Friday, May 27, 2011

New Jewelry Designer At Shop! Meet Sarah Davis, Age 11


Sarah Davis is a very talented young lady, and at the age of eleven, is already making jewelry. The shop is carrying a line of her pierced earrings that are pretty incredible, and sell for just $5.00! Her earrings come on a card and are titled objet d'art earrings! A close-up is shown below.

Saturday, May 21, 2011

Art Exhibit / Painting Demonstration Catherine Susky

Posted on Patch May 21, 2011


 
 
Portrait artist Catherine Susky will be at the shop exhibiting her floral and wreath paintings and will do a live painting demonstration. 

Catherine Susky is an artist specializing in portraiture. She is an active member of the Portrait Society of Atlanta and the Quinlan Visual Art Center. Visit her website for more information. http://catherinesusky.com/

Shop hours are 11 am to 5 pm. Susky will be demonstrating her painting and talking about her art from 1 to 4pm.

Paintings will be on display this weekend and next. Paintings in shop are for sale. Contact artist for information on portraits.
 

Friday, May 20, 2011

A Book Lover Who Rarely Reads!

Published Patch May 20, 2011



(Author's note: Photo is not of me, but of an avid reader, Paula, who is running the shop's book club! She reads all the time!)

It's embarrassing, really. For a person who LOVES books, and has written her own, I rarely can complete reading one. I buy them all the time. They are stacked by my bed, a pile three feet high.

I have a collection of late 1800's gardening books, art books and decorating books. I buy books at the thrift store that catch my eye, many of those are charming children's books. I can't pass up a book that has a dog on the cover!

So, maybe, I am a COLLECTOR, rather than a READER!

Does it really matter in the long run? I am doing my best to keep the book industry thriving, by purchasing current books, and saving a bit of history with my antique ones.

The book world is rapidly changing. Do you think books that you hold in your hand will finally be replaced by e-books, Kindle, Nook? I find that so sad. It is nice to have the convenience of downloading a book to a small device you can carry with you. But, you can carry a book with you, too. It would be a shame to live only with today's book technology and miss the pleasure a hardcover book gives to the senses.

Books have always held a fascination for me. I love to touch them, hold them, and flip through their pages, carefully taking in typeset, layout, and illustrations. Vintage books, such as those in my gardening collection, amaze me with their beauty. Today's gardening books are stunning with their exquisite color photographs, but, until you've seen a Victorian chromolithograph, or a hand-colored plate, with its depth of color, you don't know the true beauty of the word "illustration."  

Don't get me wrong, I buy new gardening books for their photographs, as well as the vintage/antique ones. I am smitten with modern illustrated books. I love them all, but there is a special feeling when you hold a book that has been around longer than you have.

I love the history of vintage books and like to imagine who enjoyed them. I am especially excited if someone has written in the book; their name, their good wishes, if the book was a present for a friend, and the date the book was "claimed" for self, or "given" as a gift. 

I recently bought a book on Ebay, "Garden and Hedgerow" with color plates by Lucy Burton. The book is, of course, a gardening book, first published in 1939 in London. The book came to me from England. It was an exciting moment to hold the small package, with its interesting stamps, from a country I like to dream about, and, for just a moment, let the anticipation of my new "old" purchase, that had traveled so far from home, fill me with wonder. My pleasure was escalated when the previous owner had signed her name in the book with the date 1941. Maybe there have been other owners, but I know in 1941, Ms Kenyon held this book!

This Friday, my shop, , will hold its first official book club meeting. One of my customers, Paula Hadley Alston, suggested it would be fun to start a book club. This is her baby really, although it will be held at the shop. We are officially on "Meet-Up" and you can meet our coordinator, Paula, on her book club page. If you'd like to join the group, our first meeting is this Friday at 7 PM. We will pick what books to read in the future.

Maybe this will give me a chance to finally finish a book! Or, maybe it will be a great social time where I can make new friends. Knowing me, it will be an excuse to head to a bookshop to buy something that catches my attention and excites my imagination! More for my pile by the bed!
The other day I ran into looking for directions. I plan to go back this week to check out the amazing selection of books that went from room, to room, to room.  This delightful shop is on 29, not far from Old Town.  It might be the perfect spot to find a book for our club! Read about the Book Nook on . For shameless self-promotion, come by , for a great selection of children's books, books by local authors that have held book signings at the shop, and some cool "chick" books.

Whatever your reading passion, remember to support your local independent bookseller! Modern technology is great, but there is a pleasure in holding a real book that cannot be replaced by a "device"!

Notes
The Little Shop Of Arts And Antiques is now an official drop off location for Books For Heroes a non-profit group started by George Scott of Peerless Books in Alpharetta to send books to our soldiers in Iraq and Afganistan. Leave your books at the shop or a tax-deductible donation made out to Books For Heroes. A box of books can be shipped to a APO address for $13.00. We will get books to George for shipping.

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Decatur Author Doug Dahlgren Has Written A Blockbuster Political Thriller

 
 
 
Decatur Author, Doug Dahlgren, has written a blockbuster political thriller. Meet him in Old Town Lilburn, May 14th.
 
 
Doug Dahlgren writes books that make you think, while keeping you on the edge of your seat! Dahlgren’s second novel, “The SON, Silas Rising” is a political thriller that grabs you in at the beginning and keeps you focused to the end.

For those who loved Jack Bauer, of TV’s “24” fame, Dahlgren’s Jon Crane will catch your interest. Crane is the dark hero of “The Son”.  Hero or Avenger? As a concerned citizen, Jonathan Crane is like no one you have ever met. Some readers call Crane a cross between Dexter and James Bond and the book as intriguing as any in the Bourne series. 

One reviewer on Amazon stated, “Dahlgren is up there with John Grisham and James Patterson for page-turning excitement and anticipation! A real life Batman and Robin - but without the fictional 'Metropolis' - all the bad guys are "hiding" in Washington, DC!” 

This wonderfully intricate novel combines political intrigue, international drug smuggling, inventive retribution and the latest technology into a fast-paced thriller. 

Reviews from both men and women rate this novel with five stars.

Amazon’s description of “The SON”: Motivated by the premature loss of his parents, a man seeks to punish those responsible and make examples of them to their peers. The second part of the plan becomes lost in the secrecy of the first part. He finds he is too good at covering up his actions. For examples to be made and behavior changed, the reasons for his sanctions must be known. Yet, exposure can be dangerous. Will he be perceived as a villain or a hero? He believes himself to be a patriot, but will he be seen as just another cold-blooded killer? Will allowing new people into his life become a distraction from the mission, or is trust, and caring for others, now a necessity? Will the exposure and publicity lead one impassioned reporter to identify him or will it help reveal a deeper, more terrible truth? Answer the questions for yourself. Enjoy the journey of "The Son." 

Elliott Brack, of the GwinnettForum.com, added his own review of “The SON” in his column dated April 12, 2011: “Let's put it this way: I finished the book at 12:08 a.m., well past my normal bedtime, and in three days, simply because the book is so compelling. Though self-published by a Decatur resident, it's as good a read as those by major thriller authors. The story line focuses on the death of four members of Congress over several months….all from apparently natural causes. Not so, as we learn from one uniquely talented person, with innovative techniques that go undetected. And now a fifth member of Congress is being targeted…and people all over the nation are getting worried. The book is hard to put down.” 

Just who is the author behind this riveting thriller? 

Dahlgren is a retired businessman living with his wife of over 42 years in Decatur, Georgia. They enjoy being near their two beautiful granddaughters and other family members. Working full time for a major national company for 32 years, while operating his own successful business, was a hectic schedule. "Now there is time for some travel and just enjoying life." That enjoyment includes time for his new career of writing.

Dahlgren's writing style is taken from what he calls "solid, dependable character study." Based on the personalities of people he has met through his over 35 years in business, his characters are some you may recognize as folks you know. You may even see yourself. This is his second book and he is currently working on the third. 

Dahlgren's first book, "It Was Thursday", as well as "The Son", is available on Amazon.

Meet Doug Dahlgren at The Little Shop Of Arts And Antiques on Saturday, May 14 for a book signing and reception from 1 pm to 4 pm. Books will be for sale at $16.00. The shop is located at 94 Main Street NW, Lilburn, Georgia 30047, in the heart of historic Old Town.