Picture Me This

We've been in our lovely old house now for four years, and in that time, I have managed to make the library into a warm, welcoming room with plenty of books, tchotchkes, and pictures hanging on the walls. And the kitchen has gradually taken form, too, with some stuff on the walls (though my dream of having a kitchen with a charming armoire bursting with quirky kitchen stuff has never come to light owing to the fact that the hubby has stuffed the armoire shelves full of books. See photos below).

But the rest of the house is sadly sporting bare walls. How is this possible if one of the owners is an artist? Well, for starters, money. It seems I always have an excuse for not being able to afford proper framing for my own artwork. And because we live in an old house (93 years old), there are issues with the walls. Some of the walls are lathe & plaster, and are a royal pain to work with, when trying to hang pictures. Other walls feel like they are solid concrete, and so the only way to hang a picture is to use a drill, and well, that means serious committment, and well, I'm bloody terrified of making a mistake. And then there is the whole issue of trying to figure out what to place on the walls. My tastes have changed over the years, and most pictures from our old apartment just feel, well...old.

So what do do? Have no fear. I have been saved by a penguin! But not just any penguin, mind you. I'm talking Penguin penguin. I saw this beauteous box in a bookstore a while back and could not resist:

See? Luverly, luverly postcards of Penguin paperbacks! Soooooo purty...

And don't they look nice when they are framed?

But where to put them? Aha – by the stairs. And why not add an old picture I have of the Brooklyn Bridge? Hmmmm...not bad.

And finally, this little grouping of titles. I quite like the mix of colours and the overall theme, don't you?

Well, it's a start. I have plenty of postcards left to play with, and this is the year I finally frame some of my own artwork, dammit!!

Comments

[Kerry Clare]

I am SO jealous. If you have any cool ones left over, I would be willing to take them off your hands...

[patricia]

With pleasure, Kerry! I mean, I do have 50 of them, and of course I won't be framing them all...

[Bibliohistoria]

Wow, those are absolutely gorgeous.

What a great idea. Who knew that penguin covers could be that beautiful??

I knew that Penguin did the orange covers but this is the first time I have ever seen a Penguin green cover.

[patricia]

And there are even MORE interesting covers, Bibliohistoria. Lots of very creative designs for all the non-fiction paperbacks that they eventually produced. I should scan some of them and do another post!

[Isabella]

Clever! They look great!

[lisa]

Love these! I saw them at the Annex Book City not to long ago.

[Beth]

Brilliant! I love a home decorated with a literary theme.
You can now add interior designer to your list of talents...

[ragdoll]

Those postcards look amazing! Decorative and charming...

[Katriona Chapman]

Love this idea! It looks really great. Have you seen this website with really gorgeous iconic book covers printed on T-shirts? http://www.outofprintclothing.com/Shop_a/152.htm

I really want some of these. I love the Moby Dick one, but here in the UK you have to be careful about the word dick unfortunately! :o(

[patricia]

Oooooo....thanks for sharing that, Katriona! I love them! Though I am a tad annoyed that they don't provide as much selection for the women's tops...what's up with that??

[Katriona Chapman]

Yeah! They started out just with the mens' shirts... when I first saw the site they hadn't done the women's section yet. Hopefully that means it's still a work in progress & there might be more soon

[rob]

Friendly stranger,

I seen your shelf and I was thinking hell ya! Now thats a book shelf. I'm working on mine. I'm proud of the books I've bought and I someday I'll be taking a picture of mine too.

Take care and keep the peace..
Rob