Shopping and de-cluttering

 

Fan Tan Alley in Victoria's historic Chinatown.

A place of interest for locals and visitors.

I enjoy going to chinatown and perusing the shops.

There are also some fabulous restaurants for Asian cuisine.

One of my favourite shops is Fan Tan Gallery.

They stock housewares, home decor items, cards, candles, soaps, gifts.

Baby clothes, books and toys.

An assortment of clothing...

many natural fabrics ~ linen and bamboo and wool.

An array of beautiful accessories and scarves.

On my last visit I left without purchasing a thing 

 I came away with some inspiration for our home decor.

On my neighbourhood walks I try to mix up the routes so that I don't get bored.

My usual walks are along the waterfront where I enjoy the changing views.

When I wander through the streets and gaze at other gardens 

I come home and look at The Humble Bungalow Garden with fresh eyes...

I really savour these meandering wanders.

Cook Street Village is a few blocks long and it has a lot of small shops.

 Coffee, grocery stores, cafes, pharmacy, hair salons, butcher shop, 

health food store, clothing retailer, two antique and collectible shops, 

a garden centre and more...

When I saunter down to the village I am usually on a "mission." 

Frequently I need an ingredient for a recipe that I am making.

 

Sometimes I just want to peruse the antique and collectible shops.

That was my plan the other day...

As I was walking my eye wandered to a store display 

hanging in the window was a cute top.

I masked up and walked in to find my size, tried it on, it fit, and that was it!

This black and white striped top skims my wobbly bits, has 3/4 length sleeves 

in a longer tunic length great for skinny pants or yoga pants.

The V neck works best for me as I am really quite short and rather busty.

The fabric is heavy enough that it doesn't cling and drapes beautifully.

I'll wear this top a lot

Fall through Winter and into Spring.

I culled many of my cook books...

placing them in the wee library across the street and they were snapped up.

My Covid goal is to tidy every cupboard, shelf, drawer and room 

in The Humble Bungalow.

One a day...

in no time I will be finished this task.

I just took 4 large bags to the local charity shop.

Boy it feels so good to pare down.

Hope that you are doing well, staying safe, and being mindful of the Covid Protocols.

Have you taken up any new hobbies or cultivated any new habits?

Are you cooking up a storm?

Baking bread?

What is keeping you sane during these isolating times?

Thank you for popping by The Humble Bungalow Blog.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Halloween during Covid...

 

Spooky Halloween Eve

Choosing pumpkins for Halloween with the grandchildren at a local farm.

We wandered about the pumpkin patch for about 45 minutes searching for the perfect specimens for our Jack O' Lanterns.

So many choices!

Difficult to opt for just one, so we ended up choosing two each.

Our wee pumpkins on the front porch table.

Packages of assorted treats in zip loc bags.

50 packs

Ready for the trick or treaters!

Large PVC tube on the left, for the safe delivery of the packages of treats.

We bundled up in out down coats.

I wore my scarf, gloves and a hat.

It was fun to see the costumes and hear the excitement of the children as they made their way up and down our block.

We turned the lights out when we ran out of treats at around 7:30.

Did you celebrate Halloween?

How did you do things differently so it was Safe?

Time is flying by and it is already November.

Take care.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

OOTD...a focus on the classics

 

 ~ OOTD ~

Shirts with Jeans

My current uniform 

on rotation here in The Humble Bungalow.

New white shirt from Old Navy

worn here with classic pearls.

When I was working 

White shirts were worn a lot and I owned several in different styles.

Worn tucked into black pants and simple skirts.

On Fridays we wore jeans.

I paired my white shirt with a soft wool blazer, jeans and loafers.

Accessorized with faux pearls...

One Christmas several decades ago, my parents gave me a lovely pair of genuine pearl studs.

( I still have them and wear them often)

One Valentine's Day, a few years later, my husband gave me a strand of Akoya pearls.

I love pearls

My Mom loved pearls too.

When I wear my pearls I always think of Mom.

Mom wore her baroque long opera length pearls almost everyday.

The necklace was a gift to her one Christmas from my father.

Do you wear pearls?

Have you a classic white shirt in your wardrobe?

I also love denim and chambray shirts.

I have two...

I am wearing one right now with my pearls.

This shirt has all the details that make it a classic and yet it is budget friendly.

Keeping a white shirt white is tricky.

If I get a mark on it

 I spray it with my pink grapefruit Method brand cleaner 

gently scrub with a soft brush before popping it into the wash.

I hang my shirts to dry and smoothe out the edges when they are damp.

Ironing carefully after they are dry.

I wear an apron when I am cooking and cleaning.

It saves my clothes from stains.

I love this linen one from Rough Linen.

It was an early Covid purchase.

Pope John Paull II white rose

blooming in The Humble Bungalow Garden.

White is such an elegant shade...

(White shirt quotes)

"You can wear them with anything. 

It's the person and the way that they wear it 

that makes it different. 

I have been designing white shirts forever, 

but I don't get tired of it." 

~ Carolina Herrera ~

"The white blouse can be light and floating, impeccable and austere, sumptuous and all-enveloping, tight and close-fitting. 

It rises up to frame the face. 

It sculpts the body by transforming itself into a second skin. 

Imputed with glamour and poetry, freedom and impetuousness, the prim white shirt turns out to have a thousand identities." 

                                 ~ Gianfranco Ferre ~

How will you style your shirt?

The important thing is having fun with your creative accessories.

A scarf

necklace

brooch

collar up? or buttoned up?

maybe opened up?

 as a layering piece over a camisole or top.

The White Shirt is a versatile classic

a worthy workhorse in every wardrobe.

Thank you for stopping by The Humble Bungalow Blog.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Thrift shop inspiration...cottage decor

 

Dried foliage foraged from the wilds of Pender Island

at

Quarterdeck Cottage.

Freshly rinsed antique crystal vessel...

A pleasant mix of materials...

rustic and rough juxtaposed with fine quality antique crystal.

A modernist votive holder...

looks like Ittala Glass by Tapio Wirkkala.

These two glass pieces were found at the thrift shop on Pender Island.

I have found some real gems in this shop.

If I lived on Pender full time I would be an active volunteer.

Since we only come over once a month I cannot commit to helping.

So I shop instead...

Do you like shopping for vintage items at thrift shops?

Do you shop online at Etsy or Ebay?

What are your favourite finds?

I'd love to hear from you...

Thank you for popping by The Humble Bungalow Blog.

Our Covid numbers here in BC are increasing...

the second wave predicted by the health authorities is here now.

Stay Safe, wear your masks, wash your hands and keep your bubbles small.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

OOTD...

 

OOTD

Lord and Taylor Cashmere 

It is officially 

"sweater weather"

Stormy

Rain and gusty winds

power outages across the Island and The Gulf Islands

Tress and branches are down...

rain is hitting the windows sideways!

Timberland Boots

Vintage America Jeans

Dressing casually for comfort and warmth during the stormy weather.

I ran a bunch of errands...

had my annual mammogram.

Grocery shopping

Refill for our Method dish soap pump bottle

Joie silicone soft gentle scrubber

Bamboo brush scrubber for tough jobs

I use a vintage porcelain pudding bowl for these items beside our farmhouse sink.

Water drains away from the brushes as the bottom of the bowl has a raised pattern.

Super sponge cloths they last and last 

washable 

up to 300 times!

One towel replaces 15 rolls of paper towels

absorbs 20 times its weight in water

compostable

It surprises me how much better I feel when I get some new cleaning supplies.

Daily domestic chores are a big part of my routine.

Spending so much more time at home 

means that I cannot avoid seeing what needs to be done!

 ~ New Book ~

by Gill Paul 

She wrote a book that I recently read The Secret Wife

which I really enjoyed and highly recommend.

What are you reading?

Have you been watching any good shows on Netflix ?

We discovered The Duchess, a quirky British series which we are enjoying.

Also an older series, After Life written, directed and starring Ricky Gervais.

(Dark subject matter but quite brilliant and funny.) 

Doing it Ourselves, a French castle renovation by a British family is on You Tube.

I welcome your suggestions...

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~