Book Love

 

I've mentioned before that I'm not a huge reader.  It's rather ironic that I'm a writer, yet I don't really enjoy reading, so it stands to reason that books with lots of pictures would be the kind I gravitate towards.

I don't own a ton of decorating and design books, but I do own a few.  Some I've had for years, like Malcom Hillier's Wreaths and Garlands, and John Hadamuscin's Special Occasions.  Both of the books I just mentioned are more about entertaining and floral arranging than decorating, but I still love the photography and wonderful ideas they give you in books about floral design and entertaining.

The other design books I own have mostly been gifts, or books I've purchased after having them recommended by a friend.

For some reason this spring has me itching to add to my collection of design books, I just love the permanence of a coffee table book that I can go back to time and time again.  I do that with magazines, but in most instances there are only one or two homes or features that really catch my eye in any given magazine.

With books, the whole book will have a design style and I find that I love nearly 80% of what I see in any given book.  Plus, now that my interest in photography has taken off, I find that I pour over books in a totally new way.  I cherish the composition or lighting of a shot now where I once was mostly interested in the decor.

When Terry John Woods friended me on Facebook recently, I felt it was a sign that I needed to buy this talented man's book.  I had seen it many times and knew I would love it, but I'd never made that commitment and gone ahead and purchased it.

I ordered it from Amazon along with my pre-order of Fifi's book, but Terry's book arrived just a few days ago, and Fifi's is due any day now!

I have to say that from the moment I opened this book, New Farmhouse Style, I was completely blown away!  The styling, photography, everything about this book had my heart beating faster and my fingers ready to turn the page to see the next delightful image and read the heartfelt text.

Now as you might imagine, writing about beautiful homes and even getting to visit some of them for a living can make it a little harder to be wowed by anything home related, much less a book, but this one had me at hello.  

I mean just look at the photo above.  Terry loves white tulips and ironstone and so do I.  I even have white tulips at my house right now, and I also have lots of little white pitchers floating around this very dusty place of mine!

The incredible photography by Kindra Clineff, paired with Terry's simple yet elegant sense of style had me rethinking everything I thought about photos and styling for shoots.  His book proves that less really is more when it comes to the new sense of country decorating.

This book made me want to pack my bags and move to an old farmhouse in Vermont and instead of filling it with stuff, fill it with only the stuff I love!  Yes folks, this book is truly that good!

Now, just in case you are thinking "hey has Kat lost her mind, is she now on Terry John Woods' payroll, what does she stand to get from singing his praises?"  The answer is yes, I have lost my mind but it's totally unrelated to Terry John Woods or his book.  Two, I'm not on Terry's payroll gosh darn it!  And three, I stand nothing to gain from my gushing review except to give credit where credit is due, and that means telling all of you so that you too can discover this wonderful book for yourself!

I did a photo shoot at a lovely home yesterday, and I have to tell you that I was very much aware of each and every shot that I took.  I carefully edited out what wasn't necessary, taking my cues from Terry's clean, inviting style.  And I have to say that when I reviewed the pictures, I couldn't have been more pleased with the end results.

Today or tomorrow, Fifi's fabulous book, Romantic Prairie Style, should be showing up on my doorstep, and I know that it will move me in the same way that Terry's book has.  I've had a sneak peek at her book, and I can't wait to get my hot little hands on it as well.  And the best part is that Terry has a new book called Summer House, which you can pre-order now, and Fifi has begun work on her second book too!

At this rate, you may not be hearing from me for awhile!  Remember what I said about not being able to live in a mostly white house...well I may have lied when I said that...never say never....Benjamin Moore store here I come!!!

Until next time friends...

Spread the Love...

Ocean Soul   (from now on I'll be posting just one link because blogger doesn't like it when I post 3 and it makes my pictures go all wonky!)  ***I love, love, love how this blogger's daughter took the whole family along with her on a school trip to Italy...check it out!

Luck of The Irish and a Giveaway

This past year my daughter did some genealogy research on my side of the family and found out that we had English, Irish, Welsh, and Scottish heritage.  I was thrilled since I've always had and affinity for Ireland, England, Wales, and Scotland, and I have always felt that I've been blessed with the luck of the Irish!

Even our dogs have lineage that ties them to some of these countries!


 

If I ever had any doubt about how lucky I am, I would never wonder again after all of the amazingly supportive and wonderful comments, phone calls, and emails I've received over the last few days regarding my new photography venture.

You may think that you are simply leaving a comment, but you are in fact bolstering my soul and propelling me forward with your wonderful words!  I read each comment and although I don't get to reply much of the time, they touch me in a way that I can't even put into words, and you can't get much more lucky than that in life!

This afternoon after Mr. Tide finished work, we took the dogs out back and laid in the hammock.  It was chilly but swinging in a hammock is such a comforting thing and so very relaxing.  As we chatted about the day's events and everything we have going on he said, "are you ok, or are you trying to do too many things?"

When I asked why he was wondering that, he jokingly said that I sounded a little Charlie Sheen like today, trying to juggle this and answer that.  I laughed but then I said to him really?!  Do I really sound like Charlie Sheen.  He said, "well you are so full of ideas and always working and creating things and I don't want you to get overwhelmed trying to do too much."  It's true, my brain is always ticking away, always thinking, always moving forward.  It's amazing I actually get to sleep at night, since I go to sleep thinking and wake up thinking...ideas are always freely flowing around here...which I consider lucky too!

This week has been filled with wonderful surprises and chance encounters....

First I met Terry John Woods completely by chance when he sent me a friend request on Facebook.  If you aren't familiar with who Terry is, you will surely know his work.  When I first saw his friend request I thought oh that name sounds familiar, and then I saw his profile picture and I thought WOW!  You see Terry is not just anybody, he's a talented artist, a renowned teddy bear designer, stylist, and the author of an amazing book called New Farmhouse Style, which has sold like hotcakes since its release in October of 2009.

Now you could have knocked me over with a feather when he friended me, and even more so when I sent him a  message and he responded back!  And today I got a chance to speak with him on the phone and I have to tell you all that he is all that and a bag of chips!  He is a down to earth man who has a passion for restoring and decorating old homes.  And if you loved his first book, well you're in luck, he has another one coming out called The Summer House which is due out in late spring/early summer, and he has a shot from the book as his header for his blog.  The photos in his books are by Kindra Clineff whose work is jaw droppingly gorgeous!  You can pre-order his new book on Amazon, and I'm sure it will be equally, if not more successful than New Farmhouse Style!

I feel so very lucky to have met Terry and I hope to stay in touch with this truly talented and inspriring man!

Some of you may be wondering why I included a picture of crystal in my header and on a post about St. Patrick's Day.  The photo is of some of the wonderful Irish crystal made by Waterford that I got as wedding gifts and another pattern I inherited from my parents.  My parents actually drove all over the DC metro area amassing a large collection of 3 different patterns of Waterford years ago.  And the best part is they actually used it often when they entertained friends and family.

My daughter Angelfish sent me a lovely email today where she confided in me that since my mother passed away St. Patrick's Day has always made her sad.  Though I don't know if  my mother knew of her Irish heritage, she certainly loved the holiday and made traditional dishes like corned beef and boiled cabbage each year on March 17th.  And there were lots of little leprechauns and shamrocks scattered about her house as well.  My daughter said that my header reminded her of her Nana and she though my mother would like it as well.  I created the header on a whim yesterday, so perhaps my mother was smiling down and wanted my daughter to learn to not be sad and love St. Paddy's Day once again...I hope she will!

I also spoke to Fifi today which is always a treat!  If my husband thinks I have a lot of irons in the fire well he needs to chat with Fifi!  That woman has more irons in the fire than a ten armed smithy!  She will soon be on a whirlwind book tour promoting her wonderful book Romantic Prairie Style.  I have my order in and can't wait to receive it!   Have you ordered your copy yet?!  If you haven't then you better hurry, I've seen some of the pictures and I'm not exaggerating when I tell you that you will fall in love with this book!  And Fifi hasn't asked me to tell you any of this, I just know that you will want to have your very own copy to hug and squeeze and drool over! Click here to order a copy from Amazon!

You can also visit Joy's wonderful blog Savvy City Farmer to win a copy, but hurry, her giveaway ends soon!

The other two phone calls I've had this week were with a lovely woman about maybe showing my artwork at a local fundraiser.  We ended up talking about all sorts of things besides the fundraiser, like how we both learned to drive a tractor before we learned to drive a car, and how very lucky we both were to grow up in the country with fields and woods to play in!  We also knew a lot of people in common, such a small world I tell ya!

The next phone call I had this week was with Becky from Sweet Cottage Dreams.  Becky lives out in California and truly does live the sweet cottage dream life!  She has a wonderful sense of style and we had an instant connection, and talked for over an hour as my son drove me up the road to Whole Foods.  She shares her charming home with her son, husband, a cute kitty, and two of the most darling Scottie dogs you've ever seen.  Plus, she plays wonderful music on her blog which makes me feel like I'm having a pint at a Scottish pub!  I feel so very luck to have met Becky, she is an inspiration and an amazing person!

And last, because even I am thinking I'm sounding a little like Charlie Sheen with my ramblings, I wanted to tell you that the latest issue of Cottage Style is out and I have 2 articles in it.  One even made the cover, but that's not my photo, I just wrote the stories!!!  The best part is that both articles are written about homes owned by friends of mine, so I'm super excited to see these beautiful homes gracing the pages of Cottage Style!

The whole issue is full of great homes and wonderful inspiration!  So...

I also have a copy to give away.  So if you'd like to win one (and the giveaway is open to anyone) all you have to do is leave a comment telling me what makes you feel lucky!  I will chose a winner this Sunday, March 20th and announce the name on Monday.

Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone!  May the luck of the Irish be with you, and to my dear Irish friend Julie...Happy Birthday AND Happy St. Paddy's Day, you are a true belle of Ireland!

Don't forget it's a Vintage Source weekend this weekend!!!...check out their New Arrivals!!!

Continued well wishes for the people of Japan.

Spread the Love by donating to help rebuild their country...

American Red Cross