Suggested Reading

Quick reading suggestion - especially for those of you who are crafty, have fabric stashes to use up, or who are looking for good Christmas ideas! Handmade Home by Amanda Blake Soule.

I honestly picked this book up only because it has instructions for making letter satchels. (HINT: if you know anyone in a long distance relationship of any kind, this is an awesome gift!) They don't cost a lot to buy online, but they looked pretty simple and I figured if I could get instructions I had to be able to do it myself!

Turns out it's got lots of other great stuff too (baby slings, CSA bags, super cute quilted hot pads, rag rugs, banners, curtains, etc). Your library should have it, and if you can sew at all it's worth picking up and flipping through. If you know anyone with kids, pass it along - they'll especially appreciate several of the "suitable for little hands" projects!

Also well worth the read is the my one brand-new-full-price book of the year: Good Girls Don't Have to Dress Bad by Shari Braendel. I usually prefer to get library books, and if something's good enough to own I buy it second hand off half.com or at one of my favorite used bookstores. But about once a year, something is good enough to pay real money for. This is it this year! Honestly not a fan of the title, but what's inside is great - especially if you're like me and you didn't inherit the style genes in your family! Lol.

This book tells you everything you need to know about how to get the most bang for your buck in taking care of yourself - what colors suit you best in clothes and makeup, what kind of clothes to pick to flatter your body type, how to determine your personal style and then find clothes that reflect it, how to pick hairstyles - you name it, Shari covers it. I learned the hard way at Panera that how you look counts as much as whether or not you're any good at what you do (sometimes more), so it's worth it to take care of yourself!

Anyway, nothing else of note. Just thought I'd pass these along, since they made me happy. Hope they are of benefit to you too!