The Country Bunny And The Little Gold Shoes

The Country Bunny And The Little Gold Shoesby DuBose Hayward

published in 1939

Illustrated by Marjorie Flack



This book is a literary treasure. If you have not read this to your children, or to your grandchildren, or for yourself, you should! Happy Easter!














One day a little country girl bunny with a brown skinand a little cotton-ball of a tail said, "Some day I shallgrow up

The Future of the Book

Innovation consultancy IDEO's vision of the future of books is a wonderfully designed piece of work. It explores the use of books, the interactive layout and what new experiences might be created by linking diverse discussions, what additional value could be created by connected readers to one another.

paris v new york

Penguin Books has just published a book of the collection of clever illustrations by Vahram Muratyam with visual comparisons of the two great cities.

Also comes in a cute gift box of postcards. Buy both on Amazon here.

images: paris versus new york blog

decorating with books

Cote de Texas, design by Joni Webb

It is fascinating that as technology eclipses the need for bound and printed books, built in bookshelves, the art of stylishly arranging bookshelves and using books as accents in a room are more popular than ever. A few examples from favorite designers.

Velvet & Linen, design by Brooke Giannetti

Velvet & Linen

 Velvet & Linen

Emily Henderson

Gillian Lanyon

Phoebe Howard

Phoebe Howard

Meg Lonergan

Kips Bay Show House, New York, 2010

Real Simple

unknown source

Martha Stewart

Martha Stewart

Colette van den Thillart

Bookish: Upcycled & Repurposed Books and Pages

I have always loved books, and have to admit I am a "book collector!" I don't just love to read books though - I love the feel of a book in my hands - it's heft, the texture of it's pages, the gilt of the artwork and lettering on an antique pressed cover...and of course, since learning to read in childhood, the thought of what wonderful secrets could be hidden inside. 

I love books.



But

a thoughtful gift

purchase here

Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand

I just finished a book about a fascinating man named Louis Zamperini. If you are interested in World War 2, particularly the Pacific stage or in need of an  inspirational story, read about the son of Italian immigrants who was a champion Olympic runner and American soldier who survived against all odds. It is excellent!

Book vs. E-Reader

For my birthday recently, I was given a Nook e-reader as a group gift from family. My initial response was surprise and delight. It was one of those things I would never have bought for myself, yet I'd been charmed by the commercials and thought having lots of books on one device was a great idea. My enthusiasm began to wane when the initial set-up process took me a couple of hours (why do wi-fi router manufacturers set a password in the factory that they don't pass on to customers?). When I finally managed to get online, I started looking into my buying options. There were lots of new releases to pick from and a few older options from my favorite authors. Magazines were also plentiful. But when I stepped away from the Nook and really thought through the consequences, it's usefulness to me became questionable. 

The truth is this: I already have a computer (at work and home) and an i-phone (curse those games!) that take up a considerable chunk of my time. In the last couple of years, I've developed frequent headaches from staring at a computer screen. Did I really want to add another one to my life? Though some books have bored me, I've never developed a headache from staring at the printed word. Besides that, shopping for new reading material would just be too easy with an e-reader. I knew that I would end up buying more books and magazines than I already do just because the result would be instantaneous. Good for Barnes & Noble, not so good for my budget. If out-of-print books were on the menu, I might have been more easily tempted. I recently discovered a copy of Yvonne de Bremond D'Ars' "In the Heart of Paris" in a box lot I won at a silent auction and have been absorbed in her engrossing tale of parceling out a house full of antiques to five very different nieces--not something I would come across on a Nook. 

Ultimately I decided to draw a line in the sand, and I drew it at the Nook. The technology wheel is going to keep turning at a breakneck pace and ever-new enticements are going to be put before us. No one will decide for us that enough is enough. It's up to us to decide which devices make our lives easier/better and which ones monopolize our time and energy at the expense of the things that matter to us in the long run. So my Nook is going back to the shop. No doubt I'll regret my decision at some point in the future--particularly when I'm travelling. But when I crack open a book at the end of the day and pick up where I left off, I won't for a minute wish I was staring at a brightly lit screen. Perhaps I'm setting back the concept of a paperless society. But when it comes to books, I can live with being a traditionalist.

Book vs. E-Reader

For my birthday recently, I was given a Nook e-reader as a group gift from family. My initial response was surprise and delight. It was one of those things I would never have bought for myself, yet I'd been charmed by the commercials and thought having lots of books on one device was a great idea. My enthusiasm began to wane when the initial set-up process took me a couple of hours (why do wi-fi router manufacturers set a password in the factory that they don't pass on to customers?). When I finally managed to get online, I started looking into my buying options. There were lots of new releases to pick from and a few older options from my favorite authors. Magazines were also plentiful. But when I stepped away from the Nook and really thought through the consequences, it's usefulness to me became questionable. 

The truth is this: I already have a computer (at work and home) and an i-phone (curse those games!) that take up a considerable chunk of my time. In the last couple of years, I've developed frequent headaches from staring at a computer screen. Did I really want to add another one to my life? Though some books have bored me, I've never developed a headache from staring at the printed word. Besides that, shopping for new reading material would just be too easy with an e-reader. I knew that I would end up buying more books and magazines than I already do just because the result would be instantaneous. Good for Barnes & Noble, not so good for my budget. If out-of-print books were on the menu, I might have been more easily tempted. I recently discovered a copy of Yvonne de Bremond D'Ars' "In the Heart of Paris" in a box lot I won at a silent auction and have been absorbed in her engrossing tale of parceling out a house full of antiques to five very different nieces--not something I would come across on a Nook. 

Ultimately I decided to draw a line in the sand, and I drew it at the Nook. The technology wheel is going to keep turning at a breakneck pace and ever-new enticements are going to be put before us. No one will decide for us that enough is enough. It's up to us to decide which devices make our lives easier/better and which ones monopolize our time and energy at the expense of the things that matter to us in the long run. So my Nook is going back to the shop. No doubt I'll regret my decision at some point in the future--particularly when I'm travelling. But when I crack open a book at the end of the day and pick up where I left off, I won't for a minute wish I was staring at a brightly lit screen. Perhaps I'm setting back the concept of a paperless society. But when it comes to books, I can live with being a traditionalist.

Miss Scarlet's School of Patternless Sewing {book giveaway!!}

Giveaway closed -- winner is #5 {winner chosen via random.org} 

I was so excited to meet Kathy Cano-Murillo when I was at CHA last month. 

Kathy is a whirlwind of creativity. 

 In
2001, Kathy launched CraftyChica.com, a wildly popular web site to
inspire women to brighten their lives with clever craft ideas. She had a
podcast series on iTunes, a web series on LifetimeTV.com, has been
profiled in The New York Times, USA Today and NPR, and now has a Crafty Chica product line.

 

 So when I found out that she had written a new book, I knew I just had to share it with YOU!

{it just came out Yesterday!!!}

 

 I just started reading it and I can't put it down!

What I love about Kathy's books are that they are full of vibrant details with crafting thrown in. And the characters are so real and engaging.

The main character is Scarlet Santano, who has abandoned a promising engineering career to follow
her passion for sewing. To raise money to attend a prestigious design
academy in New York, she works for a local designer, teaches a sewing
class, and sells clothes on her web site . As Scarlet works herself to exhaustion, the women in
her sewing class become their own an unofficial support group.  Is she strong enough to go for her dreams or give in to her family's expectations?

Here's the cute trailer:

Kathy is giving away a copy of 

Miss Scarlet's School of Patternless Sewing 

AND a copy of her first novel,  

Waking up in the Land of Glitter. 

 

So fun!! 

These books are perfect to take on a trip or curl up on your couch on a cold day!! 

Here's how YOU can win: 

• Leave Kathy some comment love on her blog-- Diary of a Crafty Chica. one entry. 

•  Like The Crafty Chica on Facebook. 

• Follow Kathy on Twitter (she is the nicest person). one entry. 

•  Spread the word about Kathy's book giveaway on Facebook, Twitter or your blog. (for example, check out the @CraftyChica book giveaway on Tatertots and Jello!)

 {giveaway ends on Monday, March 14th}

xoxo

 

Do you do this? {Book Advent Calendar}

 We started our Book Advent Calendar on the first.

I saw the idea last year. Sorry - I can't remember where and loved the idea! 

After the Holidays last year I gathered up all of our Christmas books and put them away so I could keep track of them. I got them out this year and discovered that I only needed 8 more to reach 25!!

And guess what?? 

I found the ones I needed to reach my goal this year at The Dollar Store!! 

And they were pretty cute too!

My girls were so excited to open the first book. I made sure it was Elf On A Shelf. We discovered that last year too. Do you have one? We named ours Zoom!

Look what Ella lost over Thanksgiving! And speaking of Ella, I am running around like a madwoman getting her birthday party together for tomorrow. I am throwing a Vintage Tea Party -- she's so excited!!

And I also wanted to tell you about something else exciting that's happening tomorrow -- 

A really fun crafting twitter chat @ 4 PM EST/1 PM PST.

Our topic for this week is "Craft Blogging 101" and we are going to be sharing our top tips for beginning craft bloggers.

If you don’t have a twitter account you can still spy in on us.  If you go to tweetchat.com and follow the #crafterminds you can follow along in real time (you just won’t be able to give your two cents).

Click here for all of the info on the chat.

The Craftermind Girls are:

Come join us as we kick off our weekly #crafterminds chat tomorrow!

We'd love to see you there!!! 

Have a great night!!

xoxo