Butterflies Book

While looking for books for my insect class, I found this delightful one about a teenaged girl who studied the life cycle of butterflies during the middle ages, a time when spontaneous generation was the science of the day. People believed that insects were evil, born from the mud in a mysterious process. Maria Merian studied the life cycle of butterflies in secret for fear of being branded a witch. Delightful story, beautiful illustrations and interesting picture history book.

Cool Thrift

 Beautiful colors and designs in ceramic and glass. Each cost under 75 cents.

 Great old set of books, a couple missing, but a steal for $5.

 Neat, neat vintage homemade apron with beautiful handwork. $3!

Can you imagine the time this must have taken to embroider?

Book Score!

Yesterday we stopped at a nearby small town's library book sale. Books: hardcover $.25, softcover $ .10, bag $2.00. The girls and I got 5 bags, then I went back with my mom later and got 2 more bags for me and 2 bags for her. What did we find? Perry Mason (set), Gene Stratton Porter, Beverly Lewis, George McDonald, Alexander McCall Smith, Lauraine Snelling, Fantastic Mr. Fox (Roald Dahl), Encyclopedia Brown, vintage Zane Grey, Janette Oke, Incident at Hawk's Hill, Ralph McInerny (Father Dowling Mysteries), Elizabeth Berg, L.M. Montgomery and vintage books to craft with. Score!!!

Two Pictures

Hangin' with Mr. Harris today. Since he had a bout with RSV, they are trying to keep him out of daycare for a few more weeks. Mommy has to start back to work, so Auntie Grandma (me) and Grandma Judie and another friend are sharing a few days each week to make it work. He was a good boy and Auntie got a nap today too!

And a great new illustration from W's latest book. It is about Gray Shadow the wolf. I just loved this page of forest trees and had to share it.

Cutting Book Letters

When I saw letters cut from old books on a trip, I knew I wanted to try to make them. I searched the Internet and only found one reference to making them on a Pinterest post that said they used a band saw for the cutting. A band saw seemed like a big investment, so we tried a hand held jig saw. First, I drew out the letter shape I wanted on the back of the book. After the first one I found it worked better to draw it on the front. Any leftover lines erased well, and it was easier and more accurate to cut from the front.

 

I didn't know how to make inner square corners with the saw but Husband said if I curved in and got a cut made in one direction, then I could take the saw out and turn it around, re-insert it in the cut, then finish the cut line going back the other way.  Man brain can be handy sometimes.

 

 

To cut out the center of letters with no opening, I used a drill to make two holes close together, wide enough for the blade to fit into. Smaller areas can be harder to cut as you go along because as the cut pieces of cover and pages become loose there is no way to hold them together and they vibrate. Using a clamp might help in some cases, but with the hand-held saw you would have to keep moving the clamp as you cut. I can see how a band saw with a flat work surface to cut on would be easier and probably give a neater finish. Sometime I'd like to try one, but this method worked pretty well too.

I was able to find books for as low as 25 cents at thrift stores. It  is kind of hard to cut up old books, but when there are soooo many, you soon see it as re-using them in a new way. These can make a fun gift, especially if you fit the book title/subject to the person you are making the letter for. (This Latin Composition book went to a friend who is trying to conquer Latin at college. She actually seemed to enjoy the thought of damaging a Latin Composition book!)

I posted these on http://www.creativejewishmom.com/2013/01/welcome.html and http://www.craftberrybush.com/2013/01/welcome-to-our-new-linky-party.html .

Bookish Initials

When I was in St. Louis with Husband, I visited a little shop where I saw initials cut from books. I think they went for about $15. Ever since I got home I have wanted to try to make them. Husband bought me a jig saw at the pawn shop and for about $20 I was in business!  I have been making them for L's girlfriends for Christmas. We also used some of the cut-out pages and vintage buttons to make little bows to "wrap" them in. I like them! I tried to find instructions on line, but all I could find was one posting on pinterest which said they used a band saw to cut theirs out. I will post a tutorial and tips soon on how I did these.

Just Drawing

My art classes sometimes ask why they can't just draw things. So a week or so ago I brought all the Ed Emberly drawing books I could find of ours (only the Big Red and Make
A World-couldn't find the Big Purple) and all the other drawing books I have collected at rummages, used book stores, thrift shops and Amazon over the years.

To teach them Emberly's methods, I showed them how to draw a castle out of his Make a World book and then told them they had to draw two more things of their choice out of any book I had. After that,  they could draw whatever they wanted for the rest of class. They had fun. 

I like to introduce kids to Ed Emberly. They are great books to have around. Our kids always picked them up and drew amazingly detailed and/or cute things out of them. After you learn Emberly's method, nothing is out of reach. I'd say our Son J and Daughters M and W drew the most from these books. Most libraries should have them on hand to borrow. Our favorites are Make a World and The Big Purple Drawing Book.

Seventeen, Baby!

Last night we had supper out with the kids for a seventeenth birthday. G and G  were in town so they came too!

This morning we had family presents. I made her a crocheted blanket.

Also an owl mug (thrift), vintage owl bookend, clay owl by W., Joe Walsh and Bing Crosby CD's.

The owl bookend looks great with this cool set of "The Worlds Best 100 Short Stories in Ten Volumes" that we got for her on Amazon. She had bought volume three at a thrift sale for 50 cents and loved it, so I found the whole set on line for a decent price. Such a fun gift!

Celeste the Mouse

W. has been reading the book "A Nest for Celeste" and enjoying it, so we decided to get it for part of her friend's birthday gift. We thought it would be fun to make a Celeste of our own to go with the book. I had seen these darling take along friends as inspiration. We used an Altoids tin to hold Celeste and her treasures. In the book, Celeste the Mouse makes baskets, collects berries and finds feathers, so we added these things too. We had some blue jay feathers I could wash up and include. I crocheted a tiny basket and found some little "berries" in our Christmas and silk flower things. I made a little striped pillow, W. stuffed it, and we cut a little blanket out of an old pink turtleneck, using the sleeve hem as the blanket edging.

We tucked them all snugly into the tin and made a little pocket on a strap to carry it. In the book Celeste spends a lot of time in a pocket.

Celeste was made from brown fuzzy fabric, 2 oval black buttons, a tiny pink button, a men's dress shoe shoelace with brown thread eyelashes and whiskers.

I used the back of the shirt we took the pocket from and made a gift bag. I cut the whole back out in a rough square, then folded it in half with right sides together and the shirt hem at the top. I sewed the bottom and the one open side, turned it right side out and sewed a ribbon on near the top. We put the gift inside and tied it closed for a cute, coordinated gift.

A Nest For Celeste tells about a little mouse who lives in a house Mr. John J. Audubon visits. It is a beautifully illustrated, fairly well written story.