The Book List I’m Working Through this Holiday Season – and Learning Needlepoint

Prepping for the holidays is such a whirlwind, from deciding on Christmas cards to finalizing your neighbor and office gifts to decorating. I am in desperate need of a relaxing break by the time Christmas Eve rolls around!

One of my favorite ways to wind down is to cozy up by the fire. If you follow me on Instagram, you know that I’m taking up a new hobby this holiday season: needlepoint! My grandmother taught me the stitches over Thanksgiving and I picked up my first canvas and yarn over the weekend at The Point of it All in Friendship Heights in Washington, D.C. They have the cutest shop and are the most helpful ladies. I highly recommend stopping in if you’re in the area. They also “finish” needlepoint projects, which I’ve learned means that if you have a canvas you’d like to turn into a belt, pillow, ornament, etc., they will do it for you! 

I love how needlepoint is becoming more popular. I’d say it’s “making a comeback,” but, truthfully, it’s never left. You can find traditional patterns that folks have been stitching for decades or opt for more modern twists. I picked out a pretty blue and white latticework canvas and I’m so excited to begin over the holidays!

In addition to learning a new hobby, this cold and dreary weather is perfect for checking off a few books on your reading list. We restarted our book club last month and I just can’t wait to dig into next month’s book – a classic I’ve seen the movie version of but actually haven’t read. 

Here are a few books that are on my list this winter:

The Georgetown Ladies’ Social Club. A peek into old Washington life through dinner parties and the ladies who throw them. 

Mrs. Kennedy and Me. A memoir written by Jackie Kennedy’s personal Secret Service agent.

The Last Lecture. I have a feeling this one is going to be a tearjerker and an inspiring read at the same time.

Confessions of a Serial Entertainer. This is currently in my Amazon cart and I cannot wait to dig into it. It sounds hilarious and is by the same author of a book on the Kips Bay Decorator Show that I have and also one on Scalamandre (so you know he’s great!).

Capital Houses. Historic Washington, D.C. homes from 1735-1965. Need I say more?

l’appart. The tale of an American ex-Pat living in Paris who renovates his apartment and everything he learns about the French culture during the process. 

Brunch is Hell: How to Save the World by Throwing a Dinner Party. How could you not want to pick this book up based on the title alone?! It sounds hysterical and I’m anxious to pick it up.

Mr. Color. I couldn’t let this list go any further without sharing a fabulous book by one of my design heroes, Carleton Varney. In it, he shares some of his decorating adventures, namely The Greenbrier and The Grand Hotel.

The Dinner List. What if that icebreaker – name five people living or dead that you’d like to have dinner with – came true? It does in this book.

The Gardens of Bunny Mellon. I’m so looking forward to attending a lecture with the author, Linda Jane Holden, at Hillwood in the spring. You can purchase your ticket here. I loved Meryl Gordon’s book on Bunny and can’t wait to dive into this one.

Farrow & Ball: How to Decorate. Since painting is on the horizon for our home, this is definitely on my list to read. 

Farm from Home. A book full of pictures and stories from a New York style icon who moved to a farm in the English countryside.

How They Decorated. P. Gaye Tapp invites us into the rooms of some of the greatest and most influential twentieth century women.

This post contains affiliate links, but all are tried and true Magnolia Stripes favorites.