Try Your Hand at "Chic"

I know we are all feeling the weight of summer--so what better way to escape the heat and be productive than sewing some new accessories!

Chic on a Shoestring by Mary Jane Baxter offers simple to sew vintage-style accessories.  This book is your entrée into the world of high fashion that will inspire you to create your own covetable clothes and accessories.  Learn to transform ornate trim and vintage buttons into spectacular brooches, craft a favorite silk scarf into a chic top, or rework flea market shoes into fashionable showstoppers.

With more than forty unique and stylish ideas—including quick and easy no-sew projects—Chic on a Shoestring will inspire first-time and experienced crafters alike.

In looking through this book I found more fun and funky ideas than I have seen in a long time.  My favorites are the Tie Change Purse (made from an old tie), the Quick and Quirky Ribbon Corsage (this would be a great Mother’s Day badge for next year), and my all time favorite--Panty-hose Petals.  Yes, folks they made a very cute corsage from pantyhose.  It also has a section on rick-rack.  I remember my mother trimming many an outfit with rick-rack and it looked so spiffy.  It’s nice to seem someone else thinks it’s the bomb. 

Meet Author Curt Ayers on August 23!

     Author Curt Ayers will host a book signing on Thursday, August 23 from 12:00-1:30 PM in the library auditorium.  The event will be a Brown Bag Lunch, where attendees are encouraged to bring their lunch and drinks and dessert will be provided by the library.  Curt Ayers, writing at C. P. Tertius, will be discussing his book, Every Man Truly Lives Alone:  A Novel of Love, Loss and Recovery. 

     Ayer’s book is centered around the story of U.S. Army Captain Keith Miller, who survived the conflict and danger of the Vietnam War, various clandestine operations, a plane crash and being lost in the jungle.  None of these incidences could prepare him for what was in store for him after meeting the winsome, enigmatic Jey—a courageous, indentured Thai-Karen woman—and journeying with her across the exotic landscape and high seas of Southeast Asia.
     C. P. Tertius is a pseudonym for Curt Ayers, a former military office, corporate executive and university professor who is a semi-professional musician, blue-water sailor and adventure traveler.  Mr. Ayers has attained both civilian and military graduate and post-graduate diplomas and has been published   technically under an alias.  His travels have taken him around the globe several times with major stints in Latin America, Europe and Asia.  He has resided in South-East Asia for several years where he has witnessed the plight of the stateless refugees of whom he writes.  Ayers’ story is as much his story as it is the people he has met during his life’s journeys.

Never Tell...

Alafair Burke's latest novel, Never Tell stars my favorite heroine of hers, NYPD Detective Ellie Hatcher.  Ellie and her partner Rogan are asked to investigate the death of 16 year old Julia Whitmore, a young lady who appeared to have everything.  The daughter of a famous music mogul and socialite mom, Julia attended the elite Casden school in Manhatten.  Julia's mom and dad are convinced that Julia's death is a suicide, so they pressure the NYPD to investigate her death as a homicide.  Although reluctant, Ellie and Rogan work to uncover a web of lies involving Casden, some homeless kids and family relationships to find out once and for all if Julia's death was indeed a suicide.  I enjoy Ellie Hatcher's character, because she is tough, strong, but doubts herself as a detective.  This novel is the fourth Ellie Hatcher novel, the first being Dead Connection.  Alafair Burke is a former prosecutor who now teaches criminal law and lives in Manhattan.  Check out her website at www.alafairburke.com for more information about the author!

In Love with Lavendar

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First let me say I am not a gardener. In fact, when I first moved into my house and was attempting to have a nice yard, a friend gave me a sign—“I tried but it died.” Truer words were never spoken. So, of course, since I lack a green thumb the two flowers I would most like to grow are peonies and lavender. I understand we don’t live in the correct temperate zone to grow either of these but that doesn’t stop me from longing for them. Recently I ran across a new book that has re-fired my desire for one of these.



The Lavender Lover’s Handbook by Sarah Berringer Bader offers the 100 most beautiful and fragrant varieties for growing, crafting, and cooking. With its intoxicating scent, wands of gorgeous purple flowers, lavender is one of the world’s most popular herbs. Lavender expert Sarah Bader introduces readers to 100 stunning varieties—from the continuous blooms of deep purple ‘Buena Vista’ to the incredible fragrance of ‘Grosso,’ the lavender often used in making perfume.


This is an essential resource for finding the best varieties with a complete checklist of the color, fragrance, size, and foliage of each plant-(And in the introduction it does offer not one but five different species of lavender that can be grown in hot, humid summers).


Whether you want to create a fabulous container garden, a dramatic border, or an exquisite herb garden, this rich primer gives easy, proven tips for growing, harvesting, drying, cooking, and crafting with this wonderful herb.


So armed with this knowledge I am going to try my hand at lavender. Check with me in a while to see how I’m doing.

Delve into the Life of Steve Guttenberg

We have the new autobiography of Steve Guttenberg entitled “The Guttenberg Bible.”  At first I was going to give this a mention in my weekly Sunday newspaper column but after flipping through the photo section in the book, I thought Steve deserved more of a mention.  In fact it wasn’t until I was looking at the photos I realized just how long a career he had and how very many big stars he had worked with.  And by now you might be wondering who is Steve Guttenberg.  Do the movies Diner, Boyd from Brazil, Police Academy, Cocoon, Short Circuit, Three Men and a Baby, and The Day After ring a bell?  He even starred in that terrible disco movie from the 80s, Can’t Stop the Music, which also starred Bruce Jenner, Valerie Perrine, and the Village People.      

     Guttenberg tells the unique story of his first decade in Hollywood, as he went from being a complete unknown to starring in some of the most successful blockbusters of all time. He spent his early days sneaking onto the Paramount lot and meeting more actors and casting agents than most aspiring actors ever would. Even before the hit Police Academy—which his manager said would be a flop—he had already worked with such luminaries as Lord Lawrence Olivier, Richard Widmark, and Gregory Peck. Later he shared the screen with actors such as Mickey Rourke and Sharon Stone long before they became household names.

Guttenberg has lived through the addictive pull of show business and worldwide celebrity (you’re no one until you have a stalker, he learns.) With a clear-eyed appreciation for the one-of-a-kind experiences that the celebrity lifestyle has to offer, he knew that his family would keep him grounded throughout it all. And his self-awareness and sense of humor about the ups and downs of fame make this book one of the most candid Hollywood stories to date.