Book Nook - Where Women Create

Where Women Create: Book of Inspiration by Jo Packham and Jenny Doh:



I just finished three of the Where Women Create books, and this one was my favorite of the bunch.  23 artists are featured - each artist tells about her art, what inspires her, what are "her colors" and gives a tip or two on how to be organized.  There are tons of pictures of the artist's workspace, her art and a shot of the artist too.  I really enjoyed taking a peek at the various artists and learning about what they do.  Each artist's chapter is a nice length - I felt like I got just the right amount of insight into that person's artistic life, and there are website and blog links for each artist in case you want to learn more about that person.  This book was an inspiring look at some talented women leading creative lives.

I also enjoyed Where Women Cook: Celebrate! by Jo Packham & The Publishers of Somerset Studio:

 

This one is set up similar to the Inspiration book in that each chapter features an "artist" (in this case, it's a foodie), a little about what that person does, and then sets the scene for some kind of celebration that they had and what food they served.  Then, there's a recipe or two, and of course, tons of pictures.  There are a lot of really interesting ladies featured here, many I've heard of (Ashley English, Helene Dujardin & Molly Wizenberg), and some that were totally new to me.  Website & blog addresses are included in this book too, but this time they're all in the back.  It's a fun little book that might put you in the mood to throw your own get-together.

Last, we have Where Women Create: Book of Organization by Jo Packham and The Publishers of Somerset Studio:





This one is an honorable mention.  If you like to look at cool vintage storage shelves/bins/containers, then check out this book (from the library - I'm afraid I can't recommend you buy this one).  That's basically what this book is: vintage eye candy.  There's not really much information other than what you see, and I felt a little frustrated by the way the book was set up (which is funny, considering it's a book on organization).  Artists are featured, but never really discussed except to show their stuff & how they store it.  It would be helpful to know that that particular artist does so that we can learn why this storage might work for them.  In one part of the book, an artist mentioned a couple of times how this vintage blue storage shelf (or something like that - I'm too lazy to find the exact quote!) is her go-to organization salvation.  But we never see this blue shelf.  So, if you love the other Where Women Create books, I'd suggest checking this one out just for fun.  But again, borrow it from a friend or the library, because this one is not as inspiring as the Inspiration book or as useful (with all those recipes) as the Celebrate book.

-Cheryl