Once upon a fold...

If you click on this link, you will be taken to a website full of the most beautiful and fantastical paper creations. If you love paper then you cannot go past Upon a Fold. The stock in their online store is absolutely lovely and so different. It will definitely make you thin twice about buying a card at a newsagent's and then it will make you think twice about even buying a card. Why buy a flat card when you can give someone a pop up castle, or a jack in the box, or a build your own London/New York/Tokyo postcard?
If you look on their blog then you'll see that paper is somewhat of an obsession of theirs. As an Easter gift they've created two sheets to download with instructions on how to make your own origami bunny or chick. Thanks!

Book v eBook.

Ok, I need to ask your opinion on something. To kindle or not to kindle, that is the question. I love books, especially the older ones. I love the way they smell, I love the way they look on book shelves and coffee tables, I love their quirky covers, and I love the dog eared pages of a much loved and well-read book. But the digital age is here and so is the ebook. Having developed a permanent sway in my back from lugging around books in my handbag there is something so compact and tempting about an ebook. So sleek, so convenient and just so, well, futuristic! Does the feel and smell of a book add to the enjoyment of reading? Or can a Kindle, iPad or Nook do the job even better with handy internal library. I'm torn!

(image from We Heart It)

There's a bear in there... and a chair as well...

Despite my best attempts to run away from the Sydney rain, some ten hours up the coast, it followed me and turned Byron Bay in to one big puddle. Oh well! We made the most of the doom and gloom and headed to some bookshops and drank far too many milkshakes. No regrets on my end.

I spied a book in the cooking section with a gorgeous gingham spine (what initially attracted me to it) titled "She's Leaving Home". Inside is page after page of delicious recipes lovingly collated by Monica Trapaga (yes... that's right, the Play School presenter, friend of Big Ted and Jemima. I liked Benita most... but Monica a close second) for her daughter as she moved out of home. It is a sweet book to guide her on her way and keep her well fed as she embarks on her independent life. If you could hug a book and not look mad doing it, I'd want to give this one a cuddle (I may or may note have already... the cover is padded, I don't think this is a coincidence).

Each page is gorgeous - delicate illustrations, personal blurbs about each recipe, collages of photos and fabrics... my favourite is a page dedicated entirely to sandwiches made out of buttons and wool. It's probably one of those things you need to see to appreciate... doesn't exactly translate in words huh? Anyway, if you're in the market for a cookbook or a killer gift for a friend, I can't recommend this warmly enough. Now what's the time on the rocket clock? Please let it be home time....

A girl can never have too much stationery... can she?

So I think I've already well established the fact that I'm massively obsessed with stationery. And I know I keep posting about all these fantastic websites and their very cute paper goods- but this is another one that is worth mentioning. Notemaker sells a great range of little items from pens to memo pads, sticky tape and stamps, filofaxes, calenders, etc etc. They stock the very cool and quirky brands, Suck UK and MMMG. And check out the limited edition Woodstock moleskins.

Thicker than water...

I've been fascinated by the Kennedy family for a long time. I specifically remember my brother's Year 10 assignment on the assassination of JFK and me, 13 at the time, pouring over every article I could find on it at the time.

After watching Grey Gardens a few months back and reading about Ted Kennedy (particularly the Chappaquiddick incident), it reignited my interest in America's first family. Trawling through second hand book shops I chanced on Laurence Leamer's book - The Kennedy Women. It is over 1000 pages long but I cannot for the life of me put it down.

(I'm kind of freaking out at how much Bobby looks like Owen... second from front)

Like most people I'd heard of the Kennedy curse... but I thought it was mostly in relation to both JFK and Bobby. I didn't know that before their assassinations, two of their siblings had already died... or that another had undergone a lobotomy in her early 20s. Nor that their father would bring his mistresses along on family holidays or that JFK battled illness his entire life.

The Kennedy family makes for good reading... you don't need to embellish or exaggerate because their lives really were that bizarre and intriguing. They weren't perfect, so many of their decisions and actions make you cringe with disappointment and regret. But they loved each fiercely, protectively. Most of all they loved each other above all else and I think that is pretty special.

PS I can find no credits for these pictures... so let me know if it's a problem :)

Books You Should Read Part III

While I'm on a recommendation roll, get your hands on a copy of Helen Garner's Monkey Grip.

I'm too lazy to write my own synopsis so I'm borrowing one from Borders -
"In this acclaimed first novel, Helen Garner captures the fluid relationships of a community of friends who are living and loving in new ways. Nora falls in love with Javo the junkie, and together they try to make sense of their lives and the choices they have made. But caught in an increasingly ambiguous relationship, they are unable to let go - and the harder they pull away from each other, the tighter the monkey grip."

Okay, so I can be a bit of a straight-180 and may have even been called a prude in my time, but I loved this book. When a friend lent it to me I thought a book about junkies wouldn't be of interest - too heavy and just too much work.

But this book is such an easy read, and not in the sense that it's dumbed down or basic, but that it is written so fluidly that you can't help but get caught up in it.

There are so many names, people and places that you really can't keep up and that's largely the point. You're supposed to feel a little lost and confused and vague, because (without sounding ridiculously corny and English teacher-y) Nora is all of those things.

For content that could be made to feel really gritty, it doesn't. It isn't exactly beautiful either, rather it's simple and real. And I know for a fact that it's on the Penguin $10 list - so no excuses!

Books You Should Read Part II

Can you tell I have a thing for the Sedaris family? These people are seriously funny.

Unlike Amy's somewhat schizophrenic but utterly hilarious "hostess" manual "I Like You: Hospitality Under The Influence", David is much dryer and sardonic in tone.
Naked is a collection of essays, memoirs or just damn funny stories from Sedaris' colourful life. It will keep you in stitches - but probably best to not read this one on public transport as fits of uncontrollable laughter may ensue.

Books you should own Part I

Do yourself a favour and beg, borrow, or steal in order to get your hands on this masterpiece. It'll change your life - promise!