Tablescape ~ Hostess Style.

Do you invest a lot of time and money to decorate your home?
I tend to keep things simple and when I see creative bloggers who have coordinated their home decor to reflect every season and holiday I wonder if I am missing something. Given my new frugal regime I am not waltzing off to Michael's, Pier One or Home Sense and investing hundreds of dollars.

I did get a bee in my bonnet about doing something with the new platter that I found.
It started so innocently with mini pumpkins and pine cones until I spied the blue glass floats sitting in the First Nations Basket on the buffet and a light turned on!
Taking something I already have and making it look different, it's like shopping the closet!

Here is how the platter looks now...

I think it looks quite festive.

I did buy white tapers to keep the colour theme.

(These old beeswax babies are my go to as they smell so lovely when they are burning.)

What are you doing to feather your nest?

~Blog news~

I have had to reactivate word verification as I have been getting a huge increase in spam.

I hope to deactivate it after awhile as I know it may prevent some of you from leaving comments.

I thought about eliminating the anonymous comment option but so many of you do use it so I will keep that open.

Hostess

XO

~ Paris Street Style ~

I recently picked up a copy of Paris Street Style from the local library and read it cover to cover in an afternoon.
This little book is a real gem!

It's chock full of great tips and an interesting assortment of fabulous photos showing chic women wearing clothes with French flair and panache. All of the women added their personal touches so they do not come across as cookie cutter models.
The interviews of 25 personalities involved in the fashion industry add depth...
these "fashion insiders" share their advice.

I think a copy of Paris Street Style should find a home with the other French Style books on my bookshelf.

Essentials that you need to know about French chic...

Notes from the book jacket include;

8 items that everyone should own.

Accessories.

Classic handbags that last a lifetime.

The ideal jeans to wear Monday through Sunday.

The little black dress is perfect for you.

Mixing vintage, brand new luxury and dirt cheap pieces.

Run! don't walk and get your mitts on this gem of a book.

 If you are at all interested in French Chic this will out a smile on your face.

Speaking of French Chic,

 I just found out that I was one of the lucky readers to win a copy of Tish Jett's new book

Forever Chic: Frenchwomen's Secrets for Timeless Beauty, Style, and Substance.

Blogger Deja Pseu offered a generous giveaway and I am so excited!

Thank you so much!

I cannot wait for it to arrive so I can read it.

Hope you have a fabulous weekend.

Hostess

XO

Holiday dressing on a shoestring...Hostess Style.

The holidays bring with them the opportunity to dress up.
People open their homes, and holiday social events and gatherings require a bit more polish.

What to wear?
The question sounds familiar and we have all posed this question at some time.
It's a bit daunting...
Especially when one has pared down the wardrobe to the bare bones.

My husband's firm is having a staff party and I needed to find something to wear...
something new because I NEED an outfit. That's the only downside to losing weight is that you must replace your basics in smaller sizes.

With a view towards thrift I have been searching for something that will not cost too much and still be stylish and versatile enough to change it with accessories for a variety of events.
Enter the LBD...a great classic but so far "the one" has eluded me.
Black is a good choice for me so why not entertain the idea of separates?

A little black skirt

with an interesting texture.

A dressy black sweater jacket

in a yarn with a slight sheen.

Susan Bristol adds quite a few details in her designs.

A bit "Chanel-esque"

 I will be able to wear this with the skirt, over a dress, or with my ponte knit pants or even jeans.

Some wild tights...maybe!

 I'll need to be in the mood!

Kate Middleton can carry the champagne toned hose off...

now I'll need to see if I can do it too.

A gal needs to have some shoes that she can walk in.

No hobbling or tripping will be required with these kitten heels.

Meow!

Very grown up and sensible.

I plan to wear these with my jeans for evening too.

All these items were purchased with the plan that I would be wearing them for a long time.

So there are no wild colours...these are meant to be workhorses in the wardrobe.

The fun happens in the accessory department and that is where I will kick it up a notch.

Always keeping my eyes open for a fun and cheeky accessories in my travels...

And it's comforting to know that there are my go-to favourite pearl necklaces waiting...

I can always mass them together.

The more the merrier!

I need to figure out what coat to wear...

I am ruling out the down puffer coat and the LuLuLemon wanna-be by Chillox.

Aunt Tirzah's 1940's fur jacket seems too risky.

I'll be on the hunt for that piece next...

Do you have a favourite outfit for holiday events?

The Joys of Cooking....removing sap, a bit of nature and a new book.

Browsing through cookbooks and trying new recipes help to keep me enthusiastic about cooking.
Cocooning inside The Humble Bungalow on a blustery day making a hearty stew feels so good.
Harvesting and eating root vegetables seem to go hand in hand with the shorter daylight hours and cooler weather.

The colours of yams, parsnips, turnips and carrots remind me of autumn...

Our family have been enjoying "Little Stew" for years.

It is a simple meal of ground beef and vegetables made with a rich gravy.

It simmers in the large Le Creuset dutch oven for hours and is just as tasty the next day.

Little Stew

Saute a large diced onion until soft.

Add ground beef and brown.

Make a "gravy" with a bouillon cube or beef stock and pour over cooked beef.

Add vegetables, any that you like.

I used carrots, potatoes, and peas.

Season with salt and pepper.

Simmer for several hours.

I served it with some home made bread.

Our large Le Creuset gets used most days.

It's a heavy Dutch oven that can go into or on top of the oven.

I feel like I get a workout merely lifting it in and out of the cupboard!

This Ulster Weavers linen tea towel is new from The Irish Linen Shop on Government Street.

I liked the whimsy of the lone black sheep.

I bought some new linens from them when I walked by 

after the Veteran's Day Ceremony at the Legislative Buildings.

Speaking of new things...

I found a new ~ to ~ me platter.

It is enormous and will be fabulous for the turkey dinner at Christmas.

I love the oak leaf and acorn detail on the edges.

In the "Oak Bay Style" 

I grew up in Oak Bay and went to both Oak Bay Junior and Oak Bay Senior High Schools.

(many moons ago)

I plan to go to out and gather up a bunch more cones to decorate this platter.

I read recently that cones are considered "autumn roses."

I got the cones but ended up getting some sticky sap on my coat!

Grrr..."How to remove sap?" 

I entered this line into a google search and to my relief the results were "hand sanitizer removes sap."

It worked and was so easy, no damage to my coat either!

Reading another book by Linda Grant and loving her writing...

a former English literature professor who spent time lecturing at Simon Fraser University in BC during the 1970's.

I've been shopping for some new core wardrobe pieces and will share them with you later in the week.

~ ~ ~

“Her pleasure in the walk must arise from the exercise and the day, from the view of the last smiles of the year upon the tawny leaves and withered hedges, and from repeating to herself some few of the thousand poetical descriptions extant of autumn--that season of peculiar and inexhaustible influence on the mind of taste and tenderness--that season which has drawn from every poet worthy of being read some attempt at description, or some lines of feeling.” 

~ Jane Austen ~

 Persuasion

Revlon Red Velvet...

Have you noticed how many magazines have articles on choosing the right red lipstick?
Red seems to be in vogue this season.

When I regularly went to the Aveda salon to have my hair cut the stylist would always offer to refresh my lipstick after my cut and colour. It was a wonderful opportunity to try a new shade without having to parade in front of all and sundry at the make up counter. Frequently I would treat myself to a tube of the shade that my stylist would recommend, but that was a few years ago and I now go to a salon that sell Bumble and Bumble hair products but no cosmetics of any kind.

I went to the drug store with the idea in mind, of a new shade of red for the holiday season.
With the cosmetic clerk's help I tried on a dozen or so shades from a variety of brands.
I found one that I liked and she thought was perfect!

Guess what?
It's the same shade of red that I have been wearing for evening for the a couple of years!

I guess that just proves that often we don't always need to try to change what's not broken.

Do you have a favourite shade of red lipstick?

While I do not wear red garments I find that I can wear this red velvet shade by Revlon.

Worn here with my Banana Republic top...feeling just a wee bit French.

Hope that you are having a FUN weekend.

Hostess

XO