Presidential Letters

Image from Letters of Note, as spotted on Neither Snow.

Say what you will about The President, but I think anyone who takes the time to write an unsolicited thank-you note - and for an indirect gift at that - is a lovely person (especially if the person who is writing happens to be one of the busiest people in the world!).

Above, a note from #44 himself to Canadian author Yann Martel. President Obama read Martel's book, The Life of Pi, with his daughter and then penned a handwritten note, which included this sentiment:

"It is a lovely book — an elegant proof of God, and the power of storytelling. Thank you."

Inspired by: bookcases

With all my reading of late (thanks in part to a gift from my mom and also thanks to our public library's awesome online hold system where I select books I want to read, they get them in and set them aside for me - for free [woohoo!]), I am in need of a place to put all my books (not the library ones obviously).

Aren't these perfectly styled bookcases gorgeous?

From MDEsign via Shelter


From Domino (RIP) via Say Yes to Hoboken


From Domino via Oh Happy Day


From Domino via Say Yes to Hoboken

I love that the top image and bottom image both show bookcases with colored backs. I'm considering doing that with one of our bookcases (don't mind the crappy iPhone photo):

What do you think?

Also, do you spy the "This Land is Your Land" print nestled in there? I'm not yet sure that's the perfect place for it, but I do love that print!

To do: book list

I waxed poetic (ha) about reading and basking in the sun recently, but - shockingly - haven't quite followed through yet. Hey - it's been gorgeous out - things to do, boats to kayak, outside patio bars to haunt! - plus kickball has started back up and Lost is in its final season (I know, I know, awful to say, but it's true!).

But I am serious about turning off the tv (especially with the sun back, and past 6pm!) and digging into the large pile of books stacked on my bedside table.

I just started The Happiness Project today. I'm only about 20 pages in so I can't make a fair judgment yet, but I'm eager to read more. We could all use a little more happiness right?


Here are some of the other books currently (and patiently) sitting next to the bed and waiting to be read:

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
What the Dog Saw by Malcolm Gladwell
If You Have to Cry, Go Outside by Kelly Cutrone (my mother saw this one and thought of me - should I be concerned??)
What is the What by Dave Eggers
The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
Plainsong by Kent Haruf

Have you read any of these? Do you have a current favorite or something you just read and want to recommend?

Sun, spring, books and dance

With the weather turning more and more beautiful by the day (hellooo, spring!), I'm so eager to spend more time outside. But a slew of books gifted to me for my birthday has me eager to dig into those, too, so I'm a bit torn on how to use my free-time. Right now I'm trying to soak up the sun during the day and do my reading at night, but I'm looking forward to the days when it's warm enough out to sit outside in the park and read.

Here's a lovely quote about doing just that - reading in the sun (and dancing too):

I love this sentiment by Voltaire. Reading and dancing really are two of the best art forms/activities humanity has discovered.

And here's a self-portrait. It's me, reading in the evening:

Ha - I wish. Check out those shoes!

So what about you? Have you read any good books lately? Do you ever get the chance to just sit in the sun and read or dance up a storm? Both things are fun to do, free and good for you. With that being said, here's a cheers to spring (and sunshine), to dancing, and to reading good books!

Photo 1 from Mary Ruffle on tumblr; photo 2 from atmosfere neorealist via This is Glamorous.

Green Marker sticky book marks

I'm a huge reader and I especially love books. I don't mean reading my blog roll online, not internet articles, not Kindle e-books; I love the actual feel of the paper and the heft of the hardcover. With this reverence for books, I never turn down the pages to mark my place - I hate creasing the pages like that! Then again, I don't really like bookmarks either (except these!); they're usually much too Hallmark or granny-ish for my tase.

That's why I'm loving these awesome page markers from Yuruliku Design. Removable, but cute if you want to leave them, and when you mark a bunch of thoughts, passages or entries, you have your very own garden in a book! Great idea, great design.

Available here (if you can read Japanese) or roughly translated here.

Via Benign Objects.

Rainbow in Your Hand flipbook

Rainbow in Your Hand, a 36-page flipbook by Japanese art director and copywriter Masashi Kawamura, doesn't create an animation on the pages like most flipbooks; instead, it creates the illusion of a 3D rainbow hovering over the pages.

Here are what the individual pages look like:


And here's what they do when flipped:

Amazing!

As seen on designworklife.

Dictionary of Curiosities

The Pictorial Webster’s Visual Dictionary of Curiosities features over 1,500 restored engravings of "archetypes and curiosities" that were originally printed in Webster's dictionaries from the 19th century. The entries run from A to Z (or perhaps abalone to zygote) and feature meticulous illustrations of each item.


The hardcover tome is on sale right now for $23.10 (from $35 originally) and would make a perfectly lasting gift for a child too young to read, an artist/designer, a history buff, or anyone who could get lost paging through these beautifully arranged curiosities.

As found on Mrs. Lilien.

The Exquisite Book Project

This incredible illustration was done by co-founder and head designer of Hello Lucky, Eunice Moyle, for an upcoming book called The Exquisite Book Project.

Designer Julia Rothman conceived of this experimental project, which is a collaboration of 100 illustrators, designers, comic artists and contemporary fine artists. Each artist will contribute one page to the book, but the interesting part is this: the artists have been given no more information than the previous artist’s illustration. Meaning the book could go anywhere and in a million different ways.

"The first artist will be given a few words to inspire their drawing. Each of the following artists will see only the page that immediately precedes their own. Each artist will use images (and optionally, words) to create their continuation to the story, and the inspiration for the next artist in line. ... Each artist must have a horizon line in their image that starts on the left side of the page and ends on the right. Where the horizon line of the first artist’s page ends, is where it begins for the next artist."

Which means that other than the continuation line, the "story" is free to go anywhere, and in any direction and art style. How cool is that?

Some of the contributors include Dave Eggers (who knew he could draw too? jeesh! what can't he do?) and Jen Corace (who I've featured here), among 98 others.

I will be checking this out when it comes out in fall 2010 for sure. The concept is so unique!

Originally seen here.

MacBook? Bookbook!

Sadly, I am not an at-home Mac user (it was Mac by day at work, Sony Vaio by night at home for me), but if I had my own MacBook or MacBook Pro, I'd gladly protect it with this hilariously clever and attractive Bookbook laptop case from Twelve South.

Bookbook's cover is made from rigid hardback leather, but the interior is a soft velvet. So you not only look like Vincent Price when toting about your laptop (ascot and smoking jacket not included), but your computer is protected from falls, bumps or would-be thieves. Brilliant design! I know what I'm getting my brother - King of the Mac - for his birthday gift next year!

As originally found on Made By Girl.

Jacket+Bookmark

I have a sweet little gift certificate to Barnes & Noble (hello, credit card rewards points, and yes, I'm a big ol' book nerd) that is burning a hole in my pocket. I totally wish B&N sold these adorable book dust jacket/bookmark combos:


Created by graphic designer and illustrator Igor “Rogix” Udushlivy, these "Jacket+Bookmark" sets are hilarious and would certainly make hauling around a beat-up-looking book much more fun.




I love the ones for Africa, Paris and of course Alice. Those rabbit ears are too cute!

(As originally seen on Swiss Miss, curator of the best stuff!)

Holiday gift idea: gifts for cooks

After much anticipation for this movie to come out in theaters, I saw it and loved it. And, as of December 8th, it will be out on DVD. I've already put it in my Amazon shopping cart for pre-sale - I'm thinking it will be a great holiday gift for my grandmother. (Side note: Mom, has she seen this yet?)

This DVD, coupled with Julia's memoir, My Life in France (which I haven't read, but I hear it's supposed to be really good), would make a great gift for any chef or food-lover you know, don't you think? With Amazon's usually free shipping, we're talking only 21 bucks ($9.99 for the DVD + $10.80 for the paperback book) - that's super cheap for what I think seems like a really good gift. Heck, at that cost, you could throw in a cute apron and a wooden spoon, and have yourself an awesome cooking-themed gift.

And full disclosure (based on the new FCC rules): I was not paid or bribed by Amazon, the maker of this movie, Julia Child, or anyone else to endorse these items. But, I am happy to take payment or bribes of any type at any time, so leave me a comment or email me if you want in! :)

Proper TP alignment (alternately titled "crazy part deux")

Toilet paper diagram by Heather Powazek Champ

So my crazy brain came out Tuesday. My inner Martha reared her ugly head and resulted in this post on brownies (no, not those kind of brownies). I then tried to tame my crazy, but it came back with this proclamation.

Then, today, I was looking online at the book "No One Cares What You Had for Lunch" by Margaret Mason (it's brilliant! I might buy it - for the sake of the 4 people who read my blog!) and saw the above diagram. It made me fall back in love with being crazy but happy, thanks to Heather Powazek Champ, a seemingly fellow kooky person (see? blogging brings people together!). Here's what she had to say about proper toiler paper loading:

"When I am queen, I shall decree that all rolls of toilet paper be correctly inserted into the toilet paper dispensers. Correctly? You have all been improperly instructed to place your toilet paper with the "tongue" facing outward. This is incorrect. Why? It's ugly. Please view the illustration above. Isn't the arrangement on the right far more aesthetically pleasing than that on the left? But what about ease of use you ask? I don't give a rat's ass about ease of use. I want the world to be a more beautiful place, and I'm going to start with your toilet paper. Thank you."

Love it. I actually happen to wholeheartedly disagree (I hate when the TP tongue is on the inside - it unrolls too quickly and leads to overpulling!), but I admire HPC's card-carrying, unapologetic (and maybe crazy?) dedication to the world being more pretty. Right on, sista.

Adler's animals

Good morning! Did everyone have a good weekend? I hope you had a fun one, despite what seemed like a constant downpour (at least here in MD). Since this weekend was a bit gloomy, I wanted to start the day off on a cheery note, so here are some adorable items (I think) for a Monday morning:

Honestly, how cute are the latest Jonathan Adler creations? (And how cute is JA himself? I adore him, as well as his hubby, the ineffable Simon Doonan of Barneys New York.) I especially like these two new Adler home goods:


This giraffe lamp would be great in a baby's or kid's room, but I think it could even work in my homestead. It's way beyond my price range, but if Target makes a knockoff (as they so brilliantly often do), I'm picturing it in my entryway - maybe even with the white lampshade switched out for a colorful one. What do you think - too crazy?


These dachshund bookends are super cute too. And brilliant that they're being sold through Barnes & Noble - easily accessible and right in time for the holidays!

Funny that the king of colorful kitsch also does all-white ceramics so elegantly!

Delicious drop-caps

Daily Drop Caps by Jessica Hische





am so impressed with these drop cap letters from Brooklyn-based designer/illustrator/typographer Jessica Hische! I can't wait for her to release more letters through her font blog, Daily Drop Cap. I'm also feeling her personal blog, especially this post. As a design- and type-junkie, I'm loving her stuff!

Ooh baby baby, ooh baby babycakes

Cookbook available on Amazon


BabyCakes NYC founder, Erin McKenna, with Martha!

She's been on Martha. Multiple times. Gwyneth has blogged about her. But who cares if even Oprah, Obama and Madonna were all to espouse her baked goodies (not sure if they've even tried them, but follow along with me here, I swear I'm going somewhere with this...), the point is that she makes delicious, beautiful, vegan, (mostly) gluten- and sugar-free baked goods. Hello! Gluten- and sugar-free? What?!?! So who is this mystery baking genius and what's the bakery? It's Erin McKenna and her stores are called Babycakes.

I haven't tried anything from her cookbook yet or been to either the bakery in NYC or the one in LA, but after reading about these goodies from Gwynnie herself, you can bet I'm going to stop by the NYC location the next time I'm in town and I'm even tempted to pick up the cookbook and try this out myself. And I won't even feel the slightest bit guilty about my indulgence. Yum!

David Pearson book covers

Lovely imagery of David Pearson's work, as seen on RIFLE. The green and gray is such a nice combo and dp's designs are impressively varied.

"Sucked in" by vampires?

Oh no.

Truth time. My book club made me read the first Twilight book, even though I resisted vehemently and refused to actually buy it (annoyingly stating that it was a teen book and I would not bring myself to spend the $25 [it was still hard cover at that point] on a book about vampire love). One of those crafty girls lent it to me. Shoot. So, I bucked up and read it. And I totally got sucked in.

Darn.

I voraciously tore through the second one shortly thereafter (also lent to me, after eating crow and shamefully begging my friend Sarah for it), but thought I had escaped it for a while when I couldn't find a paperback version of the third and fourth books in the airport on a recent trip. I still refused to go in the teen section at Barnes and Noble to seek it out, so I gave up for a while. Then, on a trip the library the other day, they had not only book 3, but also book 4. Darn again.

So here I am, a full-on adult (at least age-wise), totally absorbed in book 3. I started it yesterday and think I will be finished with it in a day or so. (Though please note that I am not sitting around reading it all day; I do read really fast. Sheesh.) I am fairly certain I'll go through the 4th book equally as quickly.

Does this make me a 14 year old girl? Anyone else sucked in like this?

Side note: what's up with the plethora of vampire-based entertainment these days? First the Twilight series, then True Blood and now a vampire on show on the CW??

Rainy day and cozy nook

From House to Home via Mary Ruffle (my fave)

It rained absolute buckets here this afternoon. The kind of rain that soaks you from head to toe the minute you step foot in it, even if you're just sprinting from your car to your front door. This happened to me today, despite me wielding a sturdy umbrella and wearing shorts. But I loved it. I got inside and sat by the window, drying off and watching the fat drops fall. It was lovely, and much needed in the hot, sticky, end-of-summer heat we've been having this week.

Thinking about rainy days (or stressful days, lazy days, or any day really), how comfy and inviting does this nook and chair look? I would love to curl up there any day.

826 National

As if Dave Eggers hadn't accomplished enough with his several successful and critically acclaimed books (one of which was a Pulitzer finalist), his own independent publishing house, and even being on a Beck album, I just found out that he also founded a national non-profit organization aimed to help kids with writing and one-on-one tutoring. It's called 826 National and there are seven locations across the US: San Francisco (the flagship chapter), New York, LA, Chicago, Seattle, Boston and Ann Arbor.

The most hilarious part to me, though, is that each of the chapter locations has its own storefront which sells books, of course, but also fun oddities. From the website:

"San Francisco’s pirate supply store sells glass eyes and one-of-a-kind peglegs, 826NYC’s Superhero Supply Company offers custom-fit capes, Seattle’s Greenwood Space Travel Supply Company sells all your space commuting appurtenances, 826michigan's Liberty Street Robot Supply & Repair Shop specializes in must-have mechanical conveniences, while 826LA features a time travel store, there's a secret agent supply store in Chicago, and the Cryptozoology shop in Boston is now open!"

Here are some of those products, designed especially for the 826 stores (and as seen on The Dieline).

From Valencia's pirate store:








From Brooklyn's Superhero Supply Company:







From Boston's Bigfoot Research Institute:





And last but not least, a few from Chicago's Boring Store(which is NOT a spy-supply store):







I think I might know a few kids who would love this stuff (and even a few "grown-ups" too!).