Seeing double...

I went shopping as I needed a quick fix post flu...
after spending 3 days in bed reading and surfing the net
I craved some retail therapy...
therapy that internet shopping could not satisfy.

I wasn't looking for anything in particular...
I was hoping that something would shout "buy me buy me"...
It's side of my self that I have not yet shared...
let me introduce this side now
occasionally
"I need to shop"...
(don't be too shocked)
I need to eat
I need to sleep...
Today I woke up and said "I need to shop!"

Need might sound desperate...it's only a word
don't be too bothered by it's use here I couldn't find a better one...

Mother used to say when she felt blue that a new hat was just what she "needed" to cheer her up...
I guess that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree!

I looked long and hard at handbags and found a very nice Nanette Lampore bronze mettalic cross body bag but after wearing it for half an hour and glancing in the mirrors as I cruised the clothing I decided it was too small...and at $250 reduced from $375 thought that the mettalic finish might date quickly.
You might ask why I tried this bag on and wore it so long...

I feel one needs to assess and scrutinize bags very carefully...they need to "fit my lifestyle".

Furthermore, I do not like to return merchandise...
I am lazy in that area and dislike any confrontation with clerks.
Some clerks can be rather tedious when dealing with returns...and it's not as if I have removed tags or forget my receipt...I have all that with me.
I have been known to donate things that I couldn't be bothered returning.
I digress...

I didn't find any garments that screamed out to me...lots of sale items that were odd or too trendy...and the basics are already in my closet.

Then I detoured through the shoe department and I found these...or rather they found me!

Hello Hostess...look over here...they practically waved at me.
Others waved too but for different reasons they did not come home with me.

Seeing double

twins

not identical

 fraternal

not one pair but two

and two of the same style

one conservative and versatile

and the other purely for fun

I know this might seem odd 

the thought did cross my mind

I put it down to the effects of the flu 

which is still lingering 

ever so slightly

flats + comfort = Happy Hostess

I can see some of you fashionable high heeled devotees shaking your heads!

no apologies 

flats and kitten heels are me

MTNY Legend

Mee Too New York

Ah...

I feel much better already

not sated 

but satisfied for the moment...

and tomorrow is another day...

Have you cruised the sales?

What did you find?

An investment piece

or

something cheerful and fun?

Pottering about the Bungalow...

This is a view of the interior of an arts and crafts bowl...
why have a smooth finish when you can add a flourish?

I am reminded of the hand that created this...
the finger that dragged along as the wheel turned
the smooth wet clay as it gave way to the pressure of the hand...
I can feel it here
even now,
after many decades...
tracing my finger in the grooves

(feelin' groovy)

Pottery is HUGE in the arts and crafts movement...it is "artfully crafted" and fits in with the philosophy and guidelines that arts and crafts is all about.

"Arts and Crafts"...those words sum it up.

Things made simply
things made,
by hand,
by hand and heart.

William Morris was quoted as saying
“Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful”

There's a guiding principle to live by...
all this de-cluttering might be attributed to William Morris~

I bought this piece of pottery in the late 1990's because I fell for the lava glaze

It bears no signature or mark so identification is difficult

attribution might be possible

but I would not know where to begin.

I found this in an antique shop while on holiday

it is a large and heavy vase 

look how the glaze has bubbled and popped in the kiln.

This wee bunny with the wonderful colour treatment

purchased in the late 1980's

before I had even heard of the artist

I just liked the colours of the glaze and the form.

It is an early example of

 the work of 

Artus Van Briggle

A well known potter from Colorado Springs  

the company is still in business

they started in 1899

have a look

 Vase (potter unknown)

with

Van Briggle bowl and bunny.

Harumi Ota porcelain bowl

circa 2009

I use it for pasta, salads, fruit

it

resides on the Humble Bungalow dining table

waiting 

to be filled

I just finished reading

Frances Itani's book 

"Remembering the Bones"

she's a very clever story teller

I read her book "Deafening" a few years ago

and was very excited to find this book

and she is at work on another one!

What 

are you reading

now?

I hope that you grab some time for yourself this weekend

and 

Hug your family!

Bungalow Bob Arts and Crafts circa 2011...a Pepper Post!

What have we here?
Is it a carpet
or maybe it's sisal...

Pet lovers can be a wee bit indulgent when it comes to their pets.

I've heard of pooches that get coiffed with bows in their hair and matching claw polish.

Well we are teetering on the edge of that precipice...

and Pepper is on the receiving side...

We subscribe to the American Bungalow magazine and have every issue since they started publishing

and I happened upon an ad for pet paraphenalia in the last issue

I emailed 

 Bungalow Bob's Pet Designs 

and asked him if he would be interested

in designing and building Pepper

a scratching post in the arts and crafts style...

he'd never made one before

but rose to the challenge

and he exceeded our expectations!

look at the attention to detail...

and constructed with quarter sawn oak

superior craftmanship

the finish is sheer perfection

it's a lovely solid piece

Pepper gave it the once over...

I think it meets her approval!

she is a pam-purred puss 

 that soft down duvet does beckon...

looking ever so relaxed

and given the fact that she's part Bengal

these moments are interspersed with frenzied activity

(you can see the surgical site where they shaved her tummy)

is that a smug shot?

I have a sneaky feeling that she is ruling the roost

or trying to give that impression!

I'd say she's got me under her spell...

she gives us much happiness

here in the Humble Bungalow.

I have been asked to show more detail of the Humble Bungalow

these are last years images

Humble Bungalow Porch

beam detail

View from the street

Porch details side view

Constance Spry Climber on pergola

side view looking back into garden

deck off of the kitchen top left

the fence shown here has been replaced with a new one

the slate patio is now mostly covered by creeping thyme

clematis and sundeck

and for interior images you can go here too.

Mirror images....a copy cat post!

Lisa from a mid life of privilege posted a picture of a lovely mirror that she inherited from her grandmama...(run on over and see her mirror and then come back and see mine...)

I'm not usually a copy cat...
no doubt you've heard that expression
imitation is the sincerest form of flattery!

My grandparents gave me this mirror when I was young.

The wood is Maple 

it is a very heavy piece and requires 2 large hooks in back to hold it's weight.

The bevelled glass mirror is backed with another type of wood

which I cannot identify...

I used to think it looked like the mirror in Disney's Sleeping Beauty...

mirror mirror on the wall who's the fairest one of all?

I have no idea where this was made or what style it might be

it is a simple mirror which has moved from my family home 

and accompanied me ever since.

These sit atop the lingerie chest...

in our small bedroom.

Pepper sits stop our queen size bed 

snoopervising my photo shoot

I am blogging from bed

it would appear the flu has become an unwelcome visitor...

I am curious...

do you hand wash many garments?

I have a few favourite things 

like this Elie Tahari Tee

the fabric is soft and silky

I consider it to be delicate in nature

as it was a purchase I thought twice about because of the price point

but

 it gets a lot of wear 

(CPW)

I find if I treat garments gently and handwash them with TLC

 they outlive garments washed in the machine

(how's that for a frugal tip?)

I wash and rinse in the bathroom sink

using Aveda shampure, of course!

I have been blog reading on my laptop in bed and the battery is running low

my book

is calling my name

yoo hoo Hostess!

written by Anne Giardini

the daughter of the late author Carol Shields

I am halfway through, enjoying it immensely

 it is quite sad

and find her style to be quite similar to that of her late mother

Carol Shields

If you have not had the pleasure of reading a Carol Shields novel you might want to pick one up from your local library.

The Fashion Police set up shop...but I fear they are undercover....incognito

It's getting more and more difficult taking photographs of clothing on the bed...
I think it's because the fashion police have arrived!

Pepper holding court atop our bed.

Her favourite toy is a clump of feathers attached to a wand

which I shake and move as she attacks

leaping

jumping

 and 

rolling

She looks right at home here

her recent surgery seems a distant memory

she has healed nicely and now we are waiting for the fur on her belly to grow back.

I hope that she approves of this outfit

it was chosen by my lovely daughter

It is for Miss Isla superior grand daughter!

(who is nearly 8 months old)

Just for the record, she is the cutest little girl anywhere

and I am not biased in the least!

I am feeling rather thick in the middle

so I purchased a looser top which drapes and skims

it is not the fix I need

merely a temporary solution

my weights are gathering dust in the room where I used to work out 

as it has become Peppers play room.

(excuses excuses!)

I didn't risk laying this soft knit top on the bed as I imagined shreds and  tatters before I got to wear it!

I am looking very tired

and very puffy

and having a bad hair day

what's going on?

I've been

burning the candle at both ends

and

so many people are sick

and I have been fighting something

off

and look at that unsightly spot...

now quickly look away

it showed up after my hygenist cleaned my teeth

I wonder if it had something to do with the latex gloves?

I am planning to use these sloughing potions to sandblast my winter weary skin

(Spot-be-gone)

less expensive

 than a scrub at the Spa

but just as effective

just not as luxe

Hope that you are enjoying good health

and feeling fabulous...

and looking better than me!