A visit to Canada Blooms, Toronto, Ontario

A Visit to Canada Blooms is a real treat in the Winter when one is craving warmth, and green grass, and Flowers. 

The displays are over-the-top, but elegant, and provide a countless source of Inspiration for both the serious and the Hobby Gardener.

Red osier Dogwood, and Amaryllis blooms. These blooms can be hung upside down while in  bud stage, fill their hollow stems with water, and  blooms will stay hydrated for a few days. 

And our favourite,  Tulips. Holland, Keukenhof Gardens....so cheery and bright. 

For more Spring inspiration, Visit The Camellia, 30 Hacquoil Rd.

Open Fri. Jan. 22, 2016 from 11-5

Sat. 11-5, Sun. 12-5

www.thecamellia.com

Spring Blossoms at the Camellia, Slate River

 

 Spring blossoms are intoxicating - so pretty and pink, our crabapple trees are in full bloom at the moment. Paris in the Spring....

Truly a miracle, with all the temperatures we have been having lately....one low was minus 5, and we thought that our blossoms may have frozen. 

Just making some Boho-chic rag garlands, these are great for Wedding photoprops, and for curtains at Camp. 

Just painted this cute little dresser in Flamingo Cottage with flat wax as a topcoat. Reds are the hardest colour to get good coverage with, especially with such an old piece like this one. Yes, it totally depends on what finish is on the piece before you start painting. Before you paint, read this http://cottagepaint.com/welcome-to-cottage-paint/2015/04/24/trying-to-determine-what-finish-could-be-on-the-furniture-before-you-paint-it-you-need-to-read-this/

Really old pieces like these had lots of silicas in the finish, so even though we did primer on it, our paint still cracked. When you put the primer on, leave it at least overnight to dry ( if not longer), This is to allow any reaction to occur, and then to let the Cottage Paint primer seal it all in. Did we let our primer dry overnight? of course not, we were in too much of a hurry.

Used a Sharpie paint marker to do the word Peony, this worked really well, beats painting it with a liner brush. 

Come visit us at the Camellia, our crabapple trees are in full bloom. 

Getting married? Book a free consultation with Camille today, p-475-3551, or toll-free at 

1-877-523-7444. 

The Camellia, 30, Hacquoil Rd. Slate River, On

www.lakesuperiorweddings.ca

When something Old becomes New again....

I am sure you have noticed  the recent change in the What-is-HOT-and -what-is-not-colour-palette, a shift from beiges and browns to greys..and grey..and more grey. You  might think this is a new colour trend, however, it's something old that's new again. When we were building our house 27 or so years ago, it was all about grey, and black, and blues, and all those shades that went with grey. Remember all those peach and seafoam Living rooms? This season's hot colours are turquoise and aqua and every shade of blue and green and in-between. Well, we ripped out all that grey and black tile, repainted the blue walls, replaced it with browns and Tuscan colours....only to find out that sigh, yes, it's all ABOUT THE GREY NOW!! Paint rollers, where are you? 

Here is some of that grey tile leftover from some project 30 years ago..now being repurposed into a store display.

Are you in the same boat as I am..you want to update but you don't want to blindly follow a trend that may be outdated in a few years... after all, who has the time and money to redo their decor every few years? It makes sense to try to do some research...check out www.houzz.com.

Here are some design sites for Inspiration: www.restorationhardware.com,
 www.rivieramaison.com

Pinterest is of course, a great source of Inspiration. 

Watch HGTV - Sweet Home Alabama with Shaunna. Another great show is Fixer-Upper with Joanna & Chip. 

http://www.perfectlyimperfectblog.com/

http://www.hgtv.com/shows/fixer-upper/signs-you-re-an-hgtv-fixer-upper-fanatic-pictures


Speaking of something old becoming New again..take a look at our not-too-Shabby-Chic Table that was just redone with Cottage Paint - Dove Grey. This was a table that was thrown out, in really bad shape, and sat in our garage for 2 years ( at least). First step, glue and repair with wood filler.
Then some reconfiguring and TLC as the centre insert was missing, and wood detail on some of the legs was missing. A coat of Cottage Paint primer as this table is so old, there's no telling what is on it. If you are redoing a piece with Cottage Paint, be sure to read this first http://cottagepaint.com/welcome-to-cottage-paint/2015/04/24/trying-to-determine-what-finish-could-be-on-the-furniture-before-you-paint-it-you-need-to-read-this/

Before - gluing and cleaning underway.

Filling the areas with Wood filler, sanding, then coating with clear Primer, 2 coats, allowing 2 hours between coats.

Leave overnight, then paint.

But look at that table now...

Chairs have been refinished with Cottage Paint - base colour is Evening Sky, followed by multiple layers of various colours. We have a set of 4 of these chairs for sale, solid wood, with grey linen seats.

We have Beginners classes in Cottage Paint...on today, Friday, May 15th. at 6.30. Keep checking our website www.thecamellia.com for the next class, or email us.

Have  a great MAY long weekend   ... stay safe on the roads and stop by and see us at The Camellia, 30 Hacquoil Rd. Slate River, On .
Open Wed. 11-5, Thurs. 12-6, Fri. Sat. 11-5. Sun. 12-5p.
p 807)475-3551