Summer Reading List...

Summer is all about books and reading, right? I'm happily surrounded by books of all kinds this summer. First are these three wonderful "little books" from a recent swap on Creative Swaps site. Swap hostess Lenna Andrews, from the Gulf Coast of Florida, made the little denim and lace book at the upper left. She stamped the denim, which she left with a slight raw-edge for a nice frayed look, and stitched on lace trim and a ribbon closure. Inside are blank pages for me to journal on. These are sewn in and trimmed with paper tape. It's a sweet little book that measures just 4" square. Sentiments on the inside covers say "It is the smaller moments that create the most exquisite beauty" and "Create as though there are no critics." Good words to live by.

The pink fabric book at the upper right was made by Siri Hauge Opdal from Norway. It's soft and flexbile, and contains page after page of trims and embellishments. Clearly she put a lot of thought and workmanship into the pages... and she must have a very interesting stash of embellishments! Even the spine is trimmed with small heart-shaped buttons.

A poem by poet Wilhelm Busch is the theme of Sabine Schneider's swap book. Sabine is from Germany. She used painted canvas fabric as the base, and added machine sewn transparencies, stamped images, glittered lettering, and hand sewn trims like a feather and button. There's even a pen nib sewn in, shown above, to go along with the literary theme. The book is tied closed with sheer rayon ribbon. Lovely!

We are heading to Maine for a few days of travel and lobster dining, so of course books are part of the trip. I've got my e-reader Nook loaded. Also I borrowed Diane Mott Davidson's latest mystery, Crunch Time, from the library. Her series of titles make enjoyable reading, plus they contain some interesting recipes. The main character, Goldy Schulz, is a Colorado caterer who just happens to stumble into all sorts of mysteries while she's cooking. Books are such great travel companions.

Waiting for me when I get home is this "Squash Book", above. I started it a long time ago, using a piece of hand-embroidered, mono-printed fabric for the cover. It's little (about 4" sqauare), but there is a lot of space to fill inside. I'm inching toward filling it, and hope to show you that one completed in August. I'll also provide a link to a tutorial I found for making one of these... they are great fun to put together! See you in August.