Beautiful Bookends (Tutorial).....

"I've learned that every day you should reach out and touch someone. People love a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back."

~Maya Angelou~

This has really been a beautiful and inspiring week. One of my Beautiful Life Goals was to seek out and attend a conference. Well, I did just that this week right from my very own home. I was so excited to here our hostess, Melissa of The Inspired Room, speak at A Woman Inspired online conference. It was so great to have a voice to go with that pretty sweet face and blog! Melissa did a great job and I came away with so much encouragement from what she had to share.

Thinking over all I heard from each of the speakers of this event I am reminded of bookends. Bookends are a prop placed at the end of a row of books to hold them upright. Bookends are also defined as a support, any device that bears the weight of another thing. That is exactly what the speakers of this event did, they held the listener upright with their unique brand of encouragement and uplifting teaching and testimonies. They were a support in our walk of faith, letting us know that we are not alone in our thoughts, feelings, or experiences. Many of them confessed to bearing the weight of fear of public speaking yet were obedient in stepping forward, opening up the beautifully bound volumes of their lives and sharing their individual stories, pages read with such honesty and sincerity. If you are interested, CD's of all the sessions will be made available for purchase soon, just click on the highlighted link above to visit the site.

I had time for a sweet and simple bookend project myself this week and I wanted to share a little how~to with you. I have been gathering favorite things from around my home to begin creating a little vignette on the two shelves over my sofa. I wanted some bookends with that timeworn appeal that I so dearly love but could not find exactly what I wanted. One day while I was out scouring my favorite junk bins at a couple of flea markets I came across a couple of old rusty chippy painted strap hinges, a handful of ceramic thing~a~ma-bobs, and two spray painted ceramic apples. An idea was born!I about had a conniption when the store clerk started to muscle my perfectly "L" shaped rusted in place strap hinges flat! "NO!", I cried, "You will ruin them!" He looks at me like I am nuts, "Lady, they are pretty much already ruined." "No, they are perfect just as they are. I am going to use them for book ends." I get that funny, "OK" sort of look from him as I take my rusty crusty treasures and leave. He did loosen one a little so I reshaped it and left it out in the rain and weather for a week and it rusted back up.

To make your own versatile display bookends you will need:
*Strap Hinges~Perhaps you do not like the rusty crusty look, think sleek and modern and use new silver or black hinges for that modern industrial feel. Don't limit yourself to rusty and crusty or industrial, how about spray painting them bright red to hold kitchen cook books, or sweet soft pink for the nursery?

*Something to use as feet~old knobs, wooden balls, thing~a~ma~bobs, old wooden spools, nuts and bolts would work well for an industrial feel, etc. Use you imagination here.

*E6000 glue

*Sandpaper

*Clear matte sealer

INSTRUCTIONS:
*If using old hinges, gently sand off any loose rust and wipe hinges clean. Be sure to sand the areas well where you will be attaching your feet if you are gluing them on. If your hinge is new or loose you may want to glue the joint at an angle with a few drops of super glue to hold the "L" shape.

*Coat hinges, if rusty, with a coat of clear matte sealer. This will prevent further rusting and keep rust from rubbing off on the cover of your books. If you are spray painting your hinges do so now and allow to completely dry.

*Using E6000, glue feet in place and allow to dry completely. These hinges have holes in them that you could screw your feet to if you are using something that would work that way. My thing~a~ma~bobs needed to be glued on.

You now have a rotating display pair of bookends! Below you will find some ideas of the versatility of display ideas you could use with these simple bookends. (Click on any photo to enlarge for better viewing)

My original idea to use the spray painted apples.

How about a sweet little pair of wooden feet? Think how cute this would be with your child's baby shoes!
You don't have to use a pair of anything, use two related but different items like this cast iron bird on one side and a nest full of eggs on the other.

What about items found in nature, like pine cones or sea shells?

Fun vintage finds can be cool too, like these old cameras or "instant ancestor" photos found at flea markets.Chippy china, favorite figurines, or jars full of beautiful buttons work well too!
I love the versatility of these! I hope you too can put this simple project to use in your home.

Blessings,
Miss Sandy