Shake off that gloomy end-of-summer feeling! The season may be coming to a close, but that doesn’t mean the fun has to stop now. Labour Day weekend is THE time to plan a barbecue! If you’re not travelling or attending an event yourself, this is your opportunity to take advantage of the last warm weekends, and put on a great cookout for friends and family.

Before you get busy in the kitchen, there are a few tips we thought were important to keep in mind while planning your outdoor cookout. With these useful pointers, your outdoor ambiance will be just as pleasant as you plan it to be!

Create a critter-free space:

Protect your friends and family from unwanted guests by setting up bug-repellent candles. They can even double as décor accents if you add the right touch! Find some cute candle holders here.

Break out the outdoor entertainment:

One of the perks of hosting an outdoor event is that the food and fun can all be in one space! Put out a beach ball or set up a table for some games to help bring the party level up a notch. You can check out our tabletop games here.

Keep it cool:

We’ve been saying it, and we’ll say it again—it’s still summer. That means the sun and the heat will (hopefully) be just as strong as ever! Give guests options for cooling off, whether it be sitting under trees or an umbrella, playing in the pool, running through a sprinkler, or enjoying a refreshing drink (you can find some delicious summer cocktail drinks here).

Impress your guests, but don’t blow them away:

Wind can often cause havoc at an outdoor event. You can use decorative accents or vases with flowers to weigh down napkins and tablecloths so they don’t get taken by the wind!

Create a fun vibe → Grill-tastic!:

Don’t shy away from using your grill! Your guests are expecting it, so why not prepare your sides and appetizers on the grill as well? If it’s possible timing-wise, it’ll make life easier!

A  BBQ is a great opportunity to make good on those promises you made for summertime catch-ups and hang-outs. Hosting a gathering everyone will remember is just the thing to end the summer on a high note! A successful barbecue is easy to plan when you have our handy tips, and the help of blogger and recipe developer Anne of @lafille.du3eme! She’s planned not one, but three jaw-droppingly easy and delicious recipes for your Labour Day cookout. You must be wondering: What makes these recipes so hassle-free? Well, they’re all skewers, which makes cooking and serving a breeze! What’s more? These recipes feature a variety of food, which provides a mix of flavours that will satisfy any palate: Spicy Pineapple-Mozarella Skewers, Tex-Mex Veggie Skewers and Potato Duo Skewers.

So, what are you waiting for? Get started on your epic end-of-summer cookout!

Helping you end the summer with a bang,

I consider myself a passionate person. I have a passion for life, for everything it brings and the experiences it provides. I grew up surrounded by people who have a passion for cooking. Inevitably, this has influenced how I decided live my life. I obtained a technical diploma in dietetics at Cegep de Saint-Hyacinthe. Afterwards, I started working as a technician at the Montreal General Hospital in Food Service Management. I learnt that there is a strong relationship between health and nutrition and enjoyed the chance to apply the knowledge I gained in my education to the real world. Although I loved nutrition, hospital environment was not for me. I decided to make a career change and I worked as a supervisor at Starbucks. I enjoyed being in a leadership position and wanted to study in a field that would help develop my leadership skills. I completed studies in Industrial Relations at Université de Montréal, which opened my eyes to the world of entrepreneurship—something I found incredibly interesting and appealing.

My interest in entrepreneurship gave birth to new dreams and ambitions: my blogger identity and brand (thegirlfromthe3rdfloor), my culinary blog, and the goal of one day opening my own café-boutique.  I work hard every day to accomplish my dreams and I am very proud of what I have achieved so far. The path to where you want to be can be challenging, but if you listen to your heart, you will achieve your goal.

Follow Anne on Facebook, Instagram and on her blog: www.thegirlfromthe3rdfloor.com

Where to start!? With so many beautiful spring ideas in your mind’s eye, how do you go about making sure you set a cohesive, polished, and most of all, welcoming tablescape? A stylish table is well within reach, thanks to our 6 tips that will steer you in the right direction and inspire your table décor.

With these styling tips and the beautiful tablescape our team put together to help you envision your dream table, there’s no doubt your table setting will be your best one yet–and a creation your guests will love!

Pretty Pastels!

For Easter, pretty pastel colours are an easy choice. Light and airy, yet energetic, pastels mix and match easily giving you the creative freedom to bring in any items you have in this array of colours. Our Ice Aqua and Ice Mushroom dinnerware sets are well complemented by our Monaco blue napkins and the pale pink, white and mauve floral arrangements.

Asymmetric Arrangements

Asymmetrical arrangements can make a table fresh and different, and compositions in odd numbers bring a whimsical aspect to a tablescape. For centerpieces, we often lean towards making everything equal and symmetrical. But why not branch out? Our centerpiece is made up of 3 unique items that come together to create a unique cohesive arrangement. Our Primavera Décor Tree, with the Malaga vase and the Bilbao vase (fashioned as candle holders with our Yummi Formal candles) add a creative, fun, and whimsical touch to the table!

Seasonal Flowers

As spring’s hallmark bloom, tulips are a stunning floral choice for your Easter table; they are available in an array of colours and often at a very affordable price. Soon to be blossoming in a garden near you, we chose tulips for their charmingly simple silhouette and chose to keep our tablescape mono-botanic to highlight the flower’s effortless elegance. The subtle design on our Ocean vase is pretty and lets the tulips stay the main attraction.

Light Linens and Delicate Prints 

Prints can add a fun and dynamic element to your setting without overwhelming the rest of your décor. For the linens, keep them light in tone and colour, like our Faux Rattan Placemat and the Simply Round Placemat. The exquisite print on the Monaco linen is visible, yet subtle. This keeps the table feeling neat and uncluttered. The delicate square and circle etchings on our Trend Stemless and Trend Goblet drinkware add an eye catching aspect to your table and accentuate the playful characteristics of Easter. Our Pearl Flatware Set’s refined beaded pattern will complement the rest of your tableware with ease while maintaining the fun flare of this spring holiday.

Spring Elements 

Using spring elements as table décor is a classic and easy way to decorate your table. Nature-inspired elements represent spring perfectly. Our Primavera Decorative Ornament and Candle Holder feature robin eggs nestled in between twigs and blue-green flower blossoms –what better way to bring quintessential spring to your table? Keeping the table airy by letting it breathe is an important aspect of setting a spring-inspired Easter table: light glassware gives the tabletop space and helps to keep the feeling clean and bright (like spring!) and the white marble table is appealing because of its luminous and mostly white texture. As an extra flowery touch of spring, we added our Mon Jardin Bowl to the setting!

Delight Your Guests

Guests are any host’s raison-d’être! Your goal is to create an ambiance that makes them feel welcome and comfortable at your celebration. A fun and imaginative way to do so is to leave them a little gift at each of their place settings. On our table, we left each guest a tulip, which is held in place on their Monaco napkin by a quaint little ribbon tied into a bow. What a delightful surprise that will be sure to keep them smiling for days to come!

Here to help you impress your guests with a beautiful and welcoming table this Easter,

The season of family gatherings, holiday parties, and cozy nights watching holiday flicks with your loved ones is fast approaching.

Whether this inspires you to add an appetizer course to a night of entertaining, help you relax with a snack, get you planning the ultimate wine tasting event of the year, or to wind down after a successful day of taking advantage of our Shopping Party sale, knowing how to pair your wine and cheese, and getting your accompaniments just right, is part of any good host’s repertoire.

Step 1: Which wine?

How can you choose just one wine? Well, you don’t have to. The best way to learn about wines is to experience as many as possible and we urge you to do just that! However, if you want provide your guests with a specific wine, here are some ways you can narrow it down. If you and your guests are mostly beginners, the refreshing quality of most white wines often pleases the amateur palate. The unambiguous citrus, fruity, and floral flavors in a white wine allow a taster to pinpoint their likes and dislikes. A Chablis is very delicate and goes well with oysters. If you are looking for something local, ice wines are a specialty of the Niagra region in Ontario. Red wines can range from very light to more heavy and full-bodied. Choose a red wine, like a Cabernet, Shiraz, or Tempranillo, if you want to provide a wine with a more full-bodied experience for your tasters’ palates. In one glass of red wine, you can taste several different notes of flavor ranging from fruity, to spicy, and even vegetable and meaty tangs. A Pinot Noir would be a great selection for a group of experienced wine tasters. Guests who have developed an acquired taste for wines will enjoy the light taste and often complex taste profile of a pinot.

Let’s be honest, for most of us, whether a glass of wine offered in a mason jar or a regular cup we’ll accept it, no questions asked. However, having the right wine glass can help take your wine tasting to the next level. So if you have some options, note the following: white wines taste best in taller and smaller bowled glasses, most red wines do well in a full-bodied bowl, and a short-stemmed large bowled glass, suits a Pinot Noir. Our Riedel Glassware Collection, made in Germany, will do just the trick if you’re looking to get your hands on a new set.

Don’t forget to decant your wine if it needs it! Wines can have a funny smell to them at first due to the sulfur content. Avoid an awkward moment and let your wine live up to its full potential by decanting it in our Vignoble Wine Decanter.

Step 2: Choose your Cheese

When selecting the cheese you want in your spread, keep in mind that it’s hard to have an entire cheese spread go perfectly with one type of wine. If you’re looking to impress a friend who is a wine connoisseur, you might want to pair a single cheese to a solitary wine. Some classic pairings are brie with a pinot noir, Chèvre with a white wine and Boursin with a light red wine.

If a variety of cheese is what you crave, every good spread includes a soft cheese such as a cream cheese or Mascarpone, a semi-soft cheese such as a Havarti, a semi-hard cheese like Gouda or Edam, and a hard cheese such as Parmesan. Make sure your guests have no trouble serving themselves by providing them with the right utensils. Have a wide knife for cutting hard cheese, a thin knife will do for the semi-hard cheese, a pointed knife for the semi-soft and a two pronged knife for the fresh cheeses. Our Laguiole Cheese Set will serve you, and your guests, well.

Step 3: Complementary Accompaniments

What you choose to complement your wine and cheese can truly elevate your tasters’ experience. Crackers and slices of baguette make the perfect vehicle for your cheese. The saltiness of your bread and crackers is important to note. For example, Gouda goes well with salty crackers but a more briny cheese like cheddar goes well with a water cracker. Adding a charcuterie board to your spread is important if you want to make a meal out of your spread, but don’t let that stop you if you are planning an appetizer. For your cold cut meats, choosing different textures is a nice touch. Something sweet and soft like a pâté, a hard salami, with a prosciutto as a salty option balances well. Providing a cooked option like sausage or something wrapped in bacon is bound to impress.

For garnishes, olives and pickles are staples. Fruits such as grapes and figs can off-set all the savory options. Choose a tangy condiment like mustard to go with strong and hard cheeses or a jelly if you want to add sweet, spicy or peppery option. You can’t go wrong with a choice of apricot or cherry jelly which go great with Brie and Camembert cheese.

Step 4: Perfect Presentation

Get your presentation right by placing everything on a wood or marble cheese board such as our Cheshire Cheese board. Placing different shapes and sizes of cheese and meat together to makes it appealing to the eye. The cheese should be at room temperature and already sliced to avoid messy hassles. Next, be sure that none of the cheese are touching so that your guests can enjoy the unique flavors you have so carefully selected. Use multiple boards if necessary! Wine should be in a decanter to the side, along with the crackers, bread, and condiments.

Here to help you find the joy of entertaining this holiday season,

With Mothers Day approaching, it’s never too early to start preparing for her special day. Lucky for you, we’ve put together all the Mothers day essentials to throw her the perfect brunch!

Before the celebration begins, start the day off right by bringing her a fresh hot cup of coffee or tea. You can even surprise her with a homemade pastry for a sneak peek at what goodies she can expect later. Not an experienced baker? Don’t worry– we have you covered with all your baking fundamentals. This week’s Jam Square recipe is a quick treat you can whip up with our ThinkKitchen ProMixer, a baker’s must-have tool for getting the job done fast!

While mom sips her coffee, start setting up for your guests’ arrival. The whole family is coming over to show mom they care. Our Cottage Drink Dispenser is the ultimate refreshment station. Just add your drink of choice and guests can serve themselves as they please. Set out our colorful mason jars for guests to sip from for an added rustic charm.

Now that drinks are covered, let’s move on to food. Our Wild Flower Serveware collection is perfect for complimenting this season’s bright color palette. With 5 matching pieces to choose from, this collection suits any menu’s needs. The 5 piece round serving plate is perfect for a vegetable platter and the rectangular platter is perfect for any appetizer or dessert.

Happy Mothers Day!

We at Stokes love any excuse to celebrate and entertain. You may not be the biggest football fan, but Super Bowl Sunday is a great reason to invite friends and family over to enjoy good food and great company. Stokes Saturdays has come up with the ultimate game plan to ensure that you host a winning Super Bowl party.

Beer is the drink of choice for most people at a Super Bowl party. We chose to refine the drinking experience by serving beer in our Micro Brasserie Beer Glasses – we guarantee that this mug will keep beer cool and crisp. In addition to your selection of beers, create a signature cocktail for your party. Set up a mini bar so that guests are able to serve themselves throughout the event.  The Tavern Mini 3 Bottle Holder is a great way to display your selection of spirits.

Nuts, pretzels and candy are often on the table when a sports game is on. Personalize our Chalkboard canisters with your favorite player’s name and jersey number. This is a simple and easy way to incorporate a football theme into the décor.

Let’s talk food. Super Bowl Sunday is not the time to create an elaborate dinner- individual servings and snack foods are the way to go. Stokes Saturdays has created a delicious guacamole recipe that your guests are sure to enjoy. Serve your guacamole in our avocado dip dish and don’t forget the tortilla chips to go with it!

Looking for more inspiration for your menu? Grilled Cheese is the perfect addition. Check out our grilled cheese recipes and make sure to prepare extra- we promise that your guests will be asking for seconds.