bookshelf transformatiom

Doing a major spring clean around here.

My amazing friend Rebecca 

is a professional whirling magic organizer.

Yesterday, she and I transformed the living bookshelf.

We removed 50% of books, doo-dads, 

kids's art supplies, puzzles & toys.

 

BEFORE

AFTER

What a difference!

Rebecca's business is called BREATHE.

Perfect name...

that's exactly what she does.

She creates space in your home for air to circulate

hence making it easier to breathe!

Thank you Rebecca!

If you live in Fairfield County, Connecticut

You too can have Rebecca come and transform your home.

Her email is rebeccadruwhite@hotmail.com

PS We organized books by color...that's the trick!

new books for april 2013

Matte Stephens is an all time favorite.

He illustrated this new book for children,

Mr. FLux

You can find his prints for sale

on etsy.

This is the one I fell for:

Another newbie for kids

The Dark

by another fave Jon Klassen 

New cookbook worth having.

Lots of gluten-free, easy recipes.

It's All Good 

{I made the 

Middle Eastern Turkey Burgers

 with 

Cucumber + Yogurt Sauce

last eve for dinner..Super YUM}

 I'm reading this one to Everett.

We don't want it to end.

August is our hero.

This book not just for kids.

WONDER by R.J. Palacio

cozy books for winter

Nothing like a pile of books to cozy up

with in the dead of winter.

Here are three goodies from my pile:

Waiting for this one to come in the mail.

Katie's blog, What Katie Ate 

is eye candy deluxe so 

I know this is a good one.

 Another cookbook to drool over.

Smitten Kitchen Cookbook

by

Deb Perelman.

American Heiress is a novel

tying me over until 

Downton Abbey DVD

arrives in the mail.

 

great book covers

all via pinterest

books on my night table

Loving Frank by Nancy Horan

A novel about the love affair between 

Frank Lloyd Wright + Mamah Borthwick Cheney.

I'm in the thick of this one....can't put it down. 

That Woman by Anne Sebba

Looking forward to diving into this.

Her story fascinates me. 
 

 Bringing Up Bebe by Pamela Druckerman

Lots of buzz.

I know some french folks.

They don't mess around.

Cannery Row by John Steinbeck

This is on my kindle for iphone.

My all time favorite Steinbeck story.

 

type bookstore in toronto

Saw this on facebook yesterday.  

What visual eye candy!

The creators spent many sleepless nights 

moving, stacking, and animating books at 

Type bookstore in Toronto 

(883 Queen Street West, (416) 366-8973).

Everything you see can be purchased at Type Books.

Grayson Matthews 

composed the great music.

wildwood again

Remember I posted about

WILDWOOD

written by

Colin Meloy 

and
illustrated by
Carson Ellis?
It was released on August 30th.
Happy to say I got my copy in the mail.
I thought it was a picture book.
I am pleasantly surprised
as it's 2 inches thick!
It's a book for 9 year olds and older.

Here is another thing I didn't know; the author,
Carson Meloy is the lead singer of
THE DECEMBERISTS....
Wow!
The illustrator is his wife!
 They have a little son named Hank!

I love the DECEMBERISTS:


Again, a pleasant surprise all around!
Looking forward to digging in.

undecorate

A new book of interiors called 

UNDECORATE

is hot off the press!

It's a good one by Christiane Lemieux, 

the creator of Dwell Studio.

You may have seen her line of bedding at Target.

Her style is simple, colorful and fun.

This book is unpretentious
and full of great ideas.

Check it out here.

details by lili diallo

I just looked at the first 10 pages of this hot off the press decorating book called DETAILS by LILI DIALLO.  It's a good one.  Find it here.

simply scandinavian

Another something to cozy up to.  This is a house book with so much I love.  Lots of white walls and floors, distressed furnishings.  Lots of that natural and organic feel and look.  SIMPLY SCANDINAVIAN is available here.

off the shelf

Donna Hay, the Martha of down under, creates the best eye candy when it comes to food and books.  I found a used copy of Off The Shelf: Cooking From the Pantry at a book sale last weekend.  It's filled with lots of delicious looking quick recipes with ingredients we "should" have in our pantry.  All the pasta dishes look easy....for example, spaghetti and lemon-marinated salmon.  Yum.  If you are looking for some inspiration when it comes to the kitchen, this is the book for you!

little bee

I was invited to be in a book group but I just can't do it right now.  I wish I could but I can only read a page an evening if that.  So now is not the time.  Hopefully I can sneak into the group once Piper is a bit older and once I can read more than one page per sitting and not fall instantly asleep.  Little Bee: A Novel was the last book read at this book group.  I have only read a bit but so far I am loving it.  Chris Cleave is a very clever writer. Check it out!

happens every day

I just finished this book by Isabel Gillies. A true story. I couldn't put it down. A great quick summer read.
Check it out here.

I just emailed Isabel Gillies to tell her how much I loved her book and in 5 minutes she emailed this back, wow! (now I have to email back to say the studio is closing :( :

Hello Susanna!

Thanks so much for this great note AND for posting the book on your blog, (which looks very cool, I love BLT's too)! I am very impressed that you can do anything with a three year old much less read a book and have a store. We have pals in Darien, next time we are in town we'll come check it out.

Thanks very much again! Best wishes, Isabel Gillies

A Homemade Life

This is a brand new book by Molly Wizenberg, the founder of the fabulous food blog Orangette.
I preordered it. It came in the mail on Friday. I could have finished it in one sitting but I want to savor it. If you know and love the writing of Laurie Colwin then you will love this. I want to make every recipe. I did a big shop yesterday and got all the ingredients for Molly's roasted eggplant ratatouille, banana bread and scones. Thank goodness we are homebound in the midst of a winter snowstorm. A perfect day to spend in the kitchen!

next on my list of books to read

Just in time for Valentine's Day. This book comes via little brown pen. Nichole says: "It's smart. It's insightful. It's funny. It's brilliantly and elegantly written.
Not a trite cliche in sight.
If you're in the mood for a refreshing, honest, thought-provoking look at everyone's favorite four letter word, I highly recommend it."

sold.

baileys home & garden at whitecross farm

This is a place called Bailey's Home & Garden in the English countryside somewhere. I wish I could blink my eyes and be there. One day.

This is a book by the founders of Bailey's Home and Garden. Click here if you need a copy too.

1-2-3

Right this minute I have 3 books on my bedside table: The Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics by the lovely Ina Garten, Jhumpa Lahiri's Unaccustomed Earth and ABC's a la Charley Harper.

I could hardly wait for the new Barefoot Contessa cookbook. Some of my most favorite meals come from her older cookbooks: TURKEY MEATLOAF & STRING BEANS WITH SHALLOTS. I'll start flagging recipes from this newest book while cozy in bed with a cup of tea.

I adored Jhumpa Lahiri's Interpreter of Maladies and look forward to this collection of short stories in Unaccustomed Earth. A short story is about all I can read at the end of the day....

And the last is truly my newest favorito: a board book of the ABC's illustrated by the late Charley Harper. Charley Harper was a Cincinnati-based American Modernist artist. He was best known for his highly stylized wildlife prints, posters and book illustrations. It's Everett's new bedtime book fave too.