October 23, 2012

Inspiration Books

Do you all have favorite books you get craft and decorating inspiration from? That's probably a silly question; you've got stacks and piles of well-thumbed tomes. Here are a few of my best beloveds.


This is the most recent home decor book in my library, a gift from my dear friend Tricia.It's different, because it doesn't have photographs, instead, the illustrations are painted. However, the text is wonderfully written and informative.

An old friend to many folks is:


I like it all right, although it doesn't exactly match my own style, but I love:


I have adapted many ideas of gifts to give from this book, as well as imaginative wrapping.

Because we've mostly lived in small houses, this is a great resource:


This is another used as a resource more than once:


And now to my all-time faves:



These by Mary Randolph Carter are re-read frequently. Something about their attitude and expression speaks to me; there are many rooms in both volumes I could move into with delight, never wanting to change a thing. 

These are mostly old, not current in the world of decor, but I don't buy coffee table books often. Mostly the library gets my business, then note is made of ones that are special enough to own and I ask for them as gifts. My adult children love to be able to order a book for me from Amazon that's sure to be a winner. 

What are your favorites in this genre? Do you find them soothing to flip through when life has been hectic or scary, the ultimate comfort books? Will you be giving or asking for home books this holiday season? 

Take care,
Michele


 

2 comments:

Thoroughly Modern Me said...

Thanks for all the great suggestions. Perfectly Imperfect had caught my eye last week in a store, but I didn't have a free minute to open it up. I will have to go back and check it out. Illustrations sounds like a fun twist on a decorating book! So many great ideas to get my creativity flowing. Thanks again and have a great rest of the week.

Tricia said...

Aw, thanks for the mention! I'm glad you like the book. You are definitely a great gift packager, and you're also talented at decorating with your various collections!