Books I Like Reading Right Now

Cheerful, bright, bold, and all about why trees are so great. Hooray!

Lovely, quietly told and depicted. Just right to read to a 2-year old.

Emily's Balloon by Komako Sakai. Another book illustrated by Sakai -- Quietly told just like the first one. So pretty and unpretentious. Perfect amount of words to read to a toddler.

Crafty Chloe by Kelly Dipucchio, illustrated by Heather Ross. Really these drawings are fantastic and I totally want to be Chloe's friend and have every outfit she wears in this book (-: Oh, and if any one of my kids ends up like this I would be a little bit giddy (but not disappointed if they don't). Hey, and guess what! -- Heather Ross who illustrates this book happens to be one of my favorite fabric designers too! (I love when artists cross media lines!)

I love this illustrator -- She did the pictures for Freckleface Strawberry by Julianne Moore (yep, the actress -- another artist getting outside her creative medium-zone). This book is Pham's first one to both write and illustrate. It is about her and her real big sister who she adores. I really like when siblings in stories like each other -- and this one is even better because the two girls are very different (kind of like another pair of sisters I know...hmmm...).

Another one written and illustrated by Pham -- This one is about her and her first son (she has two). I love that she "gets" toddler boys without being sentimental or joke-y or trite. The drawings are just jolly.

The illustrations in this book are so my favorite combination of deep and rich and full of interesting things in every corner and yet clean and bright and clear. (And a little bit like Quentin Blake -- one of my favorite illustrators -- you know him even if you think you don't -- He did almost all the Roald Dahl books.) I love it. Just so you know, the story itself is pretty weird -- not scary-weird or dumb-weird -- just odd.

We have this one in hardcover -- It was actually Brad's when he was little. The story is lovely and lyrical and clean. Really -- It is so nice to read -- so nice I can read it every day and not get annoyed. And I just love the main character. Also Duvoisin's drawings are perfect for the story. I love this era of children's book illustrations -- 50's/60's.

Lake 2012: Fishing Boat

Ready for a boat ride.

 

 

Poor Lincoln had to stay back from the fishing trip.

 

Atticus caught a bluegill -- The first fish he's caught on his own.

Lake 2012: Max' Birthday!

My nephew Max was born during Lake Week so every year we get to celebrate his birthday! All the cousins (except for Baby Milo) together -- Aren't my kids lucky??!! They've got 3 first cousins their age on this side of the family and 5 and one on the way on the other side -- awesomeness!! (Kara's photo)

Max the 5 year old! (Kara's photo)

BatMax (Kara's photo)

Cutie Milo! (Kara's photo)

Milo and his other grandma, Kathy!

Neat Stuff

Real-working Snail Car by Jon Sarriugarte (p.s. one of my dreams is to be able to do metal-work)

An amazing plexiglass window guard by the design-build firm Because We Can (they make all sorts of make-me-cry-it-is-so-perfect window guards and other useful art). I mean, really, look at this one.

Two pairs of dream earrings which I can't remember where I found them -- sorry to you and to the artists who crafted them.

Almost perfect shoes by Clarks -- a new series of shoes that are made off of original designs from the 1930s and 40s. (As a side note, Brad's work shoes wore out this summer and he let me buy him the retro hobo boots from this same work line -- I know they aren't everybody's cup of tea but I really like them, especially since there is something about them that just seems right for Brad -- He's old school in so many ways, in so many of the best ways and yet...there's something dashingly rock'n'roll about him -- anybody who knows him well can see that, I think.)

 

Beautifully designed camper -- not sure who made it -- found via a friend's facebook wall from Art & Architecture's fb page.

Wonderful fabric from an illustration by Ed Emberly found at Cloud Nine Fabrics

I love this fox stamp at Paper Source.

Octopus-Spiders

Lincoln has growing so much this summer...growing in so many ways...This week he began drawing representationally. I am so excited for him. He is so proud of his new work.

Our friend Eric Berget took this picture of Thea Belle Monday night when he was out playing with our kids in the back yard and Liz was cooking us Indian food in the kitchen. Yep, that's the kind of friends they are. Thank you, Eric and Liz -- for those things and for putting up with me spazzing around the house for an hour looking for my missing purse with the car keys in it. Thank you for letting me hold baby Owen and for staying to talk even though your poor son was having a fussy night. You are kind.