How to repurpose old books

I've always been drawn to home decor that looks like it was made from written pages. Think old book pages or script from old documents - when applied to furnishings it somehow transforms into something  modern and cool, while maintaining it's vintage vibe. I love that!

Even nearly a decade ago I was into it. See the piece of furniture below...I decoupaged this script-style scrapbook paper onto the armoire doors. This continues to be one my most beloved home furnishings.

So, when I got this new title below, I was on the hunt for old books for my next craft project!

I am excited about this book, called The Repurposed Library, by Lisa Occhipinti, for a couple of reasons. One, I LOVE craft books! Well, I love books in general. Fiction, non-fiction, it doesn't matter. Two, this book is a craft project book - another of my favorites. Three, it's a craft book that utilizes repurposed old BOOKS as it's medium - how cool is that! And four - this book is published by STC Craft, an imprint of Abrams - my new employer.

Yup, I was recently hired by STC Craft to publicize five of their Fall books. This is not one of them, however, they were kind enough to send me several of their new books for my personal library. This one spoke to me. It said, "go find some old books to play with!"

So, last weekend that's what I did. I hit up a yard sale on my drive to Pennsylvania and found an old book gold-mine. This woman must have been saving books for a lifetime, as she has a gigantic table full of them - and the best part - she was giving them away for 50 cents a piece! I grabbed four vintage Reader's Digest books - each with colorful hard-back covers, illustrations, and delightfully aged, although musty-smelling, interior pages.

Now, I have to decide what to do with them. Inside The Repurposed Library there's a cool project for a wreath I am loving...

So I might make this. But, I'll be honest, it looks like a lot of work rolling all those rosettes! And I am feeling a bit lazy right now. So, I may scour the net and see if there's other cool projects rolling around the blogosphere that take less time, yet make a big statement.

DIY or Dont

This wall-covering is awesome, but I am not committed to making a statement quite this big!

AJ's Trash to Treasure Blog

This is more the scale of project I can undertake right now. Less gothic however, but the bird appealed to me right away!

Indulgy

I love the sculptural nature of this pendant light. Very cool, yet so practical!

I could totally see taking the interior pages of my books and decoupaging them to the underside of a glass-topped coffee table. Then as people sit and enjoy a glass of wine, they can look down and enjoy a few words from stories called, "The Fruit Tramp," "The Final Diagnosis," or "A Houseful of Love." That last one really says it all. When you can make decor or furnishings, by repurposing items like books, it really will become a house full of things you love! And let's face it, if these books hadn't made it into my home, they might still be sitting in someone's basement getting even stinkier, or worse, end up in a landfill.

I'll keep you posted with photos on what craft project I end up choosing to give new life to my old books!