Showing posts with label books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label books. Show all posts

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Hercule Poirot on Etsy

In honor of mystery writer Agatha Christie's 120th birthday yesterday, today's post is all about my favorite Belgium detective, Hercule Poirot.  With Poirot in mind, I decided to search Etsy and see what fun items people have made with the little Belgium as their inspiration.  Here are a few of my finds.



I also love that Google UK did this little omage to Agatha Christie will all of her famous characters represented.  What a fun idea!


Image: Google UK

Monday, August 23, 2010

F. Scott Fitzgerald + Coralie Bickford-Smith

First off, I would like to apologize for my absence over the past couple of weeks.  I have been extremely busy at work this month and have not had the time to post.  I promise that will change in the coming weeks and I should be back to regular posting from now on.

Now to the good stuff! If you haven't seen these by now, I am completely smitten with the new set of book covers that Coralie Bickford-Smith has produced for a series of F. Scott Fitzgerald books.  These books are reminiscent of the 1920s and exude very high taste and class.  I love the art deco designs she uses and the gold, white and black tones.  I think these are going to be added to my list of 'pretty books' to purchase some time soon!




Tuesday, June 8, 2010

What Home Means to Me [Pin It Forward]

I’m very excited to be sharing with you today my pinboard from the Pin It Forward series that Victoria from sfgirlbybay and Pinterest have to put together. If you haven’t heard of Pinterest yet, then here is my introduction. If you like to look for inspiration online like I do, then this site is for you. It will allow you to take a picture from any website and ‘pin’ it to a board along with keeping the original source of the picture in tact. It’s like having a virtual scrapbook! A very fun and easy way to organize all of your virtual ideas and inspiration (and a great source for bloggers like me).


Now for my post. I’ve always considered home a place of refuge from the world around me. To me it is a place where family can gather and be comfortable, a place where I can get away from my daily work lives, a place to explore new interests and hobbies and a place that I have to make my own. Each home is different and has a different feel to it. I feel that as long as we make it our own, it is truly ours. Here are a few ways that I utilize my home.

I like to use my home as a place where I can create projects and where I can be inspired by what is around me. I feel that having a creative work space is essential and I will always try to have an inspiration board or desk where I can do my creative work. I also feel that my living space should inspire me. Our living areas should always bring us joy and happiness and inspire you in your daily life.


I’ve been cooking since I was very young, learning from my mother and grandmother and having a fun and inviting kitchen is a must for me. I love the look of vintage items in a clean, open and bright kitchen. I also like red as an accent color because it exudes happiness and energy. I love to buy fresh strawberries at the local farmers’ market and love to bake my favorite Peanut Butter cookies. They always make my home smell wonderful!



One of my favorite things to do is read a good book. When I was young, my mother made me read for half an hour before going to bed each night. She would take me to the library in the summer and sign me up for the summer reading program and I’ve been hooked on books ever since. I feel that my home will always need to have a place where I can sit down with a good cup of coffee or tea and enjoy a great story. Whether it’s a vampire ridden fantasy world, a journey on a murderous train ride or a wonderful romance in historic England, I believe that I will always need that space where I can stretch out with a good book and escape in a good story.



I’ve never had a great green thumb, but then again, I am still learning. I remember growing up visiting both sets of my grandparent’s houses and being in awe by the fruits and vegetables that they were able to grow on their small plots of land. My paternal grandparents lived in the middle of a city and used the small sections of land on either side of their driveway to grow strawberries, corn, beans and the prettiest Lily of the Valley. My goal in life is to have a home where I too can grow some of God’s bounty. I’ve started experimenting in the last few years by growing small pots of herbs and flowers and I hope to extend that to a garden one day. How wonderful would it be to pick your own tomatoes from the garden to make a homemade bruschetta! YUM!


If you haven’t noticed by reading my blog, I love old and vintage things! It’s a habit I picked up from my mom pretty young. She would take me with her to antique malls and flea markets and ever since then, I too am addicted to old stuff. I love the history behind old things; wondering where they came from and who had them before me. I also love to display my collections in new and different ways; whether it is hanging on the wall in an intricate pattern, to keeping to one color scheme or having a specific collectible, such as my vintage Scottie Dogs, together on one shelf. I love how they look displayed and how these various collections draw your eyes to them as a group and then to each individual item.

So, that is What Home Means to Me. Thank you for letting me share my thoughts with you today and thank you to Victoria over at sfgirlbybay and to Pinterest for putting this series together. Thank you also to Fairytale Wishes and Dreams for passing the torch on to me today and now I pass it on to Megan Charland tomorrow. Watch out for Megan’s post tomorrow and visit our Pin It Forward schedule to read all of the blogger’s contributions.

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Paumes Books

I am always on the lookout for great books full of inspiration and when I spotted the variety of books from PAUMES over on the Yvestown blog, I knew that I needed to start collecting them. These books are printed in Japan by a family run business and showcase various parts of Paris, Stockholm & London. They've even done one of San Francisco Kitchens as well.

I love the bright colors and beautiful pictures in the books. Even though they are in Japanese, for me the pictures say it all. You can purchase these books directly from PAUMES or from the Yvestown shop.




Pictures via PAUMES.

Thursday, March 5, 2009

Jamie's in my home

This past weekend I finally purchased the newest cookbook that I've been drooling over for a while now, Jamie Oliver's Jamie at Home. Ever since it came out last year, I've been wanting to get it and try some of his recipes. This book centers around Jamie's garden and all that he grows and incorporates into his recipes. Each chapter is based on a vegetable or fruit and gives you recipes for each item and then Jamie's tips on how to grow that veggie or fruit.

I love this because even though I'm in an apartment and have such a small piece of ground right outside my door, I am going to try and grow some vegetables this spring and summer and I can't wait to read Jamie's tips for growing (even though he grows in Britain and I am in the Deep South). I'm looking forward to trying the Curried Cauliflower Fritters and the Tray-Baked Meringue with Pears, Cream, Toasted Hazelnuts and Chocolate Sauce.


Watch out tomorrow for the start of a new cooking project!