 Personally, I think a shelf full of colorful books is one of the most inviting objects in a room, the first thing which catches my eye. I recently read an article from the Wall Street Journal about decorating with books. The focus of the article was based on recent interior decorating trends of turning the books around on the shelf so you just see the pages, backwards books.
If you don't like a rainbow of color for you book shelf, an option is to find books with spines all the same color. Or you could choose 2 different colors and add other vintage goodies as accents. It doesn't need to be the whole shelf or several shelves. A grouping of 3 or 4 books makes a beautiful decorative display. Stack them, tie a piece of jute around them, add some greenery, whatever makes your idea of a warm inviting display. References
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Hallmark ornaments available in my storeI am one of those people who just cringes at the thought of upcycling a book. I have boxes and boxes of old books with major damage, missing covers and pages, and no spines. I like to look at them and wonder how they were once loved. However, deep down, I know that some books can be so damaged they have no life left in them. To upcycle these books and give them new life can be a thing of beauty.  1. Recover old containers. The above picture is paper mache canisters decoupaged with old book pages. You could use pages with custom messages or add some pictures depending on the look you are going for. With pages from an old childs book, you could use these for your nursery decor. For complete instructions on how to do this, check out Trash2Treasure's Blog.  2. Embellish those dictionary pages. Take a page out of one of those old dictionaries and either print your design right on it or paste a cut out image ontop of the page. I've actually done some art like this. Take the page with coffee on it and add a steaming silhouette of a coffe cup. Coming from someone who isn't really artistically talented, I recommend printed a trial page before you actually print on the page you want to use.  3. Turn it into a clock. If your book has a pretty cover still, what better way to upcycle then to turn it into a clock. What time is it? It's time to read! While you could turn it into a functional clock, the one above is actually being used as a table number! For instructions on how to do this, check out HillCityBride.  4. Create your own Junque Journal. Junque Journals, or junk journals, are something that was recently been brought to my attention. However, it seems like they have been around for a while. There are numerous options on what to use to create your journal. The one above is a vintage sewing magazine with a hanky layered on it. For detailed instructions on how to make your own, check out Tangie Baxter.
5. Holiday Decor. There's something warm and homey about upcycled book holiday decor. With the holidays coming up, it's the perfect time to get started on some new seasonal decor! All of the images came from Pinterest and are linked. Pick and choose, get creative and breathe live back into those old books and pages!!
The Birds of Your Garden collector plates were the first series to be sponsored by Encyclopedia Britannica. The series was comprised of 10 different plates painted by the artist Kevin Daniel. They were produced in limited edition by the Edward M. Knowles China Company.
The first plate is marked 1984 while the 2nd two are dated 1985.
The above 3 plates are dated 1986.
The Hummingbird plate was issued in 1986 and the last 3 plates of the series was issued in 1987. With the exception of the Cardianal and the Hummingbird plate, these can all be found on my website for sale.
I really believe you can not have too many vintage teacups and saucers. I have scores of them tucked away that I can just not bear to part with. Some of them are just so stunning beautiful and others can be quite unique, from the design to the shape. But what to do with them? The ones I have displayed are in a simple teacup shelf. Yet, I think about making a lovely display with some of them. Especially, when I'm browsing Pinterest, like these below!!
These displays can be the same or very similar pattern or the can be mismatched.
Whatever your tastes or desires for vintage teacups, check out my assortment of cups! You are sure to find a couple which will fit your wants!
What exactly was a condensed milk container? If you have seen one in person, it does look rather confusing. Most found today have an underplate, a container with a hole in the bottom and a lid to go on top.  So how does it work? The honest truth is, the condensed milk container's sole purpose was to hide the can of food. Simple as that. In the Victorian times, it was unacceptable to place food on the table in it's original container. Originally the containers were a matching 5 piece set, including a spoon and liner. The spoon and liner are the 2 pieces which are harder to find.  So the hole in the bottom? To push the can out, so you did not have to tip it upside down and spill out the remaining milk. Most condensed milk container's are porcelain but some can be found in metal.
I've marked down all of my Vintage Valentine's Day cards. These can be used for scrapbooking, decoupage and other decorative crafts. All Vintage Valentine Cards can be found here. You can turn them into a wreath or make a banner or display all on old lattice. These ideas I found on Pinterest and are linked to the pins. Feel free to share what you do with your Vintage Valentine's Cards!
Valentine's Day CardsValentine's Day is said to be the second largest holiday for sending cards, falling only behind Christmas. Approx. 150 million Valentine's Cards are sent yearly!!! Valentine greetings can be dated back to the Middle Ages but written ones didn't appear until around 1400. Charles, Duke of Orleans holds the honor for writing the oldest known greeting still in existence today. By the 17th and 18th century it was becoming popular to give a hand written not or token of affection to a loved one. Mother of American ValentineEsther Howland became the first person to sell mass produced Valentine Cards in America. In the 1840's, she was creating beautiful cards with real lace, ribbons and colorful photos.
No one knows for sure today the exact history of Valentine's Day. There are several different stories relating to the history of Saint Valentine. However, today, it is a day to profess your love in a special way. This could be giving a special heart felt card or writing your own. People send tokens of affection, such as chocolates and roses. Even the kids at school send Valentine Cards and those yummy conversation hearts!
What to do with those old wood boxes?There's just something about old wooden storage boxes that catches my eye. I'm not sure if it's the thought of what was once stored in them or what I could possibly store in them myself. And there's so much more to do with them then just leaving them as is. Vintage Cigar BoxesOld wood cigar boxes have charm on there own. They would look wonderful as it on a desk or side table storing trinkets or other important items. However, you could also jazz them up and use a cigar box as a jewelry box or wall shadow box arrangement.
Vintage Cheese BoxesHow wonderful are those long narrow cheese boxes or sewing machine drawers? You could leave those as is and add flowers for a centerpiece or add vintage kitchen items for a display shelf.
Industrial Wood BoxesI've come across a lot of wood storage boxes which were used for industrial needs. They originally held factory parts or nails and other industrial goodies. These would look awesome displayed by themselves but could also have a lot of other purposes. Mix and match different style of wood boxes to create your own display.
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