3 WAYS TO USE VINTAGE BOOKS

3 Ways to Use Vintage Books

If you're like me and you love reading, writing and antique things, then you may have started to accumulate a collection of old books. If you haven't done so already, then maybe you should pick up a few books that speak to you! Vintage books are beautiful on the inside, but their beauty really shines through on their covers. From design to pictoral images, old books have that feel-good charm. I wanted to show you Bloomers three ways to use old books that don't include reading them! 

Here we go!

1. Stacking to Create a New Surface

One of the most efficient ways to use books is by simply stacking them to create a different dynamic to your shelf or table while showing off the pretty embroidery and lettering of the book. Not to mention it creates a whole new surface to display your favorite things on! 

2. DIY "Book Bag"

A few summers ago I was at a craft fair and came across a vendor of handmade purses made from old books. The artist was so sweet and talked about her process in creating this bag! Every since then I keep telling myself I'll make one of these (and suggest you try too!). All she did was cut the pages away from the binding and created a pocket out of fabric and fastened it to the hard cover of the book. Then she simply created a strap and hooked it into the bag! I love how she gave new life to an old favorite.

3. Wall Art

Last, but not least, I use some of my books as wall art. This book titled, Ballads of Home, is embossed in gold etching and beautiful type font. The front cover is so pretty it may as well be displayed for everyone to see! I simply rested it on an item already on my wall, but you could easily drill two small holes in the back on the book and fasten wire to each side and hang it up. This adds some diversity and dimension to your wall pieces instead of just having prints. 

I hope this has inspired some of you to find some old books you like or to use your existing books and find a purpose for them! 

<3 Annalise 

DIY Rustic Lace Ball Jar

It's another big snow day here in CT with snow already up to my knees! I've gotten situated with a warm cup of coffee and my moccasin slippers. I was definitely itching to either paint or craft. I love getting those creative vibes when I'm all nestled inside (keeps me from going stir crazy!). After designing the DIY gift ball jar last week, I felt inspired to do another DIY project, but this time create a jar that can either be a vase or memory jar!

With all this wintry weather I obviously couldn't use fresh flowers. I love dried lavender and keep some wrapped up for crafts or to put in a vase. I thought it'd be perfect for a craft like this. Winter alternatives can include different pine branches, pine cones, red berries, or twigs! As a memory jar, you could fill this with buttons, sea shells, sand, pins/brooches, jewelry, etc.

I added little accents like the vintage buttons from my mom's collection, lace trim, and a cute cardstock tag to give it my personal flare. I love everything rustic and vintage so this is my new favorite vase. 

Places like Michaels offer a great variety of burlap, ribbon, tags, string, and everything else you'll need. Even Ball jars! I'm excited to put this on my windowsill to bring some pretty color into winter. Happy crafting!

<3 Annalise 

DIY BALL JAR GIFT

The other day Danny and I headed over to his mom's retirement party. I was so excited for her! She's such a hard working, passionate woman that I wanted to give her something extra special. I decided to buy her favorite Starbucks instant packets (she loves cafe mocha, valencia orange, and I added a vanilla one for the heck of it!). When I got home I knew I had to spruce up this gift. All the materials I used were from around the house.

Materials Used For Gift Jar:

-Ball jar

-Square sample fabric 

(Jo-Ann fabric lets you have samples for free!)

-Lace ribbon

-Paper bag handle to use as rustic string

-Thick paper for hand-drawn tag

I love the idea of giving a gift in a gift! How great is that? When she's finished she can either stock the jar with more of her favorite Starbucks goodies, or use it for decor/storage/etc. Not to mention, I also got her a Country Living magazine, just in case she feels like getting crafty herself. 

Hand made gifts can be the best! I hope you all enjoy making your own Ball jar gift. If you wind up doing so, let us know! We'd love to hear from you :)

<3 Annalise 

DIY FAUX FLORAL ARRANGEMENT

One of my favorite things is home decor. I'm always on the look out for unique things to decorate my apartment with. Whenever I feel like I need some creative stimulation, it's my go to hobby. Mike and I just moved into our apartment about 4 months ago, so we're definitely still decorating and settling in. Something that got on my nerves was that we didn't really have a center piece on our coffee table, and so, this happened.

I chose to do a tray with a really pretty painting on the inside. It's functional because it neatly stores things that you'd have on your table (coasters, remotes, etc.) while still being aesthetically pleasing. In my case, there is usually a book within reach from the couch because I'm always reading every chance I get to relax. We also received these sweet coasters as a gift (thanks, Tor!) that are like giant scrabble letters that spell out "Amy" and "Mike". Pretty cool!

                        

                       

These fake floral arrangements were the perfect touch to add some interest and color to this set up. I bought the vases, flowers, and rock filling all separately. Putting them together is pretty simple:

1. Gather your vase, flowers, and whatever filler you chose to go inside. You can get anything from rocks, to sea shells, to marbles. I chose metallic silver painted rocks, and for the flowers, roses, sunflowers, and a peacock feather.
2. Believe it or not, you're going to put your flowers in first. Once the filler in inside, it's usually a pain to try to shove the stems through whatever it is. You will most likely need to trim the stems depending on how tall your vase is.
3. Next, your filler. If you're dealing with small opening like the ones on the vases I have here, a funnel is a great way to fill quickly with no mess. I learned this the hard way filling the tiny rocks into my green vase. Whoops!
4. Toy with the flowers to get them to sit just where you want. After you put your filler in they will have shifted and moved, so simply bend and rearrange them to your liking.

And, voila! 

<3 Amy

DIY WINTER MEMORIES

It's officially really snowy today in New England, and I'm in love with it. Having a snow day means trying to find great ways to entertain myself while trapped in doors. Although it's easy to hang and watch movies all day, sometimes I feel like being productive and creative! For anyone looking for a way to be creative and keep busy, I suggest you make your own memory/keepsake box! I LOVE having this box because I can store old photos, cards, and random items from places I've been. The box I used was from a Christmas gift. I bought some white crackle paint, and used other household items to assemble this. Some great around the house items you can use are:

-Old Books

-Wire

-Scrap Paper

-Old cloth towels

-Ribbons

-Clothespins

-Buttons

-Dried Flowers

The best part is you can make this unique to your taste! I love anything vintage and antique-y, so I designed my box around that style. Hope this helps inspire you on your snow day!

<3 Annalise