On Favorite Book Week - The Eleventh Hour by Graeme Base

My sister, at the time an elementary school teacher, gave me this book in 1992. I was 11 years old, which seems a bit old for a children's book, but this wasn't just any children's book. This was a story of fantasy and imagination and incorporated some of the most beautiful illustrations, worth the attention of any tween, teen or adult. Graeme Base, an Australian author who also penned the precursor to The Eleventh Hour called Animalia. His illustrations are spectacular and surprising. There are secrets hidden in each and they are worth revisiting over and over. Take a look:

On Favorite Book Week - German Expressionist Woodcuts

I gotta tell ya, I have no idea where I got this book. I think I got it at an estate sale? or yard sale? or book giveaway? I don't know. It has been with me since high school and I return to it quite often for bits of inspiration. The thing is, I'm not a big wood carving guy and certainly not a huge from of the expressionists, but I'm pretty much obsessed with every image in this book. It feels so right and so now to me, despite the years that have passed since the images creation. This collection in particular seems strong and I have to marvel at the skills involved in wood cuts. To conceive of the images from a negative space... well, that's pretty great. Take a look:

On Favorite Book Week - Raf Simons Redux

Let me qualify my entry into Favorite Book Week by saying that I won't be focusing on literary books, but books that tend to have a visual component and that I find some inspiration from. I will have to dedicate another week to literary books, but these will probably fall (regretfully) in the coffee table genre, art books, etc.

First, I wanted to call your attention to a book put together by one of my favorite clothing designers, Mr. Raf Simons. My friend Linsey bought me this book as she'd seen me admire it from a far, but this is certainly a book that I go back to periodically for vision and reorientation when it comes to creative inspiration. Mr Simons is one of the premiere minimalists of our time, successfully designing clothes that far exceed my price range, but certainly fall under my realm of admiration. But here's the thing that observationally blows my mind. He is manages, in 2010 to still present a sort of rebellious view via minimalism. It is both beautiful and mysterious and enviable. Take a look.

On Dressing Well - Nick Wooster

Nick Wooster has become a bit of a street style blogosphere icon, and I think rightfully so.






images via: GQ, Stockholm Street Style and The Coolden

On Inspiration Friday

On Food Blogging - Lottie and Doof

If I were a food blog, I'd like to be...




My friend Tim, runs this brilliant little food blog that I drool over every time he posts something new. The part that is kind of funny to me is that I don't even make the recipes, I just drool over them and wish he would let me eat them. The thing about me and food is that I am just as aesthetically please by it as I enjoy eating it.






I think Tim understands the aesthetics of food incredibly well as his blog represents. So, if you're looking for some pretty food and interesting recipes, take a look! See if your ambition will take you beyond drool and into the kitchen.

www.lottieanddoof.com

On St. Charles and Geneva

Labor Day weekend was pretty fantastic. I spent most of the time enjoying the outdoor weather, bike riding etc.

Yesterday, the actual day lack labor itself, we had the privilege of surprising my dear friend Jessica with a little day trip out to St. Charles and Geneva, IL. These towns are quaint, to say the least. Located along the fox river we were fortunate enough to manage the perfect amount of outside time in Pottawatomie park.















Friends and fun. A truly terrific way to spend an extra Monday.