New & Old Book Finds

0 Comments

covers of six new books

My bookshelf is so full that two of the shelves currently have double rows, but that does not stop me from taking any opportunity to browse a book sale! To to be fair, I have decluttered some books from my shelf this year- not enough to actually make room for more books mind you, but…. here are some lovely new-to-me book finds.

a stack of books in shades of white and green

At the library sale last week (for only $1 each) I found:

A vintage copy of Under the Lilacs by Louisa May Alcott. I will have to see if I can get that sticker/tape off of the spine without wreaking it.

An absolutely beautiful Winnie the Pooh collection by A. A. Milne. This book looks practically brand new and the illustrations by E.H. Shephard are, of course, wonderful.

A Pioneer Christmas by Barbara Greenwood. I read a couple of the others in this series, A Pioneer Story and The Last Safehouse, when I was in school so it was nice to find this one. It’s a combination of a fictional story about a family preparing for Christmas in 1841, and then features different historical facts, traditions and crafts from the time period.

And I did actually find some more books at the sale, but I practiced restraint and only bought ones I knew I wanted to own. (There was a lovely Penguin clothbound classics edition of David Copperfield, but since I only listen to audiobooks of Dickens, I left it for someone else to find!)

the way to cook chicken step by step cookbook page

Then, from our church “swap” group, I got this Julia Child cookbook, The Way to Cook. It has a lot of photos of how to do different techniques. I’ve never read any of her other cookbooks, but I know she was all about teaching the proper method of cooking. So far I’ve only read about how to make broth, and I already learned a better way, so so far the book has improved my skills!

I also got her autobiography, My Life in France, which I read last year and loved, so it was nice to get a copy for my shelf.

The Art of Living with White book page

And then finally, not from a sale, I received this beautiful new book The Art of Living with White by Chrissie Rucker for my birthday. The book is divided into seasons, and “a year of inspiration” which is a nice way to divide a decorating book, as I do find myself decorating in different ways depending on the season.

The book features a lot more modern spaces; I like to have a wide variety of decorating books otherwise it’s easy to get into a rut. That’s one of the reasons I love books over online platforms. The internet is so algorithmic now that if you look at one photo of a cottage bedroom then it will immediately show you 70 more images that are exactly the same. While I may also like all 70 of those images, it’s much more interesting to see some images that are quite unlike what you’ve already seen as it sparks creativity. And books don’t require an internet connection, so that’s also nice.

So, have you found any good books lately, new or used? 

This & That| October 13

, , 0 Comments

bare tree with leaves in fall

Hello Dear Readers, recently I have been…

Loving

Fall is so changeable. One day it’s blue skies and sunshine and golden leaves, and then the next is cold rains and grey skies… and both are beautiful.

blue skies and wheat field ready to harvest

Making

My beloved strawberry printed peasant dress finally wore out, so I traced the pattern and made another one from a duvet cover I received from a friend because it had also worn out and was stained and had holes… I was able to salvage enough fabric for an almost entirely “zero waste” dress- the only new supply I used was the thread and a bit of elastic.

I had a goal a year of sewing one new garment completely from scratch, since I have mostly been altering and refashioning lately, which is great, but can also get a bit boring. This dress wasn’t the project I had in mind, but considering we’re already into October, I will take this as a win. And if I get another garment made this year, it will be a bonus.

I would say “photos coming soon”, but the last time I said that about a finished project, it was months before I got outfit photos, so….

almost empty bobbin and spool of thread

And, not from that project, but one before that; I was almost out of thread and hoped to make it to the end of the last seam without running out of thread on the spool. This is how much thread was left on the spool…but then I ran out of bobbin thread! That’s just the way it goes.

Eating

It’s pumpkin season: pumpkin cheesecake for my birthday, pumpkin soup, pumpkin pancakes and, of course, pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving.

fall inspiration board

Finding

Inspiration for my inspiration board. I changed it up and added cards, a little mountain watercolour I bought at a recent art sale, some family photos from my family history project, and other things in autumn colours.

birthday cards

And speaking of cards, here are the three beautiful floral cards I received for my birthday this year. I love pretty stationery!

Watching

Farmhouse on Boone and Benita Larsson are putting me in the mood to decorate and reorganize. Doesn’t fall always feel like a bit of a fresh start?

So, what have you been up to lately? 

black eyed susan vine yellow flowers

Sunflowers & Giving Thanks

, , 2 Comments

sunflowers silhouetted against the sky

I was trying to choose which sunflower picture to include in this post as I was writing an instalment of “This & That”, but then I realized that I wanted to include every photo of the sunflowers because they are so cheerful, and furthermore, it is Thanksgiving weekend, so I will save the regular post for the future.

So, right now I am thankful for….

cheerful yellow sunflower blooms

  • The last of these sunflowers as well as other flowers in the garden. The sunflowers, cosmos and evening scented stocks are all still blooming!
  • So glad that the garden has been completely harvested. And almost all of it has now been preserved and pickled, jellied and juiced, fixed and frozen and cooked or consumed.

sunflower bloom with a bee on it

  • Warm sunny days, colourful leaves and enough rain to knock down the grain dust that’s been in the air
  • My brothers coming to visit for the weekend
  • My nephew who brings so much joy into my life
  • For my Saviour Jesus Christ and his finished work on the cross

sunflower blooms silhouetted against the sky

  • My birthday was this past week…so thankful for another year!
  • For for this blog, and the creative outlet it gives me. I’d still do all of these projects without it, but it’s nice to have a “home” for them.
  • And all of you, Dear Readers. Whether you are a new or old follower…thank-you ❤︎

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving, or as my nephew said, “Happy Giving Day” when he got my birthday and Thanksgiving mixed up together.

sunflower bloom against the sky with a bee on it

And The Days Grow Cold

2 Comments

a fall outfit with a sweater, circle skirt and mary jane shoes in front of a wall of virginia creeper vines

“Come, little leaves,” said the Wind one day, “Come to the meadows with me and play. Put on your dresses of red and gold; For Summer is past, and the days grow cold”.

George Cooper

Isn’t that just a lovely Autumn poem? It perfectly captures the season right now at the beginning of October; red and gold leaves and the days slowly growing cold… it’s almost time for tights and sweaters and coats and scarves. We’ve had a really warm Fall so far, which has been nice, and I’ve been able to continue to wear my summer clothes, but the temps are supposed to drop this week.

This year the Virginia creeper vine finally turned red! For the past few years, it’s been eaten by leaf hoppers and lost all of it’s leaves by August. This year it was able to put on it’s “dresses of red”, and it was just beautiful. (In some of the pictures the camera was so enamoured by the red leaves that it didn’t focus on me, but focused on the vines behind me…. oh well!)

wearing a black short sleeved sweater with cream lace, a half circle skirt and mary jane shoes standing in front of a shed covered in virginia creeper vines

black cardigan with a lace collar detail

This outfit has a bit of a back-to-school feel to it…1940’s style with the leather satchel/backpack, cardigan and Mary Jane shoes. All pieces I’ve had for a while, just never paired together and featured on the blog. It’s so nice having a wardrobe of pieces I love and can’t wait to wear when I bring them out again each season!

sparkly rhinestone and pearl chain bracelet

black leather satchel with gold hardware

red virgina creeper leaves and berries

black short sleeved cardigan with a cream lace collar detail

a back to school feeling outfit with a cardigan, satchel, mary jane shoes and a circle skirt in front of a shed covered in red vines

sparkly rhinestone earring

Happy October, Dear Readers; I hope you have some lovely “dresses of red and gold” to enjoy where you live.

a falltime outfit of a cardigan sweater, circle skirt, satchel, belt and mary jane shoes in front of a shed covered in red vines

Easy DIY Faux Aged Gold Leaves

, 2 Comments

easy painted gold faux leaves in a bouquet in a blue and white pitcher

I’m not a big fan of faux florals and greenery, as they always look a little fake to me. It’s like a PVC picket fence: you can always tell that it’s not wood. So when I do use faux branches, I like to go for ones that look like they’re supposed to be fake- particularly in metallic shades!

So, when I pulled out my fall decorations a couple of weeks ago, I realized there was a project I had forgotten to do earlier in the summer: painting some faux oak leaves. Fortunately we still have plenty of warm days left, and this project only took about 20 minutes. If you’d like to make some yourself, here’s how!

supplies for painting the leaves

You will need some faux leaves in a shape you like. These are some my mom bought from a dollar store nearly 20 years ago. She got her money’s worth! The colours were a bit too bright for me though, so a little makeover was in order.

You’ll need gold (or other metallic) paint. I happened to have some Krylon spray paint in the colour “Bright Gold”, but you could also use a paintbrush and gold acrylic or enamel paint. I also used some Rust-Oleum spray paint in satin black for the “tarnishing”.

First step, spray a light coat of gold paint onto the leaves. Make sure you’re wearing gloves! Do this step in light coats, I always spray too heavy and then end up with drips.

one layer of gold paint on the leaves

Once the leaves are gold and the paint has dried it’s time for the black paint.

tarnishing the leaves with black paint

Spray a very light mist of black to give the gold a more dimensional look, rather than all-over gold. Then, half-depress the spray nozzle so the paint sputters to create tiny splotches on the leaves. This will make it look more like tarnished, aged spots in the gold. Yes, sputtering the paint will create a mess on the top of the spray can, so decide whether it’s worth it!

faux leaves hanging in a real oak tree

Then, hang the leaves to dry, preferably in a nearby oak tree if you’ve got one. Spray paint is quite stinky, so I ended up hanging them in the utility room overnight until the paint smell was completely evaporated.

antiqued gold painted leaves

Then, it’s time to bring them in and finish your Fall decorating!

gold leaves in vases on display shelf with books and china

1 2 3 4 5 >»