The House Dressing Company

Written by : Helen McIntyre

Another NEW fragrance by THYMES!

MOONFLOWER………….

A Glimmer of Twilight

Soft tones of cinnamon, cloves and sugared quince sparkle on fresh myrtle leaves and the rich essence of mahogany mingles with dark amber and smooth cognac.

Can you just imagine how amazing this NEW fragrance is……..heavenly! The fragrance has a golden shimmer that lasts on your skin all day…So glamorous and fun!

Try a candle…………Envelope your home with this luxurious aroma.

MoonFlower Candle

Carry the Eau De Farfum Rollerball with you for those fast-fragrance touch ups!

• The Gold Shimmer lingers on your skin well into the night
• Convenient travel size
• Paraben Free

MoonFlower Rollerball

You won’t be able to resist the MoonFlower Body Wash.

• Moisturizing Glycerine
• Antioxidant Vitamin E
• Paraben Free
• Gold Shimmer

MoonFlower Body Wash

Its all at The House Dressing Now!!!!! Come and try it!

Next week stay tuned for some great tips on “Autumnizing” your home to get ready for those cooler months ahead!

Written by : Julie Cove

One of my favourite activities in the summer includes being near, on or in the water!  However I rarely end up on the water sailing but I would soooo enjoy it if only I knew someone or knew how or had a sail boat.  Does this sound like you?  How often do you get asked to go sailing? How often do you wish you could go sailing?  If you are not a sailor like myself, are you overwhelmed at the thought of trying it like I am? I’d be at home decorating the yacht but sailing it …..hmmm?  But living on the West Coast it’s hard not to have the desire with all the wonderful places to explore throughout the Gulf Islands especially in the summer when blue skies and sparkling waters beckon.  Did you know that our Gulf Islands rank as the 2nd most desirable sailing waters competing with the Mediterranean??  Many people are reluctant to try sailing since it seems all so complicated and a little scary to think of all that could go wrong if you don’t know what you are doing. I discovered that it’s quite simple to enjoy a sailing adventure even if you haven’t the foggiest idea how to sail nor do you have a boat!  – add to this – you can bring your family along so that they can learn too while enjoying a wonderful 4-7 day getaway on a fantastic sail boat!  Just recently, I set sail for the afternoon with Island Cruising right here in Sidney and got the scoop for you!

So the deal is, these folks are thee experts and they love teaching to enthusiastic groups or families.  Their Cruise ‘n Learn vacations are a week of fun and excitement in the Gulf Islands as they teach you how to sail, handle a yacht and navigate safely through coastal waters. Included in this package is your boat, instructor, course material, bedding, and moorage.  All your meals are included (love this part) and you can customize your journey with their assistance based on your favourite kinds of places to explore- quiet tranquil coves, resorts, deserted islands, private beaches or wildlife sanctuaries.  Perhaps a visit to a local island winery to squish grapes & taste the wine, farmers markets, a dining experience or even a spa resort might take your fancy (ooooohh, I happen to love this last idea).  The options are endless. All you need to do is show up with your suitcase and be ready for a wonderful learning experience and vacation.  On the other hand if you just want the sailing trip without the learning and training, you will still have a skipper but you can just chillax on board!  They also have a bare boat charter for those of you expert sailors who just need a yacht!  Take a peek at some of the shots that I gathered for you from their website-makes me want to book Now!

The fleet includes 30 practically new yachts that are all privately owned, superbly equipped, meticulously maintained and staffed with a highly trained and experienced crew to make your sailing adventure 2nd to none.  And if you prefer, they do offer motor boats in place of sail boats.

My afternoon with these folks was incredible, the water was perfect, the weather was hot and a small breeze allowed a light weight sail to carry us gently along.  These kinds of days are rare, as usually one has a nice breeze or a good strong wind to sail you thru a few of the 2,000 gulf islands waiting to be explored.

Every yacht hosts the full collection of Dream Speaker Cruising Guides for the Pacific Northwest (written by locals) that are excellent reading upon boarding ship to plan your adventure as they are filled with ideas, history, intriguing facts and unique sites to explore making your trip even more memorable.  Kids will have a blast on board with the friendly crew who enjoy teaching young and old.  Adventures on shore will also give them the pirate adventure they dream of.

Island Cruising is the perfect fit for a wonderful sailing experience. Officially we still have almost a month left of summer sailing opportunities and late September can be a gorgeous month on the water too.  Even October offers amazing views from the water with the maple leaves turning amongst the evergreens.  So if you are keen give these folks a call or check out the site link I’ve included and see if there’s still dates available for an adventure, it could change your life!  If you are a sailor and have experienced some great local adventures please share your favourite place to explore for any of our readers who are contemplating a journey!  I certainly am and would love to know the best spots!

Have a great week!

Written by : Helen McIntyre

Last week I posted the lovely pictures of the OWL rug in the store…..I thought it would be suiting to talk more about rugs and what a fabulous addition to your home they can be!

NEW!!!Hooked & Tufted “Rise & Shine” Rug

Elegant, Rich, Cozy Rug

Fall and Winter will be coming around the corner in a couple of months…..Area rugs seem to be more popular during this cooler time of year! A rug can enhance a room in many ways

• Cozy up a room
• Ground a seating area
• Add pattern and texture
• Create a focal point
• Add a splash of colour
• Define a space
• Set the mood and tone of a space
• Complete a room’s overall appearance
• Add layering and fullness
• Add visual interest

Is your living room lacking any of these features? You might want to think about getting an area rug! Don’t be overwhelmed! It’s really not that hard to find one…..

If the room in question is fairly neutral you might want to pick an area rug that “adds a splash of colour” to your space! You could also try a Jute rug to add some texture, if you are wanting to keep the room’s neutral palette. You might also enjoy a stripe or pattern in the rug to add some “visual interest” to your space. The striped or patterned rug could  have colour or be a very neutral tone on tone look. There are so many choices out there……..

Dandelion – Cornflower

Dandelion – Green

Dandelion – Persimmon

Figuring out the right size of a rug in relation to your room and furniture stumps most people. It’s okay…….you are not alone. Firstly, (in a living room) it is always a good idea to have your coffee table sitting completely on the rug. The size of the rug should be at least the length or your sofa….longer if possible. Most or all of the furniture should have their front legs on the rug. The room might have a sofa, a love and two chairs……..the majority of these pieces should have at least their front feet on the rug. One accent chair could be slightly off to the side with an ottoman, but try if you can to have the rug belong to the complete look of the room……….otherwise the furniture does not appear to be in a “grouping” and you will not be “grounding your seating area”.  ……if you are wanting your area rug to be a huge one that covers most of your room, then your furniture should all be completely situated on the rug. This would be my favourite look!

Dining Rooms are very straight forward! You should be looking for a rug , that when the dining chairs are pulled out all the way, they are still ON the rug. You can have some really great fun with the pattern, colour and texture of the rug you choice. Considering that the dining table would be of solid wood or glass in most cases…….you have a clean palette to work with. Not much to get in the way of any rug you absolutely LOVE.

Let me know if you have any questions about your own struggles with rug sizes and choices. I’d love to help.

Most common rug sizes for specific rooms are:

• 2 x 3 (back doors, kitchens, bathrooms)
• 3 x 5 (entrance ways, laundry rooms, offices, nursery)
• 4 x 6 (sitting areas, bedrooms)
• 5 x 8 (bedrooms, small tv rooms, offices)
• 6 x 9 (living, dining rooms)
• 8 x 10 (living, dining rooms)
• 2′6″ x  8′ Runner (hallways, bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchens)
• Round (entrance, kids rooms, nursery)
• custom sizes are sometimes available

Campagna 100% Wool Runner

I hope you are feeling inspired to choose a rug for your own home!

Written by : Julie Cove

Inevitably a summer day finds the kids and I wondering what to do especially when the rain falls nonstop.  I saved this outing for a rainy day and that day arrived last week!  So off we went to explore the Shaw Ocean Discovery Center in Sidney B.C. that just opened in June this year.  The kids were soooo happy to get out of the house with their cousins.  I knew that we would be entertained but the center surprised us.  With ages ranging from 3 to 12 and in between everyone was completely engrossed in the variety of displays offered for exploring the creatures of the underwater world.  I forgot the camera as I herded the gang into the van so don’t mind the iphone shots below, not as clear as I would have liked- it was so colourful and interesting, once again, I couldn’t resist taking photos!

What I loved was that there were many, many unique creatures that I had never seen before. Having lived on the west coast all my life and taken in the shores and many aquariums one would think they’d seen it all- but there are countless creatures to explore big and microscopic! The large aquarium windows framed the colourful creatures that performed endlessly for us.  The 17 massive aquarium habitats are home to thousands of fish, invertebrates and marine plant life including a giant octopus that we all were thrilled to examine. All these creatures live in 87 tonnes of seawater!  We also loved exploring the microscope stations which were just fascinating to peer thru exposing marine creatures we never get to see up close.

This wonderful center was designed for visitors of all generations to gain new insight into the ocean and what each and everyone of us can do to cherish and respect the ocean ecosystem. As we exited we were prompted to write and post a promise of how we will, in our own, way help to preserve the ocean.  The kids each talked about their promise as we drove home in the rain reflecting on the exciting ocean adventure that will inevitably lure us back for further discovery.

The Saanich Peninsula is bursting with lots of fun summer activities and businesses that offer exciting experiences.  I love to support and promote the local business community and hope thru sharing ideas in Julie’s Favourites blog that you discover new and exciting places to visit and share as well.  Do you have a favourite summer activity to share with us? or a business that offers something we should all check out?  Don’t keep secrets!  Do let us know!

Written by : Helen McIntyre

Thymes Essentails Display

In the morning you can use the Exfoliating Body Scrub in the shower to gently buff away dead skin cells. Then maybe you’ll want to refine your skins texture with the powers of fine silica powder in the Face Polish! The polish is my favourite which stays in my shower so I can use it all the time! After your shower then you can treat your skin with a  fruit complex Body Lotion which soothes and moisturizes. You’ll probably want to try the Face Lotion since it has SPF20 to protect your skin from those harmful rays!

You will be all ready for your day…feeling wonderful and ready to take on anything!! The Face Mist is nice to have on hand for those days when you need a little “pick me up” It is designed to revive and replenish thirsty skin throughout the day. I really like the Instant Hand Cleanser…..Its compact bottle makes it easy to store in your purse, for those times when you want to cleanse you hands on the go!

Feet take most of the abuse from our day to day lives…..Its important to give them some pampering too! Wouldn’t you love to come home after a long day and have a glass of wine…while soaking your feet in lavender scented oils!  Ahhhhhhh sounds great to me! Then when you dry off your refreshed feet you can soften and smooth them with a Foot Cream made up of shea butter and sunflower oil.  We have samples in the store that you are more than welcome to try…….See for yourself how amazing these products are and how great your skin will feel!