Things Worth Sharing #1

I have an ever-growing collection of vintage illustrated books and I recently purchased 2 vintage copies of Mary Poppins and Mary Poppins Returns at an antique store. I was immediately smitten with the beautiful black and white ink drawings and knew they needed to be a part of my collection. Then earlier this week, I sat down with my daughter’s copy of Winnie the Pooh. I’ve loved the illustrations in this series since I was a kid but I knew very little about the illustrator who made them, Ernest Shepard. As I was reading his brief bio on the introductory pages I was pleasantly surprised to learn that Ernest’s daughter, Mary, also became an illustrator and she was the illustrator for all the Mary Poppins books. No wonder I love them so much! Want to learn more about the work of Ernest Shepard?

Two years ago, I fell in love with making things out of cardboard when I made my first cardboard paper mache vase using a Corrie Beth Makes template. Since then I’ve made quite a few cardboard creations—a guitar, a dollhouse, decorative trays, ornaments, and a play oven with food. Now, I’m making a second vase. The process is so cathartic and enjoyable. It’s especially rewarding to make something really beautiful out of such rudimentary materials (cardboard, glue, newspaper, and masking tape).

I’m in search (yet again) for a new “feel-good” read. I often find myself in need of a good cozy read and I typically end up consulting the internet to see what recommendations I might find there. I’m often disappointed because I see the same few books repeated over and over in every list (A Man Called Ove, House in the Cerulean Sea, Anxious People, etc.). But this suggestion over on Reddit elicited a good giggle from me.

All that to say, I’m still open to suggestions.

I’ve been slowly working on my next illustrated history chart. This one celebrates some of the influential women who tirelessly fought for American women’s right to vote. I’ll have more to share on this one soon. View more illustrated history charts.

Jacob Collier and the Audience Choir. I stumbled across this video of Jacob Collier turning his entire audience into an instrument. It is a powerful reminder of how much beauty and goodness we could accomplish if we all united our voices in a positive and meaningful way. You can’t convince me that this isn’t what Heaven sounds like.