Showing posts with label designs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label designs. Show all posts

Tuesday, January 22, 2019

Guo Pei Exhibit at Vancouver Art Gallery

We ventured across the pond to Vancouver for a few days.
To shop, attend a workshop and enjoy the sights and sounds of a big city!

One of the highlights was to see the Guo Pei Couture Beyond exhibit.


We were in line up at 10:00 am when the doors to the Vancouver Art Gallery opened and were able to take it all in on the very last day of the exhibit.

I will share a few pictures of the magnificent gowns...
IF you ever get the opportunity to see this show I highly recommend it.

Guo Pei is China's "preeminent couturiere."
There were over 40 of her haute couture designed gowns on display from the period 2006 to 2017.

Most of us will never wear a hand made gown such as the ones that were on display.

It was amazing to see the intricate bead work, the embroidery, details that would have taken many many hours if not months to create.

I'll share the photos next and hope that you will enjoy seeing them.



















After seeing all the gowns and shoes we explored the rest of the gallery and then ventured out for a long walk in the sunshine.

A friend mentioned that she uses the IHealth app on her IPhone.
She showed me how it works and I am so excited as it tracks walking stats!
I am so grateful as it is going to be a new motivator in my goal to better fitness.


This was an exceptional day for walking...
I plan to aim for between 8,000 and 10,000 steps each day.

Hope that your week is off to a fabulous start...
thank you for stopping by The Humble Bungalow Blog.

 ~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Friday, July 31, 2015

The Humble Bungalow Garden ~ A Picture Gallery of Changes.

As promised I am sharing images of the on-going garden changes...
the projects are proceeding slowly as I am doing most of the work myself.

Deer, drought, over grown plants, and high maintenance borders have necessitated these changes.


The David Austin Roses...
greedy for water and slightly high maintenance 
are staying put!


There was a bed in the middle of the gravel driveway that took a lot of work and the plants were not too happy.
I laid down some landscape cloth and covered the base of the rose with bricks and filled the gaps with gravel and then spread a cubic yard of "screenings"over the cloth so none of it shows.



This will pack down nicely with time and blend in with the rest of the drive.


The romneya coulteri likes "living on the edge."


The dry gravel and sand are it's best friends!




The rampant invasive violets were pulled and the bed dug deep and we have laid black garbage bags in hopes that they will not come back.
This bed in the back side yard will be replanted after a few weeks or possibly months.


this bed is also under wraps...
ugly I know but I couldn't bear to spray with toxic chemicals.


This patio is in the side yard
and features two dwarf apple trees and a riot of Lady's Mantle and Limelight Hydrangeas.


It's shady part of the day and a lovely spot to sit with a cup of tea.


Look what we found nestled under the overgrown lilies!
It was a slow release "frog" fertilizer and now it looks prehistoric!


The view from the kitchen...


The slide is in the space where the greenhouse is going to be placed.


The grass is full of clover, buttercups and violets...we hope to find a hardy grass that will be green in winter and gold in summer as we will not be watering it much, if at all depending on the water restrictions.


The bed with the asparagus and two climbing roses will be modified and the hydrangeas will be dug out and the rhubarb and strawberries will be relocated near the green house.




Pots were planted up to add colour and interest.


The intimate patio area just off the back basement door.


Out front we planted more deer and drought tolerant plants...
in the front of the bed we chose Blue Fescue grasses.


The bees love the prickly blue eryngium and the lavenders.
Blue Russian Sage and Salvias are mixed in with yellow rudbeckias
and at the front more Blue Fescue Grasses.


Pots were replanted...


Feather Grass


Boxwood


Black Mondo grass and a Lime Green succulent.


The deer have so far, resisted munching these hydrangeas and I am so grateful!
I have several of these out in the front yard and I love them.


I'm considering swapping this blue and mauve hydrangea for another limelight...


Roses planted with lily of the valley as a ground cover.


I have kept a few Hostas which the deer love to dine on...
(as do the slugs)
I will see what happens over time and if they are munched too often I will place them in the back garden.


At the end of the drive against the fence we have a drought tolerant bed of mostly grasses.
Montbretia, sedum, hostas, black mondo grass, hellebores, variegated iris and planters with succulents.


We are planning to install a greenhouse and redo the grass in the back yard which are major projects that are a bit more of an investment and require hiring the professionals...
So they are not going to happen for awhile...
in the meantime I putter and chip away at the tasks that I can do myself.
It's a lot of work, but it's also a lot of fun!

I hope you've enjoyed seeing what's happening in our patch.


These flowers look like a smiling face...
do you see it?
Hope you have a fabulous weekend.

We're on "Baby Watch" this weekend.
Fingers crossed that wee one comes soon.
We can hardly wait to meet her!

Cheerio
XO