Category Archive: Books

Smiles from the Blockbuster Book Haul

Sorting through the books and magazines from my recent auction haul, I have found some wonderful things that I hope will bring a smile to your face.  I love the colors, the poses,… Continue reading

Blockbuster of a Book Haul

I live near about 4 million other people, and it turns out, a lot of them have recently inherited a house and they want it cleaned out to sell. Rather than hire a… Continue reading

Thread Stories

So far this year I have read three textile books.  Two of them even have the same title! but they are very different in tone and topic.  Most of the time, my reading… Continue reading

Favorite Textile Books from the Year

These are three great textile books I came across this year.  Maybe one would make a great gift for a fellow textile aficionado, or maybe you need one for yourself! Costume and Fashion… Continue reading

Recipes from Old Cookbooks

Updated to include the recipe for frozen pudding from the 1908 cookbook, especially for Kate Chiconi. 🙂 Mixed in with the needlework books that I got in my awesome auction haul, were some… Continue reading

1930s Pattern Books for Home Goods

As I sorted through the 1930s pattern books from the Awesome Auction Haul, I found three books of patterns for home goods. The first two are table settings books from 1937, published by… Continue reading

Notes on Design Styles

I read a lot of books about defining one’s artistic style, and I just came across a very helpful guide, Joen Wolfrom’s Adventures in Design: Ultimate Visual Guide. This book specifically addresses design… Continue reading

Following the Trail of An Old Ax-head

Back in the fall, as I was walking around our place in the Hill Country, I came across an ax-head sticking out of the ground. Of course I wondered how long it had… Continue reading

Celebrating Public Domain Day

Every year at this time, I am eager to explore the works that are entering the public domain each year. For a list of 75 highlights of this year’s works, you can read… Continue reading

Tales Told by the Hemp-Dresser

Imagine yourself in rural France on a cool autumn evening in the 1840s.  After the work of the harvest, what would you do for entertainment? You might find yourself outside in the dark,… Continue reading