Rags to Riches: Book Recycling

One of the sessions at the annual conference of the Texas Library Association was entitled "Rags to Riches: Book Recycling for Fun, Fashion and Furniture". I had planned to attend a different session so just ran into Rags to Riches for a minute before my session began next door. The presenters had some adorable ways of recycling books into usable, decorative items. This was one time I wish I could have been two places at one time because I would have loved to hear more uses for old books as I am weeding my library with great abandon and have boxes of weeded rags that I would love to turn into riches! Here are a couple of pictures of some little tea pots I purchased. There is a little story as to why I purchased tea pots...some of the books were cut into cowboy boots, the shape of our great state, and other things. But I chose the tea pot shape because months ago Paul's mom, May, sent me some money to buy a tea pot. She had been shopping there in Ohio and had bought old timey tea pots for her other daughters-in-law. Thoughtfully, she had sent money so I could get myself a tea pot. I had looked in Ruidoso and Cloudcroft and other places when we have taken weekend trips but hadn't found the "right" tea pot til I saw these tea pots cut from books...the perfect librarian's tea pot! I bought one for myself, green of course, and one for May. Today I took a day off from school with allergies and laryngitis and I spent my day doing some of the things I love but never have time to do. I jazzed up May's tea pot with a few flowers and have been trying to decide whether to paint my tea pot, too. Take a look!