Mockingbird Hill Cottage

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Book Review: Just My Type

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Today I am reviewing Just My Type, a book about fonts, for TLC Book Tours. As always, I am provided with a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

My review: I am fascinated by fonts, typography and graphic design. I had a feeling I would like this book and I was right. What a fascinating subject! Simon Garfield is the perfect guide; he takes us on a journey from Gutenberg to the present. He writes about specific fonts that have influenced our world,  various font designers, the way certain companies have branded their advertisements with a special font and the history of typography. Garfield moves easily from a chapter on the history of fonts to a chapter on the newest designs to a profile of a font designer to what he calls ‘Fontbreaks,’ in which he writes about a specific font. This makes for a lively read. I loved reading about font experts; those people who can identify any font or can tell you that a movie set in a specific time period has perfect period detail except for the use of a font that wasn’t invented until years later.

And there’s so much more. Years ago, an average person (like me) didn’t know a whole lot about fonts. With the emergence of Apple, Microsoft and the personal computer with a drop-down font menu, fonts have become something that everyone has an opinion about. I have my favorites and I bet you have yours. Garfield will help you understand why a font may be your favorite and why some fonts are ubiquitous and others fall by the wayside. Fonts can be a passionate subject for some; according to Garfield, there was quite an uproar when IKEA changed their font from Futura to Verdana. Imagine the credits in a Woody Allen movie in anything other than the Windsor typeface he has always used. Impossible.

Garfield writes about his subject matter with clarity and humor. I read the chapters in order, but you could just as well pick up the book and read a chapter at random. Just My Type is entertaining and informative. I highly recommend it.

If you’d like to win a free copy of Just My Type, leave a comment on this blog post and I will draw the name of the winner on Thursday evening.

About the Author: Simon Garfield is the author of twelve acclaimed books of nonfiction. He lives in London and St. Ives, Cornwall, and currently has a soft spot for Requiem Fine Roman and HT Gelateria.

A ‘New’ Cake Topper

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Prescription for myself: a little trip to the antique store. Could I find something for only a few dollars that I really liked? And when I say ‘only a few dollars’ I mean just that. Well – I did. I found this cake topper from the 1950’s.

It’s a little over the top, with daisies all around the base and also on the top, fancy arches framing the bride and groom, a yellowing bell hanging over the happy couple. When I first brought it home, I noticed that there was a lace skirt on the bride. It was also wrapped around the groom.

It may be hard to see but the skirt was around the waist of the bride and the groom. That didn’t seem right. I tried to pull it over the groom’s head but that didn’t work. I ended up cutting it off. Unfortunately I took the little tulle veil off too. That will be glued back on the bride’s head.

I think she looks better without the lace. Her dress is quite elegant.

My apologies to the Bride. Your veil is soon to be back on your head.

This is a tall cake topper, much taller than the others I have. Some creative shelf rearranging was required.

I really like it. And I almost put it back on the shelf at the shop; in fact, I did put it back. Fortunately, I came to my senses.

I think it might be time to name each bride and groom.

A Moth & Embroidery as Meditation

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A wee little moth was resting on one of my Brown-Eyed Susans the other day. And why not? Every creature needs to rest. I took this on the Macro setting. He was so tiny that I wasn’t even sure he was a moth at first.

I’m getting read to start on this sampler designed by Rebecca of Drop Cloth. I’ve had it for months and just never got around to it. It’s called the Cake Sampler and was inspired by a vintage cake decorating book. If you remember, I embroidered another of her samplers last year:

I really love her designs – she has another one coming out on Monday. I think I need some calming, meditative handwork to get me through these worrisome days. Dad spoke to both Meredith and me last night, in tears, about having to make some sort of decision about Mom’s care. He cannot be the primary caregiver any longer – it is simply too much for him. His heart is breaking. They’ve been together over 65 years and she is the love of his life. Our hearts are breaking, too.

I think some embroidery is in order.

I’ve enlarged the size of my photos. What do you think – are they too big? Let me know.

Have a good weekend.

Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

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