The Home Library.........

"A room without books is like a body without a soul." - Cicero

"Your library is your paradise." - Roterodamus

"Books are a uniquely portable magic." - Stephen King

"Good friends, good books and a sleepy conscience: this is an ideal life." 

- Mark Twain

"So many books, so little time." - Frank Zappa

If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need." - Cicero

".....words have the power to change us." - Cassandra Clare

"A library is not a luxury but one of the necessities of life." 

- Henry Ward Beecher

"To build up a library is to create a life.

It's never just a random collection of books."

- Carlos Maria Dominguez

"I cannot live without books." - Thomas Jefferson

"The love of learning, the sequestered nooks,

And all the sweet serenity of books." 

- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

"My Best Friend is a person who will give me a book I have not read." 

- Abraham Lincoln

"I have always imagined that paradise will be a kind of library." 

- Jorge Luis Borges

"Reading one book is like eating one potato chip." - Diane Dunne

"Books are the plane, and the train, and the road.

The are the destination, and the journey.  

They are home." - Anna Quindlen

(photos via Elle Decor, Architectural Digest, Vogue Living Australia

 and Pinterest)

Cheers,

Deb xx

Wreaths........

With Christmas now less than a month away, we need to focus on our decorations.  Let's start with the traditional Christmas (door) wreath.  This does not have to be complicated - repeat.  You can buy a pine (evergreen) or twig wreath and string it up with a beautiful ribbon or rope and/or you can add pine cones, extra bulbs from your Christmas tree, candy canes, fruit, flowers, leaves, pods or berries.  Anything goes.  The point is to make it a fun and creative process.  If still in doubt, just log on to the Martha Stewart website as she has a step-by-step tutorial for making the perfect wreaths.  Enjoy!

above pictures via Veranda magazine

above pictures via Martha Stewart Living

picture via Inside Out Magazine Australia

photos above via Pinterest

Cheers,

Deb xx

Happy Thanksgiving!

One for the girls.......

and one for the boys.....

ok, two for the girls - after all, it is Elvis!

Wishing everyone a wonderful and very happy Thanksgiving!

Cheers,

Deb xx

Places of worship.......

Whenever I travel, my first "port of call" is always a place of worship.  More than likely a church, however, it may be a temple or mosque.  It really doesn't matter, just a place where I can reflect, be still, give thanks and look at amazing architecture.   Architectural Digest says, "Throughout history, religion has sparked the creation of some of the world's most beautiful architecture...." and "Sanctuaries from across the ages remain among the most popular sights in global travel." 

I am partial to grand, old, historical architecture of the past, structures that house religious relics and period artwork.  That being said, these new contemporary houses of worship are truly amazing pieces of design and technology and their simple, clean and uncluttered architecture leaves a powerful impression.

a Baroque church in Corbera d'Ebre, Spain

St. Henry's Ecumenical Art Chapel, Finland

a Surrealist steel church in Belgium

U.S. Air Force Academy Cadet Chapel, Colorado Springs

Cathedral of Brasilia - Brasilia, Brazil

Harajuku Church, Tokyo

Chapel of Reconciliation, Berlin

Cathedral of Christ the Light, Oakland, California

Jubilee Church, Rome

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, Abu Dhabi

Baps Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, London

Edmond J. Safra Synagogue, New York

all photos via Architectural Digest

Cheers,

Deb xx