I went a little crazy on Amazon.com the other day. In addition to being utterly addicted to scrapbooking supplies, I also have a ridiculously powerful addiction to books. This isn’t a new thing – I’ve had this problem since I was a young kid. At any one time I usually have 10 or more books on my bedside table waiting to be read. In fact, I don’t have a beside table — I have a bedside bookshelf because the problem runs that deep! It’s OK, though, because my Mom always told me that money was never wasted on a book. I have to agree.
So I thought for Top Five Tuesday (sorry for the hiatus — I’ll explain that a little later this week) today I’d focus on my Top Five “to read” books currently sitting on my bookshelf. All five of them are from my recent Amazon.com purchase or from a trip I took to the book store a few weeks ago. (Yes, this is the sign of addiction — buying new books when you still have other new books waiting!). The books on my bookshelf actually range from fiction to non-fiction, but all the books I’m featuring today are non-fiction books. Here they are in no particular order:
Pinterest Power, by Jason Miles & Karen Lacey – This one isn’t as colorful and engaging as many of the other books currently on my top five list, but it is completely practical. I love Pinterest and found it pretty early on in its life, but I’ve sort of forgotten about it recently. I think it has enormous potential to meet other like-minded creatives and that’s why I want to focus my attention a bit on how to use it effectively.
Happy Chic Colors, by Jonathan Adler – This book is complete eye candy! I’m on a mission to do some re-design work in my house — it’s feeling a bit dated and lackluster to me so there’s where the two design-themed books came from in this stack. Although I must say this book is also inspiring some card and scrapbook design possibilities… flipping through this one makes me drool. (Now isn’t that a visual!)
Desire to Inspire (Transforming the World), by Christine Mason Miller – OK, so I think this one is number one of the top five. I’m not sure why, but recently I’ve just been feeling the need to do, be and offer more to the world. Perhaps because I’ve been so withdrawn and reserved lately (you’ll read more about these feelings on Thursday), but I think inspiring others, having a self-proclaimed purpose and just reaching out to others speaks to me right now. That’s why I am so excited to tackle this book first.
The Creative Entrepreneur, by Lisa Sonora Beam – While I want to give back in some way, to inspire and engage and influence – I’m not quite sure how I should do that… writing? stamping? scrapbooking? Something else? I’m hoping this book will be my assistant as I brainstorm how I make a difference and what my role is now in 2013.
Decorate Workshop, by Holly Becker – This one is purely about style — from inspiration to techniques. Just what I need as I start from scratch in many of the rooms in my house. First up for renovation? The craft room. It is so difficult to get (and remain) inspired in a room that’s just “eh.” I have a vintage vibe I want to go for with robin egg blue and a sage-y green in mind, but I’m looking forward to digging into this one to find some other concepts or ideas that might work, too.
I am so excited about all five of these books (and a few others that didn’t make the list!) that I’m having a hard time picking just ONE to read at a time! So tell me… what is inspiring you right now?