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.)

Island Life at The Camellia, Thunder Bay

Hello there! It's almost the end of February in Thunder Bay, and the end of Winter is in sight. Although with another winterstorm heading our way, it sure doesn't feel like it's almost March. Are you done with winter, and you can't wait for Spring and Summer!! Then The Camellia is your store....here we focus on an Islander Lifestyle. This is when you live in a very cold place, and you pretend you live on an Island in the Tropics. No embracing the cold here....or professing love for your Sorel winterboots. 

It doesn't matter where you live....whether it's an Island in the Caribbean, a small town in Northern Ontario, or a town on Vancouver Island. Most of us have to work to make a living, and there are mundane tasks that consume the hours after work. We all tend to take for granted the beauty of the areas where we live. While we may fantasize about moving away to an exotic locale where it never snows, deep down we know that Summer in a hot country would be unbearable (all that high humidity, frizzy hair, and clothes pasted to your skin...!). Next best thing to moving is to decorate in an Island theme. Here at The Camellia, we have loads of Island accessories, ask about the tablecloths in above photo. They are vibrant, and practical as they are water and stain resistant. 

Here we are at Viva Wyndham Maya, in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. Nothing says Island more than a Palapa. Sometimes you can can find a fake, raffia one at the Party store. The real ones are made from Palm leaves and they really do keep the rain out. 

You can take a Class at our store, the Camellia, and make up your own stencilled or hand-lettered Beach and Lake signs. These are made with Cottage Paint, which comes in 60 colours, you can buy Cottage Paint at The Camellia.

Not sure where to start with your Lake theme? Here at #TheCamellia, we have Lake themed cushions, knitted throws, pillows and so much more. Need help with choosing a colour scheme? We can help you with that! 

You can make this sign in one of our Cottage Paint workshops at The Camellia. https://www.thecamellia.com/classes-at-the-camelia.html

Fill your home or your Patio with fresh, green Plants. Nothing says Island Living more than large leaf Tropical plants. 

Island Life is all about the Beach... the crashing of the waves on miles of sandy shores. 

Are you ready to decorate in an Island theme?  (Those vibrant blooms in the above photo are Hibiscus ). Come see us at #TheCamellia at 30/32 Hacquoil Rd. We are a short, 10 minutes drive south of Thunder Bay Airport. 

We will be at the Spring Home and Garden Show Thunder Bay, which is on April 5, 6, and 7th. 2019, at the Canadian Lakehead Exhibition grounds. 

www.thecamellia.com

Valentine's Day Gift delivery in Thunder Bay, Love makes the world go round.

A heart shape made of flower petals. It's February and Valentine's Day is coming soon. How exciting! 

Love is all-important ....we all want to be Loved, we all feel better when we are loved, we chase Love, and we certainly do crazy things when we are in Love. What does Love mean to you? Maybe you have a special someone in Thunder Bay and you want to send them an expression of your Love on Valentine's Day. You can call us here at The Camellia, and we will deliver in Thunder Bay and Slate River, Ontario. p (807)475-3551.

Orchids in a heart-shape....how beautiful are these? 

We just made this wooden Living wall with this Inspirational saying...hand painted. 

We have moss wreaths, and small Living walls on black ash rounds. A great choice for someone who loves Nature and living things. 

We can deliver a Parisian Gift Basket with yummy Lavender Macaroons from A Taste of France. These macaroons are gluten-friendly. Lavender Spa items complete this Gift selection Lavender Bubble Bath from Neob Lavender, Lavender sleep sachet bag, & Sleep-so-sound Aromatherapy roll-on.

Price range from $65.00 to $250.00. We offer delivery in Thunder Bay, & Slate River, Ontario.

These macaroons are super-yummy, crunchy on the outside, and soft inside as you bite into them. And the taste...swoon..... They are available in 6's and 12's . 

Flowers make a wonderful Gift...these are pink gerbera daisies with seeded euc. Call us here at The Camellia for Dried Peony bunches flower delivery.

Happy Valentine's Day! We are closed here at The Camellia for a short break, and will reopen on Feb. 14th. Be sure to call us then for Valentine's Day Gift delivery. 

the Camellia, 30 Hacquoil Rd. Slate River, Ontario

p 807-475-3551

www.thecamellia.com

Living Walls, & Cottage Paint greens, the Camellia.

 The colour GREEN represents healing, Life, the start of Spring, new grass and so much more. Cushion moss is used in the white bowl, along with reindeer moss dyed lime green. The colour 'Sour Apple' Cottage Paint was used to paint the old chair, which eventually will sit in a garden bed. The colour 'Lichen' Cottage Paint ( Serenity) is a soothing greyish green and looks beautiful on a wall. 

Cushion moss balls are a great, low-care alternative in Garden design. Green is soothing. How beautiful is this stone urn with a giant moss ball! 

Fresh green Ivy .......simple, yet stunning in a garden. 

A living wall ...with muscari plants. What a beautiful spot to have an outdoor washbasin! A living moss wall needs an irrigation system of watering tubes to keep the wall healthy. 

A Peacock with all his beautiful feathers - various shades of blues and greens. There is so much beauty around us. We just have to look around us!. 

When it's really cold outside ( just like it is now, -40 C), the green of living plants is very welcome, although the lack of humidity tends to make leaves a little brown on the edges. A light misting should be done every day with ferns and orchids.

Here is a small moss wall which is in progress. Moss walls add that green element in a room, and this one has an inspirational saying stencilled onto a black ash round. We will have Living moss walls for sale at the #SpringhomeandGardenShow2019 taking place April 5, 6, and 7th. at the Canadian Lakehead Exhibition grounds. 

Want to add a touch of Spring green to your decor? paint something green. 

There are many greens in the Cottage Paint line. From top to bottom: Pea soup, Sour Apple ( the colour in the jar), Lichen, Revere Green, Chive and Forest Shadow.

Come into our store, The Camellia, at 30/32 Hacquoil Rd. to see our selection of Cottage Paints. We have green wreaths for your spring decor, green-themed flower and dried bouquets, and much more. 

Open Wednesday through Sunday. 

p (807)475-3551

www.thecamellia.com

What are we doing with our Time? January at The Camellia, Slate River, Ontario

It's a common complaint.....I don't know where the time went, how can it be 4pm. already? Where did the day go? 

I don't have enough hours in my day. 

How can it be the middle of January already? where did the time go? 

If only I had more time. 

I'm so busy! How about you? what are you up to? 

Did you plan a trip lately? You probably spent hours looking on Hotels.com, Trip Advisor and maybe Sunwing. Hours spent looking at reviews from those people  who stayed at the same Hotel you are thinking of booking. We have this insane need to know everything before we go anywhere....360 degree views of the hotel ! By the time we board the plane, we have spent hours trying to get the best deal on various Travel websites. 

Here we are at Biltmore Estate in North Carolina, in the Laundry Room. The amount of hours that went into doing the laundry! 

We are lucky we don't have to spend hours, or days, doing Laundry. Now we have all kinds of Washers and Dryers where we load the clothes, push a button and walk away. We all know people who are spending so much time on the internet - buying all manner of nonsense on Ebay and Amazon. We may get carried away with online auctions, and end up buying items we don't really need. 

What most of us really want is more Time, time to stop and smell the Tulips. so the question we need to ask ourselves is this: what are we spending our time on? What would we like to be doing instead of our 'Have-to-get-done' list? 

Here's an idea....you can take a Paint Pour Class at The Camellia. How fun is this? 

You may want to try baking from scratch. Look at this yummy Apple bake.
What to get more done? Then working fewer hours is the key. 

http://www.happinez.com/blog/2019/1/05/want-to-get-more-done-work-fewer-hours

We have this wonderful cookbook from Joanna Gaines in our store. 

Stop for a second and think about the contrast of how much daily living consumed our lives centuries ago, and now, we have everything so much more streamlined and it's still not enough. We continue to push more and more into our lives. Enjoy the Journey, and come visit us here at The Camellia. Take a Class, and get some Spring inspiration. 

www.thecamellia.com

The Camellia, 30/32 Hacquoil Rd. Slate River, On. 

p 807-475-3551

Open Wed. through sunday. 

Hello New Year 2019, 'Bye to old nonsense.

Welcome to 2019! The start of a New Year is a new beginning, a fresh page, a clean slate, a chance to begin new patterns of behaviour. Going forth into this New Year, what will you leave behind? Say good-bye to old ways of thinking, old perceptions, old reactions to the behaviour of others....

A New Year is like freshly fallen snow where no one has walked.... fresh, clean, white, untrodden. 

What new adventures await you in 2019? Some of us are fed-up with jobs, or relationships, maybe our eating habits, or we can't stand the homes or towns we live in. However, sometimes we lack perspective, which is why you talk to as many people as you can who are in the place you are trying to get to. Let's say you want a job in Public Relations at XYZ Company, you may find it helpful talking to someone who has that position today.  They may be able to offer their perspective on the job in XYZ Company.  "The grass is always greener on the other side", as the old saying goes. 

A lot of us will vow to eat a healthier diet, exercise more, and take better care of ourselves. A hot cup of peppermint tea always helps. 

saying via Pinterest. 

Some of us may vow to take more vacation time....maybe a tropical vacation. Yeah!! Especially easy from Thunder Bay, as direct flights to Mexico, Cuba, and Dominican Republic start in January. 

image via pinterest

Take a moment to write down a few ...what you want to do in this coming year. 

Maybe you have a bunch of Furniture waiting to be painted. Winter is a great time to paint with Cottage Paint. Cottage Paint is water-based and low-odour, so you can paint away...indoors. 

You can also sign up for one of our Winter classes at http://www.thecamellia.com/classes-at-the-camelia.html. Escape to the Beach Class, learn how to paint your Oak cabinets, and much more. 

Amazing things will happen in 2019 for you ! Happy New Year!

The Camellia From Nature to Home 

30/32 Hacquoil Rd. Slate River, On

p (807)475-3551