reading material

This is what I'm reading at the moment ...
Oh Comely ~ a cool mag about creativity and quirkiness that I picked up in London
The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs ~ chick lit with a crafty plot about a woman who owns a yarn store in New York. I'm really enjoying it - no thinking required!
Gardens Illustrated ~ a British garden mag with the most beautiful photography. I bought this in London too, but I buy this mag at home in Australia regularly.
Mollie Makes ~ the new "it" craft mag ~ lovely! The new edition was released yesterday ... pity there are currently no stockists in Spain!!
Smoke ~ a "london peculiar" ~ stories celebrating modern London. Edgy, alternative, interesting - I enjoyed reading it.
Black Cab Wisdom ~ a small tome of pearls collected by a London cabbie from his passengers ... "if you think your life is bland, then you haven't added enough flavour", and "you are the pink flamingo on the great lawn of life". Genius!

What have you loved reading lately?

my book list

I'm reading some great books and mags at the moment, so I thought I'd share them with you ...
1. You Sew Girl by the very talented Nicole Mallalieu is full of lovely little sewing projects. Mine is even signed by the author - thanks, Nik!
2. A Secret Gift by Ted Gup is a collection of letters from people who requested and received money during the Great Depression from an anonymous man (the author's grandfather) who placed an ad in the local paper of a small US town the week before Christmas in 1933 - it is the stories of the lives that were touched by the generosity of a stranger during very tough times. I am just loving this book.
3. Ceramic Transfer Printing by Kevin Petrie is a bit of stargazing for me as a printer - what if?
4. Decorate by Holly Becker (of the decor8 blog). I just bough this book today, so I've only flicked through, but I can tell already that this will be one of my favourite interior design books. Holly has great style and a great eye.
5. The latest delicious magazine - the Italian edition - yummm!
6. Slow Magazine - "for people who think life's too fast" - a brilliant regionally produced mag with stories of people and places embracing the slow movement. They have a website here.
7. The latest Country Style Magazine. I have been reading this magazine since the early 1990's. It contains the lifestyle I ultimately desire so is a great resource and inspiration.

I hope you're reading something good too (in addition to blogs, of course!). As always, recommendations are always welcome here - please share in the comments.

i love books ...

Here are a few of my latest acquisitions ...

The Prints Charming book is, well ... charming. The book feels really fresh, which is nice after a lot of the sewing books out at the moment seem a bit the same. I really love the "Boys Room" section - boys are so often overlooked. The fabrics are lovely and there are some really unique projects to make in the book ...

Print & Pattern is a collection of lovely designers and snippets of their work. All beautifully selected and presented by this blogger - a great book of inspiration, and it includes some local talent like Lara Cameron (go Lara!) ...

I really love the simplicity and beauty of French textiles, so this book was a "must have" for me. There are lots of lovely projects and the photo's and styling are truly gorgeous ...

All of these books are available from bookstores. Have you picked up a favourite book lately?
Have a great Tuesday!

how to enter the world of textile design

This e-book was launched today, and while it is focussed on the quilting part of the industry, from what I read of my copy today, there is lots of really useful info in there for everyone, and it's really well written. Lizzy House is a young and dedicated textile designer who wanted to share the information that many keep to themselves about how to start in the industry - what a breath of fresh air! I really like what Amy Schimler wrote in the foreword (I couldn't have said it better myself):

It can be a bit of a dilemma for artists in terms of sharing information. It is a lot of hard work for all of us in this business and it is a very competitive business. I think there is a way to balance giving helpful advice with the understanding that anyone asking is still going to have to do their own hard work in developing their personal style and establishing relationships with clients. That is not something you can give anyone.

I just thought you might be interested! You can buy your copy to download here. Cheers!

my place and yours - what i'm reading ...

Thanks to Vic at Punky & Me for being a super Theme Queen for the first My Place and Yours for 2010. This weeks theme is "What I'm reading". I read lots - magazines (I have a slight addiction - this has been the topic of many blog posts!), blogs, books, newspapers. Unfortunatley, I don't have a lot of time to read, so I end up with stacks of books and mags next to my bed ...

I love home mags, craft mags and zines, cooking mags and cook books. I got the Movida one for Christmas - there are some such yummy recipes in  there - brill for anyone who like Spanish food!

The last couple of nights, I have been reading this ...

This book was first published in 1903, and has been re-published ever since - it's one of those foundational texts for anyone interested in design. I came across it by accident and bought it for the beautiful designs inside, but it is a brilliant resource for anyone dabbling in pattern design.

To be honest, I really want a book to read for entertainment - I'm going to check out Vic's recommendation for a good laugh later at Borders.

If you'd like to share what you're reading at your place - head over to the Punky & Me blog - it's open all week! Have a great weekend!