Posts Categorized Tips and Tricks

Henhouse Holiday Gift Guide!

The holiday season is well underway! We hope you are enjoying this fun time of year as much as we are. The store is absolutely filled to the brim with beautiful things. We have so many pretty ornaments, and holiday decor items this year. We also have many wonderful and unique gift items for everyone!

We put together a gift guide to give you all some inspiration. Take a look!

For the holiday hostess with the mostess:

The Original Spaghetti Scrub $10.95: Clean up the eco-friendly way! Made from corn cobs, lasts for ages, never smells!

Cotton/linen tea towel $11.95: So durable and absorbent, beautiful and practical!

Ceramic mixing bowl $37.50: We love this multi-use bowl. Use it for mixing and pouring batters, or serve snacks!
Season’s greetings $3.95-$5.95: Don’t forget the card! We have a great selection of holiday cards at the shop.

For your pet or pet lovin’ pal: 

Waggin’ Tails Dog Treats $6.50: Lovingly made by hand in Nova Scotia, your pet will devour these all-natural treats!
Felt ornaments $5.25-$14.25: We have the sweetest selection of these! Cats with scarves, pups with bones, and more!
Eco-wise hemp catnip mouse $7.25: The hemp mouse is durable, the catnip is potent! Made in Newfoundland!
Catnip Stinky $4.25: Yeeeow! Sure, catnip smells funky, but it’s worth hours of fun!

For the art collector:

6″x6″ encaustic on wood $115.00:  By local artist Lynn Rotin. The deep blues and rusty colours are stunning in this beeswax encaustic.
10″x10″ encaustic on wood $185.00: Bowls are a subject matter that has interested Lynn for years. “Simple in form, yet so fundamental, its invention changed the lives of ancient people” -Lynn Rotin

For the natural beauty:

Hemp soap $5.95: All natural, and made by hand in Saskatchewan! These soaps smell fantastic and have a beautiful frothy lather!
Rosebud Salve $8.50: This miracle salve cures chapped lips, hang nails, dry hands and more. Available in Original, Mocha Rose, Minted Rose, Eucalyptus Mint, and Strawberry.
Rocky Mountain Foot Butter $14.95: A wonder for dry feet, cracked heels, and brittle nails.
Natural bristle nail brush $3.95: Banish grubby fingers!
Cosmetic sea sponge $4.25: Wipe away the day with this natural, gentle exfoliator.
Hemp wash cloth $10.95: Hand knit in the US, from super durable hemp.
Vintage milk glass dish $25.00: Versatile and classic, use it as a soap dish, or to hold a sea sponge.

For the Green Thumb: 

Vintage McCoy Planter $35.00: It’s all in the details! Beautiful planters add something special to any decor.
Lynn Rotin Mini $35.00: Lynn’s mini oil paintings are so bright and cheery! Add a teeny pop of colour to just the right spot.

For those who hibernate: 

Dream Designs Hemp Ramie Duvet Cover $253.00-$313.00 & Hemp Ramie Pillow Cases $60.50-$65.95: Sweet dreams are made of Dream Designs linens. Hemp Ramie linens are extremely durable, all natural, and made by hand in B.C.

Dream Designs Lavender Dryer Bag $12.50: Stuffed with calming lavender flowers to lightly scent laundry. Lasts for 40 loads!

For the cook:

Swaine St. Woodworking cutting boards $70.00-$250.00, Rosemary Lemon Cutting Board Oil $16: Stunning cutting boards and charcuterie boards made by hand in Halifax. Prolong the life of cutting boards or other wood products with Swaine St. Rosemary Lemon Cutting Board Oil.

“Harvest Bounty” by Karen Phinney $285.00: Original acrylic painting by local artist Karen Phinney. Beautiful bold colours. The subject matter provides food for thought!

For the home decorator: 


“Weekend Retreat” $52.00: A beautiful full-colour book, filled to the brim with casual/rustic decor inspiration for the home.
Vintage buoy $20.00: A touch of nautical is fun and so stylish!
Twig Balls $3.25-$6.75: Spherical shapes are always an unexpected element. These can be used year round in table centrepieces, floral arrangements, or simply grouped together on a shelf!
Pinecone stem $11.25: We have some wonderfully realistic stems in the shop. Perfect for bringing some green in for the winter!

For the light hearted: 

Pheylonian Beeswax Candles $1.35-$41.95: Wonderful all-natural candles made in Canada. These candles burn clean and purify the air.
Silver hobnail lanterns $32.75-$42.75: A touch of sparkle for a festive feeling!

For the kids: 

“Room for Children” $55.00: Photos of dream rooms created just for children fill this wonderful full-colour book!
Nesting Dolls $31.50: A classic wooden puzzle toy for wee ones.
Sock Monkey $24.95: Hand made in Londonderry, N.S., each sock monkey has it’s own character! We love these!

For Mom:

Sari Throw $185.00: Made from vintage saris and hand stitched in India, these 100% cotton throws are warm and stylish!
Vintage McCoy Planters $25.00-$65.00: McCoy planters are so full of character and charm.

For the Entertainer:

Boxed Cards $18.75: Spread the cheer with our hilarious line of cards from Bethany Lowe: “Roasted nuts soaked in booze?sounds like Christmas at our house!”
La Rochere wine glasses $10.50: Sturdy machine glass made in France. Great for wine or water.
Wine Sock Monkey $14.95: Made by hand, these wine sock monkeys are a great way to present anything bottled! Slip in some wine or olive oil and voila!

Happy holidays! 

Easy, Inexpensive, Summer Flower Arrangements!

Create simple and inexpensive glass vase flower arrangements with seasonal clippings and stems! It’s easy as the summer breeze:

1. Get yourself a funky glass vase (*hint hint* we have lots at the shop!)

2. Get out into your backyard, or local flower shop and gather some clippings or stems. It could be anything! A bunch of wildflowers from your yard, a piece of fern, a single monstera leaf, or a few stems of bamboo.

3. Put it all together. Don’t fuss too much, it’s OK to keep things casual. Add water, if needed, and display your new creation!

Check out the photos below for inspiration!

Monstera can be purchased at most florists. Don’t be afraid to visit your local florist for something small! These stems will last weeks.

We also love how succulent clippings look in small vases. If you have a succulent plant, you can trim off a piece from its new growth to create the look on the right.

On the left, items from henhouse: small white vases $9.50 each, vintage McCoy $50.00, hand-blown green vase $24.95

Queen Anne’s lace is beautiful, and can be found all over for free! Look for it on the side of the road, at the park and in the yard. A few pieces is all it takes to create a delicate arrangement. For the photo on the left, I picked some wild flowers in my neighbourhood and arranged them at the shop in a lovely, shimmery lantern.

Re-create this look in one of our vintage inspired mercury glass lanterns (on the left) $15.50

Milk glass is perfect for spring and summer arrangements. It’s super feminine and fresh; fill it with small plants, or a bunch of wildflowers.

We have a great selection of vintage milk glass pieces in the shop right now that would be perfect $20.00-$25.00 each!

So, find yourself some wildflowers, some pretty vases, and create!

Have a good weekend!

The Hens’ Guide to Easy Summer Beauty

It’s getting hot hot hot in the city these days! It’s that time when we trade in our rain boots for flip flops, and our sweaters for t’s and tanks! With that in mind it’s time to take extra care of your skin so you can look and feel great all summer long!

At henhouse we have a few skin care products that we swear by and could not live without! Read on to find out more about some of our favourite beauty products for summer.

Foot Butter is a must have product for all seasons. If the colder months have done a number on you feet do not fret! This heavy duty cream comes in a push tube for easy application. We recommend applying it liberally all over your feet and heels before bed time, then putting some socks on for the full effect! You’ll wake up with soft and smooth feet in no time. Ready for sandal season!

 

Hemp Soaps are handmade in Saskatchewan with all natural ingredients. Aside from smelling absolutely fantastic, they have a lovely, frothy lather that will have you feeling fresh, clean, and so very soft! We carry a wide variety of scents, including unscented for those with sensitive skin. Some of our favourite scents for summer are The Hemp Body Bar (a mix of mint, lemongrass, coconut milk, green tea, and basil), Oceania (spearamint, eaucalyptus, rosemary, and lemongrass), and Lavender Hemp Oatmeal.

We love to use all-natural and biodegradable loofahs and sea sponges. They’re much easier on the environment than plastic mesh loofahs and they work even better! Natural Loofahs are really a fruit (luffa) that has left to dry out after it’s matured. They make a great skin buffer when used wet in the shower. Sea sponges are, well, creatures from the sea! They are commercially farmed for many uses, but we like to use them with soap and water. They have a gentle exfoliating texture and create a nice lather.

 

I carry my Rosebud Salve with me at all times- it’s a perfect little tin that will remedy dry lips, hangnails, dry nails and cuticles, diaper rashes, burns and more. It’s a handbag essential! Rosebud also offers their famous balms in Mocha Rose, Bramleberry Rose, Strawberry, and Eucalyptus Mint! Swap out lipstick for balm in the summer for a natural and easy look!

Have any of you tried out these products? What did you think of them?

Enjoy the sunshine!!

Mother’s Day Gift Guide

Mother’s Day is Sunday! If you’re in need of a special something to show Mom all of your gratitude and love, I can assure you that we have just the thing.

The store is literally bursting with great new things, many of which we know your Mom would love! To give you an idea of what’s in store here’s a handy little gift guide of some of our top picks for Mom!

You can never go wrong with Tokyo Milk. We’re especially enamoured with their hand creams. Made from shea butter and crushed and distilled essences, these all natural hand creams will leave Mom’s hands silky smooth and smelling divine!

Available in five different scents, $19.95 each

Is your Mom queen of the Kitchen? Check out these 100% cotton tea towels! We love the fresh colours and detailed sea creature images that adorn these super durable and absorbent towels.

$6.50 each

 

Do you have a green thumb Mom? How about gifting her with a new addition to her plant family? We have some beautiful planters in the shop that are great for indoors and out. Just pop in a plant and voila!

Green ceramic planters $12.95-$18.95, terra cotta planters $12.75-$21.95, sap bucket planters $22.00

Pheylonian 100% beeswax candles are a wonder product that make a beautiful gift. They have a lovely natural smell, and warm long-burning honey coloured flame. These clean burning candles actually purify the air as they burn, and help with dust and allergies. We like the idea of pairing some of the beeswax tea lights with one of our glass lanterns, or our adorable tulip tea light holders!

Candles $1.35-$41.95, candle holders $4.95-42.75

We’re loving this Fiesta inspired collection of ceramic wares that we just got in the shop. We have ceramic colanders, citrus juicers, pitchers, and mixing bowls in bright, summery colours. Any of these fun pieces would make a great gift.

From $21.95-$27.50

There are so many other wonderful things in the shop at the moment, I can’t share it all with you here. Visit us this week and let us help you find that perfect gift for Mom!