This month I'm going to show you some of the vintage books that I've been hoarding. For a while I've been jealous of Julie Kirk's ability to cut up vintage books, and put the pieces together on her projects, or in her fantastic Plundered Pages packs. I've mentioned to her that she needs to run a course on how to be brave enough to cut up these books, because I have an ever-growing collection of ones that I've bought for projects.
Despite forcing myself to cut up a Ladybird book for my Learn Something New Everyday Album last year, and cutting up text for backgrounds and flowers for some Hen Party Gift Bag items, I still haven't managed to get a pair of scissors anywhere near the rest of my vintage books.
Here are my favourites:
1: Book Of Ryhmes Number 3:
Which has lovely, detailed illustrations like this one:
I want to put this one into two frames, one for each page, and hang them in our entry-way, above our wellington boots.
2: Telling The Time:
Very intro images inside this one:
I don't have any particular ideas for this image, except that I wish I could step into it and share their tea!
3: Sacred Songs & Solos:
This is a very thick volume, and I snapped it up for 20p at a car boot sale, because I thought it would be great to use the music pages as background papers. But then when I got home I couldn't decide whether it was 'right' to cut up a hymn book, what do you think?
Strangely, when I opened this to photograph the inside, it fell open on 'Amazing Grace' which we sung at my Granny's funeral in February. It made me think that somewhere she was smiling at me, possibly laughing at me for photographing a pile of old books :-)
4: Famous Fairy Tales:
Which includes some gorgeous full-page illustrations like this one:
Which I'd love to frame for my daughter's bedroom.
5: Time, Calendars and Clocks:
I bought this one for it's cool, steam-punk style illustrations:
I'd like to cut this page up for some altered art, though I'm not sure what exactly!
6: A Book of Modern Verse:
Bought mainly for the stunning yellow cover, which I'd like to use for a project like this one. The pages inside might come in handy too:
I'm sure I could cut some of the poetry up to use on layouts.
7: Fairyland Secrets:
Which has the most adorable pictures of bunnies, cute critters, and fairies:
I want to use this on an altered canvas, with flowers and glitter and beads all around it.
8: The Pocket Encyclopaedia of the World:
A neat little book with colour maps that would look good as background papers, or cut into tags or letters for scrapbook pages:
Something about this book stops me tearing it up, I think it's that I quite like its small size, when the other atlases I've seen or own are larger.
9: Play Street:
Look how cute the images are:
I'd like to use the best images to make mini-book covers for mini-albums for my kids. The rest would look good on cards.
10: Highroads of History:
Another one chosen mainly for the cover, the Celtic-style square would look great as a frame. But it also includes some nice colour illustrations like this:
Which I'm sure would come in handy for something!
So, what about you? Do you have any books you bought for crafting, but can't bear to cut up? Do you have any ideas for what I could use these covers or pages for? Do you have any suggestions for how I can get over my fear and set the scissors on them?
x
14 comments:
I really understand your dilemma - I am really not sure that I could cut up a book, I was brought up to treasure books and treat them well.
Those are 10 lovely books so I can understand your hesitation.
These are all so precious!
Carrie and I are guest-blogging our ten on the tenths today - come check it out!
Rinda
That top book? It was one of my favourites when I was little and I still have my copy. No, I will not be cutting it up :) Actually, I can't cut up any book, it's just not in my DNA. I let Julie do it for me
Oooh, that was a great idea for your Tens this month!!! I too have a few vintage books that I refuse to cut but don't know what to do with... framing some particular pages is a good idea :)
awesome collection of vintage goodness!!!:):)
What a great idea. I love your post. Maybe you will be able to upcycle your books if you think of it as a celebration of those artists and writers.
I know what you mean. Maybe it's because the books are in good condition. If you buy one which is already damaged it doesn't feel so bad. DD is still trying to get her head round plundered pages. The concept of julie buying books to cut up to sell the pages and people actually buying them when they could do it themselves for less money is beyond her.
Great List. I really understand your dilemma, my mother is a Librarian, so we were always taught to look after books.
Recently when i got married, i cut the pages out of a book to make love hearts to sit on our tables. My Mother, almost cried I was only allowed to use a trash old book.
What a fabulous photo-rich listing, thanks for sharing your ideas. I just ripped into an old book I've had saved for art journaling...finally got to it the other evening. So fun!!
You've a fab collection there Jennifer! I'm sure I used to have that Tell the time book as a child!
You should probably know that my collection of books which I *don't* cut up is bigger than the ones I *do*!
I have my own criteria for what I will + won't cut into too - and some of them I hope to sell on - whole - to someone who'll love it.
But hey, I don't mind offering the service for all those who can't face it!
:-)
You really have to be brave to cut into those vintage books!!. I remember the Ladybird books from my childhood.
Cx
They are so lovely. i can't bring myself to cut up books though
Oh, I remember that Ladybird Telling the Time book! Wow, it's half a century since I've seen it! Thank-you, Jennifer, for the peek. :) I would have great difficulty in cutting up books too, unless I had two copies. But putting some of the pages on display sounds wonderful. What about a narrow shelf with one of your books propped up on it, and the pages held open, and then you could turn them every so often for a new display?
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