I'm enjoying my day off and at the moment I don't actually feel like creating anything...although that may change!

So of course I'm glued to the computer...but not for much longer...there's sun in the courtyard...hooray!!

the pacman's coming to get ya... and who wouldn't want to use the slide...at least once? Great fun for kids big and small...

and so sorry about this next one...but I couldn't resist

...perhaps it's spring fever!

Update: spoke too soon...sun's disappeared and rain clouds have taken its place...bloody heck!

all images from here

Thanks so much for letting me know you like these top ten posts.

I had contemplated not doing them because a friend said she thought they were a bit boring...she said it very nicely though. 

I wasn't offended.

Isn't that the most stunning hydrangea photo?

So I thought about it...keeping these posts going I mean (not the hydrangea photo)

...and realised I was putting these images together for a reason...

Basically...selfishly...so that I had a record of things I liked...

ideas I might want to use...and things I could share...

...all in the one place.

So, continue I will...[she says, channelling Yoda]

Crumbs I love that artwork!

images in order of appearance via: shoebox decor; I used to be snow white but I drifted; little blue deer; a perfect gray; express-o; high heeled foot in the door; the brass petal; the decorista; the diversion project; the world according to isa

And you will be pleased to know that I finished The Catcher in the Rye ten minutes before I had to leave for book club! I'll do a review in my Book List page when I recover!!

I hope you all had a lovely weekend. I did. I let myself do a bit of playing.
Socially: a baby shower, a 60th birthday party and a visit to the Ranamok glass art prize...I'll bring you photos of that later in the week. There were some extraordinary pieces.
Creatively: playing around with watercolour crayons and pencils and a bit of whimsy...

Perfecting to do for sure, but just a bit of fun on a Sunday morning...and no offence to the British intended!

Made a few changes to the boat painting and I think it's looking better...

I made a 'lamp' by stuffing a bamboo lantern with a string of fairy lights (that I'd previously made little tulle skirts for...see here) but I like this better...

the cord coming out of the top is a bit annoying but never mind...

...took a few photos of the few things in the garden worth looking at...which is very little (hurry up spring!)

...and scored myself a lovely bunch of daphne from a friend's garden to wrap up the weekend...it smells divine

...and desperately trying to finish The Catcher in the Rye for book club tonight...I may not make it!

Welcome to the new week. I hope it's a good one for you.

all images by me

I knew today's post had to be about books when two of my favourite bloggers wrote about their love for them this week. Ann scored old Penguins at the second hand bookstore and vowed she would never own a Kindle (or an iPad Ann?). There's nothing quite like the feel of a book in your hands is there? Or are we just old fashioned? 

Jeanne has a linky thing going on over here where you can share your book posts which is what I'll be doing. Jeanne spoke about her nostalgia over certain books and I completely agree. Some books are keepers.

Books have always been part of my life. It is perhaps the greatest gift my dad ever gave me...this love of books. We used to head up to the library every week and take out six books each...the maximum allowed. It was a ritual. Thanks Dad.

So I thought I'd show you what's on my shelves, because if you're like me, when you go into someone's house one of the first things you want to do is look at their books. 

Excuse the dodgy photos (the light in my study which is where my books are is not so great). And then of course there's the lack of dusting...too busy blogging, reading, crafting to bother with that nonsense!

Tell me...are you horrified that there's a fair bit of categorisation going on here? Should I be ashamed to tell you that I did colour code my books several years ago (ahead of my time??) but a certain friend used to come around and move them around to disrupt the pattern. Yes, T, you know who you are!! Some of these kids books are almost as old as me. Quite a few were given to me as awards at school or Sunday school (where I'm sure my parents sent me to get me out of the house on a Sunday morning!)

There might still be a touch of colour coding going on if I'm honest!

I wonder what happened to novels, shelf 2?? Perhaps that was the crime shelf...mystery solved!! Groan...sorry :)

I'm very fond of books about places I've been to or long to visit. I especially love reading books about people living in foreign countries...maybe one day. And I keep travel diaries..and they get filled :)

The old self help books hey...needing them less these days, but you never know when you might have to dip into one. Most of my business books (and there are lots) live at the office.

Despite the fact that I still have lots of books to read, I can't stop acquiring them...

I think it may be because I gave away over 200 books to Lifeline when I moved to the townhouse. I hope lots of people are enjoying them while I go on a replacement quest of sorts.

...and then there's the coffee table of course...two of the three piles.

And let's not mention all the magazines. Not hard to see where my disposable income goes!!

So yes Jeanne, I do get very nostalgic about my books. I do believe it's possible to have a relationship of sorts with a book; not like a real flesh and blood relationship of course. But a fabulous one nonetheless. Tell me you've never been sorry to say goodbye to a character in a book! And if a good book is not 'food for the soul' please tell me what is?

I'll be spending this weekend reading The Catcher in the Rye for wine book club on Monday night. Book clubs...another great invention!

Thanks so much for all the wonderful comments this week; your support and advice are so very much appreciated. Really. 

p.s. I so wish I'd bought white bookshelves....where's the paint!

The cushion making keeps on keeping on.
I had a little cushion that had seen better days so I decided to make a new cover for it in my new best friend fabric...felt! Here it is with last week's felt heart cushion.

Like most of my projects it was a tad fiddly (you think I might have learnt by now). But the thing I liked about doing this was that I had an idea and I managed to execute it! Here's a collage of the preliminaries...

First I printed out the word on a piece of A3 paper and cut the letters out. Then I traced them onto the felt and cut the template, starting off with a quick unpick before using the scissors.

I put a pretty poplin behind

...and stitched around each letter. Next word will have more straight edges!
So here's what I'm thinking...a 'range' of felt cushions called feelings...with words describing things that we've felt...get it!  I know, I know...
I'm thinking of words like: love (of course), lust (well why not!), joy, harmony, cherish...maybe even blah, blah, blah (for a laugh!)
Do you have any suggestions for me, including what I might do with these!

And of course it's not a project without the vampire slayer now is it...claws out ready to strike...nothing blissful about her.

In the only place she will sleep...completely ignoring the very expensive fur lined basket that I've now donated to a much more deserving cat!

Head on over to Kootoyoo for a bucketload of creative spaces...

I quite enjoy doing this top ten post each week. 

I thought I might get tired of it, as I have something very akin to a short attention span.

But perhaps it's because I can't remember what I saw yesterday, let alone a week ago...

...so delving into the computer file each Monday night is a bit like opening a present all over again

...or re-reading a book that I quite liked but one where I'd forgotten all the delicious detail.

So I think I'll keep doing it for a little while longer.

I'm obviously getting fussy though...I only collected 13 to choose from this week

And just for a change thought I'd end up outside! I do love a grove of silver birches.
images in order of appearance are via: the decorista, loving.living.small, made by girl, desire to inspire (pets on furniture Monday), the diversion project, elle decor, busy being fabulous, greige, beautifulism, daily imprint