Uncommon Handbound Books by Cindy Leaders


My New Addiction

Saturday, February 16, 2008

Greetings! I've been gone so long I couldn't remember my password. Very sad! But I'm back and excited about reconnecting with my friends in cyberspace.

While I've found very little time to be creative so far this year (how DID it get to be February 16??), I have developed a little problem with antique malls. Those of you who've frequented those musty, cluttered places for years may be amazed that I never had any use for them before. I would go occasionally with friends and really "not get it." Who wants to sift through 1500 pieces of junk to find the one item that you really want? The thrill of the hunt eluded me.

Ah, but now! NOW, I have a quarry that is worth the trouble. Now I am smitten by a deep desire for just the right vintage books. I can't really quantify what I look for in a book. There are various qualities that will endear one to me: cover art, great titles, interesting color combinations or a sense of humor. Now they call to me from the dusty shelves in second hand stores and antique malls wherever I go.

And the end result? I have now acquired 68 books, my friends. 68 books are waiting patiently in my studio to be made into journals. I certainly hope that selling everything I had on Etsy at Christmas time wasn't a fluke, or I am in big trouble with my husband! (Not that I expect to sell every single thing I list all the time, but hopefully I can sell SOME books.) Every time I walk in the door with a bag of books and get "The Look," I say, "It's for my business." That's pacified him for now, but I definitely have to reverse the flow and start getting some books OUT of my house instead of in!

Happy hunting to all ye similarly afflicted!

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