A Winter Wonderland Show and sale at The Camellia, on now

 It's our Christmas Open house at The Camellia, come on out to get Inspired and start your Christmas decorating and shopping!

If you are out on the Christmas House Tour, we are not far from Riverdale Rd. just continue South on Hwy. 61, left on Hacquoil Rd. We are 1.6 km. on the left. on Hacquoil Rd. P-807-475-3551

Time to Wintergreen those planters and Windowboxes! The Camellia, Thunder Bay

 Good-Bye to those beautiful warm,  sunny Summer days. Sigh.. I never meant to spend most of the year in a cold climate.

 Good-bye to time spent lounging outside on the warm, sunny patio in the company of lush green planters.

 

 

Those same planters that are now filled with sad-looking frozen plants, except for some hardy mini pansies. Time to fill those planters with evergreens, to make them look beautiful for the winter season. Now is a good time to trim your evergreens, for use  in your planters.

 A trip around the back 40 to pick tag alder, red dogwood, white pine, jack pine, and cedar. And birch brances. Better that I pick the cedar, otherwise my resident deer will topiary them for me.

 I started here with spruce boughs as my first layer, placing them into the soil on a diagonal, along with the tag alder branches in the middle. Then I added balsam, pine, cedar and cones. You can add whatever you like. Jam the branches deep into the soil to secure them so that the wind will not blow them away.

 These planters   are coming along nicely, but we'll take a break here to help out at The Wedding Wishes Show on today at the Valhalla Inn. So get out there and start Wintergreening your planters. You can purchase Mixed bundles of greens for your planters here at the Camellia, along with seeded eucalyptus, magnolia, and B.C. cedar. Check our website for prices, www.thecamellia.com

Get your orders in for fresh Wreaths as soon as possible!

 Call us at 807)475-3551. The Camellia, 30 Hacquoil Rd. Thunder Bay. 

We are getting ready for our Winter wonderland show. If you are out on the Thunder Bay Art Gallery's Christmas House Tour ( Nov. 9 and 10th. 2013) , come visit us!

Open Wed. 11-5, Thurs. 12-7, Fri. 11-5. Sat. 11-5. Sun. 12-5.

Cottage Paint classes at The Camellia, Thunder Bay.

At long last, we had our first Cottage Paint class yesterday. There are lots of techniques to learn, and it's much better to practice in a class first, and then to graduate to painting your piece. Here are some of the practice boards from the class.

 These are my first 2 projects, Purple Haze bottom coat on antique dresser, Asphalt grey as topcoat. Technique used 2 colour distressing, with a wax finish coat. Dining Room set was painted with Driftwood, technique used 1 colour distressing, finish coat is a zero-gloss acrylic varnish. To see full colour selection, go to http://www.thecamellia.com/buy-cottage-paint--classes.html

Paint can be purchased in store or on line. Please call for shipping costs,  use our toll-free number 1-877-523-7444. Cottage Paint is good to go in checked luggage, and is not affected by cold.

You have one more chance to take a Cottage Paint class , to be held next Tuesday, Oct. 29th. 2013. Call to register at 807)475-3551. In this beginner class, we cover 1 colour distressing, 2 colour distressing, crackle finish, antiquing, glazing and finshing techniques. For prices and more information, go to http://www.thecamellia.com/classes-at-the-camelia.html

The Camellia, 30 Hacquoil Rd. Open Wed. 11-5, Thurs. 11-7, Fri. 11-6. Sat. 11-5. Sun. 12-5p

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