Bookplate with Bad Dogs

This is a pretty terrifying image, isn't it? Do you think J. A Kennard had a lot of experiences like this? I certainly hope not! The image is signed by the artist, lower right. 

I can't find the specific blog post, but it's somewhere on Confessions of a Bookplate Junkie.

Wonderful Gates with Squirrels

At the Brooklyn Public Library.

I love theis entrance to the Children's Library.

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Library and Reading Room Under The Stairs

This is the best use for that area under the stairs yet. Don't you love the built-in book shelves and the comfy chairs for reading? Found in Country Living Magazine. Link here.

Lovely Signed Bookplate

I have been fascinated by bookplates forever. They are tiny works of art that reflect the taste of the owner of the book. I love this miniature bucolic landscape with trees and clouds and a garden urn. Found in a 1931 second edition of 'The Scented Garden'. Signed lower right by bookplate artist and designer Bank B. Gordon. Bookplate collectors will know this name. Shell added for interest.

I think the heat wave has broken today. Fingers crossed. My heart goes out to those affected by the flooding in Louisiana. Mother Nature can be very cruel. I am so fortunate to live in a somewhat protected area. I understand we are all in for a very bad hurricane season. Oh dear!

My car has been in the shop for a couple of days in the hands of a new mechanic I discovered. Nothing was wrong with it, but it was time for a tuneup and a once over to get it ready for fall and winter. I even vacuumed it with the shop vac before taking it in. It's going to be ready today. So excited. xo

Charming Bookplate

Detail of the Bookplate on the Thematic Endpapers in an old gardening book. I love the poem.

No wealthy monarch can possess

A greater store of golden hours

Than can be found in happiness

Of birds and books and flowers.

🔹🔹 C. A. Maude Eden 🔹🔹

Ladies in Lavender -- DVD Movie Recommendation

I watched this movie over the weekend and LOVED IT. For some reason I decided to look in the Foreign Films section at the library and it was filled with movies made in Great Britain in English with no subtitles. I was so happy!

Maggie Smith and Judi Dench are wonderful as is the story and the scenery. Look for it at your library or find it on Netflix. You can thank me later! Click the second photo to enlarge and read the description. xo

Seldom Seen Corner in My Living Room

My friend who is moving gave me a Blu-ray DVD player and I'm over the moon. Now I can watch discs from the library in my living room. I checked out House of Cards, UK edition but did not like it at all. It seemed too dated for me. I got the "real" Netflix version and am loving it. So far, I have watched Seasons 1 and 2.  Season 3 is on reserve and I should get it this week. I know I could subscribe to Netflix but as long as I can keep getting DVDs from the library, I'm ok with that. I am catching up on some movies I haven't seen too. I watched CHEF last week and loved it. 

I have a real estate closing Friday (hopefully) on my difficult transaction. Fingers crossed. See you later. xo

Beautiful Custom Bookcases

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These floor to ceiling bookcases are absolutely gorgeous as are the antiquarian books within.

Fireplace flanked by Bookcases

This looks like the perfect cozy spot to sit and enjoy the fire or curl up with a good book, doesn't it? If a nap is called for, you're in the right place. via

Upstairs Hallway Nook

I love everything about this little bookcase nook at the top of the stairs. via

Shakespeare. 1st Folio Book Tour. USA

I knew about this tour but didn't know when it was happening. Drew University in Madison was selected as the sole New Jersey location and will host the exhibit for a month during the fall of 2016.

Where will this exhibit be shown to your state? Check the full list here. Once you find out the location, you will be able to search for WHEN yourself as I did for Drew. You're welcome!

Amazing Built-in Bookcase

These people were so smart to put in a bookcase instead of a raised panel. It's perfect for their larger antiquarian books. It reminds me of one of my favorite quotes.

"I would be most content if my children grew up to be the kind of people who think decorating consists mostly of building enough bookshelves. Anna Quindlen"

These homeowners managed to do both!!! photo source

A Wonderful Library

I hope there's a library ladder somewhere to help reach the books up high. This appears to be full of antiquarian books with fine bindings, my favorite! I like the carpet, the art, and the furniture too. via Have a great weekend. I can hardly believe tomorrow is the beginning of August. That month always seems to fly because it's the end of summer.

A Personal Library in Connecticut

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Robert Couturier’s library, adjacent to his Connecticut home, is built around an 18th century doorway from a Federal house in Newport, Rhode Island.

Wonderful Library Wall

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This looks like a fabulous room and I think there's a fireplace to the left. Don't you love the secret book doors? I want to see more of this antique home. Look at the size of those floor boards!

Bookcases Around A Window

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I love this window treatment and I used it myself in my last house. If you surround a window with bookcases, you get the illusion that the walls of the house are very thick as in a stone house. It gives you a deep windowsill too which I love. The bookcases in this photo are the perfect size. Not too wide so the shelves won't sag from the weight of the books.

Samuel F. B. Morse, Painter

It would probably surprise Samuel F. B. Morse, and not pleasantly, that future generations know him for his invention of Morse code and his services to telegraphy, rather than for his paintings, produced over six decades, that were the serious business of his life. The size of the painting below blows me away .... it measures 6 feet x 9 feet. I can't even begin to count the paintings within this masterpiece that took him two years to complete.

Samuel F. B. Morse (1791–1872), Gallery of the Louvre (1831–33), oil on canvas, 73-1/2" x 108". Terra Foundation for American Art, Chicago. Read more ... article in The Magazine Antiques ... Morse at The Huntington Library.

Library Doubles as Dining Room

It would be hard to eat without reading something in this wonderful library full of antiquarian books, wouldn't it? via

Great Family Room for Reading and Watching

I really like this small and cozy room for watching TV and reading, don't you? via

Wall to Wall Books and Antiques

Yes. Isn't this the perfect room? via I've been thinking of having another wall of shelves built in my guest room. This one would be perfect! We got about 6 inches of snow overnight and it is quite lovely. The animals have been out and are both in after-breakfast food comas and the house is snug and warm. Now that my furnace has been fixed, I realize that I was having a problem for quite some time. I can remember thinking for a long time that my house was cold. The furnace wasn't clicking on when the temperature dropped. It finally broke totally and now that it is working properly the cottage is back to being its old cozy self. I can't stop looking up at this library and have decided to work on my books today and maybe some taxes. Be safe and warm this weekendwe. xo