more etsy finds

Vintage Shades


Marianne Day Dress


VERA Red and White vintage scarf


Cotton dress


Mayberry Sparrow Stamps

Acorn


Retro Trailer

alice in ipad

I'm not going to be getting an iPad. I just don't need another gadget.

But seriously...this is amazing.

on the nightstand

Here are a few recent book purchases (I wish I could read all of them at once!) that are on my night stand:


The Lost City of Z by David Grann
I recently read Grann's latest book, The Devil and Sherlock Holmes: Tales of Murder, Madness, and Obsession, and was enchanted/riveted by the stories that he decided to follow and report on. I'm expecting The Lost City of Z to be another page turner.


Little, Big by John Crowley
Little, Big, originally published in 1981 by Bantam, was reissued in in 2006 by Harper Perennial and became an indie favorite for a new generation of book sellers. Stodgy Harold Bloom called it a "neglected masterpiece" so I think it'll be a good read.



The Piano Teacher by Janice Y. K. Lee
The story just looks intriguing.

In the sweeping tradition of The English Patient, Janice Y.K. Lee's debut novel is a tale of love and betrayal set in war-torn Hong Kong. In 1942, Englishman Will Truesdale falls headlong into a passionate relationship with Trudy Liang, a beautiful Eurasian socialite. But their affair is soon threatened by the invasion of the Japanese as World War II overwhelms their part of the world. Ten years later, Claire Pendleton comes to Hong Kong to work as a piano teacher and also begins a fateful affair. As the threads of this spellbinding novel intertwine, impossible choices emerge-between love and safety, courage and survival, the present, and above all, the past.

Nox by Anne Carson
What an amazing package. Carson's newest book of poetry is a thick fold-out accordion block of pages in a clamshell box; The accordion pages replicate the journal pages Carson filled after the death of her brother.

that old feeling

Over the weekend I started watching Mad Men. I'm hooked. It's a great show, with excellent style. One of the episodes ended with a lovely Anita O'Day song, which inspired me to turn on Ms. O'Day while making homemade Minestrone soup for dinner. Here she is singing That Old Feeling:


Have a good Monday!

i can't quit you

I spend most of my day in front of the computer, inextricable tied to the online world. If I don't hear that I've received a personal email from the ping sound my computer makes, my iphone tells me; if I'm not following a link in an email to an article or video or website, I am using social media to spread the word about a book campaign I'm working on; and now that I'm blogging, when I'm away from the computer I'm moving through the world thinking about what to blog about next.

Many days, the thing I dream about (besides traveling and new shoes) most is escaping the computer. Getting away from the incessant updates and newly hatched information. Thinking about it, I get all excited about all the things I could accomplish offline.

That's why I love this article in Slate by James Sturm about quitting the internet. Here is a snippet, but, really, you should follow the link and read the whole thing...

Over the last several years, the Internet has evolved from being a distraction to something that feels more sinister. Even when I am away from the computer I am aware that I AM AWAY FROM MY COMPUTER and am scheming about how to GET BACK ON THE COMPUTER. I've tried various strategies to limit my time online: leaving my laptop at my studio when I go home, leaving it at home when I go to my studio, a Saturday moratorium on usage. But nothing has worked for long. More and more hours of my life evaporate in front of YouTube. Supposedly addiction isn't a moral failing, but it feels as if it is.

(via Kottke; illustrations by James Sturm)

hipstamatic 2

Here are the Hipstamatic shots I took today using the Jimmy lens and Blanko film. I didn't care for the Kodot Verichrome. Next I'm going to experiment with Float film.

These photos make me feel like it's summertime.

hipstamatic

My favorite new iphone app is Hipstamatic. It allows me to take beautiful shots using different "lenses" and "film" to create images with a real old timey feel. Here are some shots I took on my way to work this morning using the John S lens and the Ina 69 film.
Just look at the amazing blown out blues and greens!








Tomorrow I'll take some shots using the Jimmy lens and the the Kodot (yes, that's how it's spelled in the app) Verichrome film.

34 little ways to share with the world

Found over at Zenhabits, I love these 34 Little Ways to Share with the World.

1. Help an entrepreneur with a Kiva donation.
2. Volunteer your services with a homeless shelter, soup kitchen, or other charity organization.
3. Donate money, food, or others goods to charity.
4. Bake cookies or brownies and share with a neighbor.
5. Put your favorite recipes on a blog and share with the world.
6. Volunteer your expertise (whatever it is) to the world, and give those services to anyone who needs them.
7. Give step-by-step instructions for doing something valuable you know how to do, online, for all to read.
8. Give your books away to friends or charities.
9. Start a community garden in your neighborhood, or contribute to an existing one.
10. Start a CSA, or become a member of one that exists.
11. Become a member of Freecycle, and participate.
12. Join or form, and participate in a cooperative (food, bikes, books, housing, more).
13. Give people a ride in your car. Carpool.
14. Let strangers use your car when you don’t need it.
15. Hold potlucks every week, rotating among friends/family.
16. Look into co-housing.
17. If you own copyrighted work, uncopyright it.
18. Perform random acts of kindness.
19. When someone wants to repay you for something, ask them to pay it forward instead.
20. Contribute code to Free and Open-Source Software (FOSS).
21. Donate money to a small programmer who has created FOSS, or buy shareware.
22. Clean up a park near you.
23. Sign up, participate, and contribute to bike sharing, car sharing, and other sharing organizations.
24. Help transform streets back into public spaces meant to be shared by everyone. (more)
25. If you’re in southern California, check out Neighborgoods.
26. Borrow and lend things in your neighborhood by using Share Some Sugar.
27. Barter via Craigslist. Or try u-exchange, trashbank, care to trade, trade a favor, or joe barter.
28. Share your tips with others online or through a free ebook.
29. Create great software and give it to the world for free.
30. Smile. Be compassionate in all human transactions.
31. Invest in a friend who wants to start her own business. Don’t ask for the money back for at least a few years.
32. Make things, and give them to people.
33. Read to the blind, help the elderly, assist those with disabilities.
34. Start or contribute to a tool-lending library in your neighborhood.

farmer's market style

I totally love this mom's farmer's market style. So, so effortlessly chic.
And what fab Hanna Anderson clogs!

lust list #5

This too cute Lamb No. 3 print over at 20x200 is...well, you know, cute. The piggie print is pretty darn cute too.



This amazing white+wood Brooklyn brownstone, found over on Seesaw.



My co-working and friend, Kim, rocks her navy Worishofers at work often. They're kind of granny and kind of awesome at the same time. I think I might have to get a pair.



Pretty much everyone on the internet has expressed her adoration for this Moop Organic Market Bag. I still love it, and am considering plopping down the $ for one of my own.



Hello, comfy-looking adorable dress!
Civil Smith Beatrice Dress