Vintage Graphic - Pretty Bird Advertising Card
Click on Image to EnlargeI got lucky this week and was able to find another one of these pretty Bird Baking Soda Advertising Cards! I just love these, I've posted a number of these in the past, and each one is so charming in it's own way. This one is a Varied Bunting, circa 1922. Such lovely colors on the Bird and I think the leaves are equally appealing! You can find a few more of these cards
Vintage Chiristmas Clip Art - Santa with Reindeer & Moon
Click on Image to EnlargeThis is a fun Vintage Image of Santa with his Reindeer sailing past the Moon in his Sleigh! It looks like he's loosing a few presents along the way!! This one comes from a 1915 Type book.I think it would be fun to color this one in!var addthis_config = {"dat`_track_clickback":true};
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Vintage Christmas Graphic - Old World Santa in Blue Coat
Click on Image to EnlargeHere's another Beautiful Old World Santa Scrap piece! This one has a Blue Coat trimmed in fur. He's carrying a Basket with some Toys. The little Jester Doll is missing a leg and an arm, I left him that way ... he made think me of the "Land of Misfit Toys" .. so cute!var addthis_config = {"data_track_clickback":true};
Blogger Lift #30
Blogger Lift:Blogger Lift Is Hosted Here. and in Goodreads on YABC. Blogger Lift is a feature in which I'll promote blogs I follow and that I recommenced you.
Blogger Lift is Filled until next year! Thank you to all the Blogger who have participated and those who Signed Up!
More Info on Blogger Lift:
Requirements Of Blogger Lift
Featured this week:
My name is Nicole Mainardi. I am a college student with an English major, and an avid reader, mostly of young adult paranormal novels. I'm living in the Los Angeles area, though I've lived in Arizona, Michigan, and San Diego. I play soccer, but that's about the only exercise I can stand. The first book website I belonged to was Goodreads where you can find many more of my book reviews. Since then I've become a member of netGalley and Librarything. I am currently finished with a very rough draft of my first novel of 103,000 words, which is a YA paranormal romance.
The Reader's Antidote.
Meet The Blogger:
My name is Nicole Mainardi. I am a college student with an English major, and an avid reader, mostly of young adult paranormal novels. I'm living in the Los Angeles area, though I've lived in Arizona, Michigan, and San Diego. I play soccer, but that's about the only exercise I can stand. The first book website I belonged to was Goodreads where you can find many more of my book reviews. Since then I've become a member of netGalley and Librarything. I am currently finished with a very rough draft of my first novel of 103,000 words, which is a YA paranormal romance.The Interview :D!
1. In Between Writing and Reading what do you like to do :)?
Well, I go to college full-time (not something I really like to do, but have to), spend time with my boyfriend, and play soccer when ever I can. But most of my time is monopolized by reading and writing, so there's very little I can fill the time with.
2. Convince me to join your blog twitter style. 140 Characters or less. GO!
The sad thing is that I actually opened up Twitter and typed in the box :D Here it goes: [In Between note: Lol xD]
Young adult book blog where I read and review YA novels, dish out swoon-worthy book news, recap author events, and feature author interviews
...140 exactly.
3. A Fruit. A Hobby. A Car.
Fruit: Driscoll's raspberries, specifically. No other brand does it for me. I'm very particular with my raspberries.
Hobby: Would it be repetitive if I said writing? Writing really is my hobby though. And so is reading. Something's not right here...
Car: The car I currently own is a Saturn Ion, which used to be my mom's. I would LOVE an Volvo XC60, but I'll likely get the Volvo C30 which is equally as awesome.
4. A book to-be release in 2012 that you are Super Exited about.
I'm sorry, you're expecting just one? One ain't gonna happen. But I'll compromise and give you two: Insurgent (Divergent #2) by Veronica Roth and City of Lost Souls (Mortal Instruments #5) by Cassandra Clare.
5. The best past of Blogging so far?
The people are amazing! The blogosphere is so nurturing and caring and they really want you to do well. Also, getting to know authors in the interviews I hold has been a blast, and the fact that people actually care and comment on things that come from the dark depths of my demented mind is so humbling.
6. THE book you are most thankful of getting in your hands and reading?
Another unfair question! There's so many! I'll compromise again and give you three, because I really can't answer this question without all of these: Harry Potter and Sorcerer's Stone, Twilight, and City of Bones. Harry Potter got me back into reading, Twilight made me realize I wanted to write in the YA paranormal romance genre, and City of Bones inspires me to write on a daily basis. You see why I couldn't choose? These books have basically shaped who I am as a writer/reader.
7. and the Holiday Question: if you could invent a Holiday Book-Related, what would you name it and what would we do?
I would call it Awesome Day, but that doesn't really tell you what it is. I think I would call it Lit for Kids Day instead. It sounds kind of lame, but basically I think schools all over the United States (the WORLD if we could make it happen) should give their children the whole day off to read a book of their choice (which the parents would record for the school), and then have the child donate that book to some organization so that a child that has no books can read. I don't know, it's in the works people.
8. and now a detailed description of your blog ;)
Oooh details! *cracks fingers* Here we go:
My book blog is a place where I'd like to think readers and fellow bloggers can go to get their reading fix (hence the name). I give honest reviews of only YA novels, and most are paranormal romances. I host giveaways as often as I can with my budget and participate in weekly memes and reading challenges. I also go to as many author events near me as I can, and always give recaps of these signings for my readers. I started my own meme called Building My Bookshelf, which you can find on the tabs below the header. I will be updating people on the blog with my journey towards being a YA author. I have an author interviews page, which has been one of the funnest parts of blogging because not only does it give you a reason to talk to your favorite authors, but it also gives your readers extra insight into the books and authors they love as well. I just try to make it fun, not only for my readers and followers, but for myself as well.
Thanks For Being part of Blogger Lift Nicole! and sorry for the unfair questions x)
Well, I go to college full-time (not something I really like to do, but have to), spend time with my boyfriend, and play soccer when ever I can. But most of my time is monopolized by reading and writing, so there's very little I can fill the time with.
2. Convince me to join your blog twitter style. 140 Characters or less. GO!
The sad thing is that I actually opened up Twitter and typed in the box :D Here it goes: [In Between note: Lol xD]
Young adult book blog where I read and review YA novels, dish out swoon-worthy book news, recap author events, and feature author interviews
...140 exactly.
3. A Fruit. A Hobby. A Car.
Fruit: Driscoll's raspberries, specifically. No other brand does it for me. I'm very particular with my raspberries.
Hobby: Would it be repetitive if I said writing? Writing really is my hobby though. And so is reading. Something's not right here...
Car: The car I currently own is a Saturn Ion, which used to be my mom's. I would LOVE an Volvo XC60, but I'll likely get the Volvo C30 which is equally as awesome.
4. A book to-be release in 2012 that you are Super Exited about.
I'm sorry, you're expecting just one? One ain't gonna happen. But I'll compromise and give you two: Insurgent (Divergent #2) by Veronica Roth and City of Lost Souls (Mortal Instruments #5) by Cassandra Clare.
5. The best past of Blogging so far?
The people are amazing! The blogosphere is so nurturing and caring and they really want you to do well. Also, getting to know authors in the interviews I hold has been a blast, and the fact that people actually care and comment on things that come from the dark depths of my demented mind is so humbling.
6. THE book you are most thankful of getting in your hands and reading?
Another unfair question! There's so many! I'll compromise again and give you three, because I really can't answer this question without all of these: Harry Potter and Sorcerer's Stone, Twilight, and City of Bones. Harry Potter got me back into reading, Twilight made me realize I wanted to write in the YA paranormal romance genre, and City of Bones inspires me to write on a daily basis. You see why I couldn't choose? These books have basically shaped who I am as a writer/reader.
7. and the Holiday Question: if you could invent a Holiday Book-Related, what would you name it and what would we do?
I would call it Awesome Day, but that doesn't really tell you what it is. I think I would call it Lit for Kids Day instead. It sounds kind of lame, but basically I think schools all over the United States (the WORLD if we could make it happen) should give their children the whole day off to read a book of their choice (which the parents would record for the school), and then have the child donate that book to some organization so that a child that has no books can read. I don't know, it's in the works people.
8. and now a detailed description of your blog ;)
Oooh details! *cracks fingers* Here we go:
My book blog is a place where I'd like to think readers and fellow bloggers can go to get their reading fix (hence the name). I give honest reviews of only YA novels, and most are paranormal romances. I host giveaways as often as I can with my budget and participate in weekly memes and reading challenges. I also go to as many author events near me as I can, and always give recaps of these signings for my readers. I started my own meme called Building My Bookshelf, which you can find on the tabs below the header. I will be updating people on the blog with my journey towards being a YA author. I have an author interviews page, which has been one of the funnest parts of blogging because not only does it give you a reason to talk to your favorite authors, but it also gives your readers extra insight into the books and authors they love as well. I just try to make it fun, not only for my readers and followers, but for myself as well.
Thanks For Being part of Blogger Lift Nicole! and sorry for the unfair questions x)
Vintage Clip Art - Fanciful Tea Advertisement
Click on Images to EnlargeI got a new book (well it's actually quite old, but new to me!) this week, and it's my new favorite!!! The book is an 1870's Printers Sample and it's filled with fantastic Old Labels and sample Advertisements, like the one above!! The engravings are so charming, I'll be sharing lots of them! The one above is a Fanciful Advertisement for Tea, Coffee and Spices! I love
AAQR: AudioManager (free, paid)
Audio Manager has a simple job: gives you full control of your various volume settings in your Android devices.
Did you know your Android devices has no less than SEVEN different volume settings?
Yet there is no one single place to adjust them! Until now... with AudioManager. Just open the app and adjust the sliders to your liking!
You can even define "presets" (or profiles) for certain situations, like meeting, normal, driving, and so on.
There are two sizes of widgets you can use as well, and the Pro version allows Widget skins and shortcuts to presets.
Definitely give the free version a try. I am using it now.
http://www.appbrain.com/app/audiomanager/com.smartandroidapps.audiowidget
Did you know your Android devices has no less than SEVEN different volume settings?
- Alarm
- Media
- Voice call
- Alert
- Ringer
- System
- Navigation
Yet there is no one single place to adjust them! Until now... with AudioManager. Just open the app and adjust the sliders to your liking!
You can even define "presets" (or profiles) for certain situations, like meeting, normal, driving, and so on.
There are two sizes of widgets you can use as well, and the Pro version allows Widget skins and shortcuts to presets.
Definitely give the free version a try. I am using it now.
http://www.appbrain.com/app/audiomanager/com.smartandroidapps.audiowidget
AAQR: Advanced Task Killer
Advanced Task Killer, i.e. ATK, is a very popular app, but widely misunderstood. Basically it allows users to kill running apps and background services. Whether this actually do anything is subject to debate. I have my own view on this and it's explained somewhere else. [ see link here ]
It works, though I only use it manually.
It is free, and there's a $4.99 donate version (ads-free). You should have it loaded, but do not use auto-kill.
http://www.appbrain.com/app/advanced-task-killer-froyo/com.rechild.advancedtaskkillerfroyo
It works, though I only use it manually.
It is free, and there's a $4.99 donate version (ads-free). You should have it loaded, but do not use auto-kill.
http://www.appbrain.com/app/advanced-task-killer-froyo/com.rechild.advancedtaskkillerfroyo
AAQR: AdFree (root required)
Image via CrunchBaseAdFree is an app that uses the built-in IPTable in Android OS to filter out ads, by basically bypassing "known" ad servers (route them to nowhere). Similar apps on the PC would be Adblock on various browsers.AdFree works quite well, but it requires root access, as you can't get to HOSTS/IPtable otherwise. It will block most banner ads inside apps, unless the banners are provided by sources not known to the list.
It is free, and it will periodically check for updates to update the list.
Keep in mind though, that a lot of free apps rely on the ad revenue to keep them free. So this is a morally conflicting problem. Still, it is your device.
And yes, I do use this app.
http://www.appbrain.com/app/adfree-android/com.bigtincan.android.adfree
Instant Art Printable - Extraordinary Arctic Scene - Polar Bear
Click HERE for the Full Size Printable PDFThis is another extraordinary 1860's Natural History Print!! This one shows an Arctic Scene with a Polar Bear, Walruses and Seals!!! This is the companion print to the Reindeer one that I posted a few weeks ago. These would look great Framed and hung together, or maybe on matching pillows!I've created a High Resolution Instant Art print, so that you can
Brag Monday - Angel Ornament & Decoupaged Piano
It's time for Brag Monday #113! Once again I'm bragging about two more projects from the last Brag Monday party.First I'm bragging about this pretty Angel Ornament crafted by Susan at Homeroad! Susan used the Fairy/Angel Child Image, along with some old book pages. Be sure and pop over to her blog to see the Full Tutorial!Next I'm bragging about this Amazing Decoupaged Piano made over by
Vintage Graphic - Amazing Angel with Stars
Click on Image to EnlargeIsn't this amazing?!!! I just love this Antique Christmas Postcard! This one shows a Gorgeous Angel laying on a Cloud, with a blue Starry Background! She has such a beautiful face!!var addthis_config = {"data_track_clickback":true};
Vintage Clip Art - Pretty Snowflakes
Click on Images to EnlargeHere are 3 pretty Vintage Snowflakes for you. These came from an early encyclopedia. These are drawings of actual frozen snow crystals!! You may recall some similar ones that I posted last year HERE. The originals are black, but I made some blue ones for you this time around, as well. These make great Photoshop Brushes!var addthis_config = {"
Impressionism 2.0
"As my work was often compared to the French Impressionist movement, I decided to follow their traces in Normandy. Filming on the same spots where Monet or Corot used to paint, I will create a kind of Impressionism 2.0" - Jacques Perconte
- 2011, Normandie : Impressions, 26'
- 2010, Corse : Après le feu, 7'
- 2009, Fontainebleau : Annette, 9'
- 2009, Poitou-Charentes : Le passage, 6'
- 2008, Médoc : Pauillac, Margaux, 10'
- 2007, Médoc : Le soleil de Patiras, 3'
- 2005/7, Landes : uishet, 13'
- 2003, Périgord Noir : uaoen, 29'
Impressions: Voyage en Normandie is the latest in a series of digitally manipulated landscape films made by Jacques Perconte. The 'actual' view (at least as seen through the camera lens) gradually pixelates and transforms into something more strange. The films enter a kind of 'Impressionist' phase where light patterns and subtle motion in nature are slowed and attended to. But the moving images soon start to resemble Symbolism, Fauvism and eventually Abstract Expressionism - trees turned into jagged patches of colour like a Clyfford Still painting, the horizon flickering like a Barnett Newman zip line. 'We no longer see the image of the landscape, we see the landscape of the image' Perconte says. Violaine Boutet de Monvel has written of a moment in Après le feu, filmed from the back of a train, where a gap appears to open up under the tracks, transforming the real topography. Perconte is interested in this re-imagining of the familiar - as he followed in the footsteps of the Impressionists, he sensed that their landscape was still present, despite the constant movement of clouds and restless activity of the sea. This process tends towards the dissolution of familiar landscape elements into a vision of pure colour. In Perconte's notes on Impressions he quotes Rousseau, losing himself in a reverie and feeling objectes slip away so that he feels nothing but the whole: 'Alors tous les objets particuliers lui échappent; il ne voit et ne sent rien que dans le tout.'
The artist has posted numerous Vimeo clips, photographs, production notes and comments on his own site and his technart blog. I'll end here with a recent film I'll be thinking of on my next train journey: a view of nondescript fields under a grey sky which briefly disappears as the train enters a cutting, only to re-emerge partially smeared away, as if to reveal the software behind this fake landscape of tree forms and wind farms, then progressively changes until we are left with just a few remnants of distorted colour before the screen goes white.
Vintage Graphic Image - Sweet Fox
Click on Image to EnlargeI've been looking for some cute Fox Images lately, most of the Vintage and Antique ones, aren't that cute. The ones that I have found, for the most part, have sort of snarling looks on their faces, so I was glad to find the one above. He's from an old Advertising card, and I think he's pretty sweet!var addthis_config = {"data_track_clickback"
Printable - Vintage Christmas Stickers
Click HERE for the Full Size Printable PDFToday I made you this Christmas Printable, with a few of my vintage images that I have been playing around with lately! I've sized these so that you can use them as stickers for your Christmas Card Envelope Backs. You can print these out on full size Label Sheets (available at Staples, Office Max etc.) and then cut them out, or you could even just use
Vintage Christmas Clip Art - Madonna and Children
Click on Image to EnlargeThis is an Antique Postcard, showing a Beautiful Madonna and the Baby Jesus, as well as another child. The colors are so gorgeous in this one, Red, Green and Gold, so nice for your Christmas Projects!var addthis_config = {"data_track_clickback":true};
Vintage Clip Art - Pipers - Silhouette
Click on Image to EnlargeHere's a happy Silhouette! This one shows 2 dancing Musicians, one with Bagpipes and one with a little Horn! If your doing any sort of Musical theme for your Holiday Decor this year, I think this one would work really well in your DIY projects!var addthis_config = {"data_track_clickback":true};
A Voyage Round the Coast of Great Britain
Three years ago the Folio Society published a new edition of William Daniell's A Voyage Round the Coast of Great Britain. The original book came out in eight volumes between 1814 and 1825, contained 308 hand-coloured aquatints and sold for £60 ('one and a half times what a fisherman or sailor aboard a merchant ship could expect to earn in a year at the time'). A second hand copy of the Folio version (in the excellent Much Ado Books shop) cost me rather less than this. It includes only 114 of the best aquatints and cuts out almost all of the rather dry commentary Daniell wrote, replacing it with extracts from the writings of contemporary travellers. The original intention was for Richard Ayton, an aspiring writer and friend of the family, to accompany Daniell on his travels. But the two of them parted acrimoniously after the first year, having got as far as southern Scotland (the Voyage commenced at Land's End). Daniell pressed on alone, returning to his coastal journey every summer, delayed only by famine in Scotland (1816) and economic crisis and fear of revolution in England (1819). Ayton never did become a successful author and his short life came to a sad end the year Daniell finally completed his great project. The cumulative achievement of the Voyage was recognised by the Royal Academy, who elected Daniell a full member in 1822 - as C. J. Shepherd notes in his introduction, 'the artist that he beat to secure his lifetime's ambition was John Constable'.
Among the texts assembled to accompany Daniell's aquatints in this edition, the most vivid impressions of the coastal landscape are provided by writers like Keats, Southey, Scott and Dorothy Wordsworth (whose travels in Scotland I have discussed here before). But the book encompasses many other interesting voices - Joanna Schopenhauer at Lancaster, Jane Austen at Lyme, the 'exquisitely fashionable' Hermann von Pückler-Muskau in Brighton, James Johnson, author of 'An Essay on Indigestion; or Morbid Sensibility of the Stomach and Bowels', in Liverpool, a gentleman called Charles Cochrane who for some reason went to Margate disguised as an itinerant Spanish gypsy guitarist, the ornithologist Charles Fothergill who visited Flamborough Head 'resplendent in 'white and green hat; a Belcher neckcloth with my short collar appearing over it; a dark green jacket with silver buttons; [and] sky blue pantaloons'', composer Felix Mendelssohn, who sent home a few bars of music which would become the Hebridean Overture, and the 'excitable young Polish tutor and future revolutionary' Krystyn Lach-Szyrma, who was so overwhelmed by Fingal's Cave, a 'glorious cathedral made by nature's hand', that he threw himself into the sea.
In his Preface to A Voyage Round the Coast of Great Britain, Robert Macfarlane writes that seeing Daniell's aquatints leads us to imagine Britain only by its outline. 'The interior falls away, and all that is left is the frame. And what a frame it is! Some 7,500 miles of coastline, forming a continuum from storm-crashed headlands to beach-front amusements, from salt-marsh to heathland, from 400-million-year-old gneiss to endlessly recast mudflats.' With this in mind it is clearly impossible to pick out a typical view - the two shown below I liked for the non-naturalistic regularity of their rock formations and the precisely distributed seabirds and grazing sheep. Yet despite their variety all of Daniell's aquatints have the same harmonious, muted palette of slate blue, grey green and pale browns. He may, as Macfarlane says, portray all kinds of meteorological conditions - 'a doldrummish sea day in Ilfracombe, sails drooping in the heat, gives way to a Force 7 off Holyhead' - but the weather somehow always looks British.
William Daniell's journeys coincided with the rise of picturesque tourism and bathing resorts, the Napoleonic Wars, the Highland Clearances and the rapid development of industry and infrastructure. Robert Southey, for example, toured the Highlands with Thomas Telford, whom he nicknamed Pontifex Maximus, the great bridge builder. In one of this book's extracts from Southey's Journal of a Tour in Scotland in 1819, the conversion of the Marquess of Stafford's estate's into extensive sheep-farms is criticised: 'a quiet, thoughtful, contented, religious people' forcefully transplanted from the glens to the sea coast. At the other end of Britain, Dover had recently been scarred by vast new fortifications to keep out the French, a fact that William Cobbett found perplexing - 'what the devil should they come to this hill for, then?' He concluded bitterly that 'more brick and stone have been buried in this hill than would go to build a neat new cottage for every labouring man in the counties of Kent and of Sussex!' Shakespeare's Cliff (which I have written about here before) was also visited by artist Benjamin Robert Hayden who stood looking at it, 'almost lost in the embruno tint of twilight'. There he imagined 'a Colossal Statue of Britannia' built on top of it, 'surveying France with a lofty air.'
I could go on, but I'll end this post at Lulworth Cove, where Daniell painted the rocky outcrop of Stair Hole with its striking recumbent folds. The book includes an extract from the recollections of the Irish playwright John O'Keeffe who spent a summer at Lulworth with his children. As soon as he arrived, O'Keeffe set off with his son, called Tottenham, to explore the Cove itself and the craggy rocks above. At the end of the day 'we returned to our abode with appetites sea-sharpened, and sat down to a roast loin of lamb, delicate boiled chickens, tongue, green-peas, young potatoes, a gooseberry pie, thick cream, good strong home-brewed ale and a glass of tolerable port-wine.' Next morning they were off again, climbing Hanbury Hill where O'Keeffe recorded two of the local landscape terms - patches of land called 'knaps, larger or smaller, each divided from the other by a grassy rising, termed a launchet.' Tired from the climb, he and Tottenham sat down to look at the view - 'before us, the great expanse; above, the blue serene; around, the melody of birds; scarce a breath from the still bosom of the deep, and the vertical sun shedding his glories on the scene. Neither the scream of sea-gulls, crows, and puffins, could prevent me falling into a slumber, and, in a sort of sweet demi-dream, I could hear the rushing pinions of birds that must have flown by very near me, and felt the rabbits that I fancied ran over me.'
Among the texts assembled to accompany Daniell's aquatints in this edition, the most vivid impressions of the coastal landscape are provided by writers like Keats, Southey, Scott and Dorothy Wordsworth (whose travels in Scotland I have discussed here before). But the book encompasses many other interesting voices - Joanna Schopenhauer at Lancaster, Jane Austen at Lyme, the 'exquisitely fashionable' Hermann von Pückler-Muskau in Brighton, James Johnson, author of 'An Essay on Indigestion; or Morbid Sensibility of the Stomach and Bowels', in Liverpool, a gentleman called Charles Cochrane who for some reason went to Margate disguised as an itinerant Spanish gypsy guitarist, the ornithologist Charles Fothergill who visited Flamborough Head 'resplendent in 'white and green hat; a Belcher neckcloth with my short collar appearing over it; a dark green jacket with silver buttons; [and] sky blue pantaloons'', composer Felix Mendelssohn, who sent home a few bars of music which would become the Hebridean Overture, and the 'excitable young Polish tutor and future revolutionary' Krystyn Lach-Szyrma, who was so overwhelmed by Fingal's Cave, a 'glorious cathedral made by nature's hand', that he threw himself into the sea.
Cover by David Eccles,
after William Daniell's In Fingal's Cave, Staffa
In his Preface to A Voyage Round the Coast of Great Britain, Robert Macfarlane writes that seeing Daniell's aquatints leads us to imagine Britain only by its outline. 'The interior falls away, and all that is left is the frame. And what a frame it is! Some 7,500 miles of coastline, forming a continuum from storm-crashed headlands to beach-front amusements, from salt-marsh to heathland, from 400-million-year-old gneiss to endlessly recast mudflats.' With this in mind it is clearly impossible to pick out a typical view - the two shown below I liked for the non-naturalistic regularity of their rock formations and the precisely distributed seabirds and grazing sheep. Yet despite their variety all of Daniell's aquatints have the same harmonious, muted palette of slate blue, grey green and pale browns. He may, as Macfarlane says, portray all kinds of meteorological conditions - 'a doldrummish sea day in Ilfracombe, sails drooping in the heat, gives way to a Force 7 off Holyhead' - but the weather somehow always looks British.
Near view of one of the Shiant Isles
Needles Cliff and Needles, Isle of White
William Daniell's journeys coincided with the rise of picturesque tourism and bathing resorts, the Napoleonic Wars, the Highland Clearances and the rapid development of industry and infrastructure. Robert Southey, for example, toured the Highlands with Thomas Telford, whom he nicknamed Pontifex Maximus, the great bridge builder. In one of this book's extracts from Southey's Journal of a Tour in Scotland in 1819, the conversion of the Marquess of Stafford's estate's into extensive sheep-farms is criticised: 'a quiet, thoughtful, contented, religious people' forcefully transplanted from the glens to the sea coast. At the other end of Britain, Dover had recently been scarred by vast new fortifications to keep out the French, a fact that William Cobbett found perplexing - 'what the devil should they come to this hill for, then?' He concluded bitterly that 'more brick and stone have been buried in this hill than would go to build a neat new cottage for every labouring man in the counties of Kent and of Sussex!' Shakespeare's Cliff (which I have written about here before) was also visited by artist Benjamin Robert Hayden who stood looking at it, 'almost lost in the embruno tint of twilight'. There he imagined 'a Colossal Statue of Britannia' built on top of it, 'surveying France with a lofty air.'
I could go on, but I'll end this post at Lulworth Cove, where Daniell painted the rocky outcrop of Stair Hole with its striking recumbent folds. The book includes an extract from the recollections of the Irish playwright John O'Keeffe who spent a summer at Lulworth with his children. As soon as he arrived, O'Keeffe set off with his son, called Tottenham, to explore the Cove itself and the craggy rocks above. At the end of the day 'we returned to our abode with appetites sea-sharpened, and sat down to a roast loin of lamb, delicate boiled chickens, tongue, green-peas, young potatoes, a gooseberry pie, thick cream, good strong home-brewed ale and a glass of tolerable port-wine.' Next morning they were off again, climbing Hanbury Hill where O'Keeffe recorded two of the local landscape terms - patches of land called 'knaps, larger or smaller, each divided from the other by a grassy rising, termed a launchet.' Tired from the climb, he and Tottenham sat down to look at the view - 'before us, the great expanse; above, the blue serene; around, the melody of birds; scarce a breath from the still bosom of the deep, and the vertical sun shedding his glories on the scene. Neither the scream of sea-gulls, crows, and puffins, could prevent me falling into a slumber, and, in a sort of sweet demi-dream, I could hear the rushing pinions of birds that must have flown by very near me, and felt the rabbits that I fancied ran over me.'
Victorian Clip Art - Pretty Snow Angel
Here's a nice Victorian Scrap Piece, showing a pretty Snow Angel! She has a white fur trimmed coat and a festive looking branch of Holly! These types of images are so much fun to glitter up and use in Handmade Ornaments, great for Cards too!var addthis_config = {"data_track_clickback":true};
Vintage Clip Art - Thankful Pilgrim
Click on Image to EnlargeToday I'm sharing this Thankful Pilgrim graphic from an old Type Book! I just wanted to say that one of the things that I am most Thankful for is all of you. I feel so blessed to have the kindest readers in the world, visiting me here on my blog. I am so grateful for each and every one of you!!I hope all of you have a wonderful Thanksgiving Day with your Families, and for
Vintage Christmas Clip Art - Santa with Children
Click on Images to EnlargeThis is a sweet Victorian Postcard showing a Cute Santa climbing down a Chimney. It looks like the darling Children have been waiting on the roof for him! I love the bright colors on this one!var addthis_config = {"data_track_clickback":true};
Interview with Jody Kihara
1.-As a Writer, what has been your newest discovery?
Jody Kihara: My most fun discovery was how important my critique friends have become, not just to my writing, but to my life. They crack the whip when I need to do my editing, and rescue me when I’m feeling down. Some have become true BFFs. If you’re a writer, start getting critique partners ― you’ll learn more critiquing each others’ work than you will through any course. And you’ll make some lifelong friends!
2.-Convince me to buy your book Twitter Style. 140 Characters or less. GO!
Witch! Ghost! Ghost-of-witch! Cemetery, nightmares, scary dog, drowning… Shaya has to solve a 13-year-old mystery before Halloween.
3.-Would you be so kind as to unlock the treasures of White Witch Pond
Here’s the official blurb. (Side note: don’t you just hate the word ‘blurb’? You’d think writers and publishers could come up with a better term!)
Shaya Solen’s walk home from school takes her past an eerie pond, where one day she finds an old bracelet made of raven feathers. Soon, strange events begin to unfold: a shadowy figure across the water, ominous nightmares, and rumours of a witch who once drowned in the pond. With the discovery of a strange family connection to the witch, Shaya is drawn into a mystery that looks like it must be solved before the approaching Halloween… which is the thirteenth anniversary of the witch’s death.
(then cue music: dah-dahnnn!)
4.-How is it that you came up with the story for White Witch Pond?
I was having one of those magical creative streaks, in which I drafted 3 books in a 6-month period. (One was a chapter book, so it’s not like they were super long… but still!). The other two books are quite goofy, so I was in the mood to write something with some atmosphere. Most of my book ideas come from me suddenly ‘seeing’ one of the scenes in my head, and for White Witch Pond it was the opening scene, in which Shaya finds the witch’s bracelet. From there, the story just came to me… and White Witch Pond was my fastest ‘write’ ever! Which is possibly why the story is so fast-paced!
5.-Shaya – main Character of White Witch Pond – was just the perfect character for the story, she was real and held the perfect combination of everything, she was the cherry on top of the cake. Where you like Shaya as a kid? Did she come completely from your head or was there more inspiration?
Most of my characters arrive fully-formed, so I don’t really have to ‘think them out’. I love characters so much (mine and others), and I’m fascinated by psychology, so ‘inventing’ a character is the one thing I don’t have to struggle with. I think there’s a bit of Shaya in me… although it’s Devin who’s taken from real life - he’s based on my older brother (shh!) And all the family bickering scenes are definitely taken from childhood, LOL!
6.-Now that I think about it… Ailishaya is not the most ordinary name. Where did that one came from?
When I decided I wanted a name connection between Shaya and the witch, I needed a name that ‘Shaya’ could be a shortened version of. I know a girl called Ailish, so I simply put the two together. It is a cool name, come to think of it!
7.-I think you are an author with so much potential and with a really good writing style that I would describe as flawless, Any suggestions for us aspiring writers?
First of all – thank you!
Advice for writers:
1. Critiquing, as I mentioned before. You’ll learn as much from critiquing other people’s work as you will from having your own critiqued. A great website for this is Critique Circle, because you get input from several different people at once, and they’ll all notice different things: logic, pacing, character development, grammar, and writing style.
2. Grammar – learn it! The one thing you have to be careful of with critiquing is that there are many people out there with a rather, er, shaky grasp of grammar. This is one thing you should learn from a book or school and NOT the net… unless it’s a site you can trust, like Grammar Girl or OWL at Purdue (http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/section/1/5/). But many writers and bloggers give writing advice that is NOT correct, so make sure you’re thoroughly grounded in it!
3. Keep at the writing. Most of us take a break in late highschool or university because we’re busy studying, and sometimes you have to take that break ― just make sure you get back to writing soon, because like any skill, it’s a ‘use it or lose it’ deal! I had to take a long break once because my day job was so busy, and when I went back to writing, I was shocked by how much my skills had backslid!
4. When you’re drafting a novel, try taking a break from reading other books. You want to keep your mind receptive to YOUR ideas. If you do read while you’re drafting, read something in a similar writing style, because it’s surprising how much another author’s writing style can influence your own without you realizing it!
8.-Tell us a secret ;)
A writer’s secret weapon: chocolate and tea.
(Wait, that’s two weapons…)
9.-Last but not least, what doors are next to unlock?
I’m releasing two more books this summer, one Young Adult historical fiction and one chapter book. Then I have a stack of drafted novels waiting to be edited.
It would be nice to see book sales taking off. In the meantime, I’d like to unlock the door to a bank vault. J
Thank You So Much to Jody Kihara for giving me the chance to review your Book White Witch Pond and for being so kind in answering this interview witch, according to Miss Jody Kihara, was a bit of a challenge
:)
Other Books By Jody Kihara:
White Witch Pond - Jody Kihara
White Witch Pond by Jody KiharaDate Released: February 22nd 2011
Date Read: June 2011
Format: Kindle Edition
Source: Author
Summary:
Shaya Solen’s walk home from school takes her past an eerie pond, where one day she finds an old bracelet made of raven feathers. Soon, strange events begin to unfold: a shadowy figure glimpsed across the water, ominous nightmares haunting Shaya, and rumors of a witch who once drowned in the pond. With the discovery of a strange family connection to the witch, Shaya is drawn into a mystery that must be solved before the approaching Halloween, which is the thirteenth anniversary of the witch’s death – and Shaya’s birthday.
Shaya Solen’s walk home from school takes her past an eerie pond, where one day she finds an old bracelet made of raven feathers. Soon, strange events begin to unfold: a shadowy figure glimpsed across the water, ominous nightmares haunting Shaya, and rumors of a witch who once drowned in the pond. With the discovery of a strange family connection to the witch, Shaya is drawn into a mystery that must be solved before the approaching Halloween, which is the thirteenth anniversary of the witch’s death – and Shaya’s birthday.
From Goodreads
My Review:
They say photos are worth more than a thousand words. I think the same about tittles. When reading the title of White Witch Pond and learning that the main character was somewhere around 12 years old, I thought it would be about a little girl meeting this witch and then becoming friends or something. A little spook in the middle but, no more than that. Turns out it’s a creepy story, with a creepy witch and creepy situations. Preconceived Ideas. What would we do without them?
Even though the books has a twelve year old as its main character, I think that White Witch Pond is a book for a little bit older teens, ‘cause my twelve year old niece was having a little bit trouble with the writing style – very good by the way – and with sleeping at night xDD…. I didn’t of course…. Like non, I slept like a baby while reading it, never scared, I’m seventeen pfft! No problems. No. Zero. Nada. O.O
Yes, you can probably smell the lie ten countries away. I can’t stand scary movies or books or even haunted mansions. I get scared WAY to easily. I still love ‘em though. That’s called masochism. The books wasn’t THAT scary, though It did had its creepy parts, especially if you read them at night, and your window is closed.
One of my favorite things about the books was Shaya – the main character – she was so sweet and innocent, but still, she held her bravery up high. She actually reminds me of me in my early teen years.
The story is a light fun and sure to give goose-bumps book – it took me like, 3 weeks to read it, I had my SAT’s- but then I decided to re-read it ‘cause I couldn’t remember it by the time I continued reading it xD It took me only 2 hours. In my 6 hour ride to San Francisco, White Witch Pond definitely made my day trip.
Even though the story IS kinda creepy and scary, the ending was just PERFECT. With the right amount of everything, from sweetness to humor. It guaranteed that it will leave you with a smile plastered in your face when you read the last line
A must read when you’re on your way to San Francisco… maybe not forcefully to San Francisco but it works! xD
“A note sat on the kitchen table. Shaya snatched it up and read:
Shay,
I'm taking Dev to the clinic, he's still sick. Didn't want to wake you, you were sleeping so soundly. Hope to be back early afternoon.
Love,
Mom
PS – don't forget you're grounded”
Vintage Clip Art - Holly Wreath Graphic Frame
Click on Images to EnlargeThis is a pretty Vintage Wreath Frame made up of Holly Leaves and Berries! This one comes from a 1915 Type book. The original is the black and white , but I made a few color options for you, because I can never seem to stop myself from doing that! There's so much you can do with this one, so nice for Christmas Cards, Gift Tags, or Labels or some many other purposes!In
Happy New Year Wallpapers
Happy New Year desktop hd wallpaper with colored text and diagonal stripes Happy New Year background for pc with colored fireworks Happy New Year picture with text, decorations, clock on 12 hour and stars The Best Top Desktop Happy New Year Wallpapers in all kind of resolutions and sizes. For your PC, Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7 and Mac OS. High resolution Happy New Year photos,
Pictures Leonardo Di Caprio Wallpapers
Desktop hd wallpaper with a photo of Leonardo DiCaprio Background for pc with Leonardo DiDacprio Photo of actor Leonardo DiCaprio in a movie with beard and moustache The Best Top Desktop Leonardo DiCaprio Wallpapers in all kind of resolutions and sizes. For your PC, Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7 and Mac OS. High resolution Leonardo DiCaprio photos, widescreen, 4:3, 16:9 and HD
The Elder Scrolls V Skyrim Wallpapers
Desktop hd wallpaper of the rpg game The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. A fight with a huge dragon Background for pc from the game The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Your character on a horse on a rock Picture of one of the many cities with impressive houses in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. The Best Top Desktop The Elder Scrolls V Skyrim Wallpapers in all kind of resolutions and sizes. For your PC,
Pictures Brad Pitt Wallpapers
Desktop hd wallpaper with a picture of Brad Pitt in one of his movies with a gun Background for pc with a beautiful photo of actor Brad Pitt with beard and wearing a black hatWonderfull image of blonde actor Brad Pitt in gray shirt
Blogger Lift #29
Blogger Lift:Blogger Lift Is Hosted Here. and in Goodreads on YABC. Blogger Lift is a feature in which I'll promote blogs I follow and that I recommenced you.
Blogger Lift is Filled until next year! Thank you to all the Blogger who have participated and those who Signed Up!
More Info on Blogger Lift:
Requirements Of Blogger Lift
Featured this week:
Meet The Blogger:
Literary Exploration
Meet The Blogger:Hi, I'm Anna and I'm addicted to reading :) It started back in third grade when I first read Harry Potter and became a freak about reading. I think I read the first two books in a week, which for a third grader is fast! I started this blog back in March, 2011 so I could keep up with my reviews, but mostly to follow other book bloggers! I'm officially as addicted to blogging as I am to reading and I'm loving all the great people I'm meeting :) Someday I hope to be an English teacher, but we'll see when that happens. I'm happy to talk about anything and everything book related!
The Interview :D!
1.-In Between Writing and Reading what do you like to do :)?
I love sitting down and having TV marathons with friends. We'll watch an entire season of a show over the course of a couple days! I also really enjoy going to book signings in the area and meeting my favorite authors; I try to get to as many as I can when I'm not busy with work and school. Otherwise I'm pretty easy, I like to go out to eat, go to movies, just hang out and chill. A lot of my life revolves around reading, since I'm an English major, so I honestly don't do much else.
2. Convince me to join your blog twitter style. 140 Characters or less. GO!
It's a YA blog that features reviews, interviews, giveaways, and all kinds of fun stuff! I post everyday so there's always something new!
3. A Plant. A Movie. A Candy.
Aloe Vera. The Last Unicorn. Peach Rings. [In Between Note: The Last Unicorn? aww, that's such a classic!]
4.-What's the Upcoming Release you are most exited about?
Oh gosh, that's a hard one! Seriously, I'm excited for almost every book coming out in 2012, but the closest one to now would be Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare in December. I am so freakin excited to read the next installment!! Have you read Clockwork Angel yet?! If you haven't I suggest you go out and buy it RIGHT NOW!!
5.-Best Part Of Blogging?
The people I've met! I've made so many awesome friends since I started blogging, and met a lot of authors who are really great! Blogging has also opened my mind up to reading books I normally wouldn't even consider, which is so awesome!
6.-Now the Holiday Question: if you could invent a Holiday Book Related, what would you call it and what would we do?
Ohhhh hmmm... probably Read and Eat Day. I love to eat... and I love to read.. soo I feel like this makes sense. It would be like a sort of readathon/Thanksgiving combo holiday. We would invite all our friends over and cook lots of yummy food and sit around and eat and read and trade books. Can we work on making this an official holiday? [In Between Note: I Totally Support This Idea]
7.- and now a detailed description of your blog ;)
Again, it's a YA book blog where I participate in weekly memes, reading challenges (as of 2012!!!), host giveaways, write reviews, and just discuss my love for YA books! I'm 21, so I don't have a lot of friends who read YA anymore, so my blog is my personal discussion board! I'm working on getting some author interviews and guest posts set up, but I'm still pretty new to everything so LOOK OUT FOR MORE AWESOME!!
I LOVED your answers Anna! Thanks for being part of Blogger Lift :D!
In My Mailbox #21
Got Some Galleys This Week :D!
Can't wait to read them all :DD!
Soooo.... what did YOU Get In Your Mailbox :)?
The kill of New York is a brook in New England
BRANCH – RUN – FORK – BROOK – KILL – STREAM – BAYOU – SWAMP – SLOUGH – WASH – CAÑADA – ARROYO - RIO
I came across Derek Watkins' excellent map, showing the distribution across America of different toponyms for 'river', on the Spatial Analysis blog (where James Cheshire has added his own UK version). It reminded me that I have been meaning for some time to do a post here about Home Ground: Language for an American Landscape, edited by Barry Lopez and Debra Gwartney and compiled by a team of writers between 2002 and 2006. Robert Macfarlane described this book in a wonderful essay published last year ('A Counter-Desecration Phrasebook'): 'Its ambition was to retrieve, define and organise nearly 1,000 terms and words for specific spects of landscape. Its ethical presumption was that having a language for natural places is vital for two reasons: because it allows us to speak clearly about such places, and because it allows us to fall into the kind of intimacy with such places which might also go by the name of love or enchantment, and out of which might arise care and good sense.'
So what does Home Ground have to say about these river terms? For the first one, BRANCH, the reader is referred to FORK and the entry, written by Bill McKibben, describes some of the geographical variation evident in Derek Watkins' map. Easterners are likely to call forks branches, tributory is used elsewhere, 'and those in west Texas would call smaller forks prongs.' His example of a 'prong' is the North Prong of the Little Red River Fork in Briscoe County Texas. RUN, according to Kim Barnes, always denotes movement and 'can refer to any small stream, brook, creek, rivulet, channel, overflow, or swiftly flowing watercourse.' Early Virginian settlers, naming the landscape, came to think in terms of a hierarchy by size: rivers > creeks > runs. BROOK needs no explanation, but KILL? It is the Dutch word for brook and appears in the name of landforms of the Hudson and Deleware Valleys, most famously the Catskill Mountains. The term is not seen in the lower Hudson Valley, probably because, as Jan DeBlieu explains in Home Ground, the Dutch colony was subsumed into the surrounding English speaking culture after the capture of New Netherland in 1644.
Often the authors of Home Ground include illustrative quotations from American literature, like the 'dark stream shooting along its dismal channel' in Melville's Typee. Gretel Ehrlich's entry on STREAM describes it as a dynamic force that 'receives, and thus reflects, the abuses that have taken place on the land.' The next few terms, BAYOU, SWAMP and SLOUGH, sound aything but dynamic. 'The bayous are spaces of open water, sluggish or stagnant' and a slough 'is a narrow stretch of sluggish water in a river channel'. The city of Chicago is built on filled sloughs. The word bayou is derived from the Choctaw word for a small stream, bayuk. Okefenokee Swamp gets its name from a Creek Indian word meaning 'Land of the Trembling Earth'. A Harry Crews quote explains why: 'most islands in the swamp - some of them holding hundreds of huge trees growing so thick that their roots are matted and woven as closely as a blanket - actually float on the water; and when a black bear crashes across one of them, the whole thing trembles.'
With the word WASH we move into the American Southwest : Carrizo Wash in Arizona, Hunter's Wash in New Mexico. These are areas of land over which 'subtle contours allow water to flow, or "wash", from elevated to lower zones.' ARROYO can be used to describe the same general feature, or, more specifically, a steep-walled, flat-bottomed creek. Either way it is ephemeral, 'carrying water only briefly during such events as spring runoff or the summer monsoons.' Two more Spanish terms complete the map: RIO and CAÑADA, 'a wetland rich with river reeds'. The words RIVER and CREEK are also included but, are so common that they have been coloured grey. Here in Britain, a creek is a saltwater inlet or the estuary of a stream. In the entry for 'creek' in Home Ground, novelist Charles Frazier explains that the term spread to mean any flow smaller than a river. 'In a few places, though, a distinction was retained. M. Schele DeVere, in his 1872 Americanisms: The English of the New World, put it succinctly: "The kill of New York is a brook in New England, a run in Virginia and alas! a crick or creek, almost everywhere else."'
Small Hiatus
I'll be back December 11th.
Thanks to all my followers, I'll miss you a lot :)
The Tedy Bear Loves you, I Love you, and I'll see you in a few weeks :D!
PS: Blogger Lift goes on, don't worry, and I also have a bunch of reviews coming soon:
*Legend by Marie Lu - November 29th
*Ripple by Mandy Hubbard
*A Series of Unfortunate Events [Books 1-3]
*Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick
*There You'll Find Me by Jenny B. Jones
TBR Challenge
I will be joining the 2010 TBR Challenge, which will be a great way to get rid of that HUGE pile. I'll be aiming for the level in Friendly Hug [it really all depends on school] You guys should really go and check that out :)
The Pledge - Kimberly Derting
Date Released: November 15th 2011
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry
Pages: 323 pages
Date Read: November 14th 2011
Format: ARC
Source: Simon Schuster October Galley GrabSummary:
In the violent country of Ludania, the classes are strictly divided by the language they speak. The smallest transgression, like looking a member of a higher class in the eye while they are speaking their native tongue, results in immediate execution. Seventeen-year-old Charlaina has always been able to understand the languages of all classes, and she's spent her life trying to hide her secret. The only place she can really be free is the drug-fueled underground clubs where people go to shake off the oppressive rules of the world they live in. It's there that she meets a beautiful and mysterious boy named Max who speaks a language she's never heard before . . . and her secret is almost exposed.
Charlie is intensely attracted to Max, even though she can't be sure where his real loyalties lie. As the emergency drills give way to real crisis and the violence escalates, it becomes clear that Charlie is the key to something much bigger: her country's only chance for freedom from the terrible power of a deadly regime.
In the violent country of Ludania, the classes are strictly divided by the language they speak. The smallest transgression, like looking a member of a higher class in the eye while they are speaking their native tongue, results in immediate execution. Seventeen-year-old Charlaina has always been able to understand the languages of all classes, and she's spent her life trying to hide her secret. The only place she can really be free is the drug-fueled underground clubs where people go to shake off the oppressive rules of the world they live in. It's there that she meets a beautiful and mysterious boy named Max who speaks a language she's never heard before . . . and her secret is almost exposed.
Charlie is intensely attracted to Max, even though she can't be sure where his real loyalties lie. As the emergency drills give way to real crisis and the violence escalates, it becomes clear that Charlie is the key to something much bigger: her country's only chance for freedom from the terrible power of a deadly regime.
From Goodreads
My Review:
Wow, I really enjoyed this book. I wasn't sure what to expect because, for ARC's I don't usually read the summaries.... just in case I get wrong ideas before I even start. So I just jumper right into it and I was just hooked. The book was so addictive! it was so easy to enter Charlie's world, a world in which, depending on the language you speak, the class you belong to. So when her city is under attack and she has to leave her home, she discovers a secret that will change everything; also, the Queen realizes that Charlie is a very important piece in her game...
And then there's Max. :D and Amazing guy that has some secrets of his own, and maybe I'm just naive but I was so shocked when I found out what I found out O.O I'm not telliiiiing....
In general I was constantly being surprised as the story unraveled, especially around the ending. The story also reminded me a little bit of Eragon and The Hunger Games, though this didn't make me enjoy it any less, Charlie was an awesome character, it was a great storyline, there was a guy and I constantly had my heart pounding along with Charlie's. What more can we ask for?
What are you so afraid of?
Tweet ReviewAwesome characters, it was a great storyline, there was a guy and I constantly had my heart pounding along with Charlie's. What more can we ask for?
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