Friday, January 24, 2014

Bookshelves, Books... Bookends!



The Weekly Link Round-Up is taking some time off, but never fear-- it will be back next Friday with all sorts of places on the interwebs for you to explore. It took me a while to decide on a post to take its place today, and here it is. You get to see some bookshelves, you get to see some of my books, and you get to see some of the bookends that keep those books on the straight and narrow. Even if there are no links, at least you'll see some books!


Have needle, will stitch!

You've all seen those metal bookends that are the height of utility and the depths of style, haven't you? You may even have some of your own, like I do. Well, one day I was looking at one of the ugly things and thought to myself, "Self, I think I could pretty that up a mite." Here's the result that slips on and off the bookend so you can clean it, or swap it out for different colors and designs. I almost did more severe cropping on this photo when I realized that you can see part of a much older bookend on the shelf below. I stitched a peach-colored needlepoint cover for a brick. You definitely don't want to drop that one on your foot!


A David Winter cottage bookend

Last year, Denis bought me this bookend for my birthday. I used to collect David Winter cottages, but I had no idea that there was such a thing as a bookend, so I was thrilled to receive this as a gift. I do have to be careful with it, though, because the ceramic house is separate from the wooden base.


A bookend with a nautical theme

Come to think of it, Denis bought me this set of bookends, too. (You're seeing one of a set of two.) With so many Navy men in the family, how could I not be charmed by sailboats? They're the lightest of my bookends, but they do their job just as well as all the rest.


Marble... another one you don't want to drop!

A friend from Bute, Scotland, gave me a set of two marble bookends carved to look like stacks of books. You're seeing one here. If anything, they're even heavier than the brick bookend I stitched a cover for. You'd never be able to tell what genre of books I prefer: I just had the thought that I could probably use one of them as a murder weapon, clean it off, and put it right back on the shelf with no one the wiser. What do you think? (NO, I don't want to murder anyone!)


Mary Engelbreit #1

Mary Engelbreit #2

This time you get to see both in the pair because they tell a story of their own. I've loved Mary Engelbreit's art for years, so I was thrilled when I found these in a shop. Fortunately the shop was local. I can just imagine trying to stuff these heavy lovelies in an already overstuffed suitcase!

Thus endeth my tour of bookends. What do you think? Do you have some of your own? Or are the books crammed on your shelves so tightly that you don't have need of them? Believe me, I've been there!



8 comments:

  1. Those are really creative and beautiful bookends, Cathy! I like the ship one very much and the needlework on the first one is lovely.

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  2. Love the bookend tour, Cathy. The needlepoint ones are so clever. My husband used to give me cat bookends, my parents would give me brass ones and I even have a pair of bookends my father brought back from somewhere in Pacific Theater in WW II. I also have very full bookshelves so one pair is used as a door stop. This is such a good idea that I might steal your idea and host my own bookend tour post one day.

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    1. I look forward to it, Teresa! (And some of these do make excellent door stops. :-)

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  3. Enjoyed, seeing your bookends, Cathy! Love the cover for the bare metal one, how creative. Happy Birthday and Anniversary.

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  4. Fun!! I tend to lay a stack of books on their sides and use them for bookends.

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