booksbooksbeautifulbooks

It is obvious, I'm sure, that my philosopher and I love books.
In a lot of ways, he probably loves them more than me
but at a certain point the minute differences are irrelevant.

Our home will always be brimming with bookshelves and piles of books
and we'll continue building a library for as long as we can.

I come by it honestly for sure.
Growing up I thought everyone had a living room
decorated with floor to ceiling bookshelves
stacked two or three rows thick.

As I got older I came to realize
that, in fact, not everyone loves to be surrounded by books.
Weird. To each her own, I suppose but I can never escape the feeling
that a spine-less home is cold and empty.

It is just so strange to see bookshelves with huge gaps of open space
a paperweight here, maybe a coffee table book there, a couple of picture frames...

However, despite my love of books - particularly beautiful hardcovers -
I have been trying to reconcile my desire to emulate this (with a twist)
with the guilt and sadness I feel in taking a razor to a masterpiece.

I suppose it is about artistic endeavors...
you have to break an egg to make an omelet...
and so on and so forth...

We'll see if I really have it in me to follow through with my plans
for these lovely, dusty hardcovers I found at the Still Waters book sale this year.

Create.A.Swap

I participated in a create-a-swap a few weeks back...
And I've finally gotten around to posting some photos.

The rules were simple:
Create three things
Send them to your partner
Receive three handmade things

Here is what I received:



Spectacular, no?!
Thanks Abby for the awesome gifts!
And thanks to Cara for organizing it all.

the imaginary tour continues

too white overall, but colors would sure pop in this kitchen

I love, love, love exposed brick and chandeliers!

bold colors, books, french double doors... lovely.


great, simple office to get things done...

simple storage

I love trunks and four poster beds -
those windows are spectacular too!


A library for our children and a big comfy chair.

reading room attic for grand adventures and imaginative escapes!

golden glen creamery

Holy Cow.
I've come across a most amazing local find: Golden Glen Creameries.
Not only is the creamery located in my general area,
and not only does their milk come in great glass bottles,
their regular prices are cheaper than most sale prices for other brands!

It is a win, win, win. Triple threat.
I'm absolutely psyched!

a day at the fair grounds

Having lived in the Seattle area for 5 years now
I've definitely been witness to a flood of rave reviews and hype
concerning the annual Puyallup Fair.
"DO THE PUYALLUP FAIR"

The philosopher, however, has never been one
to rally around the idea of us attending the fair.
Since he grew up in Puyallup, he's "done it" quite a bit.
It's just not his thing.

After five years of piqued interest though
I just couldn't refuse Christy's invitation to come along
and see the grand event with my own two eyes.
{and because the philosopher loves me so, he came along too}

The dahlias were very pretty - -
some had bushy heads the size of basketballs!!

And the rides were fun even if I only took one short adventure
along the rickety tracks of the roller coaster with Joe.
{I love, love, love roller coasters and amusement park rides!}

But the most bizarre thing to witness
were the many odd and unusual displays
of random collections, scrapbook pages, art, and preserved food.


I suppose I am a bit jaded...
but why exactly did this entry earn a special mention?


There were lots of impressive quilts to see
and various art exhibits.
I would have taken more photos
but was reprimanded by a volunteer.
So I'll just got a few sneaky photos from my phone
to remember the day by.

"Golden Dreams in Those Mountains"
by Aletha Deuel

by Mary Schessow-Schumaller

All in all, I'm glad we went.
The roller coaster ride was fun and
some of the crafts & art were really impressive.
But, I'll be okay not going again.

{all photos by me, on my little phone except for Robin Rice's beautiful print}

a new tradition...

Last night the philosopher and I got back from a quick little trip to Vancouver with L's mom, Christy. It was a lot of fun. We picnicked by a rose garden, ate interesting food and spent hours walking through Stanley Park admiring the gardens, interacting with the raccoons, looking at the trees, and talking.

The raccoons were very, very unnaturally social and absolutely adorable. They were so used to people feeding them peanuts and such that they would walk right up to you with their big eyes asking for food.

We also spent over four hours at the Vancouver aquarium looking at fish and watching the dolphins play. Oh, how I love dolphins! It was the first time, that any of us could think of, that we've been to an aquarium that wasn't solely focused on entertainment. There was a big social push for sustainability and alternatives with our fishing practices. It used to be that the aquariums went and caught their whales, dolphins, otters, sea lions, etc... But surprisingly, and sadly, most of their whales, dolphins, and sea lions were rescued.

...And then we walked and talked a little more.


{all photos by my philosopher or myself}

still dreaming of beautiful dresses...

like the short one on the left...

this unique soft and fluffy beauty...

this beaded show stopper...

this dramatic black and white number...

more soft and fluffy... with a twist on usual all white gowns

the lovely draped dress on the far right...

all of these... in different colors
but especially the long one on the right

the fantastic white dress on the far left...

and that gorgeous draped dress in the center...

all photos thanks to {casando ideas}

sending sunshine to an unsuspecting stranger...

How amazing is this?
Just imagine:
one special day in which everyone gets a handwritten note, just because.
I found out about this grâce à Cara.
Check out her blog for a clip from the BBC about these mysterious letters.

welcome to my imaginary home... a partial tour of things to come

{source}
Making the most of a small room - -
window box nook for sleeping, leaving an open room for other things.

{source}
Maximizing space...books!

{source}

Minimalist, clean bedroom with wood floors for better air quality.

{source}
A nice big closet to store things...

{source}
A secret library with a red brick floor to carry me away.

{source}

A sunny spot to read surrounded by greenery.

{source}
If not a cozy guest house,
maybe a nice basement apartment for out of town visitors.

{source}
An incredible, sweeping view enhanced with candlelight.

Ummm... I've been gone a while.

I wish I could say I was off galivanting in Europe...
whizzing around in a smart little car.
Regrettably, I have not.

I have, however, come across some
AMAZING
handmade
VEGAN
soap.

I found it {here} on etsy, naturally.
Check out Marie's blog too for giveaways.

i need to move to Sweden.

Why you ask? Amazingly cute biodegradable bags in three great designs.

sewing up a storm

I've been pretty crafty lately.

Finally starting to dig into some of my long postponed sewing projects. I made a blanket for the philosopher's soon-to-be nephew or niece and a whole set of fabric gift bags.

For labor day the philosopher's family gathered at the lake for a pickleball round robin, some settlers of catan, and a whole lotta food. I put together a few little things for the baby in waiting and then we were off... Unfortunately, one can only be crafty for so long...