The House Dressing Company

Written by : Julie Cove

Some of you may be lucky enough to be best friends with a fabulous artist who can paint practically anything you wish and you love everything that he or she comes up with!  I happen to be so lucky! But you too can enjoy my friend Rose Cowles’ artistic work too! If you have an idea she can paint something just for you, something that you have a vision for.   I’ve mentioned Rose before but if you missed it she created our banner at the top of this page for our website.  She also did our business cards, our store tags and much more.  As creative as I like to think I am she takes the cake!  She’s absolutely brilliant when it comes to bringing life to ideas with a playful, yet sophisticated flavour that makes you smile.  She is a children’s book illustrator–you’ve probably seen her books in the book store.   But her talents don’t end there– text books (see list below), product packages, websites, and she paints stunning large canvasses (on and off stage) of which I have many!  Here she is doing what she does incredibly well, in front of an audience with live musicians accompanying her at the Charlie White Theatre in Sidney, she calls it “Rhythm Art” – it was an awesome show!

Many of her canvases are so large you need to bungy cord them to the roof of your van cuz they don’t fit inside!  The first time I had to do this she was so nonchalant about it and I was panicked that I would ruin it- but no, no, no she said just pop it up there and off you go down the highway and all!  I love her no nonsense approach to life.  Aside from sharing her talents with you I am eager to tell you why I am writing about her today. We are very excited (and a little sad) to be replacing our kids department with a greater selection of bedding and window treatments. And we have a surprise for you… from Rose!  With any purchase that you make from our Kids department you automatically are entered into a draw to win one of the 2 larger paintings shown below (approx 24″x30″) that Rose has created.  How great is this?  You can’t help but smile when you see these and they add major cuteness to a childs room!  Amelia has a couple already and they bring such joy each and everyday. And secondly, if you share comments on this post you can enter to win the 3rd painting, the adorable “Queen of the cutie pies” canvas approx 16″x16″ for a little person in your life.  Great for your own kids, grand kids, nieces, future grand babies!  So here you have it – TWO ways to win.  Make a purchase in our kids clearance sale or post a comment today for Rose and I to read.  Good Luck!

You want to hear more?  I have some gorgeous examples of Rose’s incredible talent–things she has done for me, some of her previous creations and a little more detail about her work as an artist. But first, a dream– I was in Santa Fe about 8 years ago (can’t believe it was that long ago– sheesh where does the time go?) and we strolled down Canyon Road.  If you’ve never been, this very long walking street is completely lined with oodles of incredible artist’s studios.  I was soooo incredibly inspired by the time we left town that all I wanted to do was live the life of an artist.  Put everything aside and just be an artist. Not sure if it was the environment, the altitude, …the wine, but it was contagious since all 5 of us women on the trip had the same inspiration.  It would be a dream for me to just have a lovely bright & airy studio and be creative in some way. Aahhhh to dream again. One day! But my dear friend Rose, she does it everyday!  “You make it sound so glamourous” I am sure she would say, cuz it isn’t always, especially when you have deadlines and your creative genius isn’t quite showing up that day!  But she does it so well yet it only seems effortless.

Here’s a little interview with Rose.

What is it that you love most about your work and being an artist?

Having had the training as a children’s book illustrator I am able to take my skill and love for anything childlike and whimsical and translate that onto canvas. I love how the “Fine Art For Kids” that I create is such a great alternative in helping to create beautiful spaces for adults and children alike while investing in art that will be worth it’s weight in gold as it is passed down through the generations.

What are some of your favourite themes that you enjoy painting for kids?

Sock Monkey canvases are a huge hit and so much fun to make. With button eyes and hand sewn details, these crazy little monkeys will knock your socks off.
Stick Kids have been a big favorite of mine over the years; these sweet, simple and yet stylized renderings add a splash of color and playfulness to any room.
Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes are limited edition paintings that I create for both children and adults alike. Each canvas is individually painted and is an original work of art.  In order to ensure the most value, these paintings will never be reproduced for print purposes except in book or magazine format. Other paintings in these likenesses I only make to a maximum of fifty before the image is then retired.
The sky is the limit! in terms of what I can create. I am more than happy to do individual quotes for any custom pieces.  This custom work is where it gets even more fun for me!

Can you tell us a little bit more about Rhythm Art?

In the past few years I have been challenged to take my art to the stage. Not a simple task but the rewards have been both fun, extremely liberating and energizing.  In a previous show, Heather Burns (musician), Carla Funk (poet) and myself (artist) collaborated to form what we now call Rhythm Art. A compilation of three different genres, in a spirit of spontaneity and improvisation. What a blast! There will certainly be more to see and experience in the future so I will keep you updated for future shows and endeavors.

Tell us about your studio.

A “not so long ago” move to a larger house that came complete with a spare garage is now being used as an all purpose painting studio. This space gives me the freedom I have needed to create the larger works of art I have always wanted to do. I can now get messy on a larger scale without getting in anyone’s hair (literally) and the bonus being I can shut a door and not have to clean up after myself right away.

I love your 8 foot long canvases, why so big?

Painting larger than “book size” started out as an experiment but quickly turned into something I could really wrap my senses around. Friends and family have been very encouraging in this area and have provided me with challenges I wouldn’t otherwise have considered. I can now honestly say that this has been one of my most enjoyable endeavors and it is proving to be a very worthwhile extension to my work.

Congratulations on all your book titles- please share!

I have been designing and illustrating books since 1990. I worked in house and as a designer for publishing Companies such as McClelland & Stewart, Penguin Books Canada and Douglas & McIntyre. As a freelance designer and illustrator for the last thirteen years now,  I haven’t had time to look back.  Some of my more notable picture books are;

• “Gilbert de la Frogponde” by Jennifer Rae
• “Dog Tales” by Jennifer Rae
• “I Know An Old Laddie” by Jean Little
• “The Queen, The Bear and The Bumblebee” by Dini Petty
• “The F Team” by Anne Laurel Carter
• “The Mysterious You Series” with Kids Can Press
• “The Amazing International Space Station” with Kids Can Press
• “Puppies On Board” with Orca Books Publishing
• “Science Detectives” with Kids Can Press

Thank you for sharing Rose!

Rose has earned many, many awards for her creative genius!

• Recipient of two Silver Awards for illus.Studio Mag 1990
• Two Alcuin Awards for book cover design 1991 and 1997
• “GDC” Awards for book design and self promotion 1997
• Nominee for Governor-General Award (2000)
• Shortlist: 2003  Silver Birch Award
• Starred selection: Canadian Children’s Book Centre Our Choice 2003
• Starred selection: Red Cedar Book Awards 2002-03
• Shortlist: 2005 Silver Birch Award
• Red Cedar Book Awards 2006
• Red Cedar Book Awards (2) 2008-09

Just so you don’t leave thinking Rose only paints with children’s themes here are some snap shots from my house with her fabulous happy canvases that bring me joy everyday!

She also does custom work for our design projects at my store, most recently furnished show suites and condos at the Pier in Sidney.
Here’s a peek at just one.

If you love the flavour of her work and would like a canvas there are a few ways to get your hands on a piece;

1. Make a purchase in our kids clearance section for your chance to win one of 2 canvases.
2. Leave a comment about this post today- I’ll give you until October 7th.
3. Contact Rose and she may have something already painted that you might fall in love with.  4. Dream up a reason to commission Rose to paint a custom canvas!  I’ve done this as a gift before and I tell ya- it was recieved with elation!  You won’t regret it!
5. Check out Sprouts on Herald St. in Victoria B.C.  This adorable kids store showcases Rose’s work beautifully! add link
You can reach Rose by email   cowmart@shaw.ca She is working on her website but it’s not quite ready however below is the front of her business card, you may see this illustration on her home page as a possible website band at the top!
I know this is an impossibly long post but it’s been a pleasure to honour Rose’s talent.  Fortunately today I could really enjoy writing this post with no time constraints as I sit on an airplane heading out of town to meet another dear friend for an escape.  So please forgive me for indulging.  I love doing this blogging stuff and I hope you enjoy reading!  Have a great week.
ps. next time you are in Thrifty Foods or Whole Foods check out the diaper aisle even if you don’t have wee ones cuz Rose designed the packaging for Broody Chick Natural Products collection- it’s soooo friggin’ cute!  The wipes are fabulous and look great too!… and the boo boo stick….. and the…..

-and oops I almost forgot to mention that I had her paint a custom canvas for our lakeside cottage–We absolutely love what she captured for our family to enjoy that reflects the view from a boat to our cottage- take a peek!

Written by : Helen McIntyre

Hello! I’m back from my relaxing but very busy holiday in California. I am so glad to be home. Its great to travel, see new places and get away from your day-to-day routine, however I am always so happy to come home to my own house! and of course my doggie, who I missed so much!

I wanted to talk today about incorporating your holiday memories  into your homes.

Before I left on holiday I had hung a series of frames up my staircase wall. I had purchased the frames a while back and not really knowing what I was going to do with them. I then thought of creating a photo frame collage wall! If you have stairs going up to a second level in your home, then you must have the “awkward” wall that leads there! Its hard to know what to do with this space. Well, a collage of frames is a great idea!

The first step I suggest you do, is collect a series of frames. For this application it works best if the sizes are all different. Depending on what your style is, you can choose frames that are all the same colour or mix it up to create a more eclectic look. The easiest way to tackle this process is to place all your frames that you want to use on the floor and then proceed to arrange them in a way which is interesting to you. Keep in mind the slope of the wall……..and try and create a grouping that mimics this slope! Once you have a desired layout then draw the plan on a piece of paper, so you will remember all the random placements of each frame. Try and leave the same amount of space between each frame, in order to create unity. Once you have them all hung on your wall then the fun begins……….(have someone help you hang the pictures, because there are lots of measurements to be done!!) This brings me back to my own photo wall at home. I had not yet put any photos in my frames….and was not really inspired by anything.

VACATIONS are the best way to get inspired! I always tell my clients to use more of their own photos in their homes. Why not use your own photo memories in your house…….Its great to be able to see them all the time and take a walk down memory lane! So, I am doing just that! With all my photos I took while my husband and I were away, I will choose my favourites and get them blown up and place them in my frames. The once “awkward” wall leading upstairs will then be transformed into a California Oasis! Our trip started in San Francisco and ended up in San Diego. We drove down the coast and stopped at some amazing places along the way. I have some great shots of the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, Sausalito, Santa Cruz, Monterey, Pebble Beach, Del Monte Forest, Carmel-by-the-Sea, Carmel Valley Wine Country, Big Sur Coast Line, Hearst Castle, Pismo Beach, Santa Barbara, San Diego Zoo, La Jolla and also Coronado Island…and this isn’t even everything!!!! I’m not sure how I’m going to narrow it down, but here’s a look at some of my favourites!

Lone Cypress, Foggy Golden Gate Bridge, San Fran Sky Line etc….

Carmel Valley Vineyards, Monterey Harbour, Santa Cruz Coast

Hearst Castle, Santa Barbara Beach Walk, Pismo Beach Pier

Once you are finished your photo wall, you can always add more! I started mine with not many frames, but in time I will probably add more to the collection! As you can see, I chose a light wood colour for my frames to compliment my staircase…and a white matting because I find every picture looks great beside it! Take a look at my work in progress! I’ll be sure to post again when I have my photos up!

I have also completed another frame wall in my house. I have a very long hallway that connects my front entrance to my kitchen……To create some interest down this hallway I created a Gallery Wall. I used the same frame size and colour for all of them. I chose a white frame with white matting and a square size. The white frame and matting was to add some brightness, as the hallway does not get much natural light. As you will see in the photo, there are a series of frames, 5 in a row with 2 frames high. My ceilings are 9′ so I could take advantage of the height. I love the repetition!  In these frames I chose to do some photos of my doggie Hana, some wedding photos and also some scenic shots taken while we were on a vacation down the Oregon Coast.

Some of the photos on my gallery wall

Hopefully you are all inspired to look through all your old photos of holidays and special family gatherings, so you can create some magical photo walls in your own home.  Till next time…..happy framing!

Written by : Julie Cove

Who says they never win anything?  These two recent subscription readers did!

For July our winner is lolololo@telus.net.  We only have an email address for this reader! Congratulations!

For August we have dhboyer@telus.net.  We also only have this email address.  Congratulations to you too! If you could both just give us a dingle at the store we will issue your prize!

We are a little tardy in announcing these winners as summer got in the way. Our apologies. Moving forward we promise to be more timely!

September is bringing lots of new subscribers on board and we are soooo excited since this audience feeds our creative juices encouraging us to be even more innovative with our blog.

Would YOU love to win something really great?? Well here’s your chance and it’s as easy as pie to win a $100 to spend in our wonderful shop! (Don’t forget Christmas is coming!!)

If you are a reader of our blog and wish to get in on a chance to win a $100 all you have to do is select the green button on the top left that says “Subscribe Today”.  This will automatically enter you into our draw.  It will also update you with each inspiring post we write for you without you having to go to the website.  It will arrive in your in-box for your viewing.

Thank you for visiting our blog and especially for choosing to subscribe!! Have a great September day!

Written by : Julie Cove

After being up at our lakeside property hanging out with the kids for 3 weeks I returned to Sidney this week to find the boulevard plantings of Beacon Ave bursting with colour.

The brown eyed susans en masse are stunning.  Enjoying a stroll down Beacon Ave was all the more enjoyable with the delightful blooms adorning the sidewalks and the intersections.   I just had to share some shots to entice any of you who have not been to Sidney lately to stop by not just for all the lovely shops and restaurants but for the setting of blooms against a stunning ocean view as you approach the waterfront, especially the round about.  Have you seen this gorgeous sight lately?

Hats off to our municipal gardening team for their contributions and attention to detail for our boulevards.  It’s an inspiration to see the combinations and the prolific specimens that we too can have great success with in our own gardens at home.  It’s also really lovely to be able to enjoy them from the many outdoor cafe tables that line Beacon Ave while sipping a cup of java.

I really feel that the benefits of a wonderful street scape are far more worth while than we may often realize- here’s my two cents worth;

•They evoke a friendly, welcoming feeling for our visitors and for us, especially the entrance to Beacon Ave, with this wonderful sign and planting.

•The gardens promote a sense of pride.  I love knowing that our little town always looks sooo great and am proud to recommend a visit to any visitors.  This sense of pride also extends to many of our youth, in turn, minimizing vandalism for the reason that vandals seem to respect beauty.  Our Sidney murals are a fine example, where typically graffiti doesn’t happen on these walls, as they are too beautiful to deface.

•The plantings enhance the individual shops that line the street creating a charming setting for each to belong.  As a tourist the shops & cafes appear even more inviting when they are set amongst a well manicured boulevard which is good news for any shop keeper along Beacon Ave.

•Admiration for our plantings encourages frequent visits for those that enjoy the ever constant seasonal beauty of the gardens.  Even the after hours visitors are drawn to stroll down Beacon Avenue to enjoy the beauty as they walk their children, pets, or fulfill their daily exercise regime but all the while window shopping, eyeing up potential purchases (just what our shop keepers appreciate).  I know we do at our store- we strive to create incredible displays that entice our window shoppers to return when we are open.

•The feeling of joy from just the energy that flowers generate is a wonderful side effect.  Flowers have a very high vibrational energy – ie roses vibrate at approx 300 megahertz which is why we feel so good when we sniff the fragrance of a rose. It gives us energy.  When we enjoy their beauty inside our homes for a number of days we are invigorated by the simple presence of these flowers whether we realize it or not.  We receive the same energizing effects as we drive down Beacon Ave and that creates a  happier soul!

I can’t help but have a warm, happy feeling when I pass by this lovely lady enjoying the streets of Sidney as much as I do!

If you haven’t visited Sidney lately you are in for a treat, but hurry so you can see how lovely the streets look before they move into their fall expression.  What’s your favourite sight in Sidney?  The window shops? or the Pier? What about that cool new bandstand?  I’d love to hear!

Have a wonderful weekend and we hope to see you at the store enjoying some of the benefits of our September Sale!

Written by : Ingrid

Hello everyone.  As promised by Helen last week, here I am blogging for the very first time, whilst she is away on a much-deserved holiday in California!  I’ve never done this before.  A year ago I would have thought a “blog” was some type of horrible illness or something rude!  Now look at me!

Let me introduce myself.  My name is Ingrid and I’ve worked with the House Dressing team for the past two years.  Previous to that, I worked as a Horticulturist for about 20 years.  Gosh, that sounds like a LONG time!   Anyway, I am loving the change (no more working outdoors in the winter months, hooray!) and being in this beautiful “indoor” environment is so good for my soul.

That being said, I still adore the garden and anything to do with it.  I am a “nature girl” at heart and love the rewards that gardening brings me.   It has taught me many things:  patience, gentleness, quietness, being aware and mindful of my surroundings – sounds, sights, smells.  The incredibly interesting life that insects lead, the rituals and sounds of the birds and how I often get to know and recognize the regulars to my garden.  I love watching things grow and marvel at how forgiving many plants are!  Especially when my Jack Russell “Terrorist” goes bounding through them, all hyped up, chasing a curious squirrel.  Or my cat lies right on top of a low growing shrub, washing her face, enjoying the sunshine and totally unaware that she is squashing one of my special plants!

I could go on…. but I’m here to talk about the treasures we can find in our own gardens to bring the colours and textures of Autumn into our homes to enjoy during the cooler months of the year.

Let’s start with branches.  There are so many different textured branches, twigs, sticks – whatever you want to call them!  I love the red-stemmed Dogwood for both fall and winter colour.  At this time of the year, they still have their leaves, but you could easily tear them off to bare the stems, or wait until they fall off naturally.  They really do retain their colour, and are usually very long and very straight, so are easy to bunch all together and place in a large vase or container.  No water necessary.  You can fill the branches with little (artificial) birds, mini lights or keep them natural and they will look wonderful.  If you are placing them in a clear vase, you could fill the bottom with tiny pinecones, acorns or chestnuts.  Either gather them yourself, or you can actually buy … you guessed it…. artificial ones!  We have them in the store, and I cannot tell the difference!

Other “sticks” I love are from the contorted hazelnut, sometimes called the “tortured” hazelnut.  Oh poor things!  They are so interesting and sometimes all you need is one stem to make a statement.  You can use them in vases with other flowers to add a bit of whimsy and texture, in centrepieces with other natural elements like flowers, berries, acorns or pinecones.   Or, they look good just by themselves.

Weeping Silver Birch trees produce great twigs and sticks!  I love the very fine weeping bunches of twigs that you can use in a bundle to decorate a vase again either by themselves or with other flowers. When they are very fine, they tend to be very flexible and you can twist a handful of them into a wreath.  They look like birds nests then, and are great for using as a kind of frame around a centrepiece of berries, pinecones, autumn leaves and candles.

At this time of the year, you will still find some pretty fall flowers to add to your fall arrangements.  I just have to show you a picture of my Pee Gee Hydrangea tree.  The flowers are SO huge and heavy that with last week’s rain, they are now all bowing their heads towards the ground.  These spectacular flowers are pure white during the summer months, and as soon as the evenings get a little cooler, they blush pink – almost like they are embarrassed.  So pretty.  They are great in large vases by themselves or with other flowers or berried branches and sure make a statement!

Some berries to consider decorating with are Mountain Ash berries, Calicarpa – gorgeous purple berries and Pyracantha berries – some come in orange shades and some in red.   Seed pods from various plants are also great to use for texture and interest in arrangements.

You can use all kinds of vessels to fill with all the goodies from the garden.  I’ve mentioned vases, but beautiful bowls, either clear or coloured, baskets, old teapots, jugs, galvanised tin cans or old watering cans, can all be used to display your fall treasures.  Let your imagination and creative juices flow!!!

Last week in the store, I put together a decorative centrepiece that has a bit of a bonsai/Zen feel to it.   Here is a picture of it.  If you are interested in making something similar – IT’S EASY!!!  Come into the store and let me show you how.  We have all the do-dads that you need to set it up, including the fake moss.  shhhhh.  Don’t tell anyone and they’ll never know!

That’s it from me.  I’ve enjoyed creating my first blog.  Helen will be back next week – all refreshed and with new ideas to share with you I’m sure.

Enjoy your Autumn, your garden, and being creative.