Hermes, books, decor and more....

Do you get inspired by seeing beautiful images of home decor?
Does it make you want to change or rearrange or repurpose some of your current rooms?

I fell upon two great books recently
they were a breath of fresh air.
I sat with my tea and perused each page and pondered.
Is it time for a change?

I might like to redecorate my bedroom and paint it all in shades of white
while keeping the arts and crafts furniture in the dark oak original finish...

It would not be difficult to say goodbye to the floral wallpaper
and the Vintage Redoute Rose prints...
or to ripping up the seafoam wall to wall carpet
and refinishing the wood floors.

It would be hard work and there would be upheaval here for a few weeks...

Sounds ambitious and perhaps a bit daunting...

It might need to be my summer project we could sleep as guests in the room below
and I could action some serious change...
(or maybe not!)

I wanted to share this image from the book with you

an oyster shell encrusted fireplace!

I would never have thought of this would you?

 I can see this shell-y treatment in a beach cottage... 

The second book

Scrapbook for Living 

is a great resource for organizing the home

and it is conveniently divided into chapters focusing on the revamping and refining the home

chock full with lots of lovely images...

like this one

my favourite floral colour combo

white, green, and lime!

(picture taken from the book)

These books are very current comments on contemporary housing and decor

and they show large rooms with ample storage space

which is far from my reality

I am very comfortable and content living in our small Historic Bungalow...

it keeps my tendency for over consumption in check

as there is little space for more than the basics.

I must think carefully and chose wisely what I bring into the home...

(my rule is when something new comes in --- something old must go out)

The Humble Bungalow dates from the early 1900's

so there are tiny rooms

with

minimal closets

The bedroom closet

which I share with Mr. HB

I should have neatly stacked and folded the sweaters

I've captured the closet as it is...

 black, white and grey 

are the wardrobe workhorses

a punch of colour

is found in a lime Royal Robbins quilted vest (far right)

is a bold interloper

 just the ticket for a drab and dreary rainy day....

 I keep it to wear with this

 My collection of Hermes scarves

are 

not stored in the closet.

Hermes 

scarves are stored in their original boxes in a drawer

and they do not take up much space.

(I have room for more!)

I love Hermes scarves for their

 artistic designs and colourful patterns

Wardrobe in the Bungalow basement

contains

mostly out of season clothing

and special occasion wear

I am in the process of bringing up my summer clothes

and putting away my winter wear

and I have discovered that I need to go shopping!

What is on your shopping list?

Humble Bungalow Garden...and a Humble Bungalow Pie

Gardener's are never truly satisfied with how their patch is looking
we always feel it is never quite finished...
when compliments flow on a walkabout with a guest
we bend over to pinch a weed or deadhead a bloom that has faded
and make apologies.

Many of us change and rearrange our beds on a seasonal basis.
There are perennials to be divided and new exciting plants that have garnered our attention that we absolutely must purchase, even though we have not one square inch of space left...
not to worry we dig up some more turf and widen the border until there's more bed than grass!

This is the new project I embarked on...
the front bed beside the gravel drive.

Slate pieces littered haphazardly throughout the bed

they allow me to kneel on a foam gardener's pad 

and weed without getting too dirty.

Euphorbia

Potted plants add height

and can be moved around

and easily changed with the seasons

the clump of darker green beside the potted plant is a giant rudbeckia 

which grows to about 7 feet and has sunny yellow blooms

Boxwood plants

which will grow slowly and form a hedge which I shall keep neatly trimmed

a little bit of formality has been invited into an otherwise rambling cottage garden.

Much of the garden will remain the same as last year

our season has been stalled by the cold and rainy weather

the past few days we have enjoyed some long desired for sunshine 

and happily the thermometer has been on the rise.

The bulk of the veggies will be planted this coming weekend...

Elephant garlic and Yukon Gold spuds were planted last weekend by Mr. HB

Look at this huge Rhubarb!

It is ripe for the picking

and there's a pie recipe that I would love to share...

I have collected recipes over the past 37 years...

some of them have had to be written over many times as they have been used so much

this is one such recipe...

from Joyce, a former bridge partner.

You can substitute Greek style plain yogurt 

for the whipped cream...

so delicious served warm from the oven!

I hope that you enjoy this pie if you decide to bake it.

As the garden changes

so does my repertoire of recipes...

this tested tried and true reliable winner is my favourite.

French 75 and Date night...Humble Bungalow Style

Mr. HB and I went out for dinner at one of our favourite restaurants
and this is the floral arrangement  that greeted us...

Italian Fare

pastas

 fine local food is offered

It is a large space

and

because of the number of people who frequent the premises

it tends to be noisy

plus 

the wine list is so large

it takes up an entire binder !

We enjoyed a Tanqueray 10 martini 

with the regulation 3 olives to start

we perused the menu

and 

shared a salad

before our mains

I chose the grilled salmon with Yukon Gold potatoes and root veggies

Mr. HB had the rack of Lamb served atop white beans and olives

and after our dinner we went to a club

and danced for several hours to the beat of the music of our friend's band

they call themselves 

MID LIFE CRISIS!

I wore my new Josef Ribkoff dress

black fish net stockings, kitten heels

 a black vintage 

Bakelilte bangle

it was a night of fun

I had a French 75

at the club

here is my recipe....

Lovely daughter wrote this recipe out for me

she loves this cocktail and introduced it to me

it is a sweet concoction

sip it slowly

and smack your lips!

I find it interesting that we can learn so much from our children

I never can get enough "learning" in my days

there's always something new to discover

and

working in a school I am surrounded by bright young minds

with thoughts that are rich and they love to share their knowledge

they are especially chatty when they come to the Library

to do research and find new books

Are you open to new ideas and change?

Have you recently enrolled in a course

or read a thought provoking book?

What do you do to keep your mind stimulated?

(I have recently started doing the Sudoku puzzles in the newspaper)

Lily whites...

White and waxy

delicate and dainty

these are wee bonnets of bliss

The Humble Bungalow Garden

is bursting with a prolific Lily of the Valley bed

White blooms are perfection...

they radiate beauty

peace 

and 

serenity

a vintage amethyst vase

in the Bungalow Bathroom 

which is filled with an exotic 

and

 intoxicating scent...

I have no luck bringing in our lilacs

they wilt within a few days

their scent is divine.

I have tried scorching the stems

and slicing up into the stems

 I fear that they are not happy inside the Bungalow

so I leave them to bloom where they are planted.

Speaking of white...

Winter snowdrop images

these could be 

The Flying Nun's Hat!

I watched this show as a young woman...

so for me this is a trip down memory lane.

Flowers and scent are deeply rooted

and they speak to me 

do they speak to you?

Do you love white blossoms?

Wearing black...channelling light

It's Springtime here in BC...

I am importing some brightness 

by choosing these recently purchased sterling earrings 

and 

my thoughts are light...

I love the way I feel when wearing these dangles

they make me feel feminine

 I have no idea why

 they just do.

The garden is getting a major weeding... sweet peas are planted.

In the back garden of the Humble Bungalow 

planting veggies in the raised beds

is scheduled for last week of May

Red rhodo

in the front garden

Look at the ragged lawn edges 

OK look away now!

They wait to be trimmed with my newly sharpened edgers

Clever Mr. HB installed a vice grip on his workbench and worked a miracle!

using a file

he honed the steel to a fine and sharp edge

they have been tested and work like a dream!

There will be some changes in the front of The Humble Bungalow Garden

I am researching plants and roses...

there may even be some large pots invited to join in the patch.

I am visiting many garden blogs and magazines 

and an imagination 

as well as a superior

artsy visionary

Mr. HB!

For lunch this week at a local bistro I wore:

long knit sweater jacket

black tank top

black knit pants

OPI toes

Houston We Have a Purple

and yes 

there will be shoes...

ballet flats

and 

bangles of sterling

a scarf

and a smile!

I saw this video on You Tube and thought I'd share it.

Hope that your weekend offers up some great joys.