CHRISTMAS FAVOURITES

If you are in need of a place for Santa to leave some wonderful treats, this is one of my favourite stockings of all time.  It’s a beautiful grey knit with red felt hearts and a grey and white ticking on the toe.  They are truly delightful and only $17.00 each.

I have two favourite ornaments this year, these gorgeous aqua coloured glass are one of them.  They come in several different shapes, including a wonderful oversized version.  The smallest one is $5.00, the cone shaped $9.00 and the largest version is $15.00.  If you are looking to inject a little colour into your Christmas decor, this fresh blue tone is fabulous!

Here is my second favourite ornament.  It comes in both silver and the wonderful muted gold that is shown here.  These lovely treasures open and have a beautifully scented sachet inside.  They would also be perfect for giving a small gift in.  They come in two sizes, the smallest is $13.00 and the largest in $17.00.

This set of three French milled soaps come in the most beautiful box, and the scents are glorious.  There is Vanilla Orange, Ginger Rosewood, and Currant & Cassis.  They are a lovely gift for the person who has everything and the box of three is $42.00.

Another wonderful gift for the holiday season is this beautifully packaged candle.  The glass jar has a lovely “winter nest” theme, and the fragrance is delightful.  It retails for $34.00.

Tis the season…to come up with fun and unique gift ideas for the person who has everything!  Hope this will help!

These luxurious linen hand towels are my go to gift!  They come in natural and white with beautifully embroidered monograms, they are only $24.00 each.  Pair them with a wonderfully fragrant guest soap and you have a great gift for around $30.00

Crazy for Cupcakes?  Who isn’t?  Here are some great cupcake themed gifts including notebook sets that are 4 for $18.95, Silicone Flower Baking Cups for $15.00, Dark Chocolate Cupcake Mix with a Raspberry Lemon Glaze for $12.00, or a two tiered Cupcake Stand for $25.00.  We also have the “Hummingbird Bakery” Cupcake Cookbook for $23.95.  I visited the actual “Hummingbird Bakery” when I was in London this summer and it is as delightful as you might think it is!

This is one of my favourite new candle lines, these “Library” candles are made by Paddywax, and they are perfect for the book lover!  The soywax candles come in travel tins for $9.00 or glass jars for $25.00.  They also have a fragrance diffuser in each scent for $29.00.  Scents include the “Walt Whitman”, which has hints of grass, thyme and red clover, the  “Edgar Allan Poe” which is fragranced with cardamom, absynth, and sandalwood , the “Jane Austen” which has a more feminine note that includes gardenia, tuberose and jasmine, and finally the “Charles Dickens” which has a holiday scent that is a  combination of tangerine, juniper and clove. 

This inspirational book is dedicated to those who live in the moment, who are commited to living their lives on purpose.  It’s a wonderful compilation of quotes  and inspirations, its simply titled “be” and it retails for $19.00.  It is the perfect gift idea for almost anyone!

This wonderful selection of specialty serving pieces will add elegance to any table.  They include  a lovely condiment bowl for $47.00, a butter dish for $59.00 and my favourite, the cheese dome for $80.00.  There are more pieces to this collection, come in to House Warmings and see the many possibilities.

Now that Fall is here, so is the season for entertaining!  If you are looking for some great items to help with that task, here are some wonderful new products designed to make entertaining beautiful and easy!

If you would like to inject some of the season’s hottest metal (that’s gold) into your home, try these beautiful serving pieces from Mariposa.  The stunning 100% recylcled aluminum has a gorgeous gold border.  The bowl is $266, salad servers are $72, platter $235 and pate knife is $25.  This would also make a wonderful Christmas gift…

Here is a very easy appetizer, or a wonderful way to make garlic bread!  Wildly Delicious has a new line of “Garlic” product which is mouth watering.  The new terra cotta Garlic Roaster is only $16.00 and will make your garlic soft, spreadable and taste mild yet flavorful.  They even have a Garlic Roasting Oil that is flavoured with Thyme, it is $8.00.  Once your garlic is roasted, it can be served as an appetizer, or added to butter with one of their delish Garlic Seasonings, to make the best roasted garlic bread.  The seasonings come in lemon and parmesan or a mixed herb and they are $5.50 each.   Mmmmm!

These are a must in my home…white napkins!  They look fresh and crisp and can be bleached if they become stained.  These 100% cotton napkins are $17.00 for a set of 4.

Check out this fabulous Cheese Knife Set, it includes a five piece set which has something for every cheese type.  The stainless steel blades are designed with a beautiful wooden handle and they come packaged in a lovely gift box.  They are only $28.oo for the set, this would also make a great gift!

These beautiful service pieces are made of white ceramic and they have solid pewter handles and/or bases.  They are a wonderful complement to your regular serving pieces, and will look gorgeous on your buffet or dining table.  The pieces range in price from $43 – $250.

Finally, don’t forget the powder room.  These individually packaged guest soaps are absolutely decadent.  The luxurious 20g bars are perfect for a dinner party or open house.  They come in wonderful fragrances like Goat Milk & Lindseed, Sea Watercress & Chai Tea, or Thyme Flower & Coriander.  The individual packages are $2.00 each.  They are rich and creamy triple milled soaps made with 100% organic Shea Butter.  The assorted package includes 8 different fragrances and is sold for $17.50.

Wishing you many blissful evenings with family and friends…

Michele

Another summer has passed and I find myself excited to get back into the routine of yet another school year!  Kids are going back to school, summer guests have left, suitcases from summer holidays are stored away again.  Might I suggest a little pampering in the month of September? 

Playing Footsie

After a summer of sandals and beaches, give your feet a treat with Barefoot Venus’ “Playing Footsie”.  Its a wonderful Coconut Milk Foot Soak.  Let the natural source of lactic acid gently exfoliate and soften,while the soothing Epsom Salt helps calm aching feet!  This product is designed and made in Canada for $16.00

Bon Bon Bubbling Bath

Summer sun can be tough on skin!  Try a bubble bath in Tokyo Milk’s “Bon Bon Bubbling Bath”.  This stunning glass bottle, designed by Margot Elena has a beautiful image on the inside, it is a beatuiful addition to any bathroom.  Available in many different scents, Bon Bon has a combination of Crushed and Distilled Essences of Lily, Peony, Vanilla Bean and Violet Petals.  It also includes extract of Japanese Green Tea and comes in two sizes.

Hand Solution

Prepare your hands for another harsh winter with Canadian Made Cake “Milk Made Smoothing Hand and Cuticle Buffer and Velveteen Hand Creme”.  Indulge with the spa like hand buffer, specially formulated with sugar, milk proteins, avocado, and coconut oils.  This vitamin packed recipe with leave your hands and cuticles perfectly manicured and incredibly nourished!  Then treat your over worked (and under paid) hands to the rich, vitamin packed “Velveteen Hand Creme”  It is truly decadent, with mango and shea butters, whole milk and marshmallow extract!  Buffer and Creme are $18 each.

Heavenly Scent

If your idea of pampering involves layering yourself in beautiful scents, you MUST try Lollia’s “Wish” .  It is their sugared pastille scent and it is my personal favourite.  The packaging alone is amazing, but the scent of the “Eau de Parfum” is truly perfection.  Available in many products, a few of my favourites include the Shea Butter hand creme and the authentic Lollia luminary.

Delicious Dish Soap

Why not take a mundane chore and turn it into something special…try Farmhouse Dish Soap in Lemon Verbena!  This rich, fragrant dish soap is made with plant based cleansers.   The biodegradable formula contains no harsh detergents or chemicals, it is excellent for those who have sensitive skin.  Its mixed in small batches with natural ingredients by Sweet Grass Farms in New Hampshire, where they harness the natural abilities of plant based cleansers and produce pleasant, effctive homecare products to make life easier, cleaner, and richly aromatic.  I also love their fabric softener and liquid hand soap!  The dish soap is $10 for a 500 ml bottle.

Happy September!

Michele

NATURAL LINEN AND JUTE
This is a very strong trend right now, if you pick up a copy of any dwelling publication you may even see an entire home where natural linen is the only fabric used!
Pictured below is G. Romano’s “Icon Verdi” Condo Sofa, it’s clean lines juxtapose the natural linen fabric beautifully. It is $1630 and is offered in other styles and fabrics. The linen pillow on this sofa is only $30 and the jute wine bags are $10

The Seattle Dining Chair is a beautiful and reasonable on trend option in natural or charcoal linen at $299, it has a lovely silver nailhead detail!

GRAPHIC PATTERNS
Another popular trend today is the graphic pattern, we see it in fashion and especially home decor. The attached toss cushions ranging in price from $32 – $80 are an excellent way to bring this trend home!

GOLD
It’s back! In home decor and fashion, here we have two gorgeous “Toywatches” with gold embellishments $400 each. The “Foxy” double strand necklace is very hot at $40 and the Indian inspired bangle is only $29.

OVERSIZED LAMPS
Both of these oversized lamps are completely on trend, one of them even covers two trends oversized and natural linen!!! They range in price from $270 – $298.

Summertime to me means curling up with a good book on a hammock under a tree, an adirondack chair on a dock, or a towel on the beach! We have alot of avid readers at House Warmings, so I thought I would ask them which books they would recommend for your summer vacation.

Christine loved “Innocent” by Scott Turow. This is the sequel to the very popular “Presumed Innocent”, which came out almost 20 years ago.

Jenna really enjoyed “Beach Music” by Pat Conroy. Sounds like the perfect summer read!

Alexis (our youngest) gave me a list of great reads which included F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby”.

Jane recommends “Love The One Your With” by Emily Giffen.

Rachel would like to suggest “Divine Justice” by David Baldacci.

Jeana loved Nicholas Sparks “The Wedding”. This is the same author who wrote “The Notebook”.

Taryn is a student at Dalhousie, she didn’t think anyone would want to read what she reads, but her Mom suggest “Eat, Pray, Love”. I’m looking forward to the movie with Julia Roberts.

Trudy highly recommends “The Gargoyle” by Andrew Davidson, which reminded me that I recieved it for my birthday last year and hadn’t read it yet (it’s now on MY summer reading list).

Gail loves Wally Lamb and liked both “She’s Come Undone” and “I Know This Much Is True” (I too loved that one). She also recommends “The Shack” by Wm Paul Young amd “Still Alice” by Lisa Genova. Having alot of relatives who have lived with Alzheimer’s, I too found “Still Alice” to be very moving.

Karen doesn’t find alot of time for reading, however, with a teenage son, she does recommend “Teen Brain-Teen Mind” by Dr. Ron Clavier.

Gloria is presently reading (and loving) “The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie” by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. Gloria said the book is delightful, the characters are interesting, kind, and they bare their hearts. She said they are characters who you would like to be friends with!

Barb admits that she will read pretty much anything, trashy novels included. She also doesn’t miss an issue of “Country Living” or “Victoria Magazine”.

Peggy has just finished the trilogy by Stieg Larsson, which includes “The Girls with the Dragon Tatoo”, “The Girl Who Played with Fire” and “The Girl who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest”. She actually loved the third one the most, when does that ever happen?

Personally, I have so many favourites I don’t know where to begin…”A Fine Balance” by Rohinton Mistry is one of my all time faves, along with “Life of Pi” by Yann Martel and Margaret Atwood’s “Alias Grace”. Right now I am actually in the middle of the second Stieg Larsson book “The Girl Who Played with Fire”…can’t get enough of Lisbeth Salander!!! If you haven’t read these yet, I highly recommend them, very enjoyable! I am also admittedly a magazine junkie! I love all the dwelling publications! Canada’s “Style at Home” and “House and Home” both have fabulous new editors and their recent issues are better than ever before! I also LOVE “Living Etc.”, “House Beautiful” and “Elle Decor”. Now for my dilemna…we are off to Europe for 3 weeks. I have always turned my nose up at the electronic book, I love a real book (especially hard covers if I’m being totally honest)! But wouldn’t it be great to be able to download a whole bunch of books onto the latest gadget and travel much lighter? I’m still thinking about this one! Speaking of reading, wouldn’t this be the perfect spot to enjoy one of the wonderful books listed above…

Photo Courtesy of Elle Decor

Happy Reading!
Michele

Summer is officially here (although this year it feels like its been here for a while), what do you have planned?  Whether it is a trip to the beach, a vacation abroad, or staying in the city…here are some great ideas to help celebrate your summer with style!

Who doesn’t love a PICNIC?

This fabulous Picnic Cookbook will give you recipes and ideas for packing the perfect portable feast, and it’s only $11.95.  The red and white gingham Paviot napkins come in two sizes, they are paper, but they feel like cloth!  Check out the adoreable magnetic “ant” salt and pepper shakers, afterall, what is a picnic without ants?

 If you would rather not pack your meal, here are some great items to plan the perfect summer BBQ!

Brink’s sleek BBQ apron is perfect for the master of the grill.   It includes a 5 peice stainless steel BBQ set, has a meat thermometer and is $88.   One of the best BBQ cookbooks out there, Thomas Fuller’s “Barbecue”, comes in a matchbox with a twist and includes over 80 mouthwatering recipes to suit every taste, it’s $28.  If you don’t have time to follow a recipe, Wildly Delicious has done all of the work for you!  Try one of their spice rubs at $5.50 each, they have rubs for salmon, chicken, burgers and steak!  Their Wildly Hot and Spicy barbecue sauce is also fantastic!

Summer is also WEDDING season!  So if you are planning your own wedding or you are just a guest, we have lots of great suggestions!  Our “Wedding Planner” is great for any bride and groom, with lots of helpful hints and places to keep it all organized!  We also have wonderful books for newlyweds from learning to cook to setting up your first home.  If you are looking for a fabulous wedding gift, our contemporary Zodax champagne flutes say “love” in many languages, they are $12 each. 

 If you are off to the BEACH, don’t go without a very on trend maxi dress!  This one in turquoise and lime (very hot colors for the summer) makes a great cover up, but could also work for going out in the evening!  Paired with flip flops or sandals, and a fabulous beach bag, this maxi is only $64.

If you’ve got TRAVEL planned for this summer, the “Little Black Books” of Paris, London and Rome are wonderful and cost only $14.95 each.  They are small enough to take along and include hotel, restaurant and shopping suggestions.  They have all the details you need for must-see attractions and inlcude fold out maps!  If you can’t get to Paris, bring a little Paris home with Fringe’s Paris candles and soaps, they are truly decadent!

Whatever you have planned this summer, make the most of it, do it in style, and be safe!

         Yesterday I had to do some fabric sourcing, so I headed over to one of my favourite haunts…Kravet Fabrics!  I am like a kid in a candy store.  I absolutely love fabrics, and Kravet’s selection is second to none.  Rich, delicious, glorious fabrics!  Kravet has just brought in Thibaut Fabrics, they have a wonderful selection of fabrics which are very fresh, yet classic.  Most of them are cotton or linen based which is ideal for this time of year.

The beautiful selection of colorful fabrics are so lovely to look at.  If you are decorating a new space, or just need a new toss cushion to freshen up a room, the choices are endless.

If you are searching for that perfect fabric, come in and ask one of our sales associates to arrange an appointment for you to visit the Kravet showroom. 

It is not too far from House Warmings…or you could visit their fabulous website at www.kravet.com

But if you go in person, the sales people are amazing and they have good snacks!!!!