Decorating ~ free, thrift shop finds and some luxurious habits.

I love using "found" or foraged things from Nature in our home and cottage decor.

Thrift shop finds also factor in when it comes to things I have added to our bungalow...often they are unusual or somewhat quirky.

I have also been known to pull the car over when I see a free pile on the boulevard.

I am not particularly talented when it comes to interior decorating.

 But I do know what styles I do like and what I feel comfortable adding to our surroundings here in The Humble Bungalow.

Sea shells in a vintage canning jar.

Big barnacle

Chunk of coral

Glass Fish floats

Large Shell

Coral and shells mixed together.

a vintage flag

vintage enamel ware

I love using basic whites...

so versatile 

vases, trays and dishes.

White vintage Ironstone

Potted orchids

Emma Bridgewater tray...I also use her bowls for my morning cafe creme

White beach glass in a Ball sealer jar.

Emma Bridgewater Black Toast Pattern

Fresh flowers in an icy modernist vase.

Simple beach stones inside a bowl to keep the soap dry.

Vintage ironstone soap dish with built in ribbing for drainage.

Lovely soap...a weakness of mine is to buy quality french scented soaps.

Silver accents are peppered throughout the house.

My all time favourite candles...a splurge I know but so worth it.

First Nations baskets.

I love this book

by Tricia Foley 

Her simple style inspires me and I like to pick this book up from time to time and get re-energized about culling and curating what we have in our home.

 Tricia's ideas help inspire me when I am out perusing the thrift shops.

I tend to look closer at the "qualities" or the "bones" of a piece and am able to evaluate whether it is something that could add interest in our home.

Do you have a certain style when it comes to your home decor?

Have you ever hired a professional interior decorator?

What style do you admire?

Hope you have a lovely weekend...

the sun is shining here this morning and the day is going to be hot!

I plan to mix up a batch of lemonade and keep hydrated.

Canada Day, weekend stuff and a summer OOTD

A very grainy capture in the dark...

July 1st Canada's 150th celebration

the fireworks display watched from atop Moss Rocks.

Here's the view from on top of Moss Rocks 

a couple of blocks north of The Humble Bungalow.

The white condo building in the middle at the top was Mom's building.

I still have difficulty thinking that Mom has gone...

I see her in my daily round

and can still hear her voice...

My current book stack...

I picked up The Perfume Garden by Kate Lord Brown and sat for a few leisurely hours and have read the first 22 chapters... I do not want to stop reading!

Have you heard of the Cut Loose line of clothes?
I have tried on quite a few of their clothes over the years as I like their designs.
Many of their garments swamp my short stature...
I suppose they are designed for a taller woman.

Persistence over the years paid off and I have found a couple of Cut Loose things that I love and wear in the summer.

OOTD

A simple dress with a texture that minimizes bumps and wobbly bits.

The dress dips in the front and there is a pocket on one side.

The pocket is large enough for a wallet or a cellphone.

The back detail also dips 

I wear this with a pair of black footless capri tights and sandals.

I purchased this top in the US at Roche Harbour several summers ago.

It is long enough to wear with yoga pants or leggings.

Another favourite that gets a lot of wear.

I tend to wear looser clothing in hotter weather.

These two items get worn a lot and they wash up easily and hang to dry.

(Happy 4th of July to our neighbours to the south!)

My newest knitting project is a chunky weight white and grey mix yarn blanket.

It is a standard "dishcloth" pattern using two strands of yarn and a size 10mm circular needle with a 60 inch wire.

Constance Spry

a fragrant pink rose that continues to delight.

She is a repeat bloomer and a reliable and hardy climber.

Hope your week is off to a great start.

Hostess

Weight Watchers...and watching out the window.

Our kitchen window looks out toward the neighbours yard.
My laptop sits atop a quarter sawn oak trestle arts and crafts table so when emailing or blogging I can observe the work going on next door.

Here's a low Weight Watcher point breakfast that I ate a few days ago.

Low fat cottage cheese and fresh fruit.

I have been unable to focus on my WW since Mother passed away but now I need to get back on track.

It is proving to be more of a challenge this time...

I am trying to be disciplined but think I am in trouble and I may need to go back to the meetings as they really helped me before.

Coffee first thing in the morning is my only "real" caffeine of the day.

The rest of the time I opt for decaf beverages or I have trouble sleeping at night.

Dinner one boneless skinless chicken thigh, 

curried quinoa and brown rice

salad with 1 Tbsp. of low point yogurt dressing.

Our views from the kitchen window are changing daily and dramatically...

This used to be a demolition site...just a big hole.

Things are taking shape as the building is being erected.

A basement and main are being framed here...

And here is the view a couple of days later

There will be two new homes on this site.

Breakfast this morning was a symphony in red and white.

I have not seen any movement on the scale so far but I am not discouraged.

My pants feel looser so that's a good sign.

We are celebrating Canada's 150th birthday tomorrow on July 1st

there are a lot of people expected to attend the events on the lawn of the legislative buildings at the Inner Harbour.

I plan to avoid the crowds as I do not like getting jostled or stepped on and because I am so short I can never really see what's going on!

Mr. HB hung the flag up and we are hoping to watch the fireworks

from our neighbourhood.

Happy Canada Day!

Hope you have a lovely weekend.

I'll be back on the blog in a few days...

A garden visit to Point Ellice House.

Victoria has oodles of gardens worth a visit...

Butchart Gardens,  Abkhazi Gardens, Royal Roads, 

and this historic garden home Point Ellice House which is off the beaten track.

It's fun exploring local sites and seeing the parts of Victoria that the "tourists" see.

 I chose a sunny Sunday to explore before perusing "the secret vintage shoppe."

Point Ellice House also offer a tasty afternoon tea which can be savoured while sitting in the verdant garden with heritage roses and plants.

The home and garden are not open every day so please check the website for times on the link above.

Frothy Native plant Ocean Spray

Yellow Phlomis

After the tour of the gardens I wandered into the secret vintage shoppe.

There were chintz pillows, linens, scarves, housewares, silver trays,  collectibles, wicker pieces, teacups, plants and more...

I purchased this charming white candle holder which will goes nicely with my vintage ironstone pieces like this simple white tray.

Hope that you enjoyed this scenic tour of one of our local heritage sites.

Do you go on an adventure as a tourist in your own hometown?

I needed a break from all the weeding and deadheading in the garden so this was a perfect escape!

What is new with you?

Weekend Snippets...

It's been a very busy weekend here in The Humble Bungalow Garden!

The weather has been very hot and so watering has been a top priority.

With water restrictions in place, there are certain times one is permitted to use a sprinkler and the rest must be done by hand.

This has allowed me to wander about and take time to observe all the plants.

Roses love water and this white Iceberg climber is in full flush so I do not want to let it go dry.

If you look closely you can see the new obelisks beyond the iceberg rose.

These were required to help support the 4 new David Austin roses that we purchased this Spring.

Claire Austin is a fragrant white rose with climbing tendencies and the multiple blooms on each stem are heavy so she needs a little help.

Before painting...

After painting...

All four settled into their new spots.

We finished in time to sit for a bit on the deck. 

A glass of bubbly for the Hostess

and a single malt Islay scotch for Mr. HB.

Who BTW painted the obelisks most of the afternoon in the hot sun.

Thank you darling!

XO

We joined friends this weekend for a delicious BBQ dinner and sat on this gorgeous porch with expansive ocean views.

I also went to historic Point Ellice House and wandered in the garden and perused the new Secret Vintage Shoppe.

I'm working on a post to share the photos I took while I was there...

so please stay tuned and you can see what I found in the shoppe!

In the meantime 

it is laundry day and have a bunch of ironing to do.

How is your week going so far?

XO