Friday, August 24, 2012

Walden Ladies Read Mark of Royalty!

Recipe for the perfect Book Club  1. a group of amazing and varied ladies - CHECK  2. Refreshments - CHECK 3. Interesting, different and sometimes unusual books - CHECK  4. A casual atmosphere where no one is afraid to share their opinion - CHECK  5. An occasional field trip or book related activity - CHECK  6. Just a pinch of interesting guest speakers to spice up our routine  once in a while - CHECK


Yep, our 13 year old Walden Ladies Book Club pretty much has it all!!  Just back from our annual retreat to the Utah Shakespeare Festival, we had the opportunity to host the author of our August book selection.


The book we read was Mark of Royalty and one of the authors, Jennifer Clark came to talk to us about publishing this, her first book.  She also talked about her book that is about to be published and the one that's in the writing stages right now.  We had all read the book, and found it to be charming.  It is the tale of a young woman of royal birth, who is spirited out of the country, due to political concerns, and is raised as the daughter of a fellow country woman abroad.  The story unfolds as she grows, learns about the world and eventually becomes interested in a handsome young man ... but then, I don't want to spoil the ending for you. Let me just say that we found the plot to be intriguing and romantic, a combination that is hard to beat.


Jennifer, shown on the right, did a great job of presenting her experience of breaking into the world of her own printed word ... she was also very gracious in answering our many and varied questions.  Thanks for coming Jennifer, you are welcome to come and join us anytime, you really felt like a member of our book club family. PS We loved your book!!

Thursday, August 23, 2012

Urban Renewal - Trendy Shopping

On the way back from a weekend of fleaing in California, my friends Cathie and Jenn and I stopped in St. George to check out the goodies in our favorite 'southern' store:  Urban Renewal


Lots of fun and funny displays, put together by a very creative staff.


Loved the whimsical moss deer hung like art against juxtaposed bed parts.


Yep, a great place to add to the itinerary of your next trip ... You won't regret it.

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Easy Books Craft!

Here's a super simple craft that has the look of shabby, French White and is also a little bit Steampunk...  I collected some old books, peeking down the back of their spines to make sure their 'underwear' was pretty.  I got them at a thrift store in Idaho that let you fill a bag for just a buck ... OK, I also found an Anne Perry I hadn't read, and a cool book of short stories about English Manor House Murders ... (shiver)


I tore off the covers, then printed off a great graphic looking fan illustration, probably originally from a catalog, via Graphics Fairy, of course.  I used an old book page and ran it through my printer.  Then I wrapped the stack with with some torn muslin, and acetate crumpled ribbon.  I strung little metal letter tags onto an old bit of wire, and added a rusty key!



I think it would look great in an all white, industrial decor scheme. For now I am saving it for, what else, flea-o-logy!!