Back to School- Sharing my Collection of Vintage Readers and Textbooks

 

Hello friends!

School is starting soon-

I'm putting away the summer decor now and I thought I would

bring together some of my collection of vintage readers.

I found an old school chair at the thrift store last week.

It was in good shape, I gave it a good cleaning.

Then a little sanding and some dark stain.

I have a thing for small chairs too!

I thought a chair with a few books would make a nice vignette.

A little reading corner-

I pick up the readers here and there, usually for a dollar or less.

I love the covers.

Oh my goodness!

I had no idea that I had SO MANY!

Some are very old... early 1900's

The illustrations are just beautiful.

Most are 1940's through 1970's

I have a scanner connected to my printer and I can either

copy the pictures on the printer

 to use for art projects or scan and save for later.

I love the end pages, they remind me of vintage wall paper.

I don't like to use original pages. 

I  always try to use a copy.

Good advice!

Here are a couple of oversized books.

Most are California textbooks, that's were I live.

I started with elementary readers, but I realize I have some

books for Jr. High now called middle school.

Some are dedicated to a single subject like science, math

or music.

These books are fun and still easy to find

if you are interested in starting a collection.

I added one of the oversized books to the bottom rung

and made another shelf!

Do you collect Readers?

I'd love to hear about your collection.

xo Lisa S

Faux SPARKLER BOX and FIRECRACKERS for the 4TH of JULY

Hello my friends,

Summer is here!

Here in the U.S.A. out comes the RED, WHITE and BLUE.

I wanted to add some new pieces to my decorations

( not that I needed any !)

I thought I could make some faux fireworks. 

I went to my wood scraps and found some pieces

of dowel 1.5'' diameter and cut them to staggered heights.

(4.5'' for the shortest, 5.5'' for the next size, 6.5'' for the tallest )

Drilled hole, center top for wire or jute.

Painted with Apple Barrel 'Tuscan Red' Acrylic paint.

Tied together with jute and a piece of cloth.

I painted the last one red, then blue at the top.

Then hand painted the stars and white strips.

To finish I went over the edges with sandpaper

then some sealing wax.

I found these vintage labels online and played

around with sizing.

I cut my wood to 8 '' high by 2 '' wide, by  1'' thick.

I painted my wood blocks with Apple Barrel 

'English Navy' Blue

Acrylic paint.

I trimmed my labels to fit.

I painted a thin coat of Mod Podge on the front.

After this dried, I painted another thin coat on the top.

Some simple shelf sitters to add to your decor!

Have a safe and HAPPY 4TH of JULY !

XO Lisa S

If you like the Sparklers you may also like these

Retro Christmas Wood Blocks

Make a Bird on a Perch

 

Hello Friend!

I found these birds at the local Garden Center.

They had texture like hand carved wood.

I think they may be made of resin or 

some kind of solid plastic material.

I sanded off their tiny feet.

I had this single wooden candlestick that I wasn't using-

I had the idea to cut off one end to make a perch for my bird.

The candle side was metal.

I flipped the candle stick so that the metal top was now the base.

The weight on the base made the 'perch' more stable

I cut a short piece of dowel and set aside.

I made feet for my bird using heavy gauge wire. 

I drilled small holes under the body 

to attach wire with super glue.

Let dry.

I painted the bird with white chalk paint.

When it was dry, I rubbed some antiquing wax

all over the bird.

I used pliers to bend the wire feet around a small

wood dowel piece.

I used wood glue to attach

 the dowel to the candlestick.

Easy!

I like the added height.

-sold-

Thank you for visiting.

I hope you have a blessed week!

xo Lisa S

Faux Tin Tile Bunny

Hello My Friends! 

Most of the Craft and Dollar Stores have

some chunky cut outs for Spring!

There are so many ways to decorate these.

I used this bunny cut out because

he can stand on his own-

I also needed one of these tiles from the Dollar Tree.

Have you seen these SELF- ADHESIVE WALL TILES ?

They are made of plastic with a raised 3D design.

They are 12'' x 12'' and  $1.25 each

Easily cut with scissors or utility knife.

I removed the backing adhesive sheet. 

I will not be using it.

I traced the area needed

with a pencil.

Save the scraps-

I used white glue to attach tile to the wood piece.

After the glue dried I cut around the bunny shape.

Then painted the entire bunny with white acrylic paint.

I used a damp cloth to wipe paint off on some areas.

The gray raised areas show through.

I put the bunny on a shelf along with a gingham jar 

that I painted a few years ago.

Here's a tutorial on my Jars, in just about any color!

Gingham Jars

With some of the scrap pieces I was able to

cover a wooden heart-

to hang

and to display in my bathroom

and the roof of a small birdhouse.

-sold-

These tiles are so easy to use!

I recommend you give them a try.

Thank you for visiting!

xo Lisa S