White Wednesday ~ October OOTD.

It feel like a long time since I've done a White Wednesday post .
I haven't seen too many of these lately and when I first started blogging they were a very popular theme.
It's interesting to me too, that many of the original stalwart bloggers have stopped writing.

I suppose like anything the novelty wears off, and one's taste changes.
So without further adieu...

Welcome to White Wednesday!
The Humble Bungalow Crockery is featured...

While the focus is on white...

I wore my black and white basics today.

Hermes scarf

Barbour vest

Banana Republic Tee

Franco Sarto loafers

g21 skinny jeans

We might need to re-name Wednesday ~ Black and White Wednesday!

I got my hair cut quite short on my last visit to my hairdresser.

The reason behind this decision was to cut off the last of the coloured strands.

It is all natural now...

there is a lot of tinsel showing through.

~ ~ ~

Tell me what have you been up to?

Simply White, a Wednesday in March...

White Wednesdays have all but disappeared, have you noticed?
Bloggers seems to have moved on to other themes.

I do so love white stoneware, plates and the soft glow of all white rooms.

Filtered light cast shadows on this simple jug.

Atlanta Bartlett's lovely book

At Home With White has some seriously beautiful images

I keep opening this book and dreaming in white.

I never tire of white rooms

they ooze with elegance

 a breath of calm relaxation.

I love when whites are massed together

the effect is amplified

especially when there are variations of shapes and texture.

Oh be still my beating heart,

 look at this all white kitchen!

Simple, elegant and stunning in it's beauty.

Our heritage Bungalow has dark Douglas Fir wood panelling and wainscoting and beams.

We would not dream of changing this element as that would be tampering with the original architects' design.

Milo S. Farwell worked in Victoria, Seattle and San Francisco.

I wonder how many of his homes still exist.

We are stewards of this home and do our best to keep it as original as possible.

Loving white as I do

 I add it where I can...

~ dishes and crockery ~

~ towels ~

The Meissen platter is a favourite of mine.

I love the grand scale of it and the gentle scalloped edge.

Maxwell Williams china is widely available and is quite reasonably priced.

Open stock makes it easy to pick up more pieces.

When you choose white china it is easy to mix and match different styles and designs 

it all works

trust me!

Say you are hosting a dinner party or a buffet for 20 and you own a set of 12 

you can borrow white china from your friends

and put it all together so it looks fabulous.

Apples even look prettier against the white bowl

this bowl was found at a local thrift shop

I think it was originally a wash basin.

For some inspiration pop on over to Country Living and have a browse...

I'll be back in a few days with some highlights from our Seattle and Vancouver trip.

There was lots of sightseeing and shopping...

and yes there were shoes!

Partners in grime

                                               You asked to see more of the glove...

it's back

some are more easily amused than others...

~ ~ ~

                                              I'd like to introduce you to The Scrub

It's a superb workhorse here in The Humble Bungalow

Bon Ami is an American made product

it translates from French and means "Good Friend"

first made in 1886

and it is a "green product"

which makes me feel good using it

plus there has never been a better friend in the Bungalow Kitchen

it's especially great at keeping the porcelain country farmhouse sink looking

 spic and span.

Tea stains and scratches are common enemies of the sink

Bon ami removes then in an instant with very little effort.

It's a good friend in the bathroom too!

~ I copied the following information right off the website ~

But kitchens and bathrooms have changed, and need an updated cleaner. Bon Ami Powder Cleanser is the answer. This formula starts with vegan, plant-based cleaning agents made from coconut and corn oils, then adds feldspar and the even softer abrasive, limestone. We add a little bit of soda ash and a touch of baking soda. The result is a natural, effective cleaner for modern surfaces.

Bon Ami Powder Cleanser is our most popular, general use powder.  It sports an updated yellow label, and can be found in most grocery stores, as well as online at BonAmi.net and EcoMom.com.

~ ~ ~

It costs a bit more than a chemical laden version cleaner

but it makes cleaning safer and greener for all of us who share the planet.

~ ~ ~

The arsenal of tools that sit by the sink at the ready.

Don't thank me for this tip

thank the glove.

Hard working domestic help is hard to find!

I'm hanging up my gloves for the weekend

as all here is chaos 

with our renovation in the last stages of readiness

there is very little that I can do but get dressed and head to the mall and do some Christmas shopping

and I'll leave the Humble Bungalow in the hands (paws) of the experts!

Be Well, Be Kind and Be Lovely!

"Views from the Sink" participating bloggers

Last Wednesday Views from the Kitchen Sink was an idea...and I hoped that a few other bloggers might share their images.

I am happy to share the links of those who have participated...

Thank you!

pondside
metscan
privilege
materfamilias
Faux Fuchsia
cupcake caramel
SydneyShopGirl
une femme d'un certain age
Judy Heinrich
restinginmotion
smallbutcharming
moonlightreflections
the gardener's cottage
lovelythings
a farmer's wife
Mummaducka's kaos
SewWest
breaking ground
My Yellow House
stepping my way to bliss
Blighty

if you have posted a view from your sink on your blog
please comment and I'll add your link here!

Remember to Moisturize

I love this oil

I love the scent

it's rose

so that's probably no surprise!

Janet at the Gardener's Cottage has recently discovered Olive Oil

Olive oil is the only oil I use in cooking and salad dressing.

Mother used to give her hair an Olive Oil treatment

she would apply it to her hair

 wrap it in a towel for several hours and then several shampoos later

resulting in glossy healthy looking hair.

Real friendship, like real poetry, is extremely rare - and precious as a pearl. 

Tahar Ben Jelloun 

I appreciate the connections that I have made here on Blogger

your email and comments are very important to me.

I am in debt to you...

in gratitude.

Views from the sink..."White Wednesday"

Do you spend hours in your kitchen prepping dinner, washing dishes?
I know I do.
I find these simple tasks very soothing.

The radio is always on and I am alone with my thoughts.
A great song has me swaying to the beat and often I sing,
sometimes very loudly and out of tune but only Pepper can hear it so it matters little.

What I see when I look up from my sink is a high wide wooden shelf, a 98 year old window sill.
I have chosen to place things on it that speak to me...

Objects that inspire calm and reflection...
here are the kitchen sill shots.

Standing here washing veggies

I thought that it might be fun to ask other bloggers to post their kitchen views.

Matte white = Peace and Serenity

Vintage pots

I am inviting you all to post some images of your kitchen sink scene.

Please leave me a comment and a link to your blog 

so that we can all hop right over 

and 

see what you gaze at from your kitchen sink!

Come on

don't be shy

the more the merrier!

Hope that you have fun and enjoy White Wednesday.

Shall we Dansk to a Symphony in Blue?

I found this vintage Dansk Paella pan in a local shop.

The shape and form were so attractive that even though I have never made Paella I decided that I could use it for a baking and serving dish.

I can visualize it filled with pasta and sauce, wine steamed clams, a hearty stew or a curry.

The shape is smooth 

and the enamel is in perfect condition.

In 1974 Avocado Green and Harvest Gold were the popular colors 

for appliances and kitchen decor.

Our wedding gifts were in Avocado Green

none of them exist today 

almost 37 years later!

We had a Blue themed kitchen for many years

with a whistling Copco kettle and baking dishes

and

Wedgewood Midwinter Stonehenge crockery in Blue.

In a recent post 

I showcased the current white Maxwell Williams 

white goes with everything!

Some Blue is creeping back into 

The Humble Bungalow

"what comes around goes around"

Grape Hyacinths

Seattle Music Experience

Frank Gehry designed structure

a symphony in blue

(too big for the Bungalow!)

Salt from Guernsey

hand scooped by salters

French sea salt is a Humble Bungalow staple

Blue sealer jars

 Suburban Princess

this display is for you!

Hydrangea

Postcard from Jeanne

Thank you

lovely blues...sent from across the sea

Harumi Ota 

a very talented porcelain artist created two bowls that caught my fancy a few years ago which I purchased and admire

here

and 

here

While I am embracing blues...

I cannot conceive of reintroducing Avocado Greens

except in the form of tasty and heathy avocados!

Does anyone have a Paella recipe that I must try?

Thank you for stopping by...

Humble Bungalow Kitchen...as requested!

Yesterday I posted about my kitchen sink and the lovelyand inspiring blogger Janet, over at The Gardener's Cottage asked to see more of my kitchen.
I went back into the arcived posts from January 23rd and found a few and then decided to recapture my kitchen this morning.
(I am flitting around camera in one hand, an mug of coffee in the other!)

East wall of kitchen, glimpses of  the dining room 

 a butler's door that swings both ways

is on the far left.

My floor is soft fir and is easily marked and pitted

I throw down rugs to keep it warm and add some vintage ambiance.

A modcon amid vintage 1913 arts and crafts

silver, recently polished, above the fridge gleaming!

The phone has a deep gurgle of a ring

as it thrums, I love it!

Bins which open are to the left hold onions and spuds

It is a sunny morning so I had to close the blinds to capture these images...

even with the dark fir it is a bright space when the sun is shining

it does become gloomy in the winter and I turn on more lights.

I am not the only dishwasher here...Kitchenaid is on the job too!

Pantry cupboard where I store food...it used to have an opening to the outside with a mesh screen

I suppose it was cold storage but we have boarded that up!

My kitchen nook

I blog from this arts and crafts table and bench seat

Our border and my talented friend Cheryl Fortier's acrylic

(I have 4 pieces of her work which I cherish)

she has a website www.cherylfortier.com

go and see her work

She and her husband are in Auvilar France on exchange until the Fall.

Shelves for cookbooks

Family room to the immediate right.

The Humble Bungalow is a small scale "working man's" home built in 1913

it is very modest.

When we purchased the Bungalow it was in need of a major overhaul

it had been rented out and neglected

we took it on and painstakingly restored it

 is now on the Heritage Registry and protected from the wrecking ball!

There were times when the children were teenagers and brought many friends home 

that I deeply desired a larger space

we even looked at some

now though,

 I see that it is a perfect retirement home for the two of us as we advance in age.