Some things aren't meant to be...

It's a very cold, rainy day here in LA and I'm very sad to tell you that we had to withdraw our bid on the little Victorian. After having it inspected and investigating further we discovered that it would have been far more expensive than we realized to deal with the removal of the peeling lead-based paint. There's a new law that requires painters to treat lead paint as if it were, well, asbestos.
(More on that here...)

So our search goes on....


(Photo by Pearled.)

Redstone Diary

For me, this is one of the many joys of starting a new year: Flipping through the pages of a new Redstone Diary...

For years now I've been hooked on the colorful calendars produced by the UK publishing house Redstone Press.

Every year, they pick a different theme: this year it's The Artist's World.

Here's the site's explainer:

"Get to know: Louise Bourgeois, Georges Braque, Paul Klee, Vincent van Gogh, Frida Kahlo, René
Magritte, Kazimir Malevich, Henri Matisse, Claude Monet, Kurt Schwitters, Varvara Stepanova and many others through remarkable photographs and revealing texts. The diary also contains a special year-planner illustrated with a rare and beautiful series of drawings made by Pierre Bonnard in his diaries."

I can't wait!

My previous Redstone favorite: Happiness.

Do you have a diary that you're hooked on, too?

(PS: Amazon has the 2011 Redstone Diary stocked here.)

Stacks

New photos of books, mostly, on my tumblr page.

I'm having a very busy, stressful week trying to finish projects before the holidays.

But searching for beautiful images is so relaxing...

(Book stacks photo by Moa.)

Which books are you giving as presents?

Here's my list:

"Audrey 100: A Rare and Intimate Photo Collection Selected by Audrey Hepburn’s Family."
by Ellen Fontana

Maira Kalman's "And the Pursuit of Happiness."

"The Invisible Bridge" by Julie Orringer

"Cleopatra: A Life," by Stacy Schiff

"Frank: The Voice," by James Kaplan


What about you?


(Photo by Uniform Studio.)

What are you reading this week?

I've been swamped with different work projects this week, plus trying to get everything set for the purchase of the little Victorian house. As a result, my reading materials are really stacking up...but, I did start The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley. It's really wonderful!

What are you reading?

(Photo by Jessica Alena.)

The Bookshelves of Celeste Tumulte

This Lyon, France girl has fantastic style!

Book Art

Mixed media artist and author Lisa Occhipinti appreciates books for their graceful prose and aesthetic beauty. They serve as both material and muse in her art...

Perhaps that is why she is always looking for beautiful new ways to turn covers and pages into art.

Her book, The Repurposed Library, will be re-released next year.

Elizabeth Bennet's Email Inbox

Katie at Little Toil of Love tipped me off to this!
It was created by Mark Brownlow at Famous Inboxes blog.

I love how Charlotte Collins posted wedding photos on flickr and Darcy sent an email with the subject line: "The answer's still no, then?"  The apparent response: "Stop emailing me you stuck up prejudiced prig."

Very funny!

Tumblr Tuesday

This:

...and more...

Over on my Tumblr page. So glad the site is back (at the moment.)

Did you miss it too?

Shabby, Ultra Chic

I was in Venice, CA on Abbot Kinney Blvd yesterday. I couldn't resist taking a few photos at the home decor store, Bountiful:


The store and all its back rooms are packed with treasures.There are even couches, armoires and statues of saints (!) in the rafters:

The front of the building still displays an old hardware store sign.But it doesn't take long to figure out that this place isn't selling hammers and nails...

It's incredibly expensive. (You could spend $20,000 on a couple of columns...)


But it's really a feast for the eyes...



And great inspiration too...



More about the store here.