The House Dressing Company

Written by : Julie Cove

I don’t know about you but I love lazy summer days spent around the house and the garden.  I love summer vacations but you can’t beat the relaxed easy going ambiance of just staying home! The hammock beckons, the gardens present a vivid array of summer colours, fresh lemonade on the patio quenches our thirst, and some ideas for nostalgic summer activities keep us smiling!  This summer I am blessed with the opportunity to take more time to be with my 2 young children and just play!  Thus I am a little sidetracked from my usual passion for home accessories and design while I just enjoy my kids- so my blog today is inspiration for anyone who may need to entertain kids this summer!

The kids and I always find lots of fun things to fill our days but we’ve discovered that often it’s the simple, good old fashioned ideas that really deliver the most fun and laughter.  With summer in full swing now Elliott, Amelia and I wanted to share with you some of our favourites!

Lemonade Stand On our strata’s work day the potential for lemonade sales inspired my 7 yr old Elliott so we mixed up a batch of the worlds most healthy and delicious lemonade ever.  All set up on the block, the kids sold all the lemonade and received raving reviews from the neighbors.  If you are keen to taste some here’s our special recipe.

Perfect organic (low glycemic index) lemonade

1 1/2 c fresh juiced organic lemons ( peeled and juiced)
1/3 c agave syrup (dark or light)
8 drops liquid stevia or to taste (go easy as can over do)
4 cups alkaline water (or filtered water)
2 cups ice cubes
thinly sliced lemon for garnish or floating in jug

Stir well and serve with a sprig of mint too!  Yummy and sooooo alkalizing with out all that glucose fructose syrup or sugar!!  Sometimes we make a berry lemonade by adding a handful of  strawberries or raspberries puree-  just combine  berries in blender with a touch of water and a shot of agave and stir in- yum!

Playing Dress-up We have a tickle trunk full of goodies to adorn all sizes big and small.  Amelia and her friend became pretty ballerina dancers with fluffy tulle skirts and flowers in their hair! Sooo adorable!  A great idea is to look for discounted  costumes after Halloween and pick up 1/2 a dozen- this has provided hours of amusement for years between my 3 kids and their friends.

Painting our nails (girls only!)  Amelia absolutely loved the shower of attention with her mom while prettying up our nails.  This can be an afternoon event especially if you get fancy like we did with stencils and special gems!

Sidewalk Chalk This is where you might really witness artistic talent in your kids and if not- then you’ll find an entire chalk town drawn on the cul de sac for a biking route!  Paige and Elliott share their talents below.

Cutting flowers from the garden,  making bouquets and setting a summer dinner table Now this one really gets Me excited and the kids love being a part of it all by helping to cook & making a pretty table setting- I let them choose the table cloth & candles, and then we make up some mini bouquets (you know how they always cut the stems so short- so this works quite well)  for each person at the table and a few for the center.  It’s even more fun to spontaneously invite the neighbors on a weeknight  so they don’t have to cook!  -usually they can’t say no!  Our yummy favourite dinner  for a crowd (and really great for left overs if they can’t make it) is our roasted vegetable pesto pasta and a salad!  Our recipe is here in this older post if you wish.

Home made Popsicles and jam With their aprons and chef hats my kids love to help in the kitchen-so with all the berries we’ve picked we had to make some yummy jam and healthy Popsicles.  Each time we mix up a batch of fruit juice Popsicles the kids check them at least 10 times before they are frozen!  It’s the anticipation that is often the most enjoyable part of the summer Popsicles! and then eating at least 4 or 5 is next best! I used agave sweetener for both to eliminate the sugar highs!  Kids are always so proud of their accomplishments.

Eating a picnic lunch out in the yard with a real picnic basket You need to make lunch anyways so why not make it portable and enjoy it outside on a blanket under a tree.  Our favourite lunch is quite simple.  We always enjoy fresh chopped veggie sticks and hummus, with a flax & multi-grain toasted pita.  Yum yum! and easy to prep.  Summer berries are fun to nibble on too!

Marshmallow roast (even just on the bbq)  Everyone loves this one!  We sometimes make this a real treat with chocolate hob knob cookies and sliced bananas!!  Just don’t let them eat too many or the sugar high may backfire on you!

Painting rocks for paper weights – When we are at the beach we often pick up rocks for this fun activity that all of us young and old end up grabbing a brush and trying our hand at!  The results from all ages is so colourful!  We use these for paper napkin weights, tablecloth weights the table corners, and gifts for grandparents & aunties!

Summer games Playing baseball, tag, trampoline jumping, catch, hide’n go seek, kick the can and sack races (potato sacks are sometimes available at the farm markets)  ensures that they get their exercise with these outdoor activities and there are lots of laughs especially when the adults play too!

Running thru the sprinkler When I was little this was the neighborhood favourite that we could never get enough of.  We didn’t have a pool nor a little inflatable one so the sprinkler on a hot day was the ultimate.  I love re-living my child hood thru the simple activities that my kids still find exciting and fun.  Just hearing the sounds of kids voices and the giggles on a warm summer day is comforting and nostalgic.

Washing the car and having a water fight If the whole neighborhood of kids isn’t involved – and a few daring adults – it’s a rarity!  Suds are flying, rinsing hoses are accidentally missing their aim at the car and the sponges somehow become flying cannon balls! The car eventually gets clean with a few missed spots, making me smile, that tell the story of a good time had by all while washing the car!

One idea that I am thinking about doing is having a neighborhood movie night in the front yard!  A projector unit for projecting a movie from your laptop can provide an evening full of excitement!  Choose a classic movie that all ages will enjoy like Charlie & the Chocolate Factory, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, or The Sound of Music or select a title from this list.   I plan to tack a large King sheet to our house siding for the screen, then the kids will make popcorn, we’ll set up blankets and chairs, and I may even let the kids print and sell a few cheap tickets to the neighbors and voila you have a night to remember!

My sister and I absolutely loved this last idea when we were kids-  especially on a warm summer’s eve when you can still wear a tank top at 10pm!  We would beg for permission to have a friend sleep over.  Then we would sprawl out on blankets on the lawn and watch the starry night, searching for shooting stars to wish upon after which we would climb in the tent with flashlights and chat endlessly til we dropped off!  These nights were often the highlights of our summers and they still stand out in our memories.

These are just a few of our faves that make our summer so memorable and enjoyable but we would love to hear how you make the most of your summer days with the kids!  Just leave us a comment below.  Have a super weekend.

Written by : Julie Cove

The joys of summer are plentiful but I have to say one of my true faves is the gathering of summer’s delicious crops, especially berries and cherries!  We are soooo lucky to live smack in the middle of an area with some of the most fantastic producing summer crops.  And this year seems to have delivered a bumper crop! Yeh!  The kids and I set out to gather so that we could fill up til our heart’s content and then preserve the flavours for our winter smoothies.  The fun of visiting each farm provided numerous stories round the dinner table and then some.  Here’s some of my snapshots, take a peek!

Photographing the cherries was magnificent since they were just dripping from the branches, not to mention picking them which was a breeze since the trees are fairly young with low branches, perfect for Amelia’s height.  One for me, one for the pail, one for me…….

The farms we visited were all in the Oldfield road area in Central Saanich.  Our cherries and our raspberries were gathered from Fieldstone Farm.  The season is almost finish for this farm but do check just in case.  Janice’s farm was a treat to visit with the most prolific crops everywhere you looked. The raspberries were enormous and sweet-just perfect!  And the cherries were the most delicious cherries I have ever had. They almost sold out the entire cherry crop this year.  She is really looking to increase awareness for their cherry crop for next year so I promised I would share her farm with you.    All you need is a cherry pitter (all of $10-15.00) and you can create such yummy things as cherry jams, cherry sorbets, bottled cherries, compotes for cheeses and more.  Just enjoying them fresh and local with no sprays is a treat!

We also ventured over a few doors from Fieldstone Farm to Dan’s Farm and Country Market.  The array of produce that they offer is incredible.  The shot of the berries above is an example of the choices.  Do ask which ones that they produce since those will be free of sprays as they bring in product from around the province too (some of which is organic too).  The kids especially loved this farm since they have a fun goat display where you can feed the animals- but we almost had heart failure with a potential runaway goat that was trying to shimmy his way out of the pen-we managed with a little panic to push him back in!-thank goodness!  There were adorable bunnies and chickens for them to visit as well.  What I love is the u-pick flowers here where you can customize your own fresh picked bouquet-I had a field day!- no pun intended!  We stopped in again today and they still have u-pick raspberries which were divine!  And the goats pen fencing has since been repaired!

Our blueberries were just gorgeous.  We managed to place an order with Bear Hill Rasperry Farm ahead of time so that we could reserve our berries.  Ruth really made the kids day when she offered to let them choose a birds nest from the enormous collection of nests that they have come across on their farm over the years.  And she also set me straight on how to freeze the berries- I used to place them on a cookie sheet and freeze before placing in a ziploc- but her berries were so perfect all we did was bag them and freeze them- no washing or picking over required.  She also suggested that I freeze the perfect raspberries right in the carton for 2 days and then gently place them in the ziplocs!  So much faster and easier than what I was about to head home and do.

I hope you have a chance to visit a local farm for some incredible produce while the summer goodies are so prolific.  We all had a wonderful day while creating some wonderful memories together.  If you have a favourite local farm that you would like to share please leave us a comment so we too can check it out.

Have a great week!

Written by : Julie Cove

Some of our yummiest accessories are now on SALE!  It’s time to ready our shop for the upcoming fall season and that means paring down the summer accessories thus some super savings on accessories you may have been eyeing.

Here’s some snapshots of the goodies we have on SALE just for you as long as quantities last.  Being a reader of our blog YOU are the first to know about these savings with full visuals of all the items.  But hurry, don’t delay, especially if you really love something as quantities are limited.  If you absolutely have to have an item or two and can’t make it in just give us a call and we can run it thru on your credit card and you can pick it up at your convenience (or we can mail it).  We also do gift wrap so if it’s for a gift let us know and we can have it ready for your pick up.  So take a peek and act fast if you spot an item that speaks to you!

a) Blue & white lacquered chargers  reg $5.75     NOW   $4.30 ea  b) Bamboo placemats-red, natural, blue  reg $2.50    NOW  $1.87 ea   c) Bamboo woven table runner 12 x 72  reg $10.99   NOW  $8.25  d) Paper napkins  reg $8.99    NOW   $6.75

a) Row Boat bowl & spreader  reg $13.99      NOW   $10.50  b) Flip flop floating candles  reg $3.99    NOW   $2.99         for a pair  c)  Wood sail boat  18″h  reg $51.99      NOW   $38.99   d) Set 6 seaside wine markers  reg $9.99    NOW   $7.50

The wooden sail boat above is in the kids bedroom window ledge of our lake house property and every time I walk in that room I admire how perfect it looks with the nautical navy and red striped duvets on the bunk beds and the yummy red curtain panels!  The kids love their lake house bedroom!

a) Cast iron Heron  30″ tall  reg $149.50    NOW   $112.00      b) summer vinyl placemat  reg $1.50 ea    NOW   $1.12 ea     c) Recycled glass wine bottle  sm. reg $17.50    NOW   $13.15 ea      lg. reg $21.99    NOW   $16.50ea   d) Cast iron Heron   30″ tall  reg $149.50    NOW   $112.00     e) Hand carved wood bird & branch plaques  12″ x  12 ” sq  each   reg $45.99    NOW   $34.50 ea

The aqua bird plaques above are sooo absolutely lovely that I had to have a pair for my bathroom!  It’s my bird fettish once again that made me want them but I also love how fresh aqua feels in a bathroom, kinda spa like.  I have a very neutral bath with whites & creams paired with maple cupboards, so introducing a bit of aqua makes me happy!

a) Metallic Fish on stem  sm. 7″h  reg $22.99    NOW   $17.25      med. 10″h  reg $ 39.99   NOW   $29.99      lg. 15″h  reg $51.99    NOW   $38.99
b) over size t-lite w/ seahorse or seashell motif   reg $9.99 s/2    NOW   $7.50 s/2
c) Metal shell on stem   sm. 15″h  reg $65.99    NOW   $49.50     lg. 20″h  reg $92.99    NOW   $69.75

Did you find something cheerful here to fluff your home for the last month of summer? I hope you did! I would love to hear about your favourite item and what you did with it!

Have a great weekend.

Written by : Helen McIntyre

Hi Everyone!

This week we have all been busy little worker bees around the store. It’s the time of year when we start putting out all the FALL goodies. It order to do so, lots of furniture moves need to happen! This creates new vignettes……that are so much fun to dress! I love to move product around the store and create a different look and feel each time! Its amazing the different looks you can make happen, with a little creativity.

So….I have placed a fabulous, creamy, elegant sofa right when you walk in the front door. You will LOVE the 100% wool, hooked and tufted rug that is hanging behind it! It is of an Owl perched on a branch. It is absolutely fantastic. There are so many colours in the rug that enable me to have fun with the pillows and accessories that I choose to put with it. The rug even has a pole pocket on the back so you can hang this retro icon on your wall!

Give a Hoot Rug

The back and middle of the store have also had some furniture swaps! New seasonal product is trickling out onto the shelves, so don’t miss whats HOT this year for FALL. Come on in and take a peek!

I will post some photos when I finish and everything is in ship shape condition. I am cutting this blog short today as I still have lots to do to make the store BEAUTIFUL for YOU! Will post gain next week.

Written by : Julie Cove

On a warm summers eve there is no better way to savour the season than to dine outside in your own yard right on the grass!

Lingering at the table while enjoying a delicious meal with friends outside is, to me, one of the best ways to entertain.

However if you are faced with the dilemma of wanting to dine outside but don’t have the outdoor furniture don’t fret!  Take inventory of what you do have inside that you can set up outside.  As daunting as it may seem it was a piece of cake for the guys to lift the table outside and we all grabbed a chair and voila!  Set amongst the lush green and floral of the garden the furnishings look soooooo much richer than typical garden furniture.  (Tip: To be sure that you protect your pieces just place a weee square of plastic under the chair feet and beneath the table legs, secured with elastic).

I don’t know about you but what I get the most excited about when I am having guests for dinner is setting the table!  I could spend countless hours fussing over which table cloth or runner, which dishes and then arranging flowers til my hearts content!  Sometimes I even choose to set the table the night before (an indoor gathering of course) when my family is snug in bed so that I can play all by myself, creating just the right setting.

For this first setting I used tomato plants that I tucked into tin cans that make great take home gifts for your guests.  I also used fern fronds to accent each dinner place setting- the green is so fresh- I luv this!

In the 2nd setting, would you believe, that I created these lovely bouquets almost completely from botanicals that I found on the side of the road- I call it “roadsideeah”!  It seems my biggest hobby is scouring the roadside while driving (I have scissors in my car at all times:) for interesting flora and fauna and then turning it into a creative bouquet. This is especially more necessary for setting a table when you can’t find what you are looking for at the market or the florist!!  And the honest truth is that you end up being more creative when you have to be innovative with found floral!  The black berry bushes were blooming with the lovely soft pink blossoms, kinda fragile, but I had to have them! and the grasses were fab too!

In this 3rd setting the colours are soooo vivid!  Maxwell & Williams Mix & Max Dishes add to the  vivid summery pallet.

You can see here with all these shots that I really got to play a little outside and I created a few looks that were used for a segment on Shaw TV.  I will be able to share the footage when I receive a dub of the shoot that aired in June and you’ll see Karen Elgersma and I in action!  But it wasn’t just for TV or just for this blog- we really did dine and was it such a treat!  I prepared one of my favourite summer meals that incorporates the bounty of the season.  The recipe is below so you too can enjoy after salivating over my yummy photos!

I hope I’ve inspired you to enjoy some of your meals outdoors especially with all this fantastic summer weather.  I don’t know about you but all the shots of the veggies make me want to head straight for a summer market!  What’s your favourite summer market?  I’d love to hear since I’m a market fanatic and maybe there’s a good one that I’ve missed!

Roasted Vegetable Pesto Pasta

serves a crowd of 8-10 (along side a big green salad)

Get ready for a yummy meal!  I usually prep the raw veggies first, turn the BBQ on to heat up, then make the pesto and set aside.  Then I put the water on to boil with the salt for the pasta and start grilling the veggies, meanwhile popping the pasta in the pot for approx 15 mins after which the veggies should be near done.  If not toss the pesto with the pasta and let cool and finish off the veggies.  I have made this soooo many times to feed a crowd with rave reviews!

Pesto

1 cup of basil leaves
1/4 c pine nuts and or raw walnuts, or raw cashews
1/4c olive oil and bit for consistency
1 clove garlic crushed
pinch sea salt

Method-blend well in blender or food processor. (I sometimes double this and freeze half for a quick supper next time around)

Pasta

1 pkg brown rice penne noodles,
1 tsp sea salt

Method-boil pasta for approx 15 mins and toss with pesto to your desired consistency.

Veggies

veggies prepared- large bowl of a variety of fresh organic veggies chopped roughly – I use 4-5 sweet peppers, 2 onions, 3 sm zucchini, 4 carrots, 1-2 sm        eggplant, 1 bunch asparagus- what ever suits your fancy!

approx 3tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp sea salt
cherry tomatoes-optional (added at the end for just a few minutes)

Method-toss veggies with olive oil and sea salt then pour into bbq grill pan, grill veggies till they are slightly tender and a tad charred.

Finally-toss roasted veggies with the pesto pasta.  Season with sea salt to taste and serve with a big green salad.  This is yummy even at room temperature so can be made a wee bit a head of time.  Enjoy leftovers the next day- that is if there are any! (Tip: this is one of those meals you could make earlier in the day and then transport to the beach for dinner with simple greens tossed with a light dressing.)  Enjoy!