Vintage Inspiration Friday: Books

Books have long inspired me. I am an avid reader and I have fond memories of weekly visits to the little library in Cassville, Missouri, where the unmistakable smell of old, yellowed pages filled the rambling rooms of biographies and children's stories and maps and magazines. So naturally this prolific trend of using book pages and typography in home decor is one I'm a fan of. One room in my house that makes me smile every time I step inside is the powder room just inside my foyer. I wallpapered the space with pages I tore from thrift store novels, dictionaries and textbooks using a 50/50 mix of wallpaper paste and Mod Podge. I realize I am not the first or last to employ this idea, but I am so pleased with the look and also the texture and varied colors of the pages.

We replaced the hulking green marble vanity with this primitive stand from my all-time favorite The Seedbox and mounted a vessel sink on top. The mirrors are a hodge podge of flea market finds, all foggy, and I keep the lighting dimmed, a flattering combo for my party guests, I think.

I can spend hours looking through old postcards at the flea market, the fronts and the handwritten messages on the backs, and these flirty ones are a couple of my favorites I've found over the years.

The rusty glass towel bar is also a flea treasure (I hung it all by my little self!) and the sconce, again from The Seedbox, has been rewired and surrounded by an iron wreath piece from Spring Creek. I covered a thrift store shade with pages, too, to tone down the bulb.

I picked and pulled all the pages prior to the pasting (alliteration there) and I chose ones with pictures I liked, fonts I liked, and several that reminded me of things in my life. The song below is one my 2 sisters and I sang over and over again on road trips when we were growing up. I think it was originally part of one of Lindsay's school music programs. I also placed pages with "Interesting Facts About the World" and "Signs of the Zodiac" and such at eye level near the "commode" (as my Nanny always used to call it) for some informative reading upon each visit.

I worked our initials in here and there. I also pulled some pages about the joy of reading and what we take from poetry out of an old literature book, pages I find a lot of truth in as a reader and a teacher despite the age of the words. I had finally read the Twilight series not long before I started this project, so I also worked in the Debussy page as a nod to vampire Edward's favorite composer. Giggle.

The black and cream pages are a nice backdrop for a revolving display of vintage treasures. The shelf is also from Spring Creek. At one time I had the nooks filled with my vintage cameras, but several guests made uncomfortable remarks about cameras in the bathroom. I think they were mostly joking, but I switched it up and have several vintage bath items mixed in with old silver.

The address book behind the brush is literally a man's little black book, filled with not only girls' names and addresses but also updates about their marital status, etc. I should do a post on it sometime. It really is quite charming.

I find something new to look at every time I step into this room and I'm continually inspired by books and the clever and beautiful ways so many people have found to work them into their spaces. I'm linking up to a most inspirational blogger's party...Debra @ Common Ground who just used pages on some adorable Halloween themed altered bottles I need to check out in her booth.


"I am like a book, with pages that have stuck together with want of use: my mind needs unpacking and the truths stored within must be turned over from time to time, to be ready when occasion demands." ~Seneca