Thursday, September 13, 2012

Lavender, Lace and Lexicon


It's back to school time for children everywhere.  Time to pack up books and pencils and get ready to study the three R's: reading, writing and 'rithmatic.  Don't you just love the alliteration, despite the fact that "writing" and "arithmatic" don't begin with a "r"?
 


I have a little alliteration of my own with this post: the three "L's."  Lavender, lace and lexicon.  I love old books.   I love the changes in fonts and designs over the last 100+ years.  I love the yellowing pages.  I love seeing what people have written in their old books and also imagining who might have owned these books so long ago.
 


Do you know what a McGuffey's Reader is?  Here is a stack of the 4th, 5th and 6th McGuffey readers that are from my grandparent's day.  It is fun to see all of the funny little scribblings that children wrote in pencil in these books.  The bottom book in this stack is Chamber's Etymological Dictionary of the English Language."  I do cherish these old school books.
 


Whenever I'm at a flea market I always check to see if anyone has old books I might like.  The smaller stack on the left are three book from the turn of the century and are very old editions of Milton's Paradise Lost I  & II, a collection of Robert Louis Stevenson's Poems, as well as Stevenson's Kidnapped
 



The other day I decided that sitting in a bookshelf concealed by other books was hiding away some past history.  I wanted to enjoy the look, feel and connection to the past that they represent.  Also, I have a very large basket filled with lavender that I've dried from my garden, a lot of lace that needed to find a purpose, and this little school desk that could use some display interest.  So....I tied up a couple of stacks of old books with the lace and lavender and now can enjoy them all.  The idea to do this came from Angie at KNICK OF TIME.  I follow her on her blog as well as pinterest and etsy shops.  She has such fabulous ideas and special touches.
 


I doubt dogs were allowed in the classroom with the children but Miss Paige, one of my Newfoundland dogs, decided she needed to take a break from her studies while I was taking pictures.  Hmmm...sleeping in the classroom!  Is that allowed?  We'll make an exception for Paige.

I'm linking this post to Angie's blog Knick of Time for this week's Knick of Time Tuesday bloghop featuring bloggers creative ideas and projects featuring their vintage style treasure.  If you love creative vintage ideas, you'll want to check out KNICK OF TIME TUESDAY.


 
 
Until next time,
Cheers!
 
Jennifer

5 comments:

  1. Hello Jennifer!
    I am your newest follower.
    I found you via another common blog. It is always neat to discover new, crafty friends.
    I have spent some time familiarizing myself with your blog & browsing your lovely creations.
    I am sure I will be back.
    Please know that even if I do not comment on everything you post that I am tuning in to see what you share with us.
    Hope you can follow my blog as well.
    I am currently holding a blog giveaway to honor getting to 500 followers (when I actually do get there). The post can be found under Sept. 2011, that info is at the top of my blog as well.
    Crafty best wishes,
    Sonia
    http://archiving-angel.blogspot.com




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  2. I'm so glad to hear my book stacks inspired you, Jennifer! I love the old school books you grouped together and they look perfect on that old school desk!

    I'll be featuring you tonight at Knick of Time Tuesday and there will be an "I Was Featured" button waiting there for you!

    Blessings,
    ~Angie

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  3. What a wonderful combination to use the old school desk to display the early readers! What a lovely grouping for your home.

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  4. Hey Jennifer! *waving* I had to wipe the drool from my chin after looking over your blog. You have so many yummy recipes posted!

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  5. I love vintage pieces and antiques things. This book stack set is also just as fabulous. Lovely tying.

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