Inviting colour in small doses...

The dark days of January here in the Pacific Northwest are making me crave colour...

My minimal wardrobe could use a dose of energy... as could I!

The basic clothes that hang in my closet are functional and everything works together.
Planning and shopping with the basic shades makes it simple but with the dark days of January here in the Pacific Northwest I find that I crave an injection of colour.

Eileen Fisher would be the designer whose clothes I could exclusively wear and own...
and she works mostly in shades of grey, black and navy in winter.

I saw a sweater from her new spring and summer line made out of a loose linen weave in a soft grey and I absolutely loved it...but the price tag was almost $400. Yikes!

Oh but it would look fabulous with my white jeans...
perhaps...time will tell...I have a birthday coming up in March.

After shopping I came home I brewed a cup of hot tea and painted my nails...in living colour!
I am getting better at this.
The health and look of my cuticles are improving with the use of gloves and hand cream.

Here is that punch of colour that I am craving and at a price that I can afford!

I met darling daughter for a healthy lunch earlier in the week and tried on her newest cocktail ring.

If you are on Instagram please check out her site.

@thingfinder

She has the most stunning collection of jewels and she has an etsy shop where she sells some of her gems.

(etsy shop link on her IG page)

I am going to a celebration of life which is coming up soon 

and I have been trying to decide what to wear.

I will be volunteering at this function.

I went to school with the woman who passed away at 61.

She was a successful lawyer, a court judge, wife and mother.

The volunteers are planning on wearing mostly black.

Vintage Leather vest Pamela McCoy which can be layered over any number of tops

paired with the versatile Lisa Campione skirt.

Lord and Taylor waffle knit sweater.

Pair this with tights and short boots.

Jeanne Beker poly sleeveless top adds some sheen.

Susan Bristol (ages old) knit sweater jacket.

(Ladylike)

Tweedy jacket

(Mother approved)

Assorted Pearl necklaces...to layer or wear alone.

Vintage bakelite clamper bracelet.

I may wear a LBD as I have several contenders in the closet.

What do you wear to funerals or celebrations of life?

New brighter lipstick by L'Oreal number 590 Blushing Berry.

The colour is actually darker and richer than it looks in this light.

I bought a new address book to replace the one that I had that was falling apart.

It took me over an hour this past weekend but I managed to update and  transfer all the addresses.

New fitness/workout wear from Costco.

Inexpensive and the fabrics are super cozy.

I just heard that Alan Rickman died...I loved his acting and enjoyed his films.

His passing came right on the heels of David Bowie's death, 

both 69 and both died of cancer.

So sad.

I must get out of my colourful Ralph Lauren PJ's...

I've been at the computer far too long but oh my

the coffee tastes good this morning...

Time to seize the day!

Hostess

Dressing tactics...I wear red when I need energy ~ Saturday OOTD.

Some days one just needs a boost...an influx of energy when the physical and mental stores are depleted.
A day dawns when the kick of a coffee is not enough...

My cream in coffee habit has been replaced by foamed milk...

which is win win as there are fewer WW points and it's a fancy way to start the day.

I purchased an electric foam gadget at Starbucks and use 1% milk in it.

So easy and so delicious!

(you can see the base of it to the right of the microwave)

Our Humble Bungalow is bathed in warm sunshine this morning....

 we await word from the vet who is doing more diagnostics on our cat Pepper.

 Who by the way is celebrating her 5th birthday today.

Our lovely daughter is celebrating her birthday today...

Mr. HB's mother will be 97 today.

There are other grandchildren and great grandchildren celebrating an April 18th birthday.

When my energy is ebbing low I dress for comfort.

Opt for cozy worn in "boyfriend" jeans DKNY, a soft Tee shirt Gap, and some ballet flats Lands' End...

this will be my OOTD.

I grab my red shoes...wearing red shoes always puts a smile on my face and a little bounce in my step.

 I was out in Brentwood Bay yesterday delivering the cat to the hospital 

I perused some shops and found a new dress and belt...

Vero Moda dress

Jacob leather belt

This is an easy casual outfit and is super comfy for running errands, lunching with the ladies.

 Or perhaps strolling along the Seine...wandering on the cobblestones of the Latin Quarter or sauntering through the Luxembourg Gardens.

Hope you are having a lovely day.

I can hardly believe it but I'll be in Paris next week!!!

Ooh La La!

Retail therapy ~ a date with darling daughter, my favourite fashion advisor.

Life is handing us out some stressful days...
the kind of days where tension manifests itself in painful knots in the upper back and shoulders.

Pepper our elder cat is still not well despite the meds and it looks like surgery is imminent.
More tests, X-rays, blood work, urinalysis the list goes on...
There have been tears shed and sleep has become sporadic and restless.
And somehow a ray of sunshine appears on the horizon...and it's our darling daughter!
She knew I needed her support and so she accompanied me to the vet visit.
Daughters are so lovely...I am so very grateful to have her in my life.

After our appointment we went home and got Pepper settled and went out for a healthy lunch at Pure Vanilla in Oak Bay. The day was sunny and warm so we opted to sit outside on the patio.

I had mentioned to my daughter how I had been toying with the idea of a new pair of jeans so we popped over the the mall and checked out what the Gap had and I tried on a few pair but nothing had that Wow Factor.
As we were cruising the mall we detoured into Banana Republic where I spied a cute pair of petite sized jeans...
I tried them on, and well, the rest is history!

I want to tuck my cream silk blouse into the waist so I bought the 30 inch size in petite.

The jeans can be rolled up slightly or worn straight...depends on my mood and the footwear that I choose.

Thinking the red ballet flats will be a great pairing with these and the Breton striped Tee will be "Oh So French!"

Banana Republic "touch of cashmere" sweater

heavily reduced

 longer in the back

cozy like a warm hug.

I said Yes.

It looks much better on than it does hanging here.

Chester loves bags!

Pepper watched with amusement in her eyes...

Darling daughter shared some of her secret weapons with me...

thank you sweetheart!

The lip balm is AMAZING!

It smells like roses and moisturizes like none other...

The apricot cuticle cream is going to be a mainstay in my arsenal of tricks.

As a gardener I tend to have ragged cuticles despite wearing gloves the hands take a beating.

The pot of cream will be at my bedside and I plan to rub it into my nails every night before bedtime.

I replaced my brown leather watch strap with a new black one and it is like having a new watch.

Well I must get on with my day...I need to keep busy.

so more cleaning is in order

as we await news from the vet as to Pepper's fate.

Hope your week is ticking along nicely.