New Book: 31 Days of Prayer for the dreamer & the doer

It's Here!!! 

A few weeks back I mentioned this on my Instagram. 

So, last year, I was asked to join a talented group of Christian women to co-write a book called "31 Days of Prayer for the Dreamer and the Doer" founded by the women at The Well Studio.   I was asked to be part of this beautiful & powerful devotional by contributing a prayer on Marketing + Branding and I admit, at first I was like, "oh my gosh, what am I going to pray?!?!? God pls help!!!" Well, thank God, I figured it out.  Below is a peek at my prayer as I was writing it down, before it was even published. The book is officially released! With over 200 pages, I know this prayer book will inspire & encourage you throughout year!  My prayer is on 'branding + marketing' and you'll find it on page 171.  I am SO excited & honored to be part of this!!!

This is a different type of devotional & I love how it is specifically for the dreamer + doer.  So, I'm curious, have you ever asked yourself these questions:

What kind of dreams do I have, that I want to start putting into action? 
How does God play a role in my business? 
Can I pray about my business & goals?

YES, we CAN certainly pray about business.  Our dreams don't have to be just dreams.  In fact, 'the Lord delights in our asking' -  as written in Proverbs 15:8.  I can't wait for you to read all the prayers by these 31 women. (including mine). 

If you're wondering, the book covers topics like:

faith • comparison • God’s word • freedom • serving • online influence

authenticity • identity grace in my home • singleness

marriage • creativity • collaboration + opportunity • branding + marketing • comparison

motherhood • success + failure • busyness & more!!

You can buy the book directly via  Made By Girl - a percentage of the proceeds from each book will go to NYC Rescue Mission (the charity of my choice).
 

Some of the AWESOME Christian women involved in this book include: 

Aedriel Moxley / Alisa Keaton / Beth Ann Platt / Casey Wiegand / Chelsie Birks / Claire Hogan / Demi Austin-Thomas / Dianne Jago / Esther Havens / Francie Winslow / Gina Ziedler / Hilary Rushford / Holley Gerth / Jen Ramos / Jennie Allen / Jess Connolly / Jill Monaco / Marshawn Daniels / Megan Smalley / Nancy Ray / Kristen Steele McCall / Kristin Rogers / Lara Casey / Lauren Chandler / Lindsay Sherbondy / Maggie Whitley / Megan Burns / Rebecca Lyons / Tricia Goyer / Valerie Woerner



-post by jen ramos

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Book Review: Adore Home Book

Loni Parker of the popular Australian online magazine, Adore Magazine, launched her first-ever design book and it's lovely! With about 185 pages of full color highlighting everything from living rooms to entryways to kids rooms & more....this book is a must-have. I love the thought she put into the (removable) cover using diagonal gold lines, which means it will look PRETTY on your coffee as well!  -  My favorite parts of the book are the ones I featured below..... such as the gorgeous dining table for four & the beautiful mustard colored velvet-sofa with an array of photos behind it.  How about the amazing loft covering two pages?!?

Oh...... how can I forget glimpses of my LOVE prints within some of the homes ....So happy about that!!! Sometimes design books fail, but this one is a winner for me. Why? Because it's full of color & inspiration....it's exactly what I look for when I shop for coffee table books. A book I'd be inclined to  open again & again.  If you're in the USA & want the book, you can only get exclusively via Hattan Home.

Otherwise, if you're in Australia, you can purchase it directly from the Adore website here.
I'm happy to say I love this book & it will be a part of my design book collection, thanks Loni!

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Bright Bazaar Book Review

Thank God it's Friday.

Before I head out to sort of enjoy the weekend (have some work to do still)....I thought I'd review this one book! I recall when I first started writing on my blog - back in 2006, I was hungry for interior Design. We had purchased our first home around that time & were looking for creative & colorful ways to decorate. The trend at the time was full of mixed patterns & super bright colors, with lots of typography.  Since then, my style has changed drastically.  Even though my Interior style is less playful & more sedated (maybe due to age) - I still love color. Although it tends to be more in art than on actual decor pieces.

Anyway, I didn't want to pass up the chance to introduce you to my friend Will Taylor's first book, (Which I received an advanced copy of), Bright Bazaar: Embracing Color For Make-You-Smile Style.  He's based out of the UK & has an interesting and unique eye for color, with no fear of mixing & matching patterns. Something I'm not good at....but Will seems to tackle this quite well in his new book.  He's known for his catchphrase, "beige is boring" & after looking through his book - you will understand why he says this! I love his sense of confidence when he styles room together, it's definitely a skill to use bright colors while mixing & matching patterns .....yet still making it look fantastic.  Book comes out on April 29th!



I highlighted my favorite sections in this 350 page book ....& I really think he has a keen eye for children's rooms, hmm maybe something he will explore more heavily? never know right? You can say hi to Will on his blog or maybe even catch him during his book signing tour!

-images by jen ramos

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SWEET PAUL Book Review

You guys are going to love this new book (launching April 1st) called: Sweet Paul Eat & Make.

I love this book for so many reasons. First, because fellow blogger Paul Lowe of Sweet Paul (fellow blogger from back in the days) sent it to me as gift & second, it has a ton of interesting & great recipes with eggs, which I love! Ok there's a third reason, the book is made up of beautiful matte pages with an artistic-flair. It's like they mixed two of my favorite things - art + food.   

Paul has been a food & craft stylist for more than 20 years - in fact, his blog was one of the first I started reading - mainly because of my husband's love for food.  It was definitely a source of inspiration for our own home cooking. So, to finally see Paul write this book was so exciting!  Paul has been around the block - with his his work appearing in publications like Real Simple, Food Network Magazine, Better homes & Gardens & more! The book is a personal book to him, filled with stories of his childhood memories, family recipes & unique craft ideas.  Speaking of craft....one of my favorite craft ideas in the book are the bottles with printout flowers on page 253. Clever. As for the food in this book, my favorite recipes include the Baked Doughnuts with Chocolate & the Smoked-Trout Salad with Hard Boiled Eggs. YUM!

BY THE WAY - Sweet Paul will be joining my husband Mat (Pot Pan Knife) for a 'Making Breakfast' workshop on March 29th. The story + photos should appear in an upcoming issue of Sweet Paul Magazine. Exciting!!!!!!

-images by jen ramos

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Book Review: Beyond Chic

EVER wonder how Fashion designers live??

I know, it's been a while since I've posted a book review but no other way to get back into it than to introduce an INCREDIBLE fashion-related book: The title is Beyond Chic by photographer Ivan Terestchenko.

The book basically gives you a private tour of the homes & interior designs of top fashion designers, and shows you what they hide "behind closed doors." Appropriate since I've transitioned from Decor to a Fashion blogger.  Some of the featured apartments include Chanel's at 31 rue Cambon & Giorgio Armani's chalet – incredible spaces that make for incredible reads and AMAZING inspiration!!

I loved getting an inside look into some of these spaces. And OMG! Check out Manolo Blahnik's vintage shoe collection!

Gallery wall anyone? How cool is this collection of portraits from YSL? And Christian Louboutin, I mean, you can't go wrong with Christian Louboutin.  I love the old-rustic glam in these spaces – such amazing inspiration!

There is so much more inspiration in this book – be sure to check it out if you're reconsidering changing up some spaces for the upcoming new year!! You can get the book here.


-images by jen ramos

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Book Review: Dazzling Design: Amanda Nisbet

Looking for a good book with lots of inspiration?? 

How about Dazzling Design. I got this book in the mail recently from the people over at Abrams - which I am grateful for, thanks so much!!

This book by Designer Amanda Nisbet - is one of my favorites this year! Her work has been featured in many magazines like , Elle Decor, House Beautiful, O Magazine & more! It's full of color & texture, with over 250 pages of photographs of New York City apartments, country houses & Hamptons beach homes! This book is ideal for those of you who live in traditional homes but still want to bring a punch of color to your place!  

I took a few snapshots of my favorite pages - so you could see I'm NOT kidding, this book is on fire!! You can buy a copy here.

-images by jen ramos

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Book Review: Vintage Remix

Have you guys heard of Kishani Perera? 

If not, she's the author of a new (favorite) book called, Vintage REMIX. She's also a talented Interior Designer- one who worked with model, Molly Sims, whose home is featured on the cover of the book! Kishani is also the founder of the design company, Fuse ID & you'll see her work in magazines like In Style, People Magazine, Better Homes & Garden & more. 

This girl gets around...in a good way of course!  I love this book because it truly mixes modern & vintage, one things I really need to do more of in my own space, I know! But darn, it's not that easy. You really have to be talented (in my opinion) to get it to looks good & not forced. Know what I mean?!? 

Well, Kishani makes it look amazing....

The book also offers a BUNCH of advice on decorating on any budget, which is ideal for those looking to still have money left over. Each chapter is devoted to a single design element making it easier to follow.  

The 224 page book is published by one of my fave publishing houses, Abrams and can be picked up on here. 

This book is a must-have on every coffee table or bookshelf! You can buy your copy here

-images by jen ramos

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