Is it OK to deface books in the name of art ... or to make a wreath?

Decorating with books is all the rage these days. Every retailer from Pottery Barn to 1stdibs sells old (or made-to-look-old) tomes for people to display in their homes. Crafty types have been busy creating wreaths, paper flowers and other pretty paper wares that are tempting me to do something I was taught never to do: destroy a book.

1940s French books for sale by the bundle at 1stdibs

When it comes to crafting with paper, I'm eager to dig into my piles of pretty paper in search of the right one for the project at hand. But if the project calls for using the pages of a book, I've yet to muster up the courage to tear out pages of a book or even bend them.

Last winter, I set my sights on making a wreath made with the pages of a book after being inspired by tutorials I saw on various blogs. Among my favorites was a sweet burlap-backed wreath made using the pages of a "Little Women" book (featured on Redberry Barn blog) and a simple but pretty paper wreath with a detailed video how-to on a post titled, "Librarians, Please Avert Your Eyes" on the Living With Lindsey blog.

I rushed right over to a thrift store, where I took more time picking out a book to rip up than I would usually spend choosing a book to read. I ended up choosing two old romance novels that are now sitting untarnished (and unread) on a bookshelf, largely forgotten until I came across another book-altering (or is it destroying?) project.

Apartment Therapy: How to Make Your Own Book Planter

More than 50 people weighed in on a post on Apartment Therapy that explained the best way to carve a hole in a book that would serve as a planter. Many commenters lamented the book-cutting but plenty others defended the project as a worthwhile way to repurpose a book that would otherwise remain unread and unused. Being the obsessive type that I am, I began researching or rather Googling "book art" and came across the most wonderful creations.

Novel Lines

I suddenly found myself wavering on the whole issue of keeping books intact. Mesmerized, I scrolled through the portfolio pages of London artist Su Blackwell and read through her blog, where she just posted a video detailing the creative process behind a sculpture she created using pages from a book.

Paper sculpture from Su Blackwell on Vimeo.

Her work is beautiful and evocative, and I further admired her creations upon reading on her website that she reads at least once or twice the book she is using to create her sculptures. Is it OK then to cut up a book in the name of art? And, if so, who is to say that the most beautiful wreath out there is not comparable to an intricate paper sculpture?

Certainly not me. For now, I've decided to leave the romance novels untouched, but I'm not getting rid of them just yet. And it's not because I'm ever planning to read them.

A fabulous way to store books

To me, there is always something a little magical about a bookcase full of books. I always want to get as close as I can to inspect the books. I'm the sort of person who practically pulls out a magnifying glass if I see books in a magazine picture or online because I'm always curious what other people read.

But today I came across such an interesting "bookcase" on desire to inspire that I completely forgot to even look at the books. I simply stared in awe, imagining myself sitting in that chair and having so many books within easy reach.

desire to inspire

Then, I went on a wild goose chase. The owner of the house featured on desire to inspire, which by the way, was pure eye candy and full of vintage items (see the house tour here), commented that the "bookcase" is a vintage nail bin. So off I went in search of one.

First, I looked through four of my local Craigslists. Nothing. I finally did a Google search and turned up a for-sale listing in Tacoma, Washington.

Seattle Craisglist

I'm thinking it's not quite as attractive as the one on desire to inspire, but I'll take what I can get. Except for the small matter that this nail bin is closer to Seattle than Los Angeles. I actually lived in Tacoma about 20 years ago, but I guess this just wasn't meant to be. Meanwhile, I'll stay on the lookout for one at my local thrifts.

Come to think of it, I already have a similar carousel in my office to store notecards and notebooks. It's from Pottery Barn, not vintage, but perhaps I could use it for a small bookcase for my kids' smaller books?

The bin carousel in my office

I'll let you know if it works out. Have you ever been on a wild goose chase like this?

What do your cherished belongings reveal?

"Ah, the wonderful thing about a house is not that it provides us with warmth and shelter, but that it slowly builds within us a reserve of contentment, shaping, deep in the heart, the immense darkness from which dreams emerge, like water from a spring ... "

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Dear friends,

Forgive my absence in the blogosphere lately. Much has been happening in my life, some of which I will write about in the coming days.

For now, I wanted to share with you a little box that is near and dear to my heart. It is a wooden box painted with Mexican folkloric icons. I picked it up at a souvenir shop in Mexico City a few years ago. I collect Mexican artesanías (folk art and crafts), many of which I've picked up during reporting trips throughout Mexico. That particular trip was quite full with interviews and other work duties so, instead of leisurely browsing cute shops, I found myself looking for a jewel in the rough amid a bunch of trinkets at a store near my hotel, just minutes before I hopped into a taxi to take me to the airport.

Here is the box filled business cards from people I met in Mexico City, a reminder of challenging days spent reporting in a foreign country and, more importantly, the city where I was born. I share it with you today because I often wonder the story behind other people's treasured objects. I know that even my own family doesn't know the story behind many of my most cherished belongings.

I was thinking about this because I recently stumbled upon the most delightful book while browsing at an Anthropologie store. "My Mother's Clothes (An Album of Memories)," by Jeannette Montgomery Barron, is a photographic record of clothes belonging to the author's mom, each page revealing a different layer of a life well-lived. Absolutely captivating.

It occurred to me that, just like our clothes, many items in our homes are also a testament to the many journeys we've taken and the people we've become.

Look around your home. What stories would your treasured objects say about your life? Does your family know why these are so beloved to you?

In future posts, I will share some more of the treasured items I've gathered throughout the years.

Thrifting find of the week

I know musty old books don't usually qualify as the most exciting buy, but before you scroll on let me tell you why these brittle tomes so captivate me.



For starters, I paid a grand total of $2 for the set. The tiny eight-piece collection of the "Masterpieces of the World's Best Literature" was published in 1905. Yup, you read right. 1905. Hence, the tattered covers and yellowed pages.

What little gems they are. I can't help but wonder who bought the set way back then, and if they sat on a shelf or were lovingly read.

Here, I placed them next to a miniature typewriter I found long ago at an antique shop, so it's hard to tell that the books themselves are small, about the size of my hand.

Truly, I don't care that the bindings are loose and some of the pages look on the verge of falling out, but I am actually reading from some of the volumes. Very carefully, of course. Some of you may remember me waxing on about my life-long love for literature so, of course, these had to go home with me. Especially at 25 cents for each book. Unbelievable!

And if you haven't noticed, I wanted to let you know about a feature on my sidebar titled, "Thrifting treasure of the week," where I showcase a favorite thrift find each week. I decided this week to move it up higher in my sidebar. Here are a few past finds, in case you missed them.

Vintage toy sewing machine and old how-to sewing books.

A Mexican trunk.

Vintage educational toys

Vintage globes

Before I forget, be sure to stop by Thrifted Treasure, one of my favorite thrifting blogs, sometime over the weekend to enter a giveaway of The Nest Home Design Handbook.

Vera, a style maven ahead of her time

It was only a few weeks ago that I discovered the iconic designer Vera Neumann. I had found some textile art of hers at a thrift store and discovered that she was a creative genius when I did some Internet research on my thrift store finds. The timing couldn't have been better because this is what I found at my local Anthropologie store recently:

"Vera: The Art and Life of an Icon," is a beautiful book about Vera, an entrepreneur who built a multi-million dollar enterprise out of a business that began on her kitchen table. Bold, graphic prints became her trademark style and her pieces were usually signed with a ladybug. Fans of Vera ranged from Marilyn Monroe to Grace Kelly.

Here are a few images from the book:

Vera, who continued to create until just before her death in 1993, is shown here at left.


I found many of Vera's words inspirational.


Her designs are eye-catching and modern.


The book contains many lovely vignettes about Vera's travels around the world and how these influenced her designs through the years.


Vera designed linens, scarfs, and home accessories, among other things.

Really, there is so much more to this artist than I could ever encapsulate in a blog post but do check out the book if you are at an Anthropologie, which is selling it exclusively for $40. The book is part of a new collection at Anthropologie, which teamed up with the book author/owner of The Vera Company to create a new line of products carrying Vera's designs and art.

Anthropologie's Vera items are rather pricey, with the sofas pictured above selling for a whopping $$2,500 and $3,000, so I will likely have to settle for an $8 mug.

This brings me back to my Vera thrift store find, which I'm embarrassed to say I sold on Ebay. Unfortunately, it was a tough call to make because I wanted to keep it but didn't have an immediate place to hang it and really needed the money to pay for my new Mac. Awful, isn't it, that I sold a piece of history for such a basic item? But such are the realities of today's economy.

Here are the pieces I sold on Ebay:

What would you have done? Saved it for future decorating? Or sold it, then felt guilty as I do?

Literary pleasures: a feast for the soul

The crowds thronging the Los Angeles Times Book Festival at UCLA seem to get thicker every year. Or perhaps it seems that way when you're trying to navigate your way through thousands of people while pushing a stroller.

More than 130,000 people attended this year's event, but not even the crowds or traffic can deter me from rounding up my husband and two kids each year to head out to this literary bookfest that features more than books, as you can see in the photos I took last weekend.



The Nuevo Cielo folkloric dance group was a definite highlight of the event for my kids, who were mesmerized as they watched the young dancers and singers swirling around the stage in their colorful costumes while making beautiful music.

Other highlights of this year's event:

Though there were plenty of celebrities on hand, Eric Carle's Hungry Caterpillar held his own, with a long line of kids and parents constantly waiting to take their picture with him.

Book-lovers were invited to write on a wall mural titled "What are you reading?" A computer took snapshots of people while recording the names of the books.

Toward the end of the weekend, only the very top of the "grafitti wall" remained blank.

Sadly, very few attended the readings held at the poetry stage.

Yes, we'll likely return next year, despite the crowds.

A boy's book-filled room

Lately, I've been thinking my son's room is due for a make-over. Let's go in and take a look.



My husband and I chose the paint colors for our son's room before he was born, opting for a gender-neutral yellow since we decided not to find out whether we were having a boy or a girl. Almost on a whim, my husband said he would like to paint one wall red. I agreed, and the red wall that first greets us upon entering the room has since become a favorite feature of mine.



As my son has gotten older, I've tried to add toys and items that reflect his interests, like this replica rocket ship and vintage Babar book sets and toys.



By far, my son's favorite feature is his reading chair, which he recently moved on his own one night to a spot in front of his bed. This minor redecorating is what got me thinking we may be due for some changes.



This was the scene that greeted me the morning after he moved his chair.

"Hey, did you move your chair by yourself?" I asked him.

"Yes," my son responded.

"Oh, OK. Uh, why did do you that?"

"Well, I was thinking of trying different things."

Huh?! On the one hand, I'm proud of my little decorator. On the other, he's four years old! What "different things" does he need to try with the furniture in his room?

Well, I guess it's my job to figure it out. First of all, we may need to consolidate his books. Yes, this is a recurring problem for us since we have so many books, at least five hundred children's books spread out on bookcases and other holders (baskets, boxes, etc.) in my kids' bedrooms, our family room and kitchen.



This red box holds the current crop of reading books next to my son's chair, though he has a large bookcase anchoring one corner of the room.



This is what this part of his room looked like before he moved his reading chair.
From the start, I always knew my kids' rooms had to have one thing in addition to a crib. A bookcase, preferably one that could hold lots and lots of books. What I didn't bargain for is that the bookcase would look so messy and lack the kind of decorative appeal I'd hoped for with so many books jammed on it.



It's still a mystery to me why he moved the chair in the first place, away from the bookcase and from one of two lamps in the room. Lighting is a problem since we need it to read, but we also need it to be out of reach of my two very curious kids.

Safety is always a concern, especially since we live in an area with a high probability for earthquakes.



So, how to clean up the bookcase without purging too many books? Perhaps include more decorative touches, like this vintage See's Candies container and wooden abacus?



What to do about so many books that my son loves to spend hours deciphering?



I should mention that I'm not too fond of themed rooms and have simply filled the room mostly with things that my son loves, like this Land of Nod transportation quilt.



But now I see that the books have really taken over the room. My solution has been to buy more furniture to house all those books, like this Company Kids bench that I use as a sort of bookcase.



OK, this is a little embarassing to show, but there's even a bookcase in his closet, which houses his train books and a couple sets of Sesame Street encyclopedias. To be fair, it was an $11 sale find that I bought at Target because it was a "firehouse" bookcase.

So there you have it, folks. In this reorganization, I would like to streamline the book storage, make the artwork more spiffy and, hopefully, also showcase his artwork and other creations.

Any ideas you may have are welcome. Meanwhile, I'm off to check my magazines and favorite blogs for ideas. And, of course, to quiz my son on what he would like his room to look like after our reorganization.