Books AND Giveaway

As I have mentioned before...I Love Books. 

I just finished a really good one last week called The Help by Kathryn Stockett.  This is her first novel and it is placed in the 60's in Jackson Mississippi, where racism was rampant.  It is about the African American help for the white women and what they had to endure.  It was very, very good and if I would have had the time it would have been a three day read or a 5 out of 5 stars.

I went to the Library on Monday because I had put some books on hold.  I only meant to run in and get the books but I am drawn to all those shelves.  I am like a kid in a candy store and I came out with 9.  I could barely carry them. I got:
1.  The Way We Were-Remembering Diana by Paul Burrell
I have always been sad that we can't watch Diana grow old.  It would have been interesting to watch.

2.Plain Secrets-An outsider among the Amish by Joe Mackall.

3.Tuscan Elements by Alexandra Black
I am fascinated by Tuscany.

4. Collector's encyclopedia of Depression Glass-Gene and Cathy Florence
Before kids my Mom and I would drive around to antique shops and find different pieces of depression glass.  I still have to unpack it and I thought I would see what it was worth these days.

5. The Reluctant Entertainer by Sandy Coughlin
I always like to pick up hints.

6.At Home With Pictures by Paige Gilchrist
I am getting ready to arrange things for the walls.  This book is fantastic.  Lots of good ideas.

7. Christopher Lowell's Seven Layers of Organization
I have quickly gone through this book and it looks like it also has lots of good ideas.

8. Painting Country Gardens by Claudia Nice
I can't wait to break out my watercolors with this book.  It has all the different techniques that I feel I sometimes forget.

9. Trowel and Error by Sharon Lovejoy
I love the style of this author.  I also own her book Roots, Shoots, Buckets and Boots.
and frequent her blog http://sharonlovejoy.blogspot.com/.

I love books so much that I get excited when I have to buy my books for my college classes that I take.  I never can bring myself to sell them back to the bookstore and I do refer back to them...sometimes.  The class I am taking this semester is a computer class with Word, Excel and Powerpoint, they are great books.

GIVE AWAY
I have 25 handmade Christmas Tags like these. In the comments section tell me your favorite book.  I will choose a name Monday night 11/8/10.

A few halloween faces

Some sweet trick or treat faces.

Girls Day In

My Stampin Buddys, Toni and Theresa came over on saturday.  Seems like we get to do this about twice a year.  We always say we should do it more because we have such fun and the day goes by so fast, but the year flys by and we don't do it. 

We were productive and got some cards and tags made.  We had good talk, good food and good friendship.

Here is an Autumn/ Thanksgiving card I made.

Toni is the newest stamper and is really doing well.  Her cards were very pretty and her tags had lots of of bling.  Theresa are always beautiful and she puts lots of thought into them.  Theresa has the most gadgets of all of us.  If we are looking for a certain something she always has it.  I am sorry I didn't take any pictures of their cards.

Tom put up the rails that I got from IKEA on Friday night.  The studio is getting close to being organized now.  I will put buttons in the glass jars and the baskets have spool of ribbon. I was happily surprised when I realized that the paper towel holder hooked onto the rail. How clever is that!

I have put all of my ink pads on the corner cupboard and it is working out well so far.

Tom also put up the rods that hold the marker containers. 

It will be easy to pick the color I need and also it adds a nice visual element.