I love it whenever I find a stash of old books!
Just recently, I was at an outdoor flea market looking for some treasures.
Unfortunately, the pickings were pretty slim. And to be honest, I was so hot and sweaty that I quickly lost interest in digging through the piles of junk.
A stop by one young lady’s booth though redeemed the day. Her space was stocked to the brim with old books, and she was selling them cheap.
Vintage books aren’t the most profitable thing that I sell, but I still can’t resist buying up stacks of them when I find some at a good price.
I have been selling more of them recently, both in my antique booth space and in my online shop.
Using old books as decor was made popular several years ago when the Fixer Upper craze was in full swing.
Well, Mrs. Gaines you may have made decorating with vintage books popular, but I was into that waaaay before it was trendy.
I am a sucker for the aged color of vintage books, and their beautiful script and artwork.
Maybe in our next house I can have one of those gigantic libraries where there are bookcases built in all the way up to the ceiling and one of those sweet rolling ladders . . . Hey, a girl can dream, right?
Besides regular novels, I also found some children’s books that have gorgeous, color illustrations inside of them.
This is where the “instant art” part of this post comes in . . . old books are a fantastic place to look for inexpensive artwork.
You can carefully separate the pages from the binding, trim the pages if necessary, frame, and voila!
One-of-a-kind instant art.
These two geography books were another awesome find.
The typography of these books is truly stunning.
Both of these books are in pretty bad shape, so if someone wanted to take them apart for art I don’t think it would be an issue.
I plan on selling them as a whole book though, and I’ll let the final owner decide how they want to use them.
Rather than them winding up in the trash because they are falling apart, at least some of these beautiful pages can be preserved and have new life as art.
I also found a newer bird study book that has over 200 pages of gorgeous illustrations.
So have I turned you into an old book lover yet? If not, I’m sure I will post again about more book finds in the future and maybe I will convert you then.
And if you love this look but haven’t had any luck finding your own old books, Belle Maison Art is a great online shop . There you can find a wonderful selection of vintage-inspired images ready to frame and very affordable prices.
Have a great day!
Linking up to: Vintage Inspiration Party
Rachel-The Antiqued Journey
Tuesday 13th of June 2023
Such a fun post, Melanie!! I too LOVE old books except they are SO hard to find in my area for a decent price. Such a good idea to use them for art!!
Melanie Alexander
Tuesday 13th of June 2023
They have gotten more expensive over the years, for sure! Every once in awhile though I stumble on a great collection and always grab them when I do!
MaryJo Materazo
Monday 5th of June 2023
Love this post Melanie. I love old books too and have used them in decor for a long time. I love all the texture tattered books add. The beautiful artwork is fabulous and it's a great idea to use as artwork since it doesn't get full appreciation in a closed book. Have a great day. XO- MaryJo
Melanie Alexander
Tuesday 6th of June 2023
Thanks Mary Jo! Something about old paper always draws me in. I'm glad you can appreciate the beauty of these too!
Ballard Designs Hack--Thrift Store Find to Boutique Art | Lost & Found
Wednesday 13th of April 2016
[…] fall I found this incredible bird book at one of my favorite flea […]
Botanic Bleu
Wednesday 16th of September 2015
Melanie, I love books, new, used, antique, falling apart, most any subject... and love seeing them used as bundles in decor... and love seeing their pages as prints. It's been years since I went to Canton, but need to put that on my list of places to visit when the weather is cooler. For the past six years I've been in a Book Club that meets once a month.
It's nice finding another Texas blogger, especially one in the same general area. I'm off to find a way to add your blog to my reading list.
Stay cool.
Judith
Melanie
Thursday 17th of September 2015
Thanks Judith! Yes, Canton in the cooler weather is much nicer. I wish I could find a book club to join! I have always loved the idea but can't seem to get into a group around here. Thanks so much for stopping in--hope to see you around more :)
Karen
Thursday 10th of September 2015
I have always loved books, old, new, any type of books. Since electronic books are becoming "the thing" nowadays, books I believe will be a thing of the past. These old books will soon be in short supply which will increase their value and make it harder for our kids to see, enjoy, and experience these wonderful works of art. Once they are separated from the original book that they were commissioned to be illustrated for, they will have little value and the books will be trashed. It is my hope that more respect and value will be placed on these beautiful works of art no matter what the condition and that they be preserved Scanning the pages can produce an excellent quality image and can be used for many creative purposes.
Melanie
Sunday 13th of September 2015
I have had a hard time Karen getting into the ebook world. I still love the feel of actually flipping a page . . . Maybe I will try scanning a few of the geographic pages, but there are some that literally have already fallen out of the book that I probably will go ahead and pass on as prints. I would rather some of it at least wind up being preserved and appreciated than tossed away.