Vintage Books at Home
Good Morning Everyone,
It is Wednesday and these days are just moving along. I do enjoy being home…. very much. I hope everyone is doing well, staying healthy, and safe. Going to the grocery store has become a pain. I feel like I am preparing for surgery every time I go. Geez….
This past weekend I got up early and let the dogs out, lit a candle and opens some windows. I came upstairs and looked at a few books on my shelf and my eyes landed on my vintage Martha Stewart books.
It has been a while since I have read these.
The first book is called Great Parties. I didn’t realize that Ina Garten was in this book with her! How wonderful. My two favorite cooks and entertainers.
These look wonderful. Parsley Potato chips….. yum!
I have always wanted to try a tomato pie. But I know that I would be the only one in the family that would eat it.
The next book is called “Good Things.“ I must admit my only favorite project out of this is the ribbon plate hanger.
Isn’t it chic?
Next is “How to Decorate”. It has wonderful ideas on how to create a beautiful space. One quote that I particularly enjoyed was this…“It is a luxury to live with beautiful color, to give your eyes the continual pleasure of absorbing rich and subtle shades from your surroundings.”
That is exactly how I feel about paint colors. Especially when choosing them.
I love the beautiful bed frame.
And the last book is called “Special Occasions”.
The chapters are divided into holidays. Truly “Martha style”.
I love branches. They can add such a dramatic effect to any room.
Gorgeous salad! Look at all the colors.
Here is another recipe that I would love to try. Torta di Riso is an Italian short-grain rice with bread crumbs, fresh herbs, white wine, and parmesan. It sounds like a wonderful meal to eat outside.
These are truly inspiring books. It’s hard to believe that these books were published back in the mid-1990s! The Special Occasions book was published back in 1994! So that recipe above for torta di riso was published back in 1994 and still looks wonderful today. I believe that Martha was so ahead of her time.
I sort of wish my mother was into homemaking. It would have been nice to see these books when I was in elementary or middle school.
Now, this photo is not from my Martha Stewart books but from Rachel Ashwell’s book, “The Shabby Chic Home”. I wanted to include this because honestly who would not want to see a dishwasher filled with gorgeous vintage china? I hope that they were in there just for drying. I would not think that one could put these in the dishwasher. I know I wouldn’t.
Well, I hope you all enjoyed this post today. I love looking at vintage books. Oh, and I also have three vintage Martha Stewart Christmas books too. I may have to share those as well.
Have a great day!
(photos via Mrs. Shockley)
Hi Mrs. Shockley,
Sounds like a lovely morning you had! I enjoy those slow, enjoyable moments as well. I have always loved Martha. When I was a teenager, I never wanted people to know for fear of being teased. How silly of me. I could have been collecting her books over the years. I have started slowly purchasing her books. Yes,please do share the Christmas books in the holiday season. Love, love, love anything holiday related on your blog and vlog!
One more thing, as for your mom not being a homemaker, I am with you; however, we are teaching our girls with what we are doing-even when we think they aren't looking. They are learning to be beautiful, elegant homemakers. It's surely a priceless gift we are passing on.
Take Care,
Mya
Hello Mya,
I enjoy slow moments like that as well. Oh my gosh, I didn't learn about Martha until my college years. Even then I wanted to keep a secret. My family always made fun of me.
I agree with you. You could have had a wonderful collection by now.
I will try to remember to do the holiday books when the holidays come around. I sure hope you are right about our girls watching us. I think she is but she also makes fun of me. I guess that comes with having a teenager.
Thank you Mya as always!
I love to collect vintage English bone china! Stay well. June
Hello June!
I hope you are well and would love to see your vintage English bone china some day!
Thank you