A New Year

 

There were sad times 

Leaving sadness behind

Making new plans

Plan a  Garden.

Read a good book.

Plan a trip.

Catch up with friends.

Wishing you, my dear friends,  a 

 New Year filled with happiness and good health.

Gina

Friends are coming for the weekend.

Rain is predicted.

I was getting the survival basket ready for the guesthouse...it hadn't been on the bench for two seconds, when Pasha claimed it. 

He is supposed to be an "outside" cat.  He pounces on every opportunity to be with "his people".  

The old bread dough trough holds old and new magazines.

Clouds are gathering for more rain.

Our guests might want to spend a little time relaxing and reading. 

Books can keep us company.

No matter how many times I have read them, there is always something new to discover. 

I try to have books which might appeal to everyone.

You have probably read all of them.

This is one of my favorite short reads. 

There is no end to the variety.

Some old books  are always full of "new ideas". 

A book here and there for the child in us. 

A book of Poetry by the bedside is a must. 

Dreaming of far-away-places is part of a visit.  

This book will keep you entertained for days. 

Are you sure you know Shakespeare?

And, there should be fresh flowers.  

Have a great weekend my dear friends, 

Gina 

Instead of Flowers

I'm sending you a book

Not just any old book.

But a book you have chosen.

From a stack of books.

Merisi, Rosemary, Anna,  Mark, Georgianna, Mary and Detail
Congratulations!



Gina

You may

Want one of these.

All you have to do.

Is tell me why.

And what project they might help you with. 

All you have to do is comment. 

Please comment before Friday, the 8th of March. 

A panel of judges is standing by.  

I cannot ship overseas. I'm sorry. 

Have a great week and good luck my dear 

Blogging Friends,

Gina 

Books in Detail

One of my charming readers, a lover of books and a book collector,  wanted a closer look
She noticed  my books on the Hall Table from an earlier post

If you love books...the world is at your feet

When we are not traveling I can pick up a book and pretend

Design and Food is always a favorite subject 

Add a few French books and more books about Italy

Italian and French Interiors

The book in the middle, by Margaret Mee, is a very special book about an amazing woman and her adventures while painting and searching the Amazon for rare orchids

French, American, Italian, English, and Swedish, no one is safe

If you would like more information about any of these books I would only be too happy to oblige

Another favorite, second from the left, about a house in Apaseo Mexico, depicting baroque architecture of the 18th century

Books that inspire

And books that give you the Wanderlust

It's a good thing that this is a very sturdy table

Have a great weekend my dear Blogging Friends

Gina

La Magia del Barroco en Apaseo

You will see, this is a very special book. How to acquire it? You have to know someone who knows someone who is close to the person in charge at the Grupo Financiero BBVA Bancomer, Mexico City, Mexico. I happen to know such a person and that is how I became the grateful owner of this very fine book on design, decorative painting, history and baroque architecture.

A grand baroque building built in the 18th century in a small town of Apaseo el Grande, south of San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.

I own many wonderful books. Each and everyone of them chuck full of design inspirations. But this book is special.


All photographs within this book are of one grand house, namely the "Casa Grande de Apaseo" , also known as the "Casa Herrera".




It is a long story. I was looking for several hand carved stone surrounds for our 200 year old Doors from Argentina. I found stone carvers in Mexico who carved the surrounds, not as fabulous as the one above, but one of mine does have the Lion of Venice carved into the entablature.

Hand painted and hand sculpted wall treatments.

Mostly, I am showing you photographs of one of the many kitchens of this grand house.


I like the innovative use of blue and white tiles. They are Portuguese in design but could have been painted in Mexico. Talavera, Azulejos, Maiolica, Delft tiles all have one thing in common. They are painted in the "Maiolica" style using tin glazes.

By innovative, I mean the way images are separated and divided by plain white spaces. So much more effective than covering the entire space with patterned tiles.

Here are some of the tiles I painted a few years ago. See the flower basket tiles above? They are similar to those I have painted. And so is the bird and vase mural that you see in the picture below.

To really appreciate this book you should see the photographs of the interior rooms and courtyards. Never, have I seen such splendid interiors and made more so by the exquisite flower arrangements. All photographs from this book are by Jose Ignacio Gonzales Manterola.

You might be able to place an order on the Amazon.com wish list. An English version (ISBN 9685205000) is supposed to exist. The Spanish version (ISBN 9686258728) might be more easily acquired.

Gina