Things to be Thankful for, The Camellia, Thunder Bay, Canada

Can you believe it's almost Thanksgiving? It feels like Summer here in Thunder Bay, with bright sunshine, colourful leaves swirling in the wind, and temperatures of 22 C or more. Have you started decorating for Fall? So much wonderful foilage to be found all around us, from Nature to your Home! So many textures and colours...

What are your plans for Thanksgiving get-togethers  and Turkey feasts? Feel like there's too much to do, and not enough hours in the day? Why does time fly faster as we get older? Just take a deep breath and   B r e a t h e...

 This is our ever-popular red twig Wreath sprayed silver.....customers ask us How long do the wreaths last outside? for a long time, after all, they are made of twigs, and trees grow happily outdoors.

Grab the Kids, and the Dog and go foraging. see what you can find in Nature, like these lovely orange crabapples we found in our yard..didn't even know they were there.

Gather all kinds of twigs, and ferns, and red dogwood from the fields, then get everyone to help to arrange them in containers. Ask everyone to take a moment and think about what they are thankful for.

I'm thankful for TP, I know it's a strange thing to be thankful for, but in a poor country, quite often, the stores will run out of TP. This is a new TP box we have in store at The Camellia, it holds 3 rolls of TP. I am also thankful for clean water that you can drink from the Tap without boiling first. That we live in a country where, if you hear a gunshot, you don't have to drop and roll into a ball. And that it's relatively safe to walk down the street. What are you thankful for? 

 If you looking for a Weekend outing, head over to Gammondale Farms. Pumpkin heaven.

 Another Must-visit in our area is the new Thunder Oak Cheese Farm. We stopped in today for a quick visit while out doing deliveries.

All kinds of Gouda cheese, made right here. I tried the Cajun cheese curds for lunch today, so yummy!

 Here are some of the  materials that were used in our Tuscan Harvest Planter class.

The start - an empty pot.

 Shhh..the designers are hard at work....stems are flying, should it be here or here?

 Voila ! the finished piece.

We are OPEN here at The Camellia for Thanksgiving weekend. Open Wed. through Sunday.

Wed. 11-5, Thurs. 12-7, Fri. 11-6. Sat. 11-5. and this Sunday, October 13th. noon-4p.

Bring yourself, your friends and your out-of-town guests, we love to see all of you!!

30, Hacquoil Rd. p.807)475-3551.

Please order any  flowers for delivery as early as possible, our toll-free # is 1 -877-523-7444

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Classes at The Camellia, Thunder Bay, Canada

Fall is here and it's a great time to take a class at The Camellia!

Tuscan Harvest Pot

 In this class, you will be creating an Autumn outdoor pot, suitable for placement by your entranceway, or in a sheltered porch. you will also be learning the ins and outs of decorating with pots outdoors, the mechanics of anchoring, etc. You will be starting with a Guy Wolff piece of pottery, in a white clay. Then we'll add a faux Mum bush that looks so real, a bundle of local wheat, bull rushes, field ferns, and twig branches. The finishing touch will be a bow of water repellent satin ribbon with a sinamay jute bow. 

Level of Difficulty: Easy

Tools needed: a pair of Garden snips and a pair of garden gloves.

Cost: Pot and supplies $75.00, Design fee $10.00, hst is extra. 

Time: Tuesday or Friday nights 7p-8.30ish....  Oct.  8th. 2013, Oct. 11th. 2013

Register: call 807)475-3551
Class size: 6

 You will be using these real-looking Fall mum bushes!

Not Your Grandmother's Dried Flowers

In this class, you will learn how to make this stunning, contemporary Dried arrangement. 
Drieds will be in neutral tones, creams, greens and browns. This arrangement can go in a living roon, a dining room, or in an entranceway. This design can be seen in-store at The Camellia.

Level of Difficulty: Intermediate, some previous experience working with dried flowers will be required.

Cost: Container and supplies $110.00, Design fee:$20.00. add hst to all fees.

Tools needed: a pair of wire cutters.

Time: Sunday afternoons,  2-5ish. in October, 2013

Register: Call 807)475-3551
Class size: 4-6

Thicket in Glass Bowl 

This class is coming soon....class size limited to 6 students. You can come in before the class and choose what colour of flowers you would like.

 

Cottage Paint classes.  

Cottage Paint Basics.  ( 1 day or so , I will have more information!)

Topics to be covered: One colour wet Distressing, Waxing and Varnishing,  Two colour wet distressing, Crackle medium, Dry brushing and Glazes. 

Stencilling and Image Transfer will be covered in an Advanced Class.  

We will supply 1 wooden cabinet door for you to practice on. 

Supplies: 1 8oz. jar of cottage Paint, if you have already purchased 1 , just bring it with you . 

Questions? You can call Camille at 807)475-3551. Visit our website at www.thecamellia.com

Rustic Autumn Fair on now at The Camellia, Thunder Bay.

Welcome! You are warmly invited to a Rustic Autumn Fair at The Camellia. It starts this Saturday, Sept. 21st. 2103, from 11-5p, and Sunday Sept. 22nd. 12-5p. and runs until Halloween. Come out and bring lots of friends! Here is one of the wreaths we just made with Birch twigs, seeded Euc. and dyed Triticum wheat.

 Wonderful views of Ripening fields in Slate River Valley, waiting to be harvested.

 Nice weather for a Fall hike, this is on Memory Road close to the U.S./Canada border.

 Great views of Lake Superior from the top.

 Apples from our trees make an easy Fall centerpiece, just place bowl on a wreath, we have these for sale at the Camellia in all sizes.

Hay being harvested just up the road. 

Hard to say Good-bye to Summer.. just look at this house on the way to Park Point, near Duluth, Mn.

 

Here in Thunder Bay, the leaves are slowly changing to their Fall coat.

Some renovations which are  getting done at our place  .. a trip to Ikea Winnipeg for inspiration.

 Ripping up old carpet to replace with laminate floors ... and notice the baseboards. Old baseboards are given a new life with #Cottage Paint, these were varnished before, but look at what 2 coats of Cottage Paint, and 2 coats of finishing wax will do. We have just received a new shipment of Cottage Paint, so make sure to visit The Camellia.

Share your renovating projects with us! 

We are open Wed. 11-5. Thurs. 12-7. Fri. 11-6. Sat. 11-5. Sun. 12-5.

p.807) 475-3551 and Happy Weekend!!

Rustic Autumn Fair coming up at The Camellia, Thunder Bay, On

It's a beautiful Day here in Thunder Bay, feeling a little cool and somewhat like Fall. Here at the Camellia, we are getting ready for our Rustic Autumn Fair, which starts next Friday, Sept. 20th. 2013.  Do come out and visit then , we have lots of Autumn goodies for you and your Home! 

We  are closed this Sat. Sept. 14, 2013  and Sun. Sept. 15th 2013.

See you next week, and bring lots of friends! 

30, Hacquoil Rd. Thunder Bay, On.

p-807)475-3551

How to dry Fall Hydrangeas, & Hydrangea Wreaths, The Camellia , Thunder Bay, On

 It's almost September, where did the Summer go? A  bittersweet time, when all the Garden flowers are hopefully at their peak, and who can resist plucking them to dry and make into Wreaths so that the  blooms  can be enjoyed all Winter long? 

 We get asked so many times, when is the right time to pick my Hydrangea blossoms, they are so beautiful, and I would  like to preserve them to enjoy in the coming Winter months. How do I do this?

Here is a finished Hydrangea Wreath , just made, on a moss base. What you can't see is all the work that went into making it, abour 3 hours of labour, not including climbing up and down ladders to grab the nicest blooms, which are usually at, you guessed it, the top of the tree. It's best to pick from several bushes to get variety of size and colour.

 This type in  the photo above is best picked just after a light frost, or just before a light frost, but make sure to wait until there's a good amount of pink showing on the bloom. If the frost is too heavy, then the bloom will turn brown, which is okay depending on your colour scheme. If it has been raining lots, the blooms will also turn brown. The lime green mophead hydrangeas should be picked before a frost, so when you see the temps going down to about 4 degrees C. It's a hit and miss process, sorry,  there are no easy answers. You will know your hydrangeas were picked at the correct time if the heads dry nicely and keep their conical shape. If they were picked too early, the blooms simply shrivel up, which is okay as well. Lay them out on a sheet so that the white spiders that are in the blooms can run away.

 Here at The Camellia we work with all blooms when they are fresh.  You may prefer to work with dried blooms.

 Here the blooms are being attched to a base of Birch Twigs.Once the wreath is made, and the hydrangeas are left to dry, carefully rotate the wreath, and then there is the filling in of any gaps after the wreath is dry,using additional hydrangea blooms.

Hydrangea blooms also look beautiful in a glass or crystal Vase.

Pretty, aren't they? Come on into The Camellia to see our Hydrangea Wreaths and  Vase floral designs which are for sale. We are Open Saturday August 30th, 2013 from 11-5.After that we are closed and will reopen on Wednesday September 11th. 2013. If you need anything during this time, please call 807-475-3551 and leave a message. 

Happy Harvesting and wreath-making!!

How to choose a new Mattress, The Camellia, Thunder Bay

Today, we are introducing our fictional characters, Mr. & Mrs. C, and they are off to buy a new mattress, having put off this decision for quite a while. They now have a sort of saggy dip in the middle of their old mattress, which is not so comfortable. 

Mr. C has to be up at 5 am to get to work , Mrs. C works until the wee hours of the mroning, and gets up later. So yes, they need to look at a mattress that has the least motion transfer. They both have aches and pains, so probably a pillow top or a Plush is better. If you are mattress shopping, the best way to figure all this out is to lay on the mattresses in the showrooms. Most big-box retailers offer a satisfaction guarantee - which means if you buy the mattress, and don't like it, you have a time period varying from 90 days ( L---'s is 90 days, Sears is 365 days  in which to take it back and exchange it.)

There are the Big S's - Sealy, Simmons, Serta. Then there is Kingsdown, Stearns and Foster, and others. To confuse Mr. & Mrs. C even further, the major manufacturers will make Private label brands for Big box retailers, each offering different features. Mr. and Mrs. C notice also that different stores will carry different models of the same mattress, making it hard to comparison shop.

It can be a daunting task choosing a Mattress, Mr. & Mrs. C are already confused, and worse yet they enter the store 15 minutes before closing. Not enough time, so their Sales assistant writes down their price quotes to hold the sale prices for 48 hours. . ( Sale ends that day).

Pocket coil, tight top, cushion top, coil  count, tempered steel, latex foam, silk and hollo foam, and the list goes on and on. How does one choose? At this point, Mr. C is starting to lose patience, and Mrs. C is upset. They leave the store, vowing to do some research on the internet to help them with their decision. Stay tuned to see what type of mattress they buy.

Did you know we carry a wonderful line of Bedding at The Camellia? You can custom order in all sizes up to a California King. And most of it is washable, a plus for those who sleep with Pets and kids. Come see our cozy, monogrammed, Made in Canada Pillows. 

A hot Bath before going to bed helps promote a great night's Sleep. Treat yourself to a hand-made bar of soap from The Camellia.

We are Open Wed. 11-5. Thurs. 12-7. Fri. 11-5. Sat. 11-5. This Sunday August 25th. 2013, we may be closed. P-807)475-3551

Shop online at www.thecamellia.com

On letting go of expectations..The Camellia, Thunder Bay

To quote Cookie Monster,  "Today me will live in the moment unless it's unpleasant in which case me will eat Cookie!!" It's true, we all have unpleasant days, those blah days when you just want to go back to bed, and then wake up and find out it was all a bad dream. but just one look at this cheery Sunflower bloom from last year's Garden ... and you start to feel a tiny bit better. It's always hard to let go of expectations, and it's crushing when you realize that it is what it is, no matter how much you wish otherwise. Like our weather this Summer, which now feels like Fall.

 All this rain has led to much grass cutting and my grapevine has grown to gignormous heights. May have to cut some of it to make a wreath.

 We must remind ourselves that Life is Beautiful.

 Garden lilacs, burlap, hearts and old windows.

 We have a Vegan dog,he loves tomatoes and zucchini, and beans and cukes. ...

 We have Canadian Soy candles out at the store, they smell wonderful!

 Saying Good-bye to Summer.

And hello to Fall handbags .. we have a great selection in store at The Camellia. 

Come visit us... we are Open Wednesday 11-5, Thurs. 12-7. Fri. 11 -5. Sat. 11-5. Sun. 12-5. 

phone 807)475-3551.

                                                             www.thecamellia.com