Stocking Up For The Season Of Eternal Gray

This is a stack of books that I have amassed recently through the magic of swapping with other book fixated cyber friends. I am stocking up as insurance policy against the season of eternal gray - sometimes called Fall & Winter where I live. Fog hangs heavily here almost every day & the sun quickly becomes  a curiosity. Each & every one of these books is one that I have wanted to read - and each has been on my personal wish list for some time. This will keep me reading for awhile don't you think!

Some of these books are fairly new like "Richard The III: The Maligned King" by Annette Carson while some, like "The Fatal Crown" by Ellen Jones are gems from the past that I was happy to locate. I am looking forward to reading them all - and reviewing them all here as well.  I have more on the way - including a selection of 'old' gold' calligraphy books.

Speaking of calligraphy --- my class through Creative Workshops in 'Italic Calligraphy - A Good Foundation" - Martha Lever, Instructor -  is going very well. It really is a foundational class that Martha offers & I  see - as if I had not already known it - that practice & determination are the keys to success in calligraphy. Although I don't have the time to take from my quilts& paints to become a dedicated calligrapher I do want to master Italic calligraphy & several variations on a theme so that I can use them in my quilts & journals. In only a week - and not a whole one at that I have managed to come some ways. This photo of my piled desk tells that story - oh - and I have finally found out why a slanted board is a very good & helpful thing. Thankfully, dear friend Lauren,  provided me with this board this summer. I am looking forward to 'decorating' it splotches of ink and paint all over it in the years to come!

"ThreadWork Unraveled" My Friend, Sarah Smith's Wonderful New Book

Last week, before she left for Houston, Sarah sent me a copy of of brand spanking new book. I am so proud of her! Sarah is one of those people that always manages to find the best way to get something done. I always knew that when she pursed her lips and sort of "chewed" on something she was in the middle of figuring out something that would be good! Sarah has managed to cram a lot of very valuable information into this book. Sarah has had a clear vision of where she wanted to get to from the moment I met her. She has inexhaustible energy and will and this book is really a dream come true - for her and for all of who need the information contained in the book!

Congratulations dear friend! Bravo!!

Have a look (double click) at this table of contents! Each one is a treasure trove of information!

This is one of those books that you will return to again and again.

Buy it!

You will not be disappointed if you do, but you might be disappointed if you don't !!

 

 

"The White Queen" by Phillipa Gregory Finally Arrived At My Door

I have anticipated the release of this book for quite awhile. Yesterday it finally arrived on my doorstep & I read late into the night. Had I not needed to get up to go to work I would have read a lot longer I'm sure ! Thus far I have to say that the "hype" over this book is worth it - this is one good read. Best of all this is the first book of a new series called the "Cousin's War" which chronicles events of the War of The Roses -especially (in this book) about Elizabeth Woodville, King Edward IV oft defamed wife & mother of the "Princes In The Tower". Elizabeth was a descendant of The Frnch water goddess Melusine & rumors of witchcraft were always rife at Court on that account. This element would spice to any book!

I've always thoroughly enjoyed Phillipa Gregory's fabulous historical novels. Ms. Gregory's last series about the Tudors included such titles as "The Constant Princess", "The Other Boleyn Girl" (remember the great movie from this book?!), "The Boleyn Inheritance" &"The Other Queen" - plus there were two other books that completed this series. Ms. Gregory claims that a chance "taster" history class at the University of Sussex started her on the road to penning her lush, well researched books. The only thing that my history classes in college did were to strengthen my passion for both history (history minor) & reading about history - both fiction and non-fiction. I love to read books in a series because they allow you to really develop a good feel for the subjects & the time period. One of the things I enjoy doing when I am reading historical fiction is to research the true facts - people, places, dates - you get the idea. I like to see how far a writer goes to weave a tale around the truth. Ms Gregory generally writes fiction with a strong non-fiction base to which she adds just a pinch of plausible fiction to round out the story.

I have, in the past written about other favored authors; Vanora Bennett (I cannot wait for her next book!), Alison Weir (I love all of her books, both fiction and non-fiction), Susan Carroll (who I will be writing about very soon), Susan Higginbotham - and the list could, and no doubt will go on & on! I will be adding more book reviews - about historical fiction and more art/craft books soon.

Blogger is not allowing me to format the paragraphs for some odd reason today - so I must apologize for the disorderly appearance of this post.

For additional information about this book I have copied the info below directly from Amazon's website. Of course the book is easily available from Amazon or from you local independent bookseller - we really must support them too!

"...THE COUSINS' WAR
Book One

Philippa Gregory, "the queen of royal fiction,"*
presents the first of a new series set amid the
deadly feuds of England known as the
Wars of the Roses.

Brother turns on brother to win the ultimate prize, the throne of England, in this dazzling account of the wars of the Plantagenets. They are the claimants and kings who ruled England before the Tudors, and now Philippa Gregory brings them to life through the dramatic and intimate stories of the secret players: the indomitable women, starting with Elizabeth Woodville, the White Queen.

The White Queen tells the story of a woman of extraordinary beauty and ambition who, catching the eye of the newly crowned boy king, marries him in secret and ascends to royalty. While Elizabeth rises to the demands of her exalted position and fights for the success of her family, her two sons become central figures in a mystery that has confounded historians for centuries: the missing princes in the Tower of London whose fate is still unknown. From her uniquely qualified perspective, Philippa Gregory explores this most famous unsolved mystery of English history, informed by impeccable research and framed by her inimitable storytelling skills.

With The White Queen, Philippa Gregory brings the artistry and intellect of a master writer and storyteller to a new era in history and begins what is sure to be another bestselling classic series from this beloved author...."

"The White Queen" a new bit of historical fiction is on the way!

Today is a painting and project finishing day for me but I had to pass along this information about a new historical fiction book that I have had on pre-order for some time now. I will post my painting new tomorrow - I hope ..... if I can drag myself away from my surf-a-holic ways!

Philippa Gregory is tweeting her new novel, The White Queen, according to Bookseller.com.

For those of us who love historical fiction this new this new novel by Phillipa Gregory is causing a bit of a stir. The following is what Amazon has to say about this book. Until I read this little 'blurb' I wasn't aware that it was going to be a series!

Philippa Gregory, "the queen of royal fiction,"*
presents the first of a new series set amid the
deadly feuds of England known as the
Wars of the Roses.

Brother turns on brother to win the ultimate prize, the throne of England, in this dazzling account of the wars of the Plantagenets. They are the claimants and kings who ruled England before the Tudors, and now Philippa Gregory brings them to life through the dramatic and intimate stories of the secret players: the indomitable women, starting with Elizabeth Woodville, the White Queen.

The White Queen tells the story of a woman of extraordinary beauty and ambition who, catching the eye of the newly crowned boy king, marries him in secret and ascends to royalty. While Elizabeth rises to the demands of her exalted position and fights for the success of her family, her two sons become central figures in a mystery that has confounded historians for centuries: the missing princes in the Tower of London whose fate is still unknown. From her uniquely qualified perspective, Philippa Gregory explores this most famous unsolved mystery of English history, informed by impeccable research and framed by her inimitable storytelling skills.

With The White Queen, Philippa Gregory brings the artistry and intellect of a master writer and storyteller to a new era in history and begins what is sure to be another bestselling classic series from this beloved author.

The following information is courtesy of Historical Tapestry

begin quotes "...The hot giveaway in HF blogging circles appears to be The White Queen by Philippa Gregory. So far there are giveaways at Royal Reviews, Historically Obsessed, At Home with Books and A Girl Walks Into a Bookstore.

A giveaway with a difference from a new to me blog. All Things Royal is having a special Anne Boleyn related giveaway. For all the details click here...." end quotes

Catherine De Medici : Two Views: Two Books

I have always had a fascination for he Medici and Borgia Families. I never thought that much had been written about them - especially about the Medicis - until recently when I discovered "The Devil's Queen: A Novel of Catherine DeMedici by Jeanne Kalogridis from Amazon and then discovered another fabulous biography (non-fiction) book "Catherine DeMedici: Renaissance Queen Of France " by Leonie Frieda though a group I am in on GoodReads.

By all acounts, Catherine DeMedici was in fact a true Renaissance woman. Her interests led her to study astrology, along with mathematics & philosophy. The rumors have always been rampant that she practices the darker side of magical arts. This book accentuates her relationship with the magician Cosima Ruggieri - her alter ego in a way. A strange and serious relationship (platonic). Catherine lived ina world where young women were brought up reared in convents, then at a marriageable age of 12, these child brides are sent to be raised by their 'husband's family. Girls especially were little more than pawns, some were afforded the luxuries of an education and were married to extend their families poer base and prestige. Catherine was mother-in-law to Mary Queen of Scots and she was the architect of the very bloody massacre on St. Bartholomew's Day. Diane de Poitiers overshadowed Catherine in her marriage to the French King Henri and, although he lived with Diane De Poitiers all of his life, Catherine found herself to have fallen deeply in love with her husband.

I found Ms. Kalogridis' book to be exceedingly well researched & a delight to those of us who thoroughly enjoy a fast paced, well written, largely historically accurate book that depicts the life of this often villified Queen who was, most likely, a very unusual female stateswoman of her time who felt that the end can, generally, justify the means. This is not a flowery romantic book but is a highy readable, thoroughly engrossing read! Well done Ms. Kalogridis!

To balance the fictionalized version I decided that I also need to a non-fictionalized biography. I just began reading this book - found as an excellent , low priced option as a used copy on Amazon.

I can't say much about this book yet other than it is a well written biography that reads as lively and fast paced as a novel does. I often like to read a historical fiction piece about a person and then follow through and go back to read a non-fiction biography. For some reason I find that my memory retains more when hit with this sort of "double dose". In my opinion, these are both excellent books about a fascinating woman who may well have just been well ahead of time.

"The Owl & The Woodpecker" : A Wonderful Book About Birds

I love birds and we have been very lucky this year to have many different avian friends drop by our house. I have always been especially fond of Owls and Woodpeckers & we have quite a few of both varieties where we live. Last week DH gave me this wonderful book - it has some glorious photos.

These Downy Woodpeckers are daily visitors to our feeders -
they seem to be especially fond of suet.

Northern Flickers are one of my favorites - they also are daily visitors .
Highly visible & breathtakingly lovely

I think this is one of the sweetest photos in the book!

Two Northern Flicker babies waiting for breakfast.

Oh what an owl! I wish I could say we had these guys visiting every day! I always tell DH that I wish I could see more owls -he calmly responds " honey, you have to be awake after 10pm to be able to see them.." Oh! yes, well that's a thought!

A Great New Book About Felting

I love seeing new books come out about one of my favorite subjects! In this case felting! There seem to be quite a few excellent books for beginners but relatively fewer books that include some more unusual ways to work with the felting process. Sheila Smith's first book "Felt To Stitch" is one of my favorite books geared to 'modern' felting techniques. Her new book 'Embellish,Stitch,Felt' is another winner I think. The book offers some excellent beginner information but Ms. Smith also always manages to appeal to more seasoned felters as well.You can get a good idea about this book just by looking at the Table of Contents.



Sheila offers an excellent description of the differnt types of felting needles that are available and clearly explains the use for each type of needle. I think that many of us who use a felting machine may not realize that there ARE other needles out there. Thankfully, I took a class with Pat Spark that was my introduction to the art of felting and she presented all of the needle choices. If you ever get a chance to take a class from Pat - don't miss the opportunity! Now, I can cut the top off of the needles I want to use and replace needles as I need them in my felting machine. Sheila Smith also offers some excellent design and color selection options and the book does an excellent job of teaching about all of the many differnt fabrics that you can try to felt with. If you like felt than I don't believe that you wouls be disappointed in purcahsing this book - from Amazon or from your wonderful indepent book seller.

Creative Christmas Bounty

I thought I would share some of my Christmas bounty with you. DH is very supportive of my creative endeavors. He never really says much but the gifts he gives speak louder than words I think. The Fountain Pen books shown above is my collection. I had one, some wonderful freinds gave me one and DH gave me two that are more difficult to find. Yahoo ! I have already been able to learn a lot ! You really can't tell it from the photo but that big box is a home studio lighting set! I will now be able to take some better photos of my quilts - and other things too. This lighting system had been on my wish list for a long time. I hope to work with it this weekend.
Last, but by NO means least, here is my art supply bounty- WoW - I could hardly believe it when I saw these boxes filled with TONS of paints, some mediums, a variety of sketching pencils, colored pencils & many new brushes !!! I know there was a freindly elf helping DH with this - but it was such a great surprise. Just in time for a new quilt that has been percolating in my head for months ! Doesn't it just look good all together?!!

Book Review: Digital Essentials By Gloria Hansen

Like most fiber artists I use my camera extensively and, also like many fiber artists, I use PhotoShop Elements (in my case for Mac). It is an amazingly powerful program, and, as someone who once had use of the full blown version of PhotoShop, I find Elements to be much more user friendly for the non-professional photographer. I have pulled my hair out at time however, trying to figure out some , what I thought should be, relatively simple problems. How do I make a photograph the 'right' size & pixels for entering in this or that show? How can I enrich or distort my photograph if I want to? So many questions always seem to come up when I want to do something specific to a photograph. Although I have quite a few books about using PhotoShop Elements, "Digital Essentials" is the book that will answer all of these questions & so very many more in a very user friendly way! Gloria Hansen is offering a free chapter view and signed copies of her new book - that's a good thing!

Click on the book's title above to have a look.

I have always admired Gloria Hansen's work, both in the quilt world as well as in the digital world. She has always been graciously helpful on the QuiltArt list; answering questions about digital photography & digital photography progams in an always clear and thoughtful way. I always look for her articles first when I look through magazines that regularly, or often, print her column. She has a knack of making the uninteligible clear & understandable. Gloria also has a company that designs websites - and I am so desirous to one day have the money so that I can hire her to do mine! When I win a lottery - that would be one of the first things I would do!

If you have had questions about how to manipulate your digital photographs & operate PhotoShop Elements - or PhotoShop for that matter - then this book really is a must have, essential for your reference library. Kudos to Gloria for sharing her knowledge & for publishing such a fine book! Get it - you won't be sorry!

2009 Support Your Local Library. What Bteer Thing Than A Good Book On A Winter's Evening?

Most of you know how much I love reading - and also how fond I have recently become of audio books. My Oh My - another fine example of why I no longer ever say I will never ...to anything !
I found this great support your local library post over on J.Kaye's blog. I am proud to be a member of our library's board. I can't imagine my world, or anyone else's for that matter, without the wonder of books. I truly feel that from a good book I can teach myself almost anything, that I can go on magical adventures without leaving home and that I am a better person because of the books I have been able to borrow from libraries throughout my life. I am especially proud that I once worked in a small library. I loved - the fell of the books, and each with it's own individual scent - what a fine place a library can be !

I have reprinted much of this directly from J.Kayes blog - and there really is a "Mr.Linky" where you can enter your name. I think that it would be a fine blog challenge for all of to borrow and review books form our local libraries. Think of the possibilities! Art books. Craft books.Sewing books. Biographies.History.Great novels both modern and vintage (Jane Austin anyone?). I'm personally going to "go for the gold"! I surely run through at least 50 books a year .. most likely quite a few more. I'll just post a review .... how 'bout you? Reading on a winter's night anyone?! Join me !

Here's the Deal (from J. Kaye's Book Blog):

Here are the challenge "levels::

** The first is to read 12 books from your local library in 2009.
** The second is to read 25 books from your local library in 2009.
** The third is to read 50 books from your local library in 2009.

You decide which one of the three challenges is best for you.

Here are the guidelines:

1) You can join anytime as long as you don’t start reading your books prior to 2009.

2) This challenge is for 2009 only. The last day to have all your books read is December 31, 2009.

3) You can join anytime between now and December 31, 2009.

4) When you sign up under Mr. Linky, list the direct link to your post where your library books will be listed. If you list just your blog’s URL, it will be removed. If you don’t have a blog, leave the URL blank.

6) Our goal is to read 12, 25, or 50 books checkout from our local library in 2009. Please decide which when you sign up and don’t change it.

7) These can be audios, downloads, children’s, YA. As long as it’s a book, format and target age group does not matter.

8) Feel free to post a link to your reviews in the comment section below. That way, we can visit your blog and read your review.

9) If you have any questions, feel free to ask below or email me at
jkayeoldner@yahoo.com. Comments usually get a quicker response.

***Update: You do not have to decided on your books ahead of time. You can add or subtract from your list during the year.

"Taking Flight" With Kelly Rae Roberts

I discovered Kelly Rae Robert's art work when I was bitten by the Mixed Media bug. She has written several articles for Cloth Paper Scissors - and one of her articles actually made me get right up & start drawing. That kind of immediate reaction does not generally happen to me. When I heard that Kelly Rae was going to publish a book I was really curious to see what it would be like. The book is not totally what I expected it would be. It's better! I thought it was going to concentrate on techniques alone. The book somewhat reminds me of Julia Cameron's "The Artist's Way" in that Kelly Rae has some questions and "fill in" sort of pages that are designed to help you get more in touch with your own creativity. The technique parts of the book are very well presented & some really fun projects. I love the "feel" of this book. The strong fiber of the cover is smooth and soft as silk and the interior pages are soft to look at and somehow soft to the touch as well. I'm not sure how they accomplished this uniqueness - but it works really well. This book is a keeper and one that I believe will bring inspiration for quite a long time. Well work the money this book is a great presentation by a very talented artist. Go get it !
Check our her blog too!

Table Of Contents; It's just so pretty to look at!

One of the "techniques" pages

This is the preface page for the techniques page shown above

One of the "thinking" pages - again, beautifully done

Run, Don't Walk, To Own This Book!

This is one of those books that takes my breath away! Martha Sielman , who is a wonderful art quilter as well as the executive director of SAQA, did an outstanding job of editing this book. Although I think there are other artists who are worthy of inclusion in a book like this, I think that the artists who were chosen are, truly, masters of the art quilt. Who knows, maybe there will be a sequel to this book! The book is formatted as a gratifyingly chunky square that feels good in the hand - while the pages feel good to the soul!

The biographical notes are wonderful.

I like the way artist quotes are included next to the photographs.

I love being able to put an artist's name to some quilts that I have always loved - but did not remember who made them. This is just a book that should be moved from your "wish list" to your hands. It is a book that I think you will not tire of and that you will enjoy for years to come. Run, don't walk, to own this book now!

ArtWear: A "Must Have" Book

One of my favorites is the dress in the top photo .

It's made from felted wool !

"ArtWear" is the 'unrequested' book that my librarian friend Heidi thought I would like to see. She "checked it out" for me & I am SO grateful & happy that she did ! What a find! I will be ordering this book to have in my personal library. The cover photo is poor since it had a plasticized cover protector - but you get the idea. This book is a rich treasure trove of wearable art eye candy. Even if you have never made any "ArtWear" you need to see this book. It is visually appealing & very well laid out. The wearable art that is addressed in the book covers the gamut from artwear that would be totally wearable to artwear that is meant to be displayed and enjoyed simply as art. From newly painted to recycled; woven to knitted, this book has it all. This is one of the best books on tectile art that I have seen recently - and has been wonderfully enlightening and entertaining! Check it out from you local library (or try inter-library loan) or order it! I don't think you will be disappointed.

This fabulaous jacket is festooned with small skeletons;

perfect I think for celebrating life.
Here, on the right, is a recycled fantasy dress.
The most amazing jeans I have ever seen.

Book Review; "Creative Felting" by Lizzie Houghton

I just had to see what lay in the pages behind the cover of this lusciously illustrated book. The illustrations & the text in this book are fabulous. Rich color, gorgeous real life photos, lyrical text. Ms Houghton has a well illustrated section on techniques in the front of the book and then she introduces the use of the the techniques in a series of near essays on color families. "Fern" as an illustration under 'Greens'; "Forest Floor" under 'Oranges' etc. Personally, I found the projects a bit difficult to follow BECAUSE of the beautiful photographs - and also because the "how to" section is in the front. Surely many(maybe even most!) folks will not find that to be a deterrent ! I MUST buy this book (I got it from our wonderful Inter-Library Loan this time) & I think it is a very worthy addition for any felt enthusiast's library. It's beautifully done and provides glorious eye candy. For simple "how-to's" however, I think there are other books that might serve a bit better - especially for beginners. I am so pleased to see that more & more good books being published about this amazing craft that has absorbed my attention so thoroughly in recent years! Thank you Lizzie Houghton and all of the other wonderful author's who are writing inspiring books on felts and felting!