Camellias

I love when they carpet the ground with their beautiful petals. Spring is here.

I Love To Collect Old Books

I have always loved books.  They tell stories. They impart knowledge. They reveal mysteries. They are little works of art filled with words and images. I love old books for the type design and illustration and for the covers and binding. I started collecting books when I was is college. I was given a set of Charles Dickens books by a friend and history teacher of mine. Later,  I bought a 5-volume set of Les Miserables ©1886 from a used bookstore in Santa Cruz. It may even be the first English translation.  It's yellowed pages are full of beautiful engravings and the pages are uneven with deckle edges. Throughout the years, I have continued to collect old volumes. Nothing of great monetary value but beautiful and full of soul. Below are some of my favorite pieces  enhanced through a Hipstomatic lens.

My collection of old Dickens books

5-volume set of Les Misérables, English translation 1886

Les Éttonements du Docteur Hix and La Fille du Proscrit—two old books I got in France.

Inside front cover of La Fille du Proscrit

Frontispiece of La Fille du Proscrit

Title page

Title page from Les Étonnements du Docteur Hix

This books dates back to 1685!

A spread from Conferences Ecclesiastiques du Diocese de Luçon

Little Folk Ballads

Frontispiece and title page of Little Folk Ballads.

A very old embossed leather copy of The Courtship of Miles Standish by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. This decrepit volume is completely falling apart and had to be tied together. I got it for $1.00 at a swap meet in Grants Pass. I just love it!

Another sweet little book I found at the swap meet for a couple of dollars.

The inscription inside Some One Like You. It reads "My Sweetheart, In all this great world there is no one like you. Through these past thirty years who could have been so steadfast, so true. Making each day so happy and bright. No clouds when you are near me, Just the sun shining through. Heart of me, Life of me, no one like you. December 29th, 1926"

I just love the beautiful little illustrations. The pages are French folded.

Lollia Packaging

I couldn't resist snapping some pix of this beautiful packaging from Lollia lollialife.com. Margot Elena is the product designer and the packaging designer. Tokyo Milk is another one of her product lines. I'd love to create packaging like this!

Newest Beeswax Collage

The more I do these, the more I love it. The whole experience–working with melted wax, the slight smell of honey, all the different pieces and papers, the colors, the layering and transparency, the textures. I'm in heaven!

Road Trip!

Wonderful trip to Mendocino last week to visit my friend Susan Maeder for some girl time, walks at Big River, inspirational conversation, lots of laughs and even some yoga. The weather was remarkable and provided spectacular views the entire time. Here is what Shasta looked like on the drive down. The most majestic I've ever seen it. Covered in snow, unobscured and the light just right.

Then on to Mendocino where the weather was also glorious. Perfect. Interpreted through the Hipstamatic photos below to show the true brilliance of the day.

Spring has definitely arrived in Mendocino

My glamorous friend Susan posing on redwood burl bench.

The fabulous retreat at Chez Maeder. Perfect house in the woods.

Enough said...

And then after three wonderful days, an unbelievably beautiful drive home along the coast and up Highway 101. The Northern California coast is truly breathtaking on a clear, crisp day.

Looking north in Westport

Westport

And now back home, I feel reinvigorated and inspired. Ready to dive back into creating art and reading, reading, reading!