Your Little Girl Needs This Book

I recently bought my almost two-year-old a board book, "In Grandma's Arms," written by Jayne C. Shelton and illustrated by Karen Katz. You can find it at Amazon, but I bought it at Wal-Mart. This is possibly the sweetest little book I've ever seen. It's about all the places the little girl and her Grandma "go" by reading books. The illustrations are captivating and colorful and remind me a lot of today's popular quilting fabrics. And the story . . . it just about makes me cry it's so sweet.

Altered Board Book Tutorial

My daughter had a few board books that just did not capture her interest, so I decided to alter them with words and pictures I knew she would like. The one shown above is now filled with pictures of her and her friends and family, cute stickers and paper embellishments. I can't wait to give it to her for Valentine's Day. Here's how I did it. First get an unwanted board book that is in reasonably decent condition (no warped pages, etc.).

Next, trace the front cover of the book onto some heavy cardstock or packing cardboard to make a template for the page liners. Cut it out.

Using your template, cut up scrapbook paper or other patterned paper into as many pieces as you need to cover each page of the book, plus one piece for the front, and one for the back.


If your book has curved edges like mine, use an edge trimmer or scissors to round the edges of your page liners.

Now it's time to cover each of the interior pages of the book. Lightly coat the book page with Mod Podge or watered down Tacky Glue, applied with a sponge for the thinnest coat. Trim your page liner by about 1/8 of an inch along the long, non-round-edge side. This way it won't bump right up agains the inner edge of the book and make the book get too bulky.


Press the page liner onto the Mod Podge-covered page and gently smooth out any wrinkles.



Apply the page liner for the front cover. You will use the full size piece of paper since there is no need to trim away from the margin. Decorate in any way you want. I added ric-rac (see below), a chipboard sticker (see top picture) and scrapbook lettering stickers. For the back cover, you will probably need to trim closer to 1/2 inch from the long side of the page liner because you need to place it beyond the seam where the book folds.



Now the really fun part -- write the story and decorate and/or illustrate the inside pages.

Something's Cooking

No, not at our house sadly. We actually had beef and potato stroganoff out of a box the other night. Sad. But Top Chef Is Back!!!! Woo! I am so excited. And it inspired me not only to cook something decent tonight but to post about some of my favorite cookbooks, plus one that I want. They're all available at Amazon. And I'm not sure about the Top Chef book. I just assume it will be good because the world's best chefs appear on the show. Let's start with the delicious Bouchon cookbook by Thomas Keller. I know I'm supposed to want to go to his world-famous restaurant, The French Laundry, but I would pick his fancy Yountville, California, bistro, Bouchon, any day of the week. Yummy.

Oh how I love Ina Garten. And not just because she's best buddies with Martha and has a fabulous house in the Hamptons. Like Martha, she really knows how to elevate the quotidian to make it divine. The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook is one of her older ones, and still one of the best.

Let's pause for a shameless plug for the official cookbook of the Junior League of Austin -- Necessities and Temptations. Really, it's got some good stuff and lots of Texas favorites.

Say what you will about Martha, but she has some solid recipes in her collection. My two favorites are her Simple Shortbread and her Perfect Mashed Potatoes. Some of the recipes are misses (Thyme Thumbprint Cookies anyone? ew) but most work quite well and aren't overly complicated.

Another place I've had the pleasure of dining and then enjoying the cookbook -- Greens Restaurant overlooking the water in historic Fort Mason in San Francisco. Chef Anne Somerville collects her flavorful vegetarian favorites in this cookbook.

Cooking Light is my go-to cookbook. I've found most of our favorite, everyday recipes in either the magazine, on the website or in the earlier version of this cookbook. I will admit that I do substitute quite a bit, e.g., dried herbs for fresh, but you can't beat the creativity of these recipes. Plus there are tons of them, so you're sure to find some that everyone will like.
Another Napa favorite, Mustards Grill, can be yours everyday with this fab cookbook. Chef Cindy Pawlcyn's recipes are surprisingly easy to make, and the flavors are great.

Alton Brown's I'm Just Here for the Food is my husband's favorite cookbook. Needless to say, he enjoys learning about the chemical processes behind making the perfect omelette, etc.

Now here's the one on my wishlist, Savannah Seasons, which features the recipes of Elizabeth Terry, the founder of Elizabeth on 37th in Savannah, where I have had some of the best food in my entire life. I wonder if the cookbook can deliver those same flavors to my house. I have hope!

Potty Talk

Why not make potty-training stylish and fun! First up, this sleek, Scandanavian potty by Baby Bjorn. With its clean lines and modern look, your baby can do his or her business in style.

And for an entertaining and practical accoutrement, The Potty Caddy Book. This clever kit opens up like an armoire, with one side holding kiddy reading material and an instructional manual ("Step 1, take off your diaper"), and the other side containing a kid-sized roll of TP.

Both are available from Amazon.

A Curious Post

Who doesn't love Curious George, that adorable little simian whose curious hijinx get him in so much trouble? For the true believers, there is an online store that is a veritable mecca of all things George. Pajamas, activity books, dinnerware, you name it. If it's George-related, they have it.