Written by : Julie Cove

Hope you had a lovely holiday weekend!  The weather was a bit tricky, wasn’t it?  We were up at our cottage without power for a number of hours, thank goodness for the wood stove and my hubby’s continuous efforts to stoke it.  We even had snow– the mountains and tree tops were white capped!  It’s supposed to be April for heavens sake!  Crazy hey!  All in all, it was a treat to escape and snuggle by the fire, play games and drink tea!  How was your weekend?

Birthdays are so fun especially when it’s mine-Hee!  I like making it last, like spreading lunches with friends or spa days with a girlfriend long after the actual day- a good excuse to pamper thyself I think!  What’s your favourite thing to do on your birthday? Do you drag it out a little like me?

One of my gifts was a new lens for my camera from my family that I have been eying for some time.  It is a 50mm f1.4 lens with greater light gathering capabilities than my stock lens so I was trying it out inside and took this snap shot above for you!  I love how nice and light the photo is without the use of a flash even though it was a dull rainy day outside- you would never know.  And the tulips–soooo pretty.  I picked up the vintage embroidered table cloth & vase at a lovely antique shop in Duncan called Belongings on Lois Lane. My sis and I poked around in Duncan on my special day–what a treat since I hardly take the time. Boy oh boy, there are some cute shops that I didn’t know were there.  You must take the time and wander thru the downtown core, you’ll be pleasantly surprised like I was.  We were also thrilled to find a country market going on right around Lois Lane that is on every Saturday, rain or shine!

I wanted to remind you that our “Coffee and a Shopping Spree” promo is on until this Sunday, April 11th.  By leaving Ingrid or myself a comment anywhere on our blog before Sunday you will be entered to win a pound of coffee from Jim at Fresh Cup Roastery.  Nothing like a nice weeks supply of fresh locally roasted coffee if you win!

Below is the promo once again in case you missed it!  Buy one accessory, get the 2nd one 1/2 price!

Have a great week, lets hope the sunshine visits again:)

Julie

Written by : Julie Cove

I’m so excited to share this fun idea for you to enjoy a cup of coffee with a friend and stop in for some really great savings on our accessories.  Jim at Fresh Cup Roastery serves up a delicious cup of coffee and yours is free with a $25 purchase at our shop starting Good Friday thru April 11th (we will issue a coupon for you to take over to Fresh Cup).  Spring is a great time to pick up a few new accessories for your home.  Or do you have a need for a gift this month for a birthday or anniversary, maybe even a spring wedding?  Actually come to think of it, my anniversary is coming up this month. We had a lovely spring wedding many moons ago…..with mixed bouquets full of every spring flower imaginable!  I can still remember the incredible smell of the lily of the valley in my bridal bouquet.  Since I am such a flower fanatic I couldn’t toss it for the single girls, instead I had a second one made for this purpose.  Memories!

It’s also my birthday this weekend- Yeh!  I love April!!  Hope it’s sunny, it usually always shines on my day!  What are you up to for Easter?  Family dinner or a quiet weekend?  Be sure to do something just for you, sneak in a spa visit, or a nice walk or take some time to read a favourite magazine–I just picked up the Coastal Living Mag, it makes me dreamy for summer!  You might even like to tip toe thru the tulips!!  Take a peek at these tulips!

Vantreight Farms is offering u-pick tulips at their farm market stand on East Saanich Rd.   I went today and plucked an armful at a mere 40 cents a stem!  They are so fresh and lovely.  I rather felt Dutch– just needed my bicycle and a carrier basket with the tulips piled high!

I hope you might stop by our shop with a friend since this is a rare ocurence that we have an excellent promotion like this one.  Just in case you do decide to, our store hours this holiday weekend are;  Good Friday 11-5,  Saturday 9:30-5:30, and Sunday we are closed to enjoy Easter. On Easter Monday we are open 11-5.

One last thing.  Ahem…. we love your comments but I think we have confused you as to how to reply to us.  I often receive comments, but in the form of an email (vs a comment on our site) replying to our method of sending out our recent posts.  It was my goal for you to see the pretty images in your in box vs just the text.   However, if you click the title of the email in the body or the link at the bottom it will take you to the site and there is a comment box at the bottom of the post.  We luuuuv your replies, suggestions and ideas on our site.  It inspires us to keep on writing.  Sooo, just to encourage you to send a little message- don’t be shy, we have a prize that we will randomly award to one of you by April 11th.  The prize is 1lb of Jim’s fabulous coffee over at Fresh Cup Roastery.  So drop us a line and enter to win, you never know, it could be you!

Hope you have a Happy Easter weekend:)

Julie

Written by : Julie Cove

Oh how wonderful that the sun brings us joy and gorgeous blooms!  It lifts our spirits and energizes us with it’s brightness and warmth.

I couldn’t resist taking a wee bit of time to appreciate my surroundings on this glorious day.  I thought you’d enjoy a glimpse of what I found in my garden.  Take a peek!

Don’t these springy greens make you smile:)  I was amazed at how lush the plants are becoming with all this warm weather we have been enjoying.  Those daffodils are about to peek open any time now.  And my euphorbia (bottom left) is bursting with my favourite chartreuse green.  The moss carpet is even perking up with it’s lovely green creeping between my stones.  It must the Aries in me that completely wakes up when spring arrives and I am loving that it’s incredibly early this year.  Don’t you?

And these blooms, my word!  See the happy little faces of the crocuses looking back at you, sooo lovely.  The snow drops are not lonely today with all their bloomin’ friends.  They have been waiting a long time for the flower gang to join them!

Why don’t you take a moment and check out your yard or your neighborhood while the sun is out and see what you can see emerging?  A nice walk in the sun to catch some much needed vitamin D would do us all good.  Our trusty weather man says lots more sun to come….. bring it on!

Have a glorious day:)

Written by : Julie Cove

Maybe it’s the high after being so inspired while I was on my fitness retreat that has me noticing constant streams of inspiration or perhaps it’s the blogging course I am taking that is so stimulating cuz I can’t help but notice how much more inspired I am these days.  Maybe it’s because I have made a decision with where I want to go next in this journey of life, I’m not sure, but what ever it is I hope to share a bit of it with you today and inspire you in some way.

But first I want to let you know that Karen’s Haiti event was very well received and she raised over $6,000!!!  Did you make it to the performance?  What a fantastic accomplishment. Congratulations Karen!  I wish I could have seen the talented performances by all.

Doesn’t it feel like spring is knocking on our door awfully early?  And don’t ya love it?  I can’t believe the flowers already, rhodos, daffodils, lots of snowdrops and the heather’s are gorgeous!  I am an Aries sign- born in April- no wonder I love this early spring.  How’s your garden doing?  I popped over to Ingrids today and her garden looks so manicured and she’s topped the beds with some gorgeous black soil to nourish her hungry plants.  I was so inspired that I am going to get my gardens ship shape this weekend too!  Those bulbs are currently peeking thru oak leaf mulch that needs to go, pronto!

As for the inside of the house, after a week away I have returned with a fresh eye and it’s time for some de-cluttering.  This is always part of the transition into spring but sometimes by the time spring is actually here we want to be outside enjoying it- so now is a good time while we may still have some rainy days to fill up some bags for the thrift store and make some breathing room in your home.  Ready for the challenge?  How’s your house looking- need a little spring tidy up?  I love to play some of my favourite music with the volume cranked up while I purge thru the house!  Be ruthless and remove what you don’t use, love or need and you’ll be de-cluttered in no time.  As for the kids rooms, I do it while they are out, or it can be tricky especially with all those stuffy’s my kids have, like one million!!

How about your mental clutter, ideas floating around in your head, or things you want to accomplish.  How about getting yourself a little note book and writing some of it down so that it is out of your head and onto paper.  That’s what I am working on too!  My top 5 things I would like to accomplish this year or in the next 6 months.  You choose your time frame.  You can do one list for home and one for work and even one with the family if you wish. To share one of mine, I plan to be way way more active this year and lead a life with a daily fitness routine that is top priority.  Each and everyday I plan to do some sort of movement that can be considered exercise.  While away in Mexico we did all sorts of fitness and I am stoked, just what the doctor ordered!!  Only thing I know I will yearn for is the seaside setting and the sunshine.  But maybe I’ll just hang a really fabulous image of a beach like this to inspire me!

What inspires you?  What makes you feel like you need to take action and do something different?  What is it for you– magazines, fresh flowers, music, inspiring movies, other peoples stories or actions, a really good book, a vacation?  What ever it is indulge yourself, and maybe this week could be the time to set a goal for that something that you’ve been meaning to start or finish and then list the other 4 things that you would like to accomplish.  It feels sooo good to have a plan of action and make a decision vs thoughts floating around in ones noggin’!

Maybe it’s something completely out in left field and that’s okay!   Let me share a quick story of a friend who was ready for a change from her interior design occupation and decided that she needed to pursue her love of stationary, cards and invitations.  She had always had a fettish for all things paper and lovely so she decided to go for it!  It’s taken some courage, some dedication, patience, alot of patience with web designers especially but she’s just launched her on-line paper store and she’s doing it- fulfilling her dream!  Wowee!  Initially it was going to be a retail endeavor but ended up turning into a fantastic on-line business.  Vicki is a good friend and was a long time valued employee at The House Dressing way back when- you may recollect and here she is an entrepreneur!  Take a peek at her gorgeous new website and store called Paper Circle right here. Congratulations Vicki!  I wish you much success in your exciting new business and that it nourishes your creative talent!

One last thing, while I’m still in an inspiring mood, I would like to share a lovely blog that I came across this last week. This gal is in my on-line blogging course and she writes in a very poetic way and it made my day when I scrolled thru some of her many, many lovely archives reading her inspiring words.  Her blog is called Anna Bella, take a peek right here.  Do you have a favourite blog you find inspiring that you would like to share?  Leave us a comment so we can check it out too!  I hope you have an incredibly inspiring week!

Written by : Julie Cove

You may be wondering what difference you can make as you see the incredibly sad news on TV and all the suffering.  Well, my close friend Karen felt exactly the same way and was compelled to move into action.  She is brilliant at bringing talent together that touches your heart while making a difference in this world.  Here is her press release below for a special event called Hope For Haiti this coming weekend – take a peek!

Another Ordinary Miracle

For many, the scope of the tragedy in Haiti is simply too much to take in. There is so much destruction and devastation it is hard to believe anyone can make a difference. But every day there are stories about how people are making a difference. Hope For Haiti, a fundraising evening to be held this Saturday at the Friendship Community Church, will bring together Victoria residents in an act of generosity and hope.

Almost immediately Victorians were looking for ways to help. Karen Elgersma was watching the devastation and wondering ‘what can I possibly do to help? Maybe not much, but I have to try.’.

Elgersma started calling and emailing all the extraordinary people she knew and asked them if they could somehow help create an “ordinary miracle” of people coming together in the spirit of community. Every one of them said yes.. On Saturday night at 7:00 pm, these incredibly talented people will come together to sing, speak, read and perform  because they want to help.

“As a TV reporter for the past 12 years here in Victoria, I have learned one thing, that when people come together to raise money for something they care about, something magical happens. They don’t just raise money but they raise hope, says co-organizer Karen Elgersma, TV reporter for Shaw TV’s The Daily. “And somehow that hope stretches across countries, across cultures and it manifests something beautiful.”

A number of members of the media and community are participating. Singers include Charlotte Elgersma who will open the evening with a special version of Josh Grobin’s You Raise Me Up, Astrid Braunschmidt of A News, and James Green of The Daily with the Paul Wainwright Trio.  Dan Khan and Sucheta Singh of The Daily have prepared special readings, Karen Elgersma will emcee.  Other talent includes Sunny Shams, Dr. Bones and The Blues Project, The Riverside Trio and a number of members of the community. Of course we will also have a special rendition of the song Ordinary Miracle.

Once people heard about the opportunity to help they jumped at the chance. “One young girl emailed me and asked if she could read a poem. She just wanted to do something, anything for the people of Haiti,” says Elgersma.

Hope for Haiti will be held Saturday, January 30th at 7:00 PM at Friendship Community Church at 7820 Central Saanich Road at Mount Newton X Road. Tickets are available at the door by donation to The Red Cross or Samaritan’s Purse Canada. Tax receipts will be provided.   For more info call 250-652-2723.

I hope you might get a chance to partake in this special evening of entertainment.  You’ll be glad you went and your heart will grow 10x’s bigger!

Have a great week:)