Not an Hermes for the Hostess this time....or a Chanel for that matter!

Long scarves are on display in shops everywhere.

Have you seen them too?

Fan of scarves that I am, I see them before I see the clothing that they adorn.

The fabrics are light, loose and floaty.

Colours, patterns, prints.

They call to me....."Yoo-hoo hostess, over here!"

I only need one, but it has to tick ALL THE BOXES...it has to be versatile, long enough to knot and tie without feeling shortchanged, and work with my wardrobe, and not cost the earth...my wallet has been opening up far too regularly of late.

My Hermes scarf collection are all square silks.

For spring and summer, I found this one at the Hudson's Bay for $35.

It will brighten up my black trench and go with ALL my BLACK!

Fringed edges

Jungle print

Black and white is my camo

I can already tell I'll be wearing this one a lot.

I threw it around my neck when I darted out for a quick stop at the Market...I took these photos just before I ran out the door!

I was wearing my wide legged striped Gap trousers, Dolce and Gabbana grey leather belt, blush pink tank and off white Tribal sweater and Miz Mooz red flats...my new Tory Burch was dangling from my many bangled hand...

I picked up the latest Bazaar uk, Thinking Fashion...read it with a cup of tea in hand and it is one of the better issues I have seen.

Lots of beautiful images and ideas for spring and summer.

I need to go and shop my closet.

Get creative, reinvent, switch it up.

Just take a peek at this dreamy Chanel!

April 2010 Harpers Bazaar and Chanel

Sumptuous, neutral and the texture!

I would add

Layers of pearls...lusterous and warm, oh yes, I think so!

and maybe Chanel nail varnish in #505 Particuliere..you either love it or "not love it"!

( I do not like to use very strong or offensive terminology here in the Bungalow)

I am in the "I do not love it" camp.

My skin tone needs more colour.

How about yours??

Farewell to the flame...Vancouver the Host, and the Hostess is Home.

Sunday we stopped by to view the Olympic flame before it was extinguished.

We did park the Volvo here...no signs of any traffic wardens so we took our cameras and ran!

The Olympic party is over now and Vancouver is ready for more visitors.

Hotels are plentiful and affordable, there is something for everyone's budget....the YMCA rents rooms!

City of great scenery, fresh air, fabulous places to dine, shopping and the arts.

Coffee shops and cafes pepper the streets.

The Art Gallery on Robson is conveniently located downtown and they have great displays and a gift shop. Their cafeteria is surprisingly good too.

These scenes are in the vicinity of the new Vancouver Convention Centre.

The area is located at the waterfront and is very picturesque.

There were clouds in the sky and the threat of rain when we were walking around. On a sunny day the views to the north shore are spectacular.

Vancouver is a very green city, set amid snow capped mountains beside the Pacific Ocean. People have commented that it is very like Hong Kong in it's setting.

Vancouver has lots to offer the tourist.

Downtown is accessable by foot, there are trolleys that tour and cabs are easy to hail.

In the centre of this image the floating barge with the Olympic rings is visible.
The rings were lit in the traditional Olympic colours, and when Canada won a medal they would be  GOLD!

My favorite things to do are walk and shop Robson Street, South Granville, Granville Island, Holt Renfrew, Hermes, Tiffany's and Meinharts.

Sitting at Starbucks on Robson, or any outdoor cafe is a wonderful place to people watch...it is fashion on parade.

Places I like to explore;

Stanley Park

Kitsilano

Kerrisdale

Dunderave

Shaughnessy

UBC Endownment Lands

Restaurants on my fave list;

Vij's

Cioppino's

Cin Cin

Dunderave Fish Market

I am planning to be a tourist in my own hometown for a while and reconnect with our local merchants and explore our beautiful parks. 

I'll be cooking at home more, "the party" is over for awhile here in the Humble Bungalow and it's back to reality for the Hostess.

Routine and work are what I need for now, and that's a "Good Thing" as Martha Stewart would say, because it is what is on my agenda for the foreseeable future!

..and the winner is...

The giveaway day is here!
I need to catch up on domestics as I have been away so my post today is short and to the point...plus I am off to the dentist.

I put all the entries into the Tiffany's bag and I have shaken the bag and the winner is...

Thank you for participating.

There will be more giveaways here at the Humble Bungalow, stay tuned.

Materfamilias Congratulations!

Please email me your address and I will pop the scarf in the post asap!

Bangles, bridges, birds, baby boutiques and boulevards....

Good afternoon! We are back at the hotel for a wee break before going for a quick bite before the hockey game. Lovely DIL is positively radiant, she looks so amazing, I feel very protective, son is in fine form too, getting into the tech part of things like baby monitors, car seats, carriages...how they work. He's done his research, they both have, it what the kids do these days, it's all out there on the net.

I feel so blessed...I have a lump in my throat just typing this...tears well up.
I am so grateful for so many things, family is huge for me.

Time to sip a beverage and peruse some blogs, read some comments!

9 sterling bangles

First bangle closest right is a Tiffany, I've had it for eons...3rd one is the new one. I have another picture which is clearer.

New Tiffany is on the top, second down older Tiffany, rest are vintage.

On the way over the bridge to the north shore.

Heading to our fave fish restaurant for lunch...

Seagull on the 11th floor awaiting a snack...lucky fellow had some granola!

Baby boutiques from east to west, to north. (south tomorrow)...covered a lot of territory, saw some pretty cute stuff....it's like "Mothercare gone Sweden" In my days of baby and parenting we had little to choose from so I ordered a lot from the Mothercare catalog, I hand knit all kinds of things and ordered Osh Gosh B'Gosh.

Today they have chic baby garments and fashionable furnishings!

Mr. HB did a mammoth job driving and navigating...we are not used to the volume of traffic but he knows his way around like the back of his hand.

The CD player got a work out...Leslie Feist, Kate Nash to name a couple.

Must be off...cheers for now,

Hostess

Saturday morning, the sun is shining!

We spent most of yesterday downtown walking in the sunshine.

Lots of great window shopping and that promised Christmas bangle from Mr. HB...

I am now wearing the sterling bangle TC&CO...1837.

I wear stackable bangles, 2 now are Tiffany and the rest are vintage finds, and one a gift from mother, who also wears stackable silver bangles on occasion.

Lovely to look at Tiffany's have an interesting blend of traditional and arty jewelry.

Mr. HB also needed more of his scent, which is really more for me...as I love it! 

Free samples from the clerk too for me to try.

BTW, lots of leather bags in store and two women test driving the Kelly and another the Birkin...lovely DIL and I were trying to guess what the sticker prices were after we left the store...one woman was toting the traditional Hermes orange. Oh and you should have seen the packaging!

                                                            View from our hotel...

We are off to explore the baby and maternity shops.

I have a list...and the family are ready.

Must go....bye for now!

On the road again...

....we are on the road again...packing up the Volvo....taking lovely DIL and son away for a weekend and checking out baby gear and maternity shops... a hockey game...brunch with friends and a stop at IKEA....
I'll be home for the giveaway draw....take care and talk to you soon!

Seattle getaway...part 4...wooed by Prints Charming in the land of Liberty!

Liberty of London

In my distant past, I owned a Liberty print shirt that Mr. HB had gifted me when were were poor as church mice...it was a very sweet and extravagant purchase at the time and I loved it so much....the elbows actually wore through!

It's all about the details...

100% cotton pj's...how cute are these?

They feel so girly on...I love the bows too.

Target...for those of you who do not know is a large store that retails a huge variety of merchandise....everything from clothing to housewares to hardware...and I got to shop at the Northgate location briefly on our trip back home.

Target is a fun place to shop, surprises everywhere you turn...and affordable.

I was dizzy from the get go...Liberty signs everywhere...go this way, now turn, go back, go farther, get muddled, lose sight of Mr. HB, spied Liberty boots, bags, hats, bathing suits (cute but too skimpy), tops, pj's, dresses, or frocks as I am now calling them, thank you Faux Fuchsia!!

They even had an escalator which carried shopping carts...I thought that I had lost Mr. HB for a few minutes while he was studying said contraption.

I am thinking peacocks...

strappy and shirred...

flirty and tiered, 

a swish when you walk...

I have given myself "permission" to play...and not "safely"

 There is an abundance of fabric, (yes LPC it's polyester!)  

I feel feminine,

and I am pushing my comfort zone by choosing a print...and adding volume where it is really not needed!

I have been wooed by Prints Charming!

I can see this summer frock on the boat, in the garden picking flowers, maybe even a backyard BBQ.

Check out Sweet Tea in Seattle in her frock...she is so cute!

She is a fan of Target and as a result of her posts I was looking online for locations from the hotel suite.

I can see that Target has a site online....hmmm, I wonder if they ship to Canada?

 Deadline for the scarf giveaway is March 21st...someone is going to be lucky!

Seattle getaway...part 3...one is not enough but 4 might be too many!!

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!....there was a large parade in Seattle on the 13th....firetrucks, those futuristic looking steel DeLorean cars, bagpipers, men in uniform, Irish water spaniels, kilted men and women, and later we discovered a festival. Green was the theme...shamrocks, green garb, hats, beads, costumes, a sea of green...it was wild!  There were Irish dancers on stage, face painters, stalls for all things Irish....

I salute the Irish today...my grandmother and her kin....the Hollins clan!

We have been going into Laguna for years. They were one of a few retailers that sourced and stocked quality arts and crafts pieces. Wellers, Rookwood, and Gruebys in matte greens would take my breath away.

Cacaphony of colour and form.

We browsed inside but did not buy, The Humble Bungalow is full of pottery...and most of it green!

One of my goals was to hunt for a pair of ballerina flats, I had a vision in mind and I looked long and hard and did not find what I was envisioning...I know my dream pair are out there I just haven't seen them yet.

I did not let that deter me in my quest for footwear...it started so innocently...Mr. HB and I had embarked on an early morning walk and found ourselves outside The Nordstrom Rack, (I'd been there before!) we were there before they even opened!

There were a few other couples, Starbucks in hands, noses pressed to the glass...eyes on watches checking the time...and a rush ahead as they hurried in.

After a cursory check of the leather bags I headed upstairs...to shoe territory...hundreds of shoes, maybe thousands...in size categories on shelves stacked 2 and 3 high. I tried on an obscene amount...."When in Rome"....I narrowed it down to 4...

(I was planning on another edit but Mr. HB said "just get them all"

A man after my own heart!)

The shoe reveal....

Stickley, the Bungalow cat was "somewhat keen"(YAWN) to see us after our weekend.
She had been tended to lovingly by her favorite Bungalow Gal, lovely daughter.
I insisted that she humour me and see what would come out of the bag.

Born Bow fronts

(Yawn, I am not amused)

Sperry loafers

(Can't you see I'm trying to sleep?)

Anne Klein loafers

(Closing my eyes now)

Miz Mooz

(You woke me up, now I see red!)

Loafers are a standard and basic shoe for me so I got 2 pairs as replacements for my weary ones.

The antiqued Borns are just for fun, and the Reds are to replace my BCBG girls flats.

I am doing a happy dance now!

I have some more loot, see you tomorrow....

Seattle getaway...part 2...hunting and gathering, I bagged a big one!

There were so many great shopping opportunities to take advantage of in Seattle that I was overwelmed. (Not afraid of the challenge, I quickly rose up to meet it!)
We packed a lot into our time away, walking miles and for hours, exploring the Downtown core and seeing the sights...we did eat well and often!
Mr. HB was a very keen shopper. He managed to acquire 2 new black wool coats; one "MOTU" business coat, the other casual,  5  "Logo Free" Nordstrom polo shirts, and 2 pairs of shoes; one pair business, one pair casual for the boat.

I came home with more than I imagined... let's start here and there will be more posts to cover the rest of the loot!

I had been looking for a new bag, and had not found anything locally that made my heart flutter so I knew that it would be uppermost in my mind to scout out any prospects in Seattle.

Seattle did not disappoint!
Hooray! I bought a new bag.

Introducing....Tory Burch, my new arm candy.

love the colour!

reminds me of a caramel, or butterscotch...yummy.

Lined with several compartments.

Tote or cross body hands free for serious shopping!

Just waiting for a playdate!

I had a superb experience when purchasing this bag.

The sales staff were enthusiastic and showed me every possible bag they had on the floor. 

Bags by a multitude of amazing designers, in all colours, and styles, with prices from here to eternity.

 I tried them on, "test drove" them a bit, but all the while I kept TB firmly grasped in one hand so no one else might scoop her up.

Love or lust at first sight, I just knew!

I am thrilled with my new TB bag. The price tag is one that I can live with, the colour is new for me, it will go from spring and summer to fall. It will hold an immense amount...as long as it is not too heavy!

I laugh when I say that, as my Marc Jacobs Turnlock was too heavy when loaded up with my basics and so I gave it to my Lovely DIL.

Mr. HB was quick to point out that I better make certain that it would not be too heavy!

I am going to introduce TB to the Market and see how she likes it....we might run into our friends from Chanel or Louis Vuitton.

Don't forget to enter my giveaway scarf...see details on a former post.

More shopping reveals tomorrow stay tuned...