10 Fabulous Finds at Bluesky Browsing #23

Welcome to Bluesky Browsing #23. Every Saturday you get 10 fabulous finds. You will find great ideas for the home, crafts, and resources to inform and entertain you.

In case you are new to Bluesky Browsing, every week I share new projects, resources, tips, new ideas, and inspiration from various areas. Think of it as a DIY/Craft/home decor/recipe/blogger Readers’ Digest.

10 Fabulous Finds at Bluesky Browsing #23

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10 FABULOUS FINDS FOR THE HOME AND RESOURCES TO SHARE

1. Last week, I participated in the monthly Pinterest Challenge blog hop. Our theme was making a Valentine cloche. By far my favorite was a neutral theme from my friend Michelle of ThistleKey Lane. Be sure to take a look at her sweet little white button heart.

2. I’m really into white decor. It’s so classic and clean. For months I’ve been on a mission to find the perfect white sofa. In the meantime, I’m reading about white decor. I recently purchases Fifi O’Neill’s Shades of White. It’s a beautiful book full of gorgeous photography. Plenty of inspiration for using white in your home.

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3. Since the beginning of the year, I’ve let some of our kitchen drawers get a little out of hand. OK, some of them are a big mess. I’ve been searching for some new ideas to make better use of all the drawers in the kitchen. If you Google “how to organize kitchen drawers“, you will find a wealth of suggestions. I liked these ideas from Ashley of Modern Glam. I’ve got some work to do.

4. Are you thinking about what to serve for a romantic Valentine’s dinner? Although I have a hundred or so cookbooks, I love searching for recipes on Google and Pinterest. Town and Country shared 40 great main dish ideas for Valentine’s. Every one of them looked amazing. I picked this picture just because I love a great meat dish.

5. Did you know that Target has just launched a new line of organizational products called Brightroom? I can’t wait to make a trip to our Target to check it out. (I’m spoiled: we have a Target 3 minutes away.) I saw all sorts of containers, storage trays, and some pretty storage baskets.

6. Do you ever struggled to stay motivated? Would you rather stay in bed, watch TV or go shopping than sit at your computer and write? We all struggle at times and keeping on task can be a challenge. I read this article about 19 highly effective ways to stay motivated. I found them helpful, especially Numbers 12 and 13. I think I’m going to print the list out and tape it up in my office.

7. I shared some ideas for kid and grandkid Valentine’s gifts. How about gifts for all the ladies? Moms, daughters, sisters, friends? Now is the time to choose and order your Valentine’s gifts.

8. I’ve been off sweets and dairy since October, but I’m going to have a cheat night on Valentine’s. Usually, I bake Sweet Shark’s favorite Red Velvet Cake for Valentine’s dessert. This year, I’m want to prepare something a little different. I found 12 delicious~looking desserts from Cara of Wide Open Eats. This Chocolate Chip Cooking Dessert is my top choice right now.

9. My very, very favorite designer on HGTV was Sarah Richardson. I think I cried when her shows stopped appearing. I still follow her on Instagram and read her design blog. Her most recent home tour was a modern “alpine farmhouse”. With beautiful finishes and a color palette of “oatmeal, wheat, flax, camel, and mushroom, and some Alpine-inspired accents.”

Definitely check out this home tour from Sarah. You’ll love it.

10. BOOK OF THE WEEK: It’s a two for one this week.

I’m in the middle of a new book, so I thought I’d share two great stories, both by the same author, Natasha Lester. Lester, who lives in Australia, focuses on her “passion for history, research, travel, fashion, and writing stories of women who blazed a trail.”

Lester’s favorite genre is historical fiction set in World War II, one of my favorites, too. I have read two of her books and loved both of them.

The Paris Seamstress follows the journey of Estelle, a young Parisian seamstress who dreams of a career in fashion. At the beginning of WWII, she is forced to flee to New York to escape the Nazi occupation.

Decades later, Estelle, who has become a leader in women’s fashion, begins to reveal a story of secrets and tragedy involving a British spy to her granddaughter Fabienne. It’s a gripping story that keeps you guessing.

The Paris Orphan features American model Jessica May who arrives in Europe in 1942 to cover the war for Vogue magazine. She is mentored by famed photographer Martha Gellhorn (real~life photographer during the war and wife of Ernest Hemingway). Trying her best to get into the action, Jess is helped by an American soldier. Together they fall in love with a young orphan who will change their lives.

Fast forward to 2005 and American photography historian D’Arcy arrives at a chateau in France to curate a collection of WWII photos. Her job leads to a discovery about her mother that changes D”Arcy’s life and understanding of her own history.

Both these stories are beautifully told with wonderful characters.

Natasha Lester has a new book, The Riveria House, that I can’t wait to read.

That wraps up Bluesky Browsing #23. What were your favorites from this week’s 10 Fabulous Finds?

What are your favorite topics? I’d love to know what topics you are curious about. Let me know in the comments and I’ll search browse for them. Be sure to PIN to keep these ideas handy.

In between decorating for Christmas, writing posts, listening to podcasts, reading, and doing various blogging tasks, walking Nola, and playing tennis, I’ll be browsing away.