Today's title refers to a joke between the hubby and I. In 18 years, we have never undertaken any project where that sentence was not uttered by one of us at the finish line! Obviously today, it refers to the length of time since my last post. Now I can finally spare a few moments to blog again. The decorations are finally put away. Yes, our tree was still up as of last week, but is now outside providing shelter for small wildlife. And, speaking of small wildlife, our bunnies are here and providing us much entertainment, but that will have to wait for another post!
My most recent obsession with upcycling is in full swing, fueled by my love of all things old. I have to thank my dear, departed mother for instilling my love of antiques and cottage style. She was probably the most prominent of my style influences. My sister's style is quite different, however, I also find great inspiration from her as well. I guess if you combined the two, you end up with my style, if you can call shabby-cottage-minimalist-lodge a style! And, I really don't believe you can. I digress… my mother was an original upcycler. She wasn't nearly the hoarder that I am, but she did tuck things away to breath new life into someday. She turned baskets and cigar boxes into purses; constantly rehabbing furniture.... from her, I learned to look at objects with a repurposeful eye (yeah, I know that's not a real word. Neither was upcycle; a word which spell check wants to change to epicycle - I don't even know what that is… I'll have to look it up).
Most of my current projects seem to revolve around books. I'm constantly on the prowl in the thrift stores for old hardbound books to use in my store displays. Stacked up, they provide the varied heights needed to properly display merchandise. I had the idea to turn one of them into a box. I googled for some basic instructions and found a treasure trove of ideas for upcycling books. Now I can't seem to stop myself! I haven't even gotten around to the box yet! Maybe later today…
It started with the flowers. We receive at least 30 thick, full color catalogs every year from our vendors. I've always felt pretty horrible about throwing them away, and they make the trash soooo heavy. But what to do with them? Flowers! Tons of them. The leaves are also repurposed! It is ribbon used to tie sets of napkin rings together. When we receive the product, we untie them and sell them individually. I've saved hundreds of these ribbons over the years! I knew I would find a purpose someday and they are the perfect color for rose leaves. Ta da!
Not the greatest picture, but you get the idea. Here's a link to Patty Scheaffer's blog, where I got the idea. There is also a reference on her blog to a tutorial if you want to try to make some of these. http://pattyschaffer.typepad.com/capture_the_details/2011/02/paper-rosesspring-branches.html
She attached a bunch to real branches like beautiful spring buds. I love that idea - that will be next! And maybe a wreath… who knows?
Apple and pear are made from paperback books. Old, trashy romance novels and other cast-offs that no one really wants to read! They were usually printed on really cheap paper that has aged nicely. You have to choose carefully, though. Many old paperbacks have turned brittle and you can't bend the spine without the pages falling out. A touch of paint along the edges and a stick for a stem! I've made a cute little mushroom too, but can't seem to find that photo. It will have to wait for the bunny post. The little heart garland is made from the leftover paperback pages.
The book page flowers are from an old German book that was in unsalvageable condition. I grabbed it at a garage sale because of the beautiful type. It's perfect for these flowers. The pages are quite yellowed, but I aged the edges with a pigment ink pad after the flowers were made. So pretty! I'll take a close-up shot today when I go in to work. Thrift store terra-cotta pot has a nice patina, but I need to find instructions on how to get that minerally-mossy, used look on a pot that doesn't have it yet… other than planting something in it and letting it age… anyone?
Until next time..... which I promise will be soon!
