Welcome to my blog!

Thanks so much for stopping by! I believe that everyone can have a beautiful home without spending a fortune! One of my favorite things to do is find creative ways to re-purpose things I already have on hand, or have picked up at yard sales and thrift stores. Join me as I share with you some of my favorite ideas for crafting and decorating, as well as travel adventures, and fun things that I pick up on my treasure hunts! Much of my work is influenced by my love all things French, nature, and of course shabby chic! I have gotten so many creative ideas from you very talented bloggers out there, and I hope that I can be an inspiration to you as well!

Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Vintage Altered Book Bundle

Bonjour Mes Amis!
Today I wanted to show you one of my latest creations, an altered and embellished vintage book bundle.
I've enjoyed making them in the past, and part of the fun is that they all turn out differently!
 I must say that this one is my favorite so far!
Another great thing is that I didn't have to purchase anything for this project!  
My motto is "make the most of what you've got".
So I love trying to find creative uses for all of the materials that I already have, rather than running out to the craft store to buy a bunch of stuff!


 Anyway, I took a couple of vintage books that I had lying around and removed their covers.
(no worries, I didn't damage any valuable books, I would never do that!  They were just old Reader's Digest books that had been all but forgotten!).
I had so much fun putting this together.  Let me show you some of the pretty details.
 I bound the books together with a wide piece of burlap.  Then I hand tore a long strip of the most gorgeous material that has glittery light blue crowns all over (love!).  I also used some really pretty light blue lace.  The crown fabric and lace were given to me a while back by sweet and thoughtful Susan over at 
 Adding the embellishments is half the fun!  With some blue and white baker's twine, I tied on this neat skeleton key imprinted with the word "memory".

 I thought my little clay birdie tag would be the perfect addition, too.  You may remember me showing you my tags awhile back.  I thought this glittery light blue tag was just what my book stack needed!
 And the piece de la resistance is this large faux blue flower (love!).
 I've got a little surprise for you..............
This flower didn't start out life blue, oh no!  It was from a large bunch I purchased last year, in bright autumn-ish shades. Well, I just knew those tones wouldn't work, so I thought, why not try painting a blossom?
So that is just what I did, and I am pleasantly surprised at how well it turned out!
Of course I had to add some glitter to the blossom,
'cause you can never have too much glitter!
I must say that I really love how it all came together!  I've added this bundle to my Etsy shop, and I can hardly wait to create more!  Of course I'll have to make one for myself while I'm at it:)
Have a happy and safe 4th!

13 comments:

Renee said...

Gorgeous! My favorite color is blue so I am in love with this!! Idea: did you pick up any French books while traveling?

The Bear's Blog said...

Hello Miss Donna,

Very bee-u-tee-ful. FYI - my b-day is in November. HINT. Maybe 2 weeks about teddy bears. Oops, Mom says I am being rude. (My fav color is lavender and purple)

Did you forget something? Or someone? Furry, four paws - named Katie?

Happy 4th of July

Hugs,
Prudence ♥

Tete said...

Wonderful, except for the glitter part. Have a fun 4th!

Sissie's Shabby Cottage said...

Very pretty! I've been lovin the color blue lately and this book bundle is so pretty.

hugs
Sissie

john said...

so beautiful !! have a good 4th tomorrow ...Gail x

Susie said...

That is just the cutest book bundle !!! You make me want to craft more and certainly better. xoxo,Susie

suziqu's thread works said...

What a gorgeous book bundle. I love the freshness of the blues with the burlap and the added blue lace and key.
Beautiful work!
Suzy

Rosemary@villabarnes said...

Very romantic.

Blondie's Journal said...

This is just beautiful! I wish I had a dime for all the Reader's Digest books my mother had! Love the flower and key, just so pretty!!

XO,
Jane

NanaDiana said...

Donna- That is really, really cute. I bet someone will snap that up right away. It is the perfect color for YOUR house, you know!!! Blessings xo Diana

NanaDiana said...

Donna- That is really, really cute. I bet someone will snap that up right away. It is the perfect color for YOUR house, you know!!! Blessings xo Diana

Debbie said...

How pretty, Donna! You brought every piece together for a look of perfection.
xo

Celestina Marie said...

Hi Donna, this project is fabulous. I love the color and tones. Really pretty. Adding the key and tag is perfect. Great idea to paint the bloom. You know I am all about doing that. This will fly out of your shop.

Hope you enjoyed a great 4th. Our new AC is out again. Thank goodness the second unit is running well. We had to move upstairs while waiting for a new part next week.
Staying in the pool.
Hugs, Celestina Marie