The Month in Books : April

Can you believe it's almost May? I feel like this month zoomed by, though it appears I was still able to get a number of good books in. As I mentioned last month, I started a new blog that's just for my book reviews: Book Wit! There, I review as I read instead of posting everything at the end of the month. You can find my reviews from previous months there, too. Looking back over my April books, I see I kind of went all over the place genre-wise. Here are the links:

The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan (2006)
Dune by Frank Herbert (1965)
The Order of Odd-Fish by James Kennedy (2008)
The Weed that Strings the Hangman's Bag by Alan Bradley (2010)

Above: Reading Chair by Oh My Cavalier.

Valerie Roybal

One of the most amazing aspects of Valerie Roybal's embroidered work -- other than, you know, the incredible design -- is that she doesn't use or start with a pattern. These pieces were essentially done free-hand. With embroidery being my favorite medium, I can appreciate how difficult and delicate this process must be. Roybal often doesn't have a final product in mind when she begins her embroidered work either, which makes the spontaneous construction and ultimate composition all the more magical. Do yourself a favor and see the rest of her work here.

Girl Crush

Michelle Williams looks insanely cool in the May issue of Interview Magazine. I just adore her super-bleached short hair (and eyebrows!).

Photographs by Mikael Jansson; see more and read an excerpt from the article here.

A Fine Pair : Gather Round

Water Hole No. 2 by United Thread; Sequin top by Aryn K.

A Sweet Weekend

Hello there, lovely readers - are you as happy for this weekend as I am? Corbett is on an airplane right this minute, on his way to New York to come see me. I've been bouncing around all morning! I can't wait to see him. Add to that my 26th birthday (tomorrow!), a dinner party, a museum or two, and season 5 of Friday Night Lights and it's looking like a simply wonderful weekend. I hope you have a gorgeous couple of days ahead of you!

*liza

William Powell & Myrna Loy via Old Hollywood

Documerica

First, a little background: in the 1970s, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) hired freelance photographers to travel around America and document everyday life, agency activities, and anything relating to environmental problems. It was called the Documerica Project. The U.S. National Archives has catalogued about 15,000 images, and I just discovered that a portion of them are available on the USNA's Flickr page. Jackpot!

For his part, photographer David Hiser (that's him in the last photo) chose the American southwest. He hiked around Utah's Canyonlands National Park, capturing both the magnificent landscape and its tragic abuses. The third photo shows ruts left by illegal off-road vehicles, but there was also dumping and rampant graffiti (over Native American pictographs! Idiots!).

The record of images created by this project is breathtaking, not only historically but culturally as well. You can surely expect to see more from this collection here in the future.

Photographs by David Hiser, from the U.S. National Archives on Flickr. Read more about the Documerica Project here.

Charm, by Anthropologie

Anthropologie's latest series of fashionable vignettes, Everyday Occasions, might be one of my favorite summer spreads. It's so sweet and inviting, and I just love the model's short hair. Who wouldn't want to slip on a flowery dress and walk down to the boulangerie for coffee and a bit of widow watching?

In Transit

Mesmerizing photographs by Nathan Harger. Isn't it kind of funny to see the variety of plane shapes there are up there?

Top: Untitled (Holding Patterns), Brooklyn, NY 2008

Bottom: Untitled (Overpass), Queens, NY 2007

A Jolt to the System

Good morning! What's on your plate today? I realized on the way to work this morning that I've only got three more weeks of class left. Three! What a feeling! Of course that also means that I only have three more weeks to complete all my final projects and papers. Hmm... what a feeling. But I'm hoping to channel that stressful energy into something awesome and productive. Go projects! The fact that Corbett is coming to see me this weekend (!!) and that I'm visiting one of my dearest friends in Boston next weekend are also excellent motivators. It's time to get in project-attack-mode. The final stretch begins...!

Approaching by Emily Hoyer (2008).

Penguin Ink

Oh Penguin, you're so cool. And you continually have the best book covers out there. This series utilizing the work of tattoo artists is another set worth collecting purely for the aesthetics. And don't even get me started on the embroidered collection! Yowza.

Artists: Chris Conn; Grez; Jen Mumford.
Via Paul Buckley's Flickr (the Vice President Executive Creative Director of Penguin US).

Pull & Bear

Pull & Bear's ultra warm spring campaign photos are making me long for the days when my primary source of heat will be the sun, not my radiator. If yesterday is any indication, that time is getting close...!

Photographs by Txema Yeste, via Fashion Gone Rogue.

A Fine Pair : Red, White, & Sweet

Big Wrap Scarf by EmersonMade; frele, via Hitchcock Blonde.

Cuff Love

Just in case you're not already itching to get your paws all over these designs by Alkemie Jewelry, know that they are made of 100% reclaimed metals. So that's nature-inspired and nature-friendly? Yes, please!

The designs above are available at ShopBop, but even more absurdly good stuff can be found at Alkemie's official website.

Anna-Wili Highfield

Anna-Wili Highfield is an artist after my own heart. One, she fashions her sculptures out of archival cotton paper, sewing pieces into animal forms after painting them. Two, she seems to favor owls. Combine those two together and consider me enchanted. I love the rough delicacy of her pieces. The slabs of paper exude an immutable ceramic quality, but the visible threads holding these creatures together reveal their fragility. It's an intriguing union, particularly in the works that portray birds in mid-flight. See more of Highfield's work here.

Monday Monday

Today is turning out to be a lot busier than I anticipated. Projects, a presentation, more than a few readings - my plate is full! I'm therefore consigning myself to a day of schoolwork and catch up. I'll be back full force tomorrow. I hope you are having a non-insane Monday!

Photograph by Dr. Yatabazah, via Anna's Pinterest.

Cowgirl Roundup

Looks like last week's Vogue cowgirl wasn't enough for me - I had to go in search of the real thing. The Life Magazine Archive came through brilliantly, as it always does, with these shots of a cowgirl roundup by N. R. Farbman. I love that they capture so many facets of cowgirl life. Their toughness comes across in every photo, even when they are goofing around and telling stories. It's grueling work to be sure, but with that comes independence and strength. As you can probably tell, that kind of spirit is overwhelmingly inspiring to me.

Photographs from the Life Magazine Archive.

Street Art + Street Style

Cinder & Skylark photographs both the ultra cool people and the urban art around Cape Town, South Africa. Both are looking pretty fresh.

Etsy Find: Sukan

You know what I wish? I wish that Sukan made purses. Or shoes. But mainly purses. Because these pillow covers are so gorgeous that I want to carry one around with me all day long. Made from antique kilim (tapestry-woven rugs!), each one is unique and naturally dyed. Yet another reason I wish she would expand her stock to include wearable pieces. Who's with me?

Sandra Suy

Sandra Suy is making my Monday morning feel a whole lot more glamorous. The sweeps of black in her otherwise monochromatic palette heighten the drama inherent in fashion illustration. I would love to have the first one dominate a wall in my living room. It's arch with a hint of spookiness - one of my favorite combinations.