Link Love: 5 Favorite Topics

kneadkneadknead Pavel kitty on his fav fleecy pillow. #caturday #catsofinstagram #tw
Be a good human and fetch me my tea, would you?

Well this was supposed to go up on Friday, and I was thinking about not putting it up at all because it was late. But I decided to forgive myself the lateness and just do it.

This one is about five subjects I like, crafty or not.

Topic #1: Knitting (Ya Think?!)
More and more I like quirky, fun knitted and crocheted items.
Like monsters, and toys, and yarn bombs.

I really love reading about massive yarn bombs.

Topic #2: Scrapbooking, rubber stamping, and all things paper.

I’m not a “scrapbooker” but I can’t resist looking at all the lovely layout designs the scrapbookers come up with. I’d like to think my “style,” if I had one would be like Ali Edwards, so clean, and fun, yet managing to still have her wonderful photos shine. Her blog is great to get lost in and whenever she does a tutorial, you can bet you’ll learn something very useful.

Topic #3: Books

Not a big surprise, I love to read books and about books. Lately, I’m loving the people behind Forever Young Adult. They have a book club with local chapters that meet up. If I ever find myself with more hours in the day, I’ll join the local group that meets at one of my favorite local cafés. In August they’re reading Eleanor & Park: a book that’s been getting great buzz.

Topic #4: Art Journaling

Even though I love the elegant and clean lines of Ali Edward’s style, I find myself drawn to the chaotic art journals of Teesha More and Juli Fei-Fan Balzer. I just devour their images, looking at every corner and thinking about how they made so many shapes and colors merge in harmony.

Walking the Brookyln Bridge
Topic #5: Travel
I love to get out and wander, discover, and explore. And reading other people’s adventures can be satisfying when I can’t get out there myself. Kristin Luna over at Camels and Chocolate is a self proclaimed “travel addict” I’d follow anywhere.

Realizing I could go on with other topics, I’m glad it was limited to five. You can play along too, just head over to Crafty Pod. She’s got the goods.

Neat Stuff on the Net: Words, Words, Words

Camellia

We have been having a glorious week of weather here in Northern California. And the camellias finally bloomed! They are hands down my favorite but I also enjoy the pops of color everywhere this week:

Pink/orange

Here’s a bunch of neat stuff I learned:

Braggadocious” means boastful or arrogant:

it sounds braggadocious, but I don’t think I ever dropped a pass in a game
I’ve never been a braggadocious kind of guy

See the other words added to the Oxford Dictionaries recently

If you’ve ever made the drive from the Bay Area up to Mendocino, you’ve probably passed through the quirky Booneville. At one time its residents spoke their own language. Sadly,’boontling’ is fading away.

Yellow

I recently discovered the delightful The Second Lunch blog who led me to the work of Jane Mount, who paints books! I squealed when I saw her project: The Ideal Bookshelf. So close to my librarian heart.

hand painted bookshelf

And then, separately, I found the artist Ed Ruscha who has been painting and creating books for many years. If you’re in New York you can go see a show with his work and the work of others inspired by him. The show, called “Books & Co.” opens on Tuesday at the Gagosian Gallery’s Madison Avenue space. There will also be a “Live from the NYPL” event with him on Wednesday March 6.

Orange

Cheers! to glorious weekend weather and trying not to look schlumpy.