Take one silk scarf....

I spied a pretty silk scarf at the Oak Bay United Church Rummage Sale...
buried deep in a bin brimming with garish and gaudy polyester scarves. It was like finding a needle in a haystack!

A "no name", silk, hand rolled printed in a Liberty-esque pattern.
A small versatile square in a neutral tan and black combination and for the bargain price of $2.00 how could I pass it up?

I learned this scarf tie from the fabulous blogger Faux Fucshia

You can see how easy it is...

leave the knot a little lose until you thread the two wnds through the knot then tighten it

"Expect the unexpected" ~ mixing up colours and stripes.

I like to use this cowboy tie under a jacket or coat.

Casual and unfussy this is the way I usually wear my silk square scarves.

Vintage silk scarves can be found in thrift and charity shops,

online on etsy or ebay.

You needn't spend a lot of money or break your budget when purchasing a silk scarf.

And however you choose to wear them they do add a dash of colour and interest to an outfit.

Tie one on your handbag as a nod to Babe Paley if you like...

“You can never be too rich or too thin.”

~ Wallis Simpson The Duchess of Windsor ~

For the garden enthusiasts...

I'm working on the Glass House Post from Graham's Garden walkabout and I'll post it soon.

Graham's Garden, Monday morning Walkabout.

My friend Graham lives in a very beautiful heritage home that hugs the cliff overlooking the seaside in a very Tony enclave of our city....
Graham possesses what all serious gardeners envy "he has been born with a green thumb."
He is a gifted artist when it comes to plant pairings and uses the landscape as a canvas for his vision...
the rocky outcroppings and the canopy of Garry Oaks give his garden exquisite "bones" and he has worked his magic to orchestrate a magnificent cacophony...

Mondays are his dedicated "Garden Day" so my friend and I invited ourselves over for a tour and with Graham's permission I took photos to share with you here on the blog...be prepared to be impressed....
I am still reeling...the word that best describes my 60 minutes = GOBSMACKED.

I am very fond of mixing colours and textures of unusual and interesting foliage in the garden...
you will see how Graham mixes these effortlessly.
Artfully juxtaposed in the beds are pots and paraphernalia...
and occasionally and bit of whimsy.

I'll let the pictures speak for themselves....

Pictures of Graham's Glass House will be featured on another post.

Hope that you enjoyed tagging along on the garden walkabout.

In gratitude and many thanks to our convivial and generous host...

I loved wandering around in your garden and am so happy that you have invited us back to see it this summer.

This post is for you Graham!

Hugs.

Hostess

XO

Chin Up!

Flaky dry skin often rears its ugly head at this time of year despite a dedicated skincare regime.
It signals to me that I need to book a Spa facial.

As I am watching my expenses a $200 facial is not currently in my budget.
So it's off to the Pharmacy to chat with the lovely gals at the cosmetic counter...
they know that I use Avene and asked if I exfoliate, and I do.
I use a Bio-Gommage by Physiodermie from the dermatologist once or twice a week.
The area that is flaky is one small patch on my chin which I find quite annoying as it is so noticeable.

My skin gets TLC and I am diligent when it comes to maintenance and swear by the Avene line from France.

The Avene serum has intensive hydrating properties and is designed for really dry skin.

It was suggested that I use the serum at bedtime and slather a layer of the moisture mask over top,

sleep with it on all night and wash it off in the morning.

The gals told me to wear these two products on the airplane when I fly off to Paris...

9 hours of moisturizing sounds like a Spa pampering treatment.

It's day 2 of using these two together and the flakiness has greatly reduced...almost gone.

I suppose that just goes to show that it's good to be open to new ways of doing things.

I had a $5 coupon, as well as the seniors discount and received a gift with purchase.

Win ~ Win 

 at a fraction of the cost of a professional facial.

I'm increasing my water consumption in hopes that I will counteract this drying trend in the future.

The aging process brings many new challenges.

Counteracting dryness ~ one of the first of many!

                                          "Nobody grows old merely by living a number of years.
                                                        We grow old by deserting our ideals.
                               Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul."

                                                                      ~ Samuel Ullman ~