Furniture that need painting. We have this antique Schoolhouse chair which would look so much better if it was painted with Cottage Paint. Maybe Cloudy Day like the bookcase...or maybe Sea Turtle or a combination of both? What have you got laying around unused in a corner, or in the basement, that you could revamp with #CottagePaint? 

Here is a bookcase that was bought secondhand from someone who was moving...it was a  woodgrain ( faux wood)  look before, and we painted it with Cottage Paint - colour Cloudy Day. What a difference! It now has a coastal feel to it. Can #cottagePaint go over mdf? Yes, it can, most of the time. It does not go over Thermofoil. 

What do you do on rainy days?

 For #Lake & #Coastal-inspired Decor, and #CottagePaint, visit The Camellia, 30, Hacquoil Rd. Slate River, On .

p(807)475-3551

www.thecamellia.com