The Humble Bungalow Garden is coming alive
bursting forth with beautiful blooms for Spring!
This Hellebore was purchased from Van Dusen Gardens in Vancouver.
At the time it was quite a rare plant...now Hellebores are available in many varieties.
I am absolutely smitten with Snowdrops...
it's becoming a wee bit of an addiction.
Gardeners can be fickle when it comes to plants.
We love so many things in our gardens...
Roses, Hostas, Daffodils, Tulips, Hellebores, Lady's Mantle and Black Mondo Grass.
We grow a wide range of plants...
our garden is so full it's really bursting at the edges.
However that doesn't seem to persuade me to stop acquiring more plants!
These new snowdrops are very pretty in their form, we bought several new varieties.
In The UK, where many of these snowdrops originate
there are gardeners who are busy hybridizing unique new species of these plants.
I see many exciting snowdrops in the UK publications
but unfortunately they are not yet available here.
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Thank you for testing them out...I am keen to welcome more dialogue from you.
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Now that I have shared the "Blogger housekeeping issues"
let's move on to something more interesting shall we?
That BAG could be me :-))
Vintage Ann Taylor wicker bag with red leather details.
Vintage Coach Court Bag
Paired with my Josef Seibel ballet flats...
I want to buy another pair of flats.
Perhaps in that classic Chanel two tone style!
Vintage Coach Regina bag
Quilted leather vintage Canadian Due Fratelli bag.
(BTW~ The Mick Herron series of spy novels are fabulous!)
Do you ever get a "Bee In Your Bonnet?"
a shopping Bee?
An idea...
It hums along in the back of your mind percolating
until it urges you to seriously look for that particular item.
So powerful that you start searching online and at thrift shops.
That urge to buy that imagined something that you cannot resist.
It happens to me quite a lot and I don't always act on the idea.
BUT
I have been quietly on the lookout for another vintage bag.
~ Not a NEED but a WANT ~
I see gorgeous iconic bags online...
most are designer bags with big ticket price tags
Chanel and Hermes.
Not exactly in sync with my budget or my lifestyle.
My handbag collection is rather small by comparison to some.
I love vintage leather bags...
2 Coach bags ~ Black Regina mini, Brown Court bag.
A wicker bag with red leather trim ~ Ann Taylor
Black leather Croc embossed "doctor" style ~ Banana Republic
Wine quilted leather bag ~ Due Fratelli
I saw this listing on Ebay.
Vintage Brown Croc bag by Canadian maker Due Fratelli
The price was higher than I really wanted to pay so I made an offer
which to my surprise, was accepted...
it arrived quickly but it smelled of smoke.
So disappointing...
I considered sending it back, even contacted the seller.
I really like the bag so instead did some research,
for the past two weeks have been airing it out
with a bag of baking soda in an open "Zip Loc" bag inside the bag.
The smell is definitely gone...
I will use a leather cleaner on the exterior this weekend.
Have you ever bought or inherited a vintage bag that has had a musty or smokey smell?
What did you do to "fix" it?
Many of the designer bag makers offer a service to restore their classic iconic bags.
No idea on the cost but thats peace of mind if you inherit a Chanel or Hermes bag.
Let's enjoy some more blooms shall we?
The Star Magnolia is in bloom out front in The Humble Bungalow Garden.
We have three magnolia trees all different varieties
they all bloom at different times of the year.
How is the weather where you live?
Our weather is slowly warming up
I am keen to swap out my heavy coats for lighter jackets.
I will wash and store them away for next season.
Let's get serious bring on the warmth.
I would LOVE to start wearing my summer linen skirt and dresses!
Will have to pop into the shops, maybe this week, take a peek
see what they are showing for Spring and Summer.
Not that I will buy anything new but it is fun to browse...
besides it gives me ideas of what to do with my basic minimalist wardrobe.
Mix up the possibilities...add a scarf.
Well that's about all the news I have to share right now...
stay tuned for more blog posts.
I usually post on Sundays and often mention my blog posts on Instagram.
Thank you for stopping by...
I appreciate you taking the time to join me.
~ Be Well and Be Kind ~
9 comments:
We have snowbells/drops here in Texas too! We have some at our farm in the eastern part of the state. I love them too! My hangbag collect is probably the smallest ever! Lately, I've been enjoying two MZ Wallace handbags. They are not vintage of course, but very efficient. One of them will carry my laptop and it is still not a large looking bag!
I haven't read the books but have really enjoyed the Slow Horses TV series - on Apple TV.
A lovely post, Leslie. Your handbags are so pretty and varied. I'd like to get a few more handbags in my collection, as I have very few of them. Hellebores are so beautiful just now. Do you ever cut yours and make bouquets?
Have a great week.
I would love to grow those snowdrops: they are really pretty, but maybe it is too hot here for them. Meanwhile, I absolutely love your wicker/red bag, which is stunning. I have never had a vintage bag, and your collection is wonderful. Perhaps it is time I tried it! Happy Easter.
Your new bag is gorgeous - it looks like an Hermes Kelly bag. Those hellebores and snowdrops are gorgeous. I hope this posts!
You have a great bag “wardrobe” and I particularly like your wicker bag. My bag selection is small because I use one bag until it wears out, only changing bags for special occasions. My current favourite is a chartreuse coloured shoulder bag by Australian brand Oroton. It’s an out there colour but goes surprisingly well with much of what I wear, and it still attracts compliments despite being a few years old. Shopping for new bags is difficult because they must be leather, relatively small and light weight (I have a troublesome shoulder), have a shoulder strap and several compartments so I can retrieve the items I carry round with a minimum of rummaging. It’s a wonder I have any bags at all!
Hi Leslie, I’ve used Bounce dryer sheets to remove odors from shoes and bags. I leave them for a couple of weeks and that has worked very well. I love your vintage bag collection.
Susan - I used to have a small bag collection! My wardrobe has shrunk and my vintage bags have grown :-))
Snowdrops must be very adaptable as they seem to grow in a wide variety of growing zones. Happy Easter!
Susie - The series was very entertaining...I hope they make more books into episodes.
Lorrie - I don't usually cut the hellebore blooms...I have done in the past on occasion.
Your garden must be glorious with flowers and plants right now! Hope that kitchen renovation is going smoothly.
Patricia - Easter greetings! You might find a vintage bag in a charity shop...I tend to shop online now as there are so many people out in the shops that it makes it harder to find good quality items.
KSL - Yes the comment was posted...the style of the bag reminds me a bit of a Kelly bag too...I cannot find many Due Fratelli bags online...I found the wine quilted one years ago and like the quality so I figured there might be a few more to choose from out there and I was rewarded :-))
Maria - I like the idea of a chartreuse coloured bag...just the right amount of colour to add interest.
If you have shoulder issues a smaller bag is the way to go. I had frozen shoulder years ago (ouch!!) the surgeon told me to get rid of my big bags...I listened and although I had the same issue with the other shoulder a few years later I have never gone back to the enormous heavy bags. Hope your shoulder is on the mend.
Janet - That Bounce idea was suggested by the seller to help rid the bag of the smoky smell...Febreeze was also recommended...I had baking soda here in the pantry so i used what I had and am happy that it worked!
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