Seeing Red ~ could this be the fortune cookie prediction?

Red has been popping up on my radar lately...

It's been a star performer in the Humble Bungalow Garden for years...

I plant red geraniums every Spring and place them in a zinc container on the front porch.

They are planted in black pottery planters in the back yard and on the sun deck.

My fortune cookie suggested something new is on the horizon.

While I don't put a lot of stock into fortune messages I did consider what it might mean...

I perused Home Sense and this shiny red Chantal kettle caught my eye.

Could the fortune be "Project Red?"

I like the pop of red.

It goes with the Le Coq towel I purchased in the south of France.

We don't have many red things here in the bungalow.

Except

The guest room's red theme is because I fell in love with this Toile de Jouy bed linen.

It was quite expensive at the time but I didn't care...I was still working and earning good money.

Hence the red pop of colour with the pillow and red hand knitted shawl on the wicker table.

I'm not a "decorator" so I am cautious with home decor items...

I subscribe to restraint over clutter.

Bedside table in the guest room.

Clock, Kleenex, a book and two antique vessels ready for fresh flowers and chocolates.

I place several bottles of Perrier on the table as well.

I want our guests to feel comfortable and welcome.

There's an extra wool throw on the luggage stand at the foot of the bed.

Look at the adorable feet on the Herend piece!

The crude staple repair on this antique bowl persuaded me to buy it.

Pink Roses or peonies are pretty pairing with this cute vase.

Oops this turned out a wee bit blurry...it's hand painted 

made by Herend,  a Hungarian Company.

"The Art of Being a Woman

a simple guide to everyday love and laughter."

by Veronique Vienne

Original watercolour painting found at a community fund raiser on Thetis Island several years ago...

I wonder what that new "fortune predicted project" might be.

 ~ I am waiting ~

I must close for now as

my sister and I are going to take Mother out for a walk and a browse in the shops.

Perhaps there's a pair of red shoes in my future!

“Book your life choices in advance the same way you would book flights, car rentals, hotels, and excursions. Figure out early on in your career whether you intend to be financially independent or marry a rich man, join the ranks of the professional elite or be the stay-at- home type, postpone having children or find part-time employment. Then fasten your seat belt and sit tight as you watch your trajectory veer off course.” 

~ Veronique Vienne ~

The Art of Being a Woman: A Simple Guide to Everyday Love and Laughter

Hope your week is off to a great start.

The Humble Bungalow Below the stairs...

Greetings from The Humble Bungalow.
I took a very short blog break and I'm back...

In a recent post on wall treatments I showed pictures of the original dark wood interior of our arts and crafts home.
Stephen Andrew mentioned that he'd be tempted to paint the interior of our Humble Bungalow white and I have to admit that if it were up to just me I'd be wielding a white paintbrush.

Architect, Milo S Farwell designed our small home over 100 years ago...
it is a modest, small and very humble abode.
There is a historic value in these wee arts and crafts bungalows and many are being demolished in favour of larger homes. So restoration and preservation, with a nod to the integrity of the period seems appropriate...we updated the kitchen and bathrooms in the style but with new fixtures and appliances.
Our home is on the Heritage Registry which means that it can never be demolished.

We must take care to maintain the home and can apply for grants to help with big projects...
we did this with our roof and plan to apply for a grant to help pay for the painting that it so badly needs.

The interior of the living, and dining rooms of our home have also been designated heritage...
so I would not be permitted to paint them white!
In our basement it's a different matter, we went with white white and more white!!!

The quartz counter top in the laundry area.

Vintage enamel bread tin and colander.

The tools are black and white too...

this duo sports a touch of lime.

The bench by the door with an oar...

The LG washer and dryer are pewter grey and the floor tile is a mottled black.

(my goodness! I spy tan lines from my flip flops)

A basic black bamboo dress hangs to dry.

This hall would be very dark if it was not for the white walls.

You can see the guest room at the end of the hall.

The bathroom has a white tiled floor with black accents.

The bathroom shelf which I purchased at HomeSense.

Vintage mirror that I found on the boulevard...

Someones trash is someones treasure!

I threw in this picture of a black and white pillow that we have on our linen slip covered sofa in the family room.

I bought a new Cut Loose white top at Roche Harbour Resort .

We recently cruised to San Juan Island in Washington State, for a few days aboard our Sea Ray.

(Isla, our darling grand daughter is the artist behind the picture)

BTW grand baby number 3 is due any day now...

I am excited to meet the new little girl.

I'll be putting together a pictorial post of Roche Harbour sometime soon...

it's such a pretty spot and I'd like to share it with you.

In case you didn't know it's a destination for weddings.

Apparently there are over 120 weddings held in the garden every year.

While we were there for 5 days we noted 3 weddings were held in the gardens.

Loved the dreamy white gowns that the brides wore...

one wedding had 4 brides maids and they all wore white gowns and carried bouquets of white roses they looked so elegant...

It's time to relax and brew a pot of tea.

Until next time...

thank you for stopping by.

Waxing poetic...

I awoke very early this morning.
The cats were restless, the birds were chirping and I had thankfully enjoyed a decent night of sleep.

Good Morning from The Humble Bungalow!

 The 100 Year Old House by Rebecca Makkai...
she wrote The Borrower (which I now want to read!)

This book has hooked me from the minute I picked it up yesterday afternoon.
The chapters are short, the characters are strange and eccentric...there's something hiding in this old house...a ghost perhaps, or secrets from the past.

I am already halfway through it...and I don't want to put it down!

Life is ticking along...my hornet stings are not bothering me much now thanks to some quality aloe vera gel but there is an angry red patch which I refer to as the "venom path" which criss crosses my hand and wrist and I hope, in time, it will fade.

I've been really focusing on the garden and reading and have not devoted much time to blog.
It's curious how one's habits can change...you get out of the habit and new habits arise.

Life is like a journey and it is never dull...

opportunities 

challenges

adventures 

pop up

along the way.

We plough ahead...

maintaining a sense of order when at all possible.

Resting when we need to...

but not long enough to rust.

hoping 

for the fruits of our labours 

to be real

tangible

worthy

ripe

red

tasty and sweet

simple

yet glorious

from the first sniff of a ripe red tomato

until you bite into the flesh that gives a little resistance before allowing you to savour the incredible burst of flavour and then inevitably the juice drips down your chin....

(if you are wearing a white tee  you'll be spot treating the stain before it hits the laundry!)

I'm storing up thoughts and ideas and hoping that they will turn into something type-able...

a post or posts that might delight and entertain.

I've noticed many bloggers have taken blogging breaks

and I wonder if we are tired of hearing our own voices?

Are those bloggers voices going to remain silenced forever ?

Or are they soaking up life and about to burst forth like flowers?

I await the sounds and am patient...

nothing to do but wait.

It's quiet here as the neighbourhood starts to come to life.

I can hear my heart beat

the clocks chime

the gentle hum of the bees outside as they flit from flower to flower

a few cars go by

a neighbours dog barks

someone is singing

an unfamiliar song 

as they walk by our bungalow

 on their way 

good morning!

the day has begun.

Summer reading is one of my little luxuries...

as are farm ripe fresh vegetables

I'm off to visit the farm stand today

before I recommence reading

and in between 

I'll do some weeding and watering

and make some dinner

before 

retiring to a comfy bed for another night of slumber.

What are your favourite summer treats?

Are you reading a fabulous book that you'd care to share?

The Ugly Truth ~ Embracing Imperfection

Are you living a "perfectly imperfect" life...
I wasn't quite sure what that meant and you too may well ask what is perfectly imperfect?

The Urban dictionary offers this definition ~ "when someone has strong feelings for you they may tell you that you're "perfectly imperfect" basically saying that they accept your flaws, they like you enough that they see past your insecurities, a way of saying that you're perfect to them."

Our front porch is looking cheerful, almost pretty...but do not look too close!

These touches are meant to be a distraction as our front stairs are falling apart and the house paint is peeling.

We have several projects on our do list...but for now we must embrace the imperfections.

Is your home orderly, perfectly maintained and tastefully decorated?

Is there a sense of order or do you prefer disorder?

Are you a minimalist or do you subscribe to the "more is better" way of living?

I read with great interest Ellie's recent post about decorating and I am in awe of people who live in homes that look like they have been staged for a magazine shoot...

Our 100+ year old arts and crafts bungalow is imperfect and has many flaws.

The flaws are obvious, some even glaring.

Not unlike the face of an older woman...there are spots, wrinkles and laugh lines ~ evidence of the aging process.

"Nature gives you the face you have at twenty; it is up to you to merit the face you have at fifty."

~ Coco Chanel ~

Our home is small and is steeped in the arts and crafts style.

We opted for small scaled mission oak furniture and have collected many pieces of original old hand hammered copper pieces and vintage arts and crafts pottery.

First Nations baskets and Ojibwa duck decoys round out our collection.

Most of the wool rugs are new as are the window treatments.
With the exception of our two linen slip covered love seats and our bed all of the pieces are originals from the period from 1912 -1918.
I suppose you might call it "museum style decorating" because the pieces have their original patina and are worn, marked and distressed from years of use.

Two lamps are new, the rest are originals from Water Glass Studios.

This vintage chair was a boulevard freebie...

I carried it home and painted it then distressed it for effect.

It's been on our front porch for several years.

This tool box was treated to a coat of paint and distressed...

It often holds pots of geraniums in the summer and pine cones in the winter.

Check out those muddy footprints..."someone" needs to wash the porch!

This chair was a freebie too...

if you look closely you can you see the imperfections.

"Optimism - the doctrine or belief that everything is beautiful, including what is ugly."

~ Ambrose Bierce ~

"I never saw an ugly thing in my life: for let the form of an object be what it may,
- light, shade, and perspective will always make it beautiful."

                                                             ~ John Constable ~