Book List

Black Swan Green by David Mitchell- This is a coming of age book that takes place during the Cold War in England. Once I got passed all the British slang (bog, bog paper...), this book really meant a lot to me. Composed of vignettes that can stand alone, but together compose the enthralling tale of boy with a stammer, this is a book that touches all. I think everyone can identify with the main character. Somehow everyone in my book club loved the book--that rarely happens!

Travels With My Aunt by Graham Greene-- Disclaimer: I have a soft spot in my heart for all things Graham Greene. This particular novel tells the story of a boring main character who gets swept away by his aunt to travel abroad with her. It's a story of crime, passion, and morality. Like most Greene, this book feels like you're watching a black and white movie--has a Casablanca feel to it.

Currently reading The Gravedigger's Daughter by Joyce Carol Oates for my book club. I'm not far enough into it to give any judgement, but I'd love to hear what you thought of it if you've read it.

Speaking of book club, check out my new mini journals which I use to take notes for my book club. I use the journal as a bookmark while I'm reading the book and take notes in it. Then I store the journal in the book once I'm done reading it. They are available for sale here.

Wintertime

So apparently you can learn a lot from youtube (not just how to cut hair). I taught myself to crochet and I whipped up myself this nifty cowl neck in about 2 hours!


Then I had to make myself an even bigger one in a different color (please excuse the poopy face).


I used soft, warm apalca yarn for both.

Keeping with the winter theme, Edy's has a Limited Edition Eggnog icecream, which my wonderful husband picked up at the grocery store for me when I sent him out for odds and ends. It's pretty yummy:)

Savings...and a holiday table setting

With the economy in its current state, we are constantly, here in the Kahn household, looking for ways to save money. My husband tries to avoid haircuts like the plague...mostly, because he's cheap. So I suggested I cut his hair and to my surprise he even went to the drugstore to purchase a pair of hair cutting scissors ($8--about $6 less than the cost of a haircut. Actually he walked to two different drugstores to save a $1).

I youtubed a bunch of haircutting tutorials and then got to work.

I made Davey pose for the before/after photos. He insisted that people always look unhappy in the before photos.

Before:


After:



Not too shabby for a self-taught first-timer huh?

And finally, I leave you with last night's table setting. I collect leaves every fall just because I can't resist. I dry them between book pages and then I use them for EVERYTHING until I run out. I add them to packages as embellishment, use them as gift tags and as centerpieces and place settings...


And then we ate buffalo wings with our fingers:) So yummy!

4 Table Settings

I live in a small dingy apartment. My "dining room" table is really a card table. But sometimes I like to have a nice romantic dinner...or the ladies over for lunch. Nothing a table cloth and some flowers can't solve. Check out these table settings I put together with some stuff I happened to have.


Above: My boring chocolate brown table cloth. Lined up 4 aqua placemats from Bed Bath and Beyond as a table runner. The center piece was an engagement gift (thanks Madeleine and Brian!). It is actually an antique lemonade pitcher used in the South. I put some hydrangea in it (which somehow lasted for 2 weeks!). I used a wine bottle as a water pitcher. And there is nothing like a pair of crystal candle sticks to set the mood.


Above: A similar set up using the same centerpiece. This was the setup for my bookclub meeting. I used the wine bottles as orange juice pitchers and I used old receipts to label them.


Above: More simple and zenlike, I decided to set this table up with the place settings directly across from each other. There is something very romantic about sitting directly across from your love in candlelight. The centerpiece is a long glass tray with rocks and tea lights that usually graces the top of my tv stand.


Above: My favorite flower--the green calla lily, in a Tiffany bamboo crystal vase. Placemats from Bed Bath and Beyond. Tea light in crystal bowl. And when we sat down to eat I realized we had no glasses or utensils...silly me

More table settings to come...

Welcome back!

After my brief hiatus I am back! And boy do I have lots of fun stuff for you in the coming days...

For now, I'm going to just post a few pics of my awesome hand-inked and hand-bound journals (they are available in my shop in my shop.)

First Hand-bound journal!

I created my first hand-bound journal. I included a little bead embellishment and inked the cover. Check it out:

Book recommendation

If you're looking for a book that will make you think then you have to go pick up Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely.

Essentially the book is about irrational behavior that we tend to repeat. There were many moments in the book that made me feel like a silly person. I laughed my way through most of the chapters. I highly recommend this easy read.

For a little taste of what this book has to offer check out Dan Ariely's blog.

Hand-beaded journals

So I am taking it to the next level. By that I mean that I have hand-beaded my journals. I took simple Moleskine journals and just added beads. They are fun! Check them out:




They are available in my shop.

My latest journal and Dave's digital work

I just listed a journal today in my shop. It is a new cover design of abstract flowers. I added two beads to the bookmark of this journal. I chose a round green bead and a flatter red bead. I figured the round echoed the shape of the flower and the flat echoed the shape of the leaves. Further, the red symbolized the flower petals, while the green symbolized the leaves and stems.

I also recently listed a piece of my husband's digital art. I like this piece a lot for it's vibrant colors.

New products

So in working towards the flea market, I came up with some new items for my shop and I updated other items in my shop.

I finally created my beer-themed envelopes and I added labels to all my upcycled envelopes. I used 100% recycled Kraft labels on my envelopes, keeping in theme with the eco-friendliness. Check them out:



And of course, if you'd like to purchase them please visit my online shop.