Composition

Today over lunch at the new downtown eatery "Organixx" (very yummy), the Mr. and I read about this store in Belmar called 'Composition,' (click on the title above to be directed to their online store and website) and so we decided since it was a snow day, we had the time to pop on over and check it out. They had a great selection of bags and jewelry, stationary by artists like 'Paper + Cup,' and also a great selection of design books. Here are my 2 favorite.
Check out their blog '3191,' soooo inspiring


This will be my gardening bible this spring/summer.

The New Eighteenth-Century Style

Part I

On a rather lonely business trip to NYC 2 yrs. ago, I found myself spending the evening wondering the 'Anthropologie' at Rockefeller Plaza.... and there I discovered this book "The New Eighteenth Century Style: Rediscovering a French Decor." I bought it immediately just based on the cover and without even opening it up! Since then, it has been a true and constant source of design inspiration, I absolutely love it! Because there are so many great images, I decided to start from the front and work my way back. Here are a few images to begin with, enjoy!

Photographs by Gilles Trillard

Animal Read

I just finished reading a string of books that surprisingly were all themed around animals. The first one, 'Heart of Horses' was a Christmas gift from my husband and told the tale of an independent pioneer woman who essentially is a 'horse whisperer.' The book was enjoyable and certainly attached to the notion of landscape, but something about the character development left me wanting more.

The 2nd book was also a gift from my adorable husband, and was one I had heard about for awhile, "The Art of Racing in the Rain." I LOVED this book, and could not get through a chapter without crying. The story is narrated from the dogs' perspective and begins on the eve of the dogs death and tells the story of his life with his family. Such a wonderfully tender, heart-felt book!

The last book, which I just finished over the weekend was "The Story of Edgar Sawtelle." This is a novel that is very much an 'American Classic.' It tells the story of Edgar, a young boy who cannot speak and is raised on his family's farm where they breed dogs. It is everything you hope a great work of fiction to be.... When I was home in bed with a fever for 6 days this winter I had a chance to catch up on my Oprah, and she announced on her show that she will be producing this book into a movie. So read it now and then see how the movie compares!

Next on my list.... finally a book about a cat! I saw this book in the Nashville airport bookstore and it captured my heart right away. A local librarian in Iowa rescues a kitten one night who was dumped in the book drop/return slot and keeps him as the library's pet for 20yrs. I know this one will be a real tear-jerker as I just lost my little feline 'Larry' a month ago.