Great Cat Poster

I saw this poster advertised on Instagram and thought it was a great sign of the times. Enjoy your Sunday, the last day of May. xo

Cat + Bookshops = Perfect Together

This is the best! Saving the shelf empty so the cat cat can come and go at will. There's something about cats in bookshops that is so comforting. via

Beautiful Bedroom

I wouldn't change a thing. via

300,000 Free eBooks: Free w/ Library Card

read entire message here

There's good news for all the e-bookworms out there. The New York Public Library released an app today that allows anyone with a library card (and an iOS or Android phone) to "borrow" any of the 300,000 e-books in the collection.

It's called SimplyE and will allow you to read books on your phone, but beware, there might be a wait list for some popular titles, including the Game of Thrones series. (Check out the Harry Potter books, quick!) The online collection will continue to grow, and there are Kindle and web browser versions in development. But, for now, take a break from Pokemon Go and read to your digital heart's content.

All you have to do is download the app called SimplyE

I have already downloaded it from The Apple App Store. So this is what the IOS version looks like. If you have an android phone you can download it too. I think you have to do it thru Google Play. 

I hope Audio books come next. Take care and stay busy. xo

George Eliot Quote: Feeling Safe

Mary Ann Evans, known by her pen name George Eliot, was an English novelist, poet, journalist, translator, and one of the leading writers of the Victorian era.

I love this quote. via

A set of fine bindings in my antiquarian book collection. See old post here.

Hello, December

Last December I published a red copy of December page from The Procession of the Months by Walter Crane. It seems like yesterday. I worked outside chopping down tall weeds with my electric hedge trimmers and cleared quite a lot of lawn. It felt good to be outside. This was my third day in a row doing such. Today it's much colder and there is a freezing rain that could turn to snow later. I unearthed my snow shovels yesterday too. Enjoy what's left of the first day of December 2019. xo

Bookcase, Staircase, Home Library Love

This photo gives new meaning to under the stairs storage. I have always loved a twisty curved staircase and this one is spectacular. That bentwood handrail ❤💓!

Unseen Beatrix Potter drawings found inside books at Melford Hall Suffolk

Hooray for the cleaning lady who discovered these unseen drawings while she was dusting the books at Melford Hall, a stately mansion in Suffolk England. The delicate drawings depict scenes inside and outside Melford Hall, a Tudor mansion owned by relatives of Potter, whom she visited often between 1899 and 1938. Potter and her cousin Ethel Leech were very close, growing up together in Kensington. After Leech married Reverend Sir William Hyde Parker in 1890, Potter would often stay with her at Melford Hall. Read the entire article here. Old books hide many secrets, don't they? xo

Delightful Attic Bathroom

How much do I love what I can see of this attic bathroom? My research tells me it's a photo from a book by Tom Scheerer. Do love! xo

Our Vines Have Tender Grapes: Movie Review

An endearing and quietly rhapsodic slice of Americana about a single year among the Norwegian immigrants in a Wisconsin farm town, Our Vines Have Tender Grapes enthralled 1945 audiences and critics with its timeless joys. Told from the viewpoint of little Selma (Margaret O’Brien), the film explores grand childhood adventures: making friends, a pet calf, Christmas, a terrifying trip down a flood-swollen river, a barn fire and a ride on a circus elephant’s trunk. In a change-of-pace role, Edward G. Robinson is a revelation of wisdom and compassion as Selma’s father, leading a fine cast that illuminates the profound power of everyday triumphs and sorrows.

I have watched this movie twice on TCM and love it. It follows the life of a close Norwegian family in a Wisconsin settlement. The family values of the whole village are wonderful and Margaret O'Brien is a treasure. I love her telling of the Nativity in the church Christmas pageant.

Maybe you can find the DVD at your library. You can stream it on Amazon and iTunes. This is a must-see movie. I have never read the book but it must be wonderful too.

Books with Marbled Endpapers

I adore leather bound books with marbled endpapers. This is a very nice stack. via

Hallway Bookshelves, Nice!

via

I designed this quote long ago. I think Anna Quindlen would be most pleased if her children had bookshelves like the photo above.

Christmas Eve in Iceland

Yes. This does sound perfect. via

Animal Illustrations by Chris Dunn

Everyone knows by now that I am fascinated by the interiors of animals. This Wise Old Owl by Chris Dunn is a fine example of the kind of detail that pleases me the most. I love how he has decorated his hollow tree and filled it with antiquarian books and scientific instruments. via

I dug a little deeper and found the artist's website and related immediately with this image of Mole's House Getting a Bit of TLC. It is from Wind in the Willows illustrated by Chris Dunn. Is fall cleaning on everyone's mind?

Dining Room Turned Library

My brother and I always did homework at the dining room table. We used it for board games too and my mother and I used our big table for cutting out the clothes we sewed. It was our "family room". This photo shows the evolution of a dining room that became a library. via

1917 Illustration from a Children's Book

Sweetest illustration by Janet Laura Scott 

Verse by John G. Bowman

The book, Happy All Through The Day, was published in 1917. I love the way the girls' room is decorated. I have always loved to study interior design in children's books.

There is a hole through almost every page in the book. It was presented to a boy named George for Christmas in 1924 by his mother. George must have gotten a compass too. He practiced drawing circles on the back cover and the sharp pointed thing made a hole like the one above. I was able to clone it out in the first photo using iPhoto on my Mac.

Oak Leaves and Acorns

I have always loved bird nests, oak leaves, acorns, and books about natural history. This photo captures everything. via

Organizing My Closet

I have only just begun, but this is an early view of the closet in my second bedroom. The room where I sleep doesn't have a closet so that's why I call this my dressing room. I dare not take a photo of the rest of the room right because it looks like a war zone. That's the only way I can work, by tearing everything apart and slowly putting it back together again. The two stacked shoe organizers, purchased yesterday at the church rummage sale, started it all. I have a way of stepping out of my shoes when I first enter my kitchen and leaving them there. No more! Now each pair has a home.

The books on top of my lingerie chest, decoupaged on all sides and inside the drawers with old sheet music, houses all the books I got at the church sale too. The chest was a garage sale purchase years ago that my mother enjoyed for many years. I need to look through the books before they find a permanent home. Most are on gardening. By the way, my nasturtium seeds are beginning to sprout!! There is more depth on either side of the closet for hanging clothes so it's larger than it looks with storage above for winter blankets, etc. I'm still not finished organizing my clothes into keep or donate piles, plus I wear the same few things all the time. Don't we all?

Here's a closer view. The two vintage shoe organizers with dividers are made from heavy duty cardboard and are covered with paper that makes me happy every time I open the double doors of my closet. When they were new, they were sold folded and flat and required some assembly. Someone kept them in perfect condition and they waited for me until I could get to the sale on the second day. Lucky me!

Reading Nook Under the Stairs

This is so much better than a closet under the stairs, right? via

Coziest Reading Corner Ever

This has got to be the most well thought out reading nook ever. I do wish I could see the rest of the sunroom because I know I would love everything. via I would be searching for the companion ottoman because like to have my feet propped up and a little TV would be nice as well. The secretary desk would serve as a home office making this little library the the perfect multi-purpose room. xo