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Dr. Seuss birthday party

January 29, 2013
Books, Children, Family, Good ideas
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cakecupcakesFor MLK weekend, we drove down to the sunshine state to celebrate a very special birthday. My cousin’s baby was turning one. Naturally, for such an auspicious occasion, you celebrate in style. Dr. Seuss style. seussjuice2greeneggshamWhat do you serve to your guests at a Dr. Seuss birthday party? Green eggs and ham, naturally! drseussbookcakeYou hire a baker to create not one, not two, but three Dr. Seuss inspired incredible cakes (and cupcakes!), including a two-tiered book cake. seussbooksigningInstead of a traditional guest book, you allow your guests to sign special messages to the birthday boy Happy Birthday to You! When he’s older, won’t it be so special for him to read all those heartfelt, funny and whimsical messages from so many people who care so much about him?tabledecorationYou decorate your tables with Cat in the Hat-inspired cloth table runners and — what else? — Dr. Seuss books. I have to say, there were more than a few adults sitting by themselves at various moments throughout the day with their noses stuck in Yurtle the Turtle and Oh the Places You’ll Go.
kaismashcakeAnd because he’s turning one, you let your little one have at it on his very own smash cake. Because for at least one day in your life, it’s okay to play with your food.

All photos were taken by the talented Jen Callazo (except for the close up of the cake, which I took on my iPad). If you can believe it, the entire party, down to every last detail, was conceived and executed by my visionary cousin. You can check out her Pinterest board, here, if you’re curious to see what goes into a Dr. Seuss birthday party.

Isn’t this just the cutest idea for a first birthday party? Definitely on par with a zombie themed baby shower. 

I’m inspired. So I want your honest opinion now: How would an Anna Karenina 25th birthday party go down? Nerdy? Lame? Awesome?

What should I read next?

December 18, 2012
Books, Good ideas
5 Comments

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Have you spent any time on this book recommendation website? I don’t know how many people actually read the books that are recommended there — don’t we normally prefer personal or authoritative recommendations to randomly generated search engines? — but I like the idea of finding similar books to ones you’ve previously enjoyed.

I tested it out by searching a pop-sci book that Luke loved (scouting for Christmas presents, obvi). The search engine doesn’t work quite so well for pop-sci — I was recommended RL Stein along side Karl Marx and Stephen King. But it worked a little better for my kind of books.

Anyway. Have you tried it out? I think I’d just as soon go to my bookseller for a recommendation. How do you find book recommendations?

(And a past post about getting the most out of your bookseller:)

(Top photo from Book Seer, another site that does a similar thing. However, I’m not sure they’re operating anymore.)

Fire Cider

November 13, 2012
Books, food, Good ideas
6 Comments

My Florida grandmother gave me a copy of Dr. D.C. Jarvis’s book of Vermont Folk Medicine a few years ago and it’s been a trusted source of home remedies in our home ever since. Jarvis was a 1950s Vermont physician who believed in common-sense health practices and apple cider vinegar. Honestly, that about sums up his medical philosophy. Every possible ailment from chronic fatigue to food poisoning to potassium deficiency gets a prescription of apple cider vinegar and honey. He also has a theory that humans should maintain a “racial diet” based on the foods our ancestors ate. That part’s a little 1950s, but even it has some wisdom. For example, if your ancestors were Norweigian and ate mostly fish, potatoes and seaweed, you probably want to eat more fish than red meat.

Anyways, he’s right about apple cider vinegar. It’s powerful stuff. Funny story: as newlyweds living in remote Appalachia in the late 70s, my Mom would drink ACV a couple times a day, wash her hair with it and clean the house with it… much to my father’s dismay. My mom and dad would tell that story very differently. That smell just doesn’t go away. Luke can relate.

I revisited my tattered copy again this week as I fought off my first cold of the season. Successfully, I might add. I’d been gathering the ingredients to make Rosemary Gladstar‘s Fire Cider for a while now (it’s not that easy to find fresh horseradish root around here, and you can forget about organic), and it finally came together on a day when I just so happened to need a shot of the stuff. The smells alone of all those pungent roots and spices were enough to set my sinuses in motion.

It’s only going to get more powerful after a month of stewing. Some people apparently bury theirs in the garden…

Do you know this trick of burning a candle while chopping onions? The smoke helps stop you from crying. I swear by it.

Fire Cider by Rosemary Gladstar

Chop or grate equal parts onion, garlic and horseradish.

Add at least half of one part fresh, grated ginger root (you can add more if you like).

Put all chopped roots in a large canister. Add cayenne pepper to taste, or, one to two chopped fresh cayenne peppers. (I used one habanero pepper). I also added a tablespoon of turmeric for flavor, color and medicinal value.

Pour in enough Apple Cider Vinegar to cover the mixture plus two inches. Seal and label the jar, and put away in some forgotten cabinet for at least 2-3 weeks. After this time, decant the liquid and flavor with honey. Add a Tablespoon to tea, salad dressings, over veggies, or any way you like. The high concentration of vitamins and minerals are great for boosting the immune system and ward off germs all winter long.

Book Clubs

October 18, 2012
Books, Good ideas, reading
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Tonight I’m going to a book club meeting to discuss The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot. (I wrote a shelf-talker about it last year, if you’re curious). Have you read it? It’ll be my first time going to the Agnes Scott Alumnae Book Club (Decatur Chapter) and I’m pretty excited, especially considering I’ve done a terrible job of staying connected with my alma mater so far. I’m looking forward to three things, really: connecting with a multi-generational group of Scotties, discussing a book that I absolutely couldn’t put down or stop thinking about last summer, and just being a part of a book club again. It’s been too long. I love book clubs because they attract such interesting people from such varied backgrounds, and yet that shared love of trying new literature brings everyone together.

Are you in any book clubs? What kind? I’d love to hear! I heard of a cute idea recently for a movie club, in which a bunch of 20-something girls got together and watched all their Dads’ favorite movies. The Dads loved it, because they thought like their daughters must really admire their taste in movies; the daughters loved it, because they got to see a side of their father’s they wouldn’t normally have guessed existed…and, of course, laugh at them a little, too. Some of the movie their Dad’s chose were Casablanca, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and The Graduate.

I wonder if you could do something similar for a book club. Have you heard of any quirky or unique ideas for book clubs? I’d love to hear. Being the nerd that I am, I’d love to be part of a Russian lit. club or a Lost Generation Boozy Book Club. What about you?

(Photo from LuxEcoLiving)

Bubble wrap calendar

August 23, 2011
Design, Good ideas
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How amazing is this bubble wrap calendar? I can across it in Heliotrope in Decatur yesterday and my first thought was, “Genius! Why hasn’t anyone thought of this before?” The picture doesn’t really do it justice. You basically pop a bubble for each day of the year. Awesome, right? The only thing is, I’m pretty sure I’d get carried away and pop all 365 bubbles in one sitting.

Not a very book or bookstore related post this morning, except for the fact that I would totally sell these in my bookstore.

Are you a kid again when you find a sheet of bubble wrap?

Bookstore events crossword puzzle

August 22, 2011
Good ideas, independent bookstores
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  1. Spanish speaker Isabel ______ (Sept 18 & Nov 6)
  2. “Quite Enough of Calvin _______” (Sept 17)
  3. one-half of YA author team with Dave Barry (Sept 27)
  4. authored “Cold Mountain” (Oct 26)
  5. he is either “at home” or on the road (Oct 24) ….

Book Passage had the clever idea of putting their upcoming events into a crossword puzzle. They clearly understand who their customers are: presumably, they’re the kind of folks who do the NY Times crossword puzzle in pencil every morning. Chapeau, Book Passage! Way to find clever ways to market your events and have fun while doing it. (As a side note, this reminds me of a DIY project Luke and I did for our wedding. Since it was an outdoor wedding, we made fans for our guests. The front was a traditional event announcement, but on the back we made crossword puzzles, word searches and fill-in-the-blank puzzles for our guests to fill-out. There’s a website that generates crossword puzzles from a list of words that you type in. How cool is that? We had a lot of fun making ours.)

A guest at the wedding with one of our fans.

Are you any good at crossword puzzles?

(via ShelfAwareness)

Ikea table turned book display case

August 18, 2011
Books, Good ideas
3 Comments

A little over a week ago, my husband and I moved into a new apartment in Atlanta. We didn’t have a stick of furniture. Since then we’ve accumulated a few essential pieces (couch, dinning table and chairs, desks, and a bed), but our need to get back to a work routine has meant that our trips to thrift stores and Ikea have become less frequent. Which means, we still don’t have storage or shelving. As book-lovers, we wanted to get our books off the ground and out of boxes, so on a whim one day we slid a few onto the lattice shelf under our cheap Ikea glass-top dinning table. Suddenly, an attractive, though generic, table was transformed into a delightful book display case. It makes me happy every time I sit down to a meal. Plus it’s a good conversation starter when friends come over.

Later today I’m excited to be sharing with you my conversation with Frank, owner of A Capella Books in Little Five Points. A Capella Books is a great little refuge for readers and collectors that entirely upholds the values of an independent bookshop. They have a rebellious streak, too. Have any of you ever visited A Capella Books? Stay tuned for that interview.

Jewelry book display

August 16, 2011
Books, Good ideas
2 Comments

While visiting shops with some friends the other day, I noticed this cool jewelry display. I loved it instantly and now I want to make one for my jewelry (it doesn’t get worn so it might as well be displayed). I always get a tad bit excited when I see books in unlikely places: like a stylish dress boutique.

Now, tell me, could your Kindle double as a jewelry display? Jussayin.

Magazine Stack Stool

August 4, 2011
Bookstore, Design, Good ideas
1 Comment

How neat is this Magazine Stack Stool by designer Sut Kutusu? Wouldn’t it look perfect in a bookstore? It’s the perfect size for a child to sit and read the newest Skippy Jon Jones (or, if you’re a big kid like Luke and me, Watership Down, which we’re loving). I’d also use it as a foot rest in front of my favorite La-Z-Boy. What a great way to reuse/store/display old magazines.

What magazines would be in your stack?

(From Refinery via swissmiss)

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