The House Dressing Company

Written by : Julie Cove

This may be the most brilliant Sale I have brainstormed yet!  All you do is shop for your seasonal fall goodies Now and receive a gift card with your purchase for up to 20% of the value of your September purchase.   You can return with this gift card any time to redeem for your Christmas shopping purchase or your winter seasonal decorating scheme!  Don’t ya love it! So basically you save on any reg. priced item in the store and those savings become free shopping later on!  You only have 2 weeks to take advantage of this so don’t miss out-get yourself down to the store and fluff your home and save.   On top of this offer we have some excellent savings -up to 50% off on selected furniture & accessories that we need to clear out in

order to make room for the unbelievable Christmas stock! It’s piling up in our warehouse, just about bursting the walls, awaiting some TLC to be put out on display for our holiday product launch right after thanksgiving!  Oooooh how we love Christmas, thus we have waaaaay too many goodies that will need a home in the store.   So help us out and choose some of our current stock to take home and help create some much needed floor space!  I know it may seem incredibly early to even mention the ‘C’ word- Christmas that is, but in retail we have got to be on top of it or we just wouldn’t be able to present the lovely array of products for you if we didn’t think ahead, plan accordingly and offer it over an extended selling period.  What we have discovered in the past couple years is that fewer and fewer small retailers are bothering much with a good selection of Christmas inventory any more for fear of not being able to sell most of it.  We still pride ourselves for selecting a gorgeous well rounded mix for Christmas and we hope you will oblige us and check it out when we give you the go ahead in October.  Honestly, looking thru the boxes today was making me giddy about the looks we will be pulling together for you!  But for the mean time September is upon us and we need to celebrate this month and give our homes a warm cozy feel to welcome the coming of autumn.  Take advantage of our September Sale & Bonus and while you’re at it don’t be shy to ask us for some assistance in making your home the coziest ever!  Don’t forget, Helen does house calls, even just for accessorizing!  The sale runs til Sept 30th or while quantities last.

PS. if you are interested in any kids room furniture and accessories we are clearing room for our bedding and curtain panel department.  We have decided that to serve you well means having thorough product lines in as many departments as we can for decoratiang your home and we have not focused on curtain panels and bedding as well as we would like.  So something has to give and we have found that our childrens department is an area that is less popular than our demands for soft goods.  We are excited to make this transition but…. we need your help to make the room.  We have a crib, a few gorgeous twin beds, toddler princess beds,  along with bedding and accessories that we are clearing so now’s the time to fluff your daughter’s or son’s room!  The savings are as high as 50% off.  Oh, almost forgot, that we also have one of those incredible wood kitchens- Amelia my daughter loves hers!  It requires assembling but boy is it cute!  The accessories are sold separately.  Check it out!

Written by : Julie Cove

When September arrives it’s funny how you can feel the change in the air.  It’s as though I blinked and suddenly our long lazy summer days with brilliant blue skies and beaming bright yellow sunshine disappeared to reveal golden sun rays, dewy mornings, and a slow rising sun against a serene blue sky.  Born in April my favourite season is of course spring- I just can’t get enough of it but September holds a special place with fond memories of the transition from “laid back” to “let’s get moving”- back into the swing of either school or college, new fall promotions at my store, and now tidying uniforms for my little ones as they get excited to see their favourite teachers and friends from school.  Just a bite into a golden juicy bartlett pear brings me back to recess, the first week of school, out on the playground playing hopscotch.  Now as I look around my house I just have to make some seasonal changes to reflect this new feeling in the air.  The roadside stands beckon with sunflowers to die for, zinnias and dahlias.  The “road-sideeeah” bull rushes are irresistible…..and the rose hips… they make me almost drive off the road as I admire their gorgeous glossy red and orange hues.  I love living out on the Saanich Peninsula, out in the country it feels like, just so I can enjoy the sites and the incredible colour journey as this season progresses to winter.  I never tire of nature’s entertainment or offerings.  Every year it’s the same excitement all over again as I experience it.

As I began writing this blog I had no idea what my fingers and my brain might put together for this post- I was a little stumped as to what this week’s post would be about but now I am stoked by what showed up on the screen – September- and can’t wait to share some of my favourite ways to embrace the season in my home and in nature.  So I ventured to capture some images for you so you tooo can get excited about September.  Take a gander!

Here I started in my kitchen with this corner and these Chinese lanterns- aren’t they just gorgeous?  And my bird fettish appears again!  We just got these ceramic birds in at the shop-you can tuck a small sprig of anything in them, here I chose a few rose hips.

Also in the kitchen I did this bouquet of red and yellow with some local organic Macintosh apples.  The berries are from my hawthorn tree yet I usually don’t cut them til Christmas but decided to try them with yellow.  I like the September feel of this bouquet.  The sunflowers are from a roadside stand on West Saanich Rd about 2 mins south of Keating on the left hand side as well as the Chinese lanterns.  The fellows that grow for this stand have incredible blooms to choose from and are often at the Peninsula Country Market at the Saanich Fair grounds every Saturday til Sept 26th.

Moving into the living room I had to try out the new cushions we just got in, how yummy do they look?  I am always changing up my cushions so for me a neutral sofa is a must. This way I can satisfy my creative need for change so that anything goes for any season.  I trimmed up some willow branches that were covered in white berries and popped them into a lovely white vase that we also just unpacked today.  The ceramic raised flowers add a lovely feminine flavour.  The sun was just pouring in so please forgive the brightness in this shot.  This room has 10 windows making it wonderfully bright even on the dullest of days- my favourite room I have to say!!

The coffee table always gets a weekly fluff with fresh flowers, this week my olive green provence jug is filled with buttery yellow rose hips (from Wallace roadsideeeah just 2 minutes south of Benvenuto) and sunflowers from the above mentioned flower stand.  I love cherry tomatoes and just can’t get enough of them right now- yummy to nibble anytime.  These are sugar cherry tomatoes in a gorgeous colour mix in my matching bowl from provence.  Hmmmm……makes me really want to see what Provence looks like right now- harvesting of the grapes, sunflower fields, and ooooh those markets bursting with abundant September produce!  Almost forgot about the rock- I just had to have this when I spied it at the Pike Place Market- it’s one of my favourite quotes!

The front porch is always a must in September because I like to savor any sunny afternoon that I can sit here perusing my magazines with a cup of tea while the kids enjoy the sunshine after school.  I managed to gather enough rose hips with long stems to create quite the scale in this large urn combining the cat tails (Pat Bay Hwy heading south just past McTavish all the way up to Amity- but be careful on the road side) and more sunflowers.  This should stay nice for at least 2 weeks and even when the sunflowers are finish the rest will weather for quite some time.  The aluminum jug is filled with willow twigs from last year.  These raven cushions were begging me to take them home for my porch- don’t you love this porch?  I just want to spend the whole afternoon here!  Here’s a close up.

This shows the bird nest that Amelia received when we picked up our blueberries at Bear Hill Blue Berry Farm.  My brother in-law made this bird house, he’s a roofer and always has cedar shake scraps to use up- love this!

Outside the front door this large jug is so cheery.  Makes you feel glad to get home.  Sunflowers are the epitome of September for me, could you tell?  I love them with blue-so French!  My hydrangea bush had a bumper crop and some of the blooms are turning a smokey blue and on to a ruby red in some areas and a sage green in others.  They dry so well when they are picked in September.  Just put about an inch of water in the bottom and leave them be and you can enjoy them all year till they are ready to pick again. Here’s another shot to make you drool and want to fluff your own front door!

I hope this is enough inspiration to make you want to give your home a nice seasonal change.  Stay tuned for our next post because our September Sale starts next week and I will have all the details for you early in the week so that you can pick up some of the goodies you might need to fluff!  Have a wonderful weekend, it’s supposed to be sunny and warm in Victoria – Yeh! so take time to savor it!

Written by : Helen McIntyre

Hurry Hurry Hurry….you have to check out the NEW displays at the House Dressing. We have such amazing items in right now!

Cushion Covers, Throw Blankets, Birds, Woodland Creatures, Candles, Linens, Hurricanes, Autumn Fillers (leaves, chinese lanterns, acorns, pinecones, chestnuts, bark) and some new furniture!

Collage of Colours

There are a few different colour groupings to help you coordinate colours.

• Teal Blue, Deep Plum, Dark Brown, Pewter, Cream
• Mossy Green, Mushroomy Taupe, Burnt Orange, Brick Red, Natural Texture

• Sunflower Yellow, Forest Green, Mustard Orange, Cherry Red, Cream
• Blush Pink, Charcoal Grey, Heather Grey, Cream, Shiny Silver

We can’t wait to help you with your FALL colour schemes……….and ideas.

Stay Tuned…next week will feature a “NEW” blog from our “in house Green Thumb” Ingrid. She is so excited to share some snips and tips of her own.

Written by : Julie Cove

If you haven’t seen the Canadian Mounted Police Musical Ride it should go on your To Do list one day!  We fell into last minute tickets the day before and it was paired with a polo match and parachute jumpers right in Saanichton at the Victoria Polo Club- basically in our backyard since we live in Brentwood.  It was a marvelous day and a performance to remember.  I had never ever seen a polo match except on TV so it was a learning experience and quite fascinating to see these players multi-task on those horses and hit that teensy weensy ball.  I still don’t quite have the whole game figured out and because I don’t ride I can’t even imagine how tricky it must be to quickly guide the horse in the desired direction, stay focused on the game and then connect your mallet with the ball.  It certainly looks easier than it must actually be.

After the game we were treated to the appearance of 4 parachute jumpers from a plane right above us and their target was bang on in the field.  We often see them from our deck but miss the visual of them landing.  This is a sport that I haven’t even considered trying- how about you? Have you taken the plunge? I’m not sure that I could, but a friend said she was excited yet terrified for her 40th birthday to try this but upon free falling and then inflating the chute she was disappointed that the euphoric feeling ended all so soon!  She said she’d definitely do it again, hmmm maybe I should consider it.

Next we enjoyed two incredible bands, the Victoria Cadets Marching Band and the RCMP Pipe Band which is bag pipes!  They were both a real treat to listen to.  It brought back fond memories of my high school band days when I marched in the parade and had to play a memorized song on my clarinet while marching in uniform!  I loved the sense of accomplishment- keeping pace with my entire row, not messing up my part and making it all the way to the parliament buildings with out tripping or bumping into the fellow marcher in front of me nor dropping my instrument!  Seems like yesterday-where does the time go?

Lastly, we were completely mesmerized by the exquisite display of impeccably uniformed RCMP riding gorgeous shiny black horses.  The synchronization of the numerous horse and rider was perfection.  I couldn’t take my eyes away.  The brilliance of the red uniforms and the black horses against the green field was spectacular for photographing.  I took some shots, actually a lot of shots so I could share and I even included some that my sister took with her telephoto lens- I need to ask Santa for one of those with all the photos I take these days- hint, hint honey!  Have you seen this incredible performance?- if so where were you?

The Canadian Mounted Police Musical Ride is scheduled to be at the PNE in Vancouver this weekend and the following weekend.  If you have the opportunity be sure to go- you’ll be glad you saw it.  They only tour between May and September.  If you do, be sure to try to get either a really high seat so you almost have a birds eye view to see the configurations that they make, or a front row seat so that at the end of the show you can pat the horses and chat with the rider- this was awesome!  Check out this link for more info.

Written by : Helen McIntyre

It’s sad when summer is over……..however FALL is always such a wonderful time of year.

The leaves on the trees are changing into fabulous colours, bare branches start to appear in your garden and around nature, the abundance of seasonal fruit and veggies arrive in our local markets and on roadside stands, fall blooming flowers are out…like sunflowers, black eyed susans, dahlias and purple cone flowers, acorns and pinecones are developing on the trees and the birds are eyeing the all the yummy berries on the ornamental shrubs.  Who couldn’t resist all that! not me……

Collage of Autumn Fun

There are many ways to inject some “FALL ” elements into your home. Get ready to cozy up your house for the upcoming cooler months.

• Pillows & Throws

Cushion covers are so affordable …….and so effective. Where ever you have a sofa, loveseat, reading or occasional chair, bench or even a bed………you can change your cushions. At this time of year its best to stick with darker, earthier tones for your cushions. Textures are great as well as cozy, softer fabrics……my favourites are the chunky sweather-like fabrics. You can get cushions and throws that coordinate! A throw is a must for these cooler days…you won’t be sorry when you are snuggled up with your book and a hot cup of tea!

Coordinating Grey Tones

A punch of colour & Pattern!

• Pinecones, Acorns, Birds and Twigs

Small pinecones and acorns are ideal for surrounding candles in large hurricanes. Bigger pinecones look fabulous piled in baskets next to fireplaces! Nature is a great source for great texture and interesting finds

I mentioned that bare branches are starting to appear all around us. Make use of this decorative element in your house. Group them in a large glass or ceramic vase. They will help to fill up a corner in your home and add a great natural feeling. Thanks to our “in house Green Thumb” INGRID…….she has suggested some great twigs to bring in from your own garden…..they include Red Stem Dogwoods, Curly Willows, twisted hazelnut and Birch Branches. If you are like me…and are not fortunate to have these in your own garden…….then maybe a friend will snip some for you!

We have so many different birds in the store right now………they all look so real! Accessorizing them around your home can be really fun! Place them in your bookcases, on your coffee table and in your twig bundles.

Bookcase Vignettes

Blue Jays

• Linens and Things

Doormats are such a fun seasonal accessory for the front of your home…….we are always so concerned about the inside, we forget about the outside! Our doormat selection right now is GREAT!

Colourful Autumn Doormats

You probably have a runner on your dining table, and its probably kinda summery. Well this a great way to inject some FALL feeling in your dining room. Creams, Greens, Burt Oranges and Yellows are all great colours to look for when selecting a new runner.

Do you love changing your bed linens???? why not change them seasonally! Add some different sheets, change a couple of shams and some decorative pillows, try a duvet cover rather than a coverlet…maybe some flannel, cozy fabrics would be nice?

Hope this has helped you with ideas and tips for your own home……… I’d love to hear your own ideas for” Autumnizing”