***abbytryagain***

beautiful book week-the end!

   Thanks to you for all of your posts! I am still playing catch up on commenting on them-but really, they have certainly made my week!
   Yesterday I got my blurb book in the mail. I am very happy with the quality, the cover annoys me, but that's my own fault.

    I am really looking forward to making another, I have so many ideas in my head...
I really want to make one about my hometown. We'll see....

Thanks so much to all who participated and I look forward to the next book week! (If I forgot to link to you, please let me know!)

-Nanette

-Kim

-Momo

-Denise

-Blair

-Lori

-Amy 

-Andrea

-Meg

-Sara

-Nicole

-Shin

-Suzy

-Karin

-Shari  

 

Beautiful Book Week Part Four: The Shakers

     The older I get, the more curious I am about religion and spirituality and what it means to people. I think this is only natural, after all-I'm not getting any younger...
    Recently I checked out a bunch of library books about the Shakers. I am, of course, intrigued by their designs, but more interesting to me is their commitment to work and simplicity.
The first book, Shaker Design  by June Sprigg, is where these images are from.

   These beautiful pieces of fabrics are silks from a Shaker community in Kentucky. They were the first to make silk in America! The mitten forms in the top photo are so beautiful....

    While creating frivolous artwork was discouraged, creating maps of one's village was encouraged. The few Shaker drawings that are in existence truly amaze me. They are so beautiful and was stunned me is that they seem so very modern. The book has more to see, and I definitely recommend checking it out.
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     The two other Shaker book I am going to recommend are also by Sprigg. Apparently, she was able to live in one of the last shaker villages. She was there as a tour guide in the 70's.  The Shakers led celibate lives and if my research is right, there are only a handful left in the world. She wrote an amazing memoir of this time called Simple Gifts .
    I'm still reading it, but it is so fascinating. I am envious that she was able to spend so much time with these people and grateful that she shares her experiences.
    The last book I am going to share today is Shaker Life, Work, and Art . This is a really beautiful book, I need camera batteries otherwise I would be posting photos. This gives a great overall picture of what being a Shaker was like. The photos are great and the text is very easy to read.
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This post is all over the place. Sorry for that. I hope to keep reading and come back when I can process all of this....thanks for playing along and don't forget to comment so I can add you to the link list!
more book goodness:
-Blair

beautiful book week part three: fiction

A super quick post as I must run off to work....this is a great piece of art+fiction, Shoot the Buffalo from Clear Cut Press.
    Their books are amazing and are available at Reading Frenzy , just about the cutest local bookstore.
I promise to catch up with longer posts this weekend....
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Others playing along (leave a comment to be added!)

-Kim

-Nanette

-momo (this one is so cute)

-denise

beautiful book week part two: japanese goodness

I still can't understand what exactly it is about certain Japanese books that makes them so beautiful, but I love them. I think I just like the sense of style, and it is nice that they are so "quiet". Maybe if I understood the writing I wouldn't like them as much, but really I think I would love them even more!
This image is from a Japanese book called Heartful Style by Masaki isbn 4391617382.

This image is from a book about sewing bags. I have no clue what the title is, but the isbn is 4776201224. This book has beautiful photos. It's too bad I'm over sewing because now I just look at the pictures instead of the patterns. Maybe that's a sign I need to give it up.

This image is from Stockholm's Apartments isbn 4072540021. It's a great little book with tons of pictures of real people's apartments. Totally cool...
Short post today, gotta go to work. See more Japanese goodness here.
Thanks for joining me!
Go read these great posts (be sure to comment if you want me to link to you!)
-blair!

-nanette

-momo

-denise

-lori

amy

beautiful book week part one: the home

     If you read this blog, you know that I have kind of an obsession about books regarding the home. The obsession, I'm sure can be traced back to a few different places but probably the biggest is that I am constantly trying to define what home is to me. I do not wish to replicate the "home" experience I had as a child (not that it was bad, I just don't want to raise nine children in a small farm town...) and so I am in search of new parameters.
      I first saw home is where the heart is? here. I quickly placed it on hold at the library, thinking it would be a great visual reference. Once received, I realized that while the photos were okay, the text of the book was quite striking. To be honest, most books I "read" about the home contain less than stellar tips and are purely visual delight.
      As I read on, Ilse Crawford's words really stuck with me. Consider this passage:
      "We are the only constant in our lives, so it makes sense to look within, to our inner selves. Money, job, image are all just too volatile. But we can create a way of life that makes us feel complete. And we can begin to construct our own value system, one connected to our real and human needs, the needs of those around us, as well as those of the environment."
    Bingo!
   Yes, I just wrote bingo, that is how I felt when I read this passage. Here is another that to me, really defines what I love about this "blog land":
     "In our deeds we can structure our life so that the simple things that we do every day, from bathing to cooking, have resonance and ritual."
   Resonance and ritual...
   I feel like since I "lost formal religion"I've been searching for a way to bring ritual and tradition into my life and this passage came and dropped in my lap.

 

One last passage-
     "True kinship takes a warm heart. We talk about love so much, but we forget that it is something we give rather than get: a way of being."
   Beautiful, no?
Here are some of my other home book faves:
-junk style
-pure style living
-how to decorate
-essential home
Be sure to check out the author's site.
Other beautiful book week participants (I'll be updating this list, so let me know to add you!)

-denise (check it out!)

-lori

-andrea

-sara

-andrea

-meg

join me, won't you?

  Tomorrow marks the official start of beautiful book week. I'm going to post pictures and passages from what I think are beautiful books. I would love it for anyone who'd like to join me. Just leave me a comment, and I will link to your blog or flickr.
   Doesn't that sound fun?
   Does anyone know the name of the beautiful flower above? Doesn't it just look amazing?
   Thanks!

a book

Thanks for all the kind words on the last post. It really did help.
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So, by now I am sure many of you have heard of  blurb . I've heard of things like it, but I didn't really pay attention to it until I saw  this beautiful book.
   Well, I was thinking about it this week and it just really blew me away. Can you imagine all the fun things you could do? I want to create a book of polaroids, scan family recipes and make a book, do the same with old photos-shoot-there are so many awesome things you could make!
   So, today I played around with it and it is so easy to use! I made a little book of my favorite photos from flickr. It is so easy, you can upload straight from flickr! I can't wait to get it. You can see a preview of it here. Keep in mind the preview is low res so it will look very pixelated...but I am really excited!
   My dream is to scan all the ticket stubs and little thing I saved when I lived in France and make an awesome scrapbook ....fun!

less than productive

So, I've been really quiet here lately. I am not exactly happy about that but it is the reality. I feel as though I wake up, drink coffee, walk to work, work, walk home from work, think about work, eat, watch tv,  worry about work, sleep....
That's no way to be.
When I'm like that, I get all knotted inside. I'm pretty sure it's called stress and I am pretty sure it's something I do far too often. Like why stress out about a toy store, right? I guess it is my nature. And I need to learn how to stop...
   This week, I'm gonna try and be more INTENTIONAL. Something I talk about a lot but something that is harder in practice.
   So yesterday, at the suggestion of a co-worker I baked these cookies. 
And they were pretty awesome. I need to cook and bake more. And have more fun, fun is good.
   I don't remember what blog lead me here but this site has been fun to poke around on.
Okay-
so I am seriously lacking on the "be creative" front.....any suggestions about how to get back on it?
Give up TV again? Yeah...I know....
thanks for still reading

It's Done!

Well, kinda.

The big work project is finally up and running! Still a few kinks to work out-but I am so relieved its finally here. May I invite you to grasshopper store!
   This is the online version of where I spend my days...and I just love it!  Soon, you'll be able to purchase tees of my design and now the sweetest handmade dresses ever, wild carrots, are available!
  Please go and poke around-even if you don't have kids!
  A huge thanks to these ladies  who are so amazing and easy to work with! Yay!!!!!!!!!
I can now get some rest! Oh-did I mention that during this time we lost an employee and had two inventory systems crash on us? Yeah, it's been a rough month. Here's to October!