Eating local ~ morsels of goodness.

Tasty, juicy and sweet.
Three words that sum up Nature's late summer offering / gift ~ freshly picked local black berries...

alone or with some cream

 Mr. HB prefers his

 atop of some Coconut Dream "ice cream."

Any way you choose to serve these morsels

they are delicious.

One of Mother Nature's late summer harvests

so worth buying 

or if you are lucky enough to find a bramble 

picking your own.

Look at the size of these beauties...

I've had some on hot oatmeal

and a few stirred into Greek style coconut yogurt.

I can't quite say I've had my fill of these yet.

I hope this sunshine sticks around awhile longer and ripens the rest of the crop.

Is your mouth watering yet?

I do hope that your week is off to a fabulous start.

Please tell me what fabulous things you've got planned.

~ ~ ~ 

Hostess

Two reasons I HAD to go shopping.

You might be curious why I needed a reason to go shopping.
Trust me I do need a legitimate reason.
I have been avoiding the shops because we are knee deep in renovations and are having an identical newly crafted  front door made to replace our 100 year old door which is delaminating.

First off I've been down with a cold and my head has been stuffed up and fuzzy.

I managed to stay in bed for two days and then got up and about thinking I was cured....
until I went to do a load of laundry ~ black clothes.
My mind was obviously still foggy as later I discovered that I forgot to check the pockets.

When I went to hang them up to dry I was shocked at what I saw...everything was covered in small white bits of Kleenex, yes people I had left all my spare tissues in every pocket of every garment and I think there must have been a total of say 10 tissues which simply was a snowy disaster. As it turns out I was able to rewash the load several times and spin in just the air cycle the garments before attempting to de-lint and hand pick off the bits which were resistant after 3 washings. Not all garments survived...one dress and one top were down.

The second reason that I needed to go shopping is that we do not have doors on our bedroom closet and Chester attacked and shredded my basic black tunic top the very one that I wear several times a week to school.
It's rather disconcerting staring at a knit jersey top that has holes and runs in the fabric trying to figure out if it can be repaired and salvaged.

Which takes me back about 20 years when I came home from work to find our adorable kittens Stickley and Teco had had a shredding party of their own and were swinging in large holes that they had made in our imported Scottish lace curtains that hung in the living room windows...these were so pricey that I did spend many evenings attempting to stitch them back together...but they were never the same and as soon as the cats matured and I could afford to, I replaced them!

My new purchases are hung up on a higher rod and I've left only sturdy denims on the low rod for the time being.

think of this plain tunic as a layering piece

a backdrop for want of a better term

I'll show you what I will be pairing this simple top with...

all with medium weight leggings in black

This one replaces the lint top that ended up in the rag bag.

Both pieces are made of sustainable Bamboo by the Vancouver Company Gilmore.

I'll be showing you the new door soon

it has been installed but still needs to be stained.

Percy, is the talented artisan who crafted the door

he salvaged the original bevelled glass and the end result is brilliant!

Stay tuned.

~ ~ ~

Thanks for stopping by!

Hostess

OOTD ~ Errands

Mr. HB has installed a full length mirror for me downstairs!
It's been several years since I have had one and think this will help me monitor how I look before I leave the house.
The renovations are not yet complete as you can see...
and the bonus is I now have a place to snap some images of the occasional OOTD.

Gilmour top in a mushroom shade

skinny jeans

ballet flats

You can see the saw in the background to the left.

I try to take a tote bag or basket when I run errands so that I do not end up with all those cheap plastic bags.

This one goes with my outfit.

I did add something as a result of checking the mirror.

I think this adds to the whole look.

Fortunately the weather is warm enough that I do not need anther layer.

We are enjoying what is known in these parts as an Indian Summer.

Must run now and get some of my errands accomplished...

hope that you are having a great week!

Wishing you a wonderful weekend ahead.

XO

Hostess

My style ~ skin care ~ make up.

When it comes to make up I am a minimalist.
Using a light hand with just a hint of make up to draw attention to my eyes.

I wash and moisturize my face twice daily with an arsenal of products...

Avene from France

sold locally at the Pharmacy in the Village.

My weapon of choice...

a battery powered Olay brush

deeper cleansing 

sloughing

and a gentle massage.

I love this tool and I think it has made my skin look better since I started using it.

My rosacea has settled down since using it so that's a bonus!

This enamel tin holds all my make up.

This is it, 

all of the products that I use.

Organic Mineral sunscreen by Eminence

Lancome mascara

Great Lash clear for eye brow control

2 eye liners 

one in brown for daytime

one in black for evening

eye shadow powder brush

eyebrow and eye lash grooming tool

eye lash curler

shadows for daytime in mauve, pink and grey

a darker shade for the smokey eye at night

basic neutral pink lip

Like most things here in The Humble Bungalow

keeping it simple seems to be the way to go.

What is your approach?

Minimal or maximum?

Tory Burch ~ Thrift Find of the Summer!

On our summer boating holiday we visited a Gulf Island that had a Thrift Shop
"Nu~to~U" which was only open 2 days a week.
My BFF and I went early before the 10am scheduled opening and stood behind a few locals in a line that snaked it's way out the door and down the steps. I thought to myself as we waited that this must be one fabulous shop if the locals were queuing well before the doors were open.

She's made with recycled finds

love that aluminum teapot cover

can you spot it?

This female form certainly was a conversation starter!

On my first visit I found a wee watercolour of roses

which I plan to hang on the wall of our guest room.

 a brooch with two scottie dogs made out of bakelite

On Labour Day Weekend 

lovely daughter and I paid this wee shop another visit.

This time we found ourselves way at the very bottom of the stairs with probably 20 people ahead of us.

Listening in to the local gossip was incredibly entertaining

I suppose living on a small island means that everyone knows what everyone else is doing!

(there was some pretty interesting chatter with some very personal details going public)

When they opened the doors there was quite a surge 

as people entered the shop and scouted out the tables and shelves

it was rather difficult negotiating the tiny aisles

and I spied a black handbag

that no one else seemed to be interested in...

I bought it!

supple leather

a simple style 

do you recognize the logo?

Tory Burch design

Dena Glazed Hobo Bag.

subtle details

well constructed

a mirror inside

zippered section

with pockets for keys and a cellphone

(the mirror still had the protective film on it)

I think this bag is brand new.

You can see it here  at Saks for much more than I paid.

After we shopped the Thrift Store we went grocery shopping and my Roots cross body bag's strap broke!

It must have been meant for me.

I have taken the Roots bag in for repair and in the meantime I am enjoying this Tory Burch Bag

and I am feeling a little smug about the fact that I did not have to pay the regular retail price of this bag.

It's a guilt free pleasure!

What have you been fortunate enough to find at a thrift shop?

What is your best score ever?

Hope your week is off to a great start!