Tuesday, January 13, 2015

A rhapsody in blue...OOTD

Blue and white are a complimentary pairing, indeed they are a happy marriage.
Antique Chinese and English porcelain come to mind as does the iconic classic Blue Willow patterns which were mass produced by so many companies over the years.


This beautiful planter was a gift from the son of Mrs. Plant,
she was a former owner and resident of The Humble Bungalow


this wee antique bowl is so thin you can almost see throught it...
I know nothing about it except to say that it called out to me when I was perusing the tables at an antue and collectible show.


I've collected these Ball Sealers for the past few years...
it's the soft shade of blue that attracts me to these jars.



Trees were painted cobalt blue in this downtown plaza...
I captured this image on a Seattle trip a few years ago.


The Chihuly Gardens in Seattle...
right below The Space Needle!
It's a wonderful place to visit and view many of Chihuly's glass masterpieces.


A gorgeous blue necklace at the jewelers in the lobby of The Empress Hotel.


Harumi Ota porcelain.
Harumi lives in Victoria and sells his work at The Eclectic Gallery and at The Moss Street Market.





Downtown Victoria sidewalk display


Looking out over the Strait of Juan de Fuca, Washington State is in the distance.


Wee heart shaped art glass paperweight....


Grape and wood hyacinths, a spring time bouquet in a matte white jug, a gift from my bestie.





Hydrangeas


White vintage compotes.


Blue hydrangeas


playing with paint...


Macarons at Bon Macaron on Broad Street in Victoria.

My favourite outfit of all time is a simple one...
Blue Jeans and a White top.
OOTD
accessorized simply with pearls and an armful of sterling bangles


Do you have a favourite outfit?
One that you feel totally at ease wearing and can see yourself taking it to a desert island with you?
Wendy McLeod MacKnight's recent post inspired me to write this one today...
go over and say Hi and please tell her that I sent you!


Thank you for stopping by.... 

30 comments:

Susan B said...

What lovely photos, Hostess! Truly gorgeous. Lately I've become enamored of blue. It's such a refreshing color, and so easy to wear.

Susan said...

Oh, how I would love to have an armful of silver bangles! You are fortunate indeed! This is such a great post. I love the photos..

Do I have a favorite outfit? Can I confess that I would be content to wear the same outfit every single day? My husband laughs when he hears me say that. I almost do that in the wintertime. I wear black pants, a black turtleneck and various scarves, necklaces etc. I am happy.

Jeannine said...

Love this post, but then blue is my favorite color. When I was a little girl I thought everyone's favorite color was blue - I thought it had to be as blue is obviously the best color! I was shocked to learn that it isn't everyone's favorite - rocked my world for a short bit. Same as when I learned everyone doesn't love chocolate!

Anonymous said...

From Margie in Toronto - what a wonderful post! I love blue and white and my favourite outfit is the same as yours but I would probably add a red cardigan. I'm attempting to create a capsule wardrobe and while I love black, white and grey (and wear it a lot), more and more I'm moving towards shades of blue as my predominant colour with red and pink as my accents.
My mother had a set of Blue Willow dishes and I've always meant to buy myself a set - one day.

Lorrie said...

Blue and white is my favorite colour combination of all time. It's classic and crisp or soft - very versatile. The pottery you've shown, as well as the porcelain, is so very pretty.

Pondside said...

I'm another lover of blue and white. All shades of blue. I have a favourite denim jacket - pale and soft. I wear it dressed up and down and always feel 'right'.

Grace @ Sense and Simplicity said...

I love all shades of blue too and you seem to have a beautiful collection of blue. It's funny, but I think jeans with a white shirt is so elegant on others, but I never feel like it is enough on me. I always feel the need to add a scarf or a coloured necklace or a sweater. Not sure why that is because it is a classic look. My go to would be jeans with a striped shirt and a coordinating sweater.

Madame Là-bas said...

Blue and white are classic. I still have the Lotte china that I started to collect more than 40 years ago. I had display shelves made in my kitchen for my collection of blue pottery. Do you remember that Victoria magazine used to have a blue and white edition? I have just started wearing blue and grey again. I definitely need to buy silver bangles in Mexico.

susie @ persimmon moon cottage said...

Beautiful blue and white. I especially love that blue and white planter in the first pic. I have a lot of blue and white in my home décor and have collected blue and white Delft ware for decades., but I don't have very much blue and white in my wardrobe. Maybe I should add some.

Jim & Sonya Guthrie said...

Love blue and white!! So crisp and refreshing. You should come over and see my house...lots of blue and white "Delft" wares from Holland. Some self bought and others inherited from my Mother, bless her soul. A great way to remember her and recognize my families heritage here in Canada, as we are the only ones here!!

Holli said...

I am very attracted to the blue and white china of yesteryear...some of which is on my walls in the form of antique plates and in the kitchen as ginger jars. I like how you've showcased your love of this combination; very creative indeed!

Anonymous said...

Miles Davis's "All Blue". There's an old vinyl with Morgana King singing "The Sea, the Sky and You and I, All Blue". It's just divine. My BFF and her husband chose it to be played at their wedding 15 years ago.
Clara

Anonymous said...

Enjoyed your post. Well written. Photos admired. Pat

kristieinbc said...

Fun post! I especially liked it because blue is my favourite colour!

KSL said...

I've always worn a lot of blue, and I love blue jeans with a pale blue shirt on me, rather than a white. That top planter is so beautiful and how wonderful to have it from the previous owner of your beautiful home.

Northmoon said...

I'm going to have to check out the Eclectic Gallery for Harumi Ota bowls next time I'm in Victoria. I'm very partial to bowls in blue and white. And denim with a white shirt too now that I think about it!

You take such lovely photos, thank you for sharing them with us.

Anonymous said...

I love Dale Chihuly's work and would love to commission a chandalier. If you're going to dream, dream big. Here is a link to a video about his work on Youtube: http://youtu.be/OndIFim3w0I

I can't say that I love all of his installations but I have to admit they all look brilliant. Did they have more of his work at the Chihuly gardens? Did you like his work?

Bonnie said...

I love color, but blue has to be my very favorite! I loved scrolling through all you blue inspiration.

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

Sounds like you've got a winning combination...basic black and accessories. Win Win !

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

What? Everyone doesn't love chocolate?

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

I have a friend who has a set of Blue Willow dishes and her kitchen has many lovely blue and white dishes as accent pieces...I love sitting there sipping tea and looking around at her collection...it feels so serene and peaceful.

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

I think when we had tea at the tearoom you wore a white top and carried a blue handbag...and if memory serves your eyes are blue!
I remember that I noticed how nice you looked.

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

Your jacket sounds comfy...I bought one from The Gap last year and it is just getting to that soft worn in stage that makes it cozy.

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

I think we all know what we are comfortable wearing and what suits us...like your classic shirt and sweater with jeans.

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

I bought every issue that Victoria magazine put out many years ago...and saved them for years. If I felt low, or ill I would brew a pot of tea and sit with my stack of Victoria magazines and browse for hours....I'd feel better quite quickly!

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

The Chihuly Garden is outside the gallery housing many of his works...the scale of some of them is absolutely staggering! I quite enjoyed seeing the displays and would definitely recommend a visit if one were in Seattle.

Madame Là-bas said...

I haven't been able to part with my old copies. Do you have the coffee table book that they published about France?

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

Yes I do and it is in the guest room for our guests to peruse...
I purged my Victoria magazines and the UK Country Living mags when we renovated the lower level of our bungalow. It was not easy saying goodbye as they were well read and well loved.

Veronica Roth said...

Lovely rhapsody in blue. I love all those subtle changes int he colour from item to item. That's funny that I stopped in at your's today because we're just off to Seattle, and I hope we will have time to stop into the DC museum. One year there was a DC exhibit at RBG Kew and it was absolutely so very magical that spoiled me for plain beautiful gardens for ever. :D The guy, (and his team), is/are genius.

Leanne said...

I've just hopped over from Kristie's blog, North of 49. Lovely post, and now your latest follower!
Leanne xx