MOST loved Valentine's Day Gifts, Thunder Bay, On

It is often said that, most of the time,  we treat the ones we love quite badly, taking them for granted, not doing nice things for them, and sometimes we are just plain mean to them. That's why it's nice when Valentine's Day comes along, and we are reminded to do something nice for the ones we love. 

Used to be that Red Roses were the traditional Valentine's Day gift, but in today's cheap-grocery-store-world roses have lost that I'm-giving-something-special appeal. Most Roses don't even smell anymore. 

So how would you finish this sentence ...Love is...?  If you are thinking about what to get for Valentine's Day, here are some Gift Ideas from The Camellia in Thunder Bay, Ontario.

Gift Pick #1. FRESH AIR BEEKMAN 1802 GIFT SETS - from $49.50. Say hello to Beekman 1802, made from Goat's milk. Goat's milk delays signs of skin aging, due to its high content of alpha-hydroxy acids. It reduces skin inflammation, and is packed with vitamins like D,C,B1,B6,B12 and E. Goat's milk helps with treating acne. You can buy Beekman products at The Camellia. From $49.50,

GIFT PICK #2 : LAVENDER GIFT SET

This Gift is perfect for those who never take care of them selves. Lavender helps relieve stress, relaxes, and helps you sleep. Choose from Neob Lavender Soap ( Niagara-on-the-lake), Rocky Mountain Lavender Body butter, and deodorant, essential Oil of Lavender, Neob Lavender Lotion, Napa Lavender soap, and farm-grown Lavender bunches. $75.00 and up. 

GIFT PICK: #3 - A Day at the Beach Gift set - A Day at the Beach Apron, in navy blue pinstripes, with a handmade Mussels 'n more Pottery mug. And a Napa Soap Beach bar. Add sailing- themed leggings, and a breezy scarf. $75. and up

Mais oui, Paris themed Gift set - with Eiffel Tower scarf, & Apron with Napa Lavender soap, and French vintage cushion. From $95.00

A Class at The Camellia - all of our Classes for Spring and early Summer are up on our website, you can purchase classes online or call and sign up. http://www.thecamellia.com/classes-at-the-camelia.html. We have Spring burlap Wreath classes, DIY Floral crowns, A Day at the Beach workshops, DIY Barnboard classes, Cottage Paint classes, and Spring stencil workshops. classes are also listed online in events in the  Walleye magazine.

Napa Valley gift set -  A lovely screen-printed Napa apron, with a bar of Napa Cabernet Soapignon soap, printed scarf, and wooden wine saying plaque,  $106.00  an up. 

WE are OPEN at our store, The Camellia at 30, Hacquoil Rd. Wed. 11-5. Thurs. 12-5. Fri. and Sat. 11-5. Sun. 12-5. Can't get to our store? You can call us at (807)475-3551, order, pay , and we can deliver. Delivery charges apply. We deliver in the Thunder Bay and Slate River areas. 

Calling all PINK Flower Lovers - Spring Flowers

Sometimes when your day is dark and dreary ( as it happens sometimes in January in Winter), it's nice to look at your Spring and Summer photos. It just makes you feel better, and the colour Pink is just so bright and perky. Just look at these Tulip beauties ...see that hint of green on their tips. 

Here is the star-shaped Flower bed where the pink Tulips were planted. This is one of the many flower beds at Keukenhof Gardens. 

Red is just a darker version of Pink - just look at these rows of Red Tulips, these are fields in Holland where the Tulips are grown for Bulb production. When you are in the plane, and nearing Holland, these are the bright bands of colour you see from the sky. Bright stripes of Tulip blooms. 

Pinks go well with Greys, and mauves, and whites and creams. You can have so much fun with pink. You can decorate with our faux dahlia blooms ( upper right of photo). Or bring Spring into your home with our lovely cutwork embroidered tablecover in an Iris pattern.  

Even though Pink has a sort of  feminine flair, it has now become a mainstream colour, adding softness to a neutral colour scheme. #CottagePaint pinks are popular, there is French Lavender, Dragonblood, Raspberry, & Perfect Pink.

Pink Camellia bushes are beautiful...and filled with a profusion of Flowers in the Spring. 

Pink Begonia blooms from one of our Summer planters.

And last, but not least, Peony blooms from our Summer Garden - their smell is lovely, the blooms  only last a few days, however, just catching sight of a vase of fresh peonies makes a person happy. What do you have in your house that's Pink, share with us and leave a comment below!!

Visit The Camellia at 30, Hacquoil Rd. 

Open Wednesday through Sunday.

p(807)475-3551

www.thecamellia.com

You might like to read http://fromnaturetohome.blogspot.ca/2016/04/its-finally-spring.html

Trying to hold onto your sanity when doing Bathroom home renos...Happy Jan 1st. 2017! The Camellia.

It's January 1st. of 2017!  A New Year...full of possibilities, new ideas, and dreaming about Home Renovations. 

We dream about a new Bathroom..a Sanctuary...our sanctuary...devoid of  Rubber duckies, dirty clothes strewn  on the floor, and worse yet, stinky toilets with seats left up. A place where we can relax, and restore ourselves and our sanity. 

Some of us have Ideabooks on Houzz, we have Pinterest boards on our Dream Bathroom, but never get beyond the dream-about-it-stage. Time to change all that, it's a New Year, and with the Holidays out of the way, this is the perfect time to plan your new Bathroom. 

Your Bathroom doesn't have to be as elaborate as this beauty in the above photo, it can be simple and basic, depending on your budget and time frame. It goes without saying that all ideas should be discussed with your partner before you start contacting a contractor and tradespeople. Some of us get stuck at this stage...we end us fighting..."The Bathroom is fine the way it is, why do we need double sinks, I don't care what the Property Brothers say, what do they know..? " Is it too soon to start finding a contractor? No, the best ones are booked way ahead of time, and you have to join the line. 

#BarnDoors are so in ...are you DIYing and want a more cost effective #BarnBoard? Come into The Camellia and ask about our #CottagePaint #Barnboard paint techniques. 

Bathroom at #WhitewaterGolfHomes condominium.. built by Di Gregorio Developments, and styled by #TheCamellia. This home was part of the Spring #ThunderBayArtGallery #HouseTour 2016. For more information on these Townhomes  visitwww.digregoriodevelopments.com. 

This is a Master Bath at Whitewater Town Homes, If you have an old cabinet which is Oak, and looking a bit tired, you can paint it with #CottagePaint. No stripping, and no mess, and no smell. And 55 colours to choose from. 

Here is a china cabinet which one of our clients painted. This is the Before. Where can you buy #CottagePaint? At The Camellia in Thunder Bay, On. 

Here is the AFTER. Beautiful Cottage Paint makeover! Getting back to the mess of renovations, how does one get through it? We start, and just want to fast-forward to the finish line! Most of us are bored with plumbing issues, and drains, and vents and the list goes on. We want everything to be done quickly, and work perfectly. We may obsess a bit ( or a lot) and drive our plumbers and other tradespeople crazy. Our tradespeople may drive us crazy by taking on too many jobs at the same time.

And we forgot about the mess, and the dust, and the constant cleaning. And the stress of having to make decisions, and then waiting for stock to come in. We may have chosen some sinks purely for their looks, not their practicality.  Anyone ever used a Vessel sink with a tall spout, you turn on the tap, and water shoots out, hits the vessel sink, and sploosh onto your clothes...( now you look like you had a bathroom accident...sigh...) Not to mention all the stuff that was in your Bathroom, which is now homeless and strewn all over the rest of the house. This is also when you realize how much unused Hair products and make-up reside in your Bathroom. 

What is our advice to you? Expect Mess, cost overruns, and delays. In the end, you will have a fabulous bathroom, and it will all be worth it.

Come into The Camellia today to discuss your DIY Renos, and to get #CottagePaint and #FarrowandBall paint, along with custom Florals  & accessories for your bathroom. 

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

p (807)475-3551

www.thecamellia.com

Holiday & New Year Gift Delivery 2016, The Camellia, Thunder Bay, Slate River, On

It's a few days before Christmas and some of us are just starting your Christmas shopping. As we are buying gifts for the same people every year, it gets harder to figure out what to Gift them. Here are some suggestions from The Camellia, Thunder Bay, Slate River, On.

Flowering Wreaths are a good Gift for the entire Family,and these can be used year-round by changing out the ribbon bow. $145.00 + taxes and delivery.

This is a great foilage wreath which they can add to for each season, its neutral tomes go with everything. 

A wooden wall Winterbox..filled with faux greenery  and Pointsettias, with a Buffalo plaid bow. $120.00 + taxes + delivery .  

Gifts for those who love Water/Lake/Beach, Apron with hand-made Mussels n more Pottery Mug... Apron $27.00, Pottery mug $49.00, microwave & dishwasher safe.

We have Harley signs for those guys and gals that love #Harleys.

Great Gift for guys who love to cook - Masterchef types. 

All-cotton placemats & rugs in black & burgundy.  $ 20.00 and up.

Large fresh Wreaths made from local greens and B.C cedar, $75.00 + taxes + delivery. 

Antique wooden sock stretchers with Winter inserts - perfect for someone who lived in the days where these were used to dry woolen socks. Nice and flat and easy to store away, great for condo living. 

Left your Christmas wishes a bit too late? You can send a New Years' Gift pack - a Gift of relaxation, A Spa basket. 

Here at #theCamellia, we have #NapaValleySoap from St. Helena. $15.95 and up. 

#Lavender Spa baskets from #Neob Lavender in Niagara-on-the-Lake.  Call us for pricing, and to order Gifts for delivery in #ThunderBay and #SlateRiver. 

The Camellia, 30, Hacquoil Rd. Open Wed. 11-5, Thurs. 12-5. Fri. 11-5. Christmas Eve 11-4. 

p (807)475-3551

toll-free within Canada at 1-877-523-7444

FA-la-la-la-la..It's DECEMBER ...... Time to decorate, The Camellia, Slate River, On.

Most of our customers are decor-obsessed..... not that there is anything wrong with this. All those lovely ideas we see on Pinterest.... only 1 slight problem, it's December 5th. and we may not have started Christmas Gift shopping. Or cleaned our house. Yesterday, the first Christmas card arrived in the mail, a small bit of panic ensues ( why are some people so organized? makes the rest of us feel inadequate).  

We love the Deer motif in Winter decor, just not the real Deer that eat cedar and some homeowners have said they will come right up to their front door and munch on fresh Christmas Wreaths. 

Here is one of those Pinterest type ideas...visions of a wonderful hand- painted sign on this pallet. Just who is going to do all the work? #CottagePaint to the rescue. Water-based, dries quickly, no smell. Love it! 55 colours to choose from .

#1 Favourite  is #CrimsonRed,  now back in stock at #TheCamellia. 

We have been busy doing Winter planters for Hotels and Homes. Such a dramatic transformation from an empty pot with frozen flowers to a Winter wonderland with fresh, local, evergreens., and imported Magnolia branches.

Here is a Magnolia tree in California, they also grow well in the Carolinas and Florida. If you are making a wreath in any of these places, just raid someone's Magnolia tree. ( Ask them first!).  

We've been asked... "how do you do Planters with evergreens? How do I know how much to put in?" You need lots of greens, some birch sticks, red osier dogwood. We use Spruce, Balsam, red pine, white pine, cedar, Magnolia, and Boxwood. Get double what  you think you need. This is not a case of Less is more. More is More. It should be packed nicely, with no dirt showing. But not packed so tightly that you risk cracking your container. 

Shallow windowboxes should be weighted down with a mixture of gravel and dirt. Otherwise the first wind that comes along will knock your planter over. Here the shape is defined by first inserting stems of red dogwood. 

Then the greens are added in layers, and B.C. cedar added as the last layer, as it has a nice, draping effect. 

Don't forget to add a bow into your planter. 

Here are 2 large planters which are part of a Hotel's decor in the front entrance. Soil is pretty dry so break it up with a spade, water will be added once planters are finished and in place ( less weight when lifting), the water will then freeze in place and hold all the stems in. Of course, if your dirt is frozen, then planters have to be brought indoors and left for a few days to defrost, sometimes this can take as long as a week.

Here is our bundles of greens which will be used in these Planters. We sell these in our store, The Camellia at 30, Hacquoil Rd. Phone (807) 475-3551 for current prices, as of now, bundles are $39.95 to $49,95 ea. and are all local evergreens from Northern Ontario. 

Start by placing Birch poles, then fill in with greens. There is no right or wrong way, everyone does their planters differently. 

The finishing touch is a 2 ribbon bow, with 16 to 20 loops. 

Voila! all ready to beautify the Hotel's entrance. 

You can embellish your Summer garden lanterns, adding battery pillar candles in the middle. 

Christmas is the time to bring out your cherished Teddy bears and porcelain dolls. and Santas.

Our #Paristhemed tree at #TheCamellia - black tin stars, Eiffel Towers, and checked ribbons.

Matching #Paris & Burlap wreath - a lovely, year-round Wreath for a Parisian-themed room, an order we made for a client.

For great Gift ideas and Winter decor, Visit The Camellia at 30, Hacquoil Rd. Slate River, Ontario.

Open Wed. 11-5. Thurs. 12-5. Fri. & Sat. 11-5. Sunday 12-5p.

www.thecamellia.com

p -807)475-3551 or toll-free in Canada 1-877-523-7444

We deliver in Thunder Bay, Slate River, and surrounds.