A Collection a Day

Yesterday my copy of A Collection A Day arrived from Uppercase - and it's lovely! Everything that comes out of the hands of Janine Vangool is a winner - she being the designer and publisher of the hugely successful, Canadian publication, Uppercase Magazine (which you must have a subscription to - you must!) A Collection a Day is a gem of a book. Packaged inside a fabulous, embossed tin with a hinged lid - love this. The book fits neatly inside and lifts out like a perfect block. Each page is devoted to Lisa Congdon's collections and it really is a feast for the eyes! The collections are so interesting and varied - everything from fish lures and bingo cards to birthday candles and hair pins. It's totally fascinating. The whole package - designed by Janine - would make a great gift for your eclectic friends - here are a few pictures . . . .

DIY - book lamp

Did you have a good weekend? Do anything crafty or DIY? I'm a bit picky about DIYs - they can't look too make shift. I like this lamp a lot because it's unique and rustic and it looks so simple to make - courtesy of HGTV. All the directions are on their site - good luck - and if you make one - send me a picture!

Vintage illustration

I couldn't resist this great little illustration of Puss in Boots. What a fab little outfit he's wearing! From here.

Creative Walls

This looks like a great book for all of us who have way too many collections. Creative Walls: How to Display and Enjoy Your Treasured Collections by Geraldine James. This book is right up my alley and just when I thought I would start simplifying things around here I think I might just start cluttering everything up again - it's so much more fun!

Vintage Puffins.

Aren't these fab? - Vintage Puffin kids' books. I'm sure I had some of these when I was young! I love how bold the illustrations are - fill up that page, don't waste any space at all! I think my favourite would be the trees book - reminds me of that card we have with the big chestnut tree on it!

From here.

Birch and Bird

Big thanks to Vancouver's Birch and Bird for including our Cartolina Art Prints in their Roundup of Artful Ideas last week. We love their blog and they have such great vintage collectibles in their store - especially this super cute kids book - gotta love that cover!

Antique french books

Unfortunately Doug can't remember where he took these pictures of antique french books. It was a window display. I can't believe how beautiful the tiny illustrations are on the covers. It wasn't until I zoomed in on the details that I could see how pretty they were. Aren't they amazing?

Readers Digest - who knew?

When I first saw these books I thought, what a good idea, cover your books in pretty wrapping paper - I love that idea! But I read on and realized that these are actually Readers Digest books. I've never seen Readers Digests look so pretty! (I'd still like to wrap all my books in pretty wrapping paper!)

ffffound - graphic design

Some awfully beautiful and interesting things I have found at www.ffffound.com recently.

Incredible pencil advertisements by Paul Gabor via The Silver Lining.

Vintage book cover from here.

Book cover via We Heart It.

A ticket to L'Exposition Coloniale Internationale, Paris, 1931. From here.

Some Thoughts On The Common Toad - designed by David Pearson, illustration by Joe McLaren,

Spare Our Trees poster - the link to this piece is broken - looks like it was produced in the 1930s but then again it could be modern! Beautiful design

This vintage book on "Paper Toys" was found by Scott Balmer, an illustrator in the UK. Wonderful graphics and type treatment.

Inspiration - pattern

I featured some book photographs by Jelens a year or so ago but I was reminded how lovely they are when I stumbled upon this top photograph on Craftgawker the other day - submitted by See Me Everywhere. Aren't they wonderful?Thanks for the reminder!

Inspiration - framed book covers

Did you see this great post by Esta Sketch at Apartment Therapy yesterday on framing your fave vintage books - really nice!

Found - Homemade Home

Lovely ideas for your home from Homemade Home - by Sania Pell via Home Shopping Spy again(check out this blog - I think you will like it!)

Inspiration

I thought the cover of this book was rather nice - I think a certain paper pal of mine might like this stitchy look. It looks almost like perforated paper doesn't it. Very inspiring! Available here.

The Happy Little Book of Pugs

I love it when I see vintage imagery applied in a fun contemporary way. I was really impressed by this book - which is one of a pair designed and written by Kay Schukhart. You can see more right here -- there is some really fun, tongue-in-cheek pug stuff that will make you smile. Don't miss the lab version too. What a fun gift for a pug lover! Not your average doggy book at all!

The Happy Little Book of Pugs is Published by Harper Collins and available right here.