Spring 2013 Reading Goals: Achieved!

Two months ago, I decided to set reading goals for myself in lieu of a Spring reading list, figuring that more generalized goals would be less restricting than a list with specific titles on it.

You see, for the past year, I overzealously created reading lists, some 20+ titles deep. Obviously, I was only setting myself up for failure, but I am a diehard list maker. I'm not sure which is more fun for me-- forming the lists or crossing things off them.

Anyway, as it turns out, I was right in that I respond very well to reading goals; I ended up reading every genre that I intended to.
 

My overarching mission was (and still is) to read eclectically and often, and I did indeed accomplish just that by setting out to read the following:

The Great Book Purge of 2013

So. A funny thing has happened to me and my library... I've run out of room on my book shelves. Yes, I have an entire room with wall to wall shelving for my books, and yet, somehow, I no longer have any shelf space. How did that happen? Beats me. I totally have my book addiction under control. It's a mystery.

I suppose one must do what one must. In this case, I've made the incredibly difficult decision to get rid of some books. Though I have to admit, once I got started, it got easier and easier as I moved from shelf to shelf.

As I went along, deciding which of my books to orphan, I asked myself several questions:

Emily Dickinson: A Few Favorites

Last night before bed, I read a collection of Emily Dickinson's poems. I had sweet dreams. Coincidence? I think not.

---

Pain has an element of blank;
It cannot recollect
When it began, or if there were
A day when it was not.

It has no future but itself,
Its infinite realms contain
Its past, enlightened to perceive
New periods of pain.

---

Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune without the words,
And never stops at all,

And sweetest in the gale is heard;
And sore must be the storm
That could abash the little bird
That kept so many warm.

I've heard it in the chillest land,
And on the strangest sea;
Yet, never, in extremity,
It asked a crumb of me.

---

A word is dead
     When it is said,
     Some say.
I say it just
Begins to live
     That day.

Spring Pinterest Challenge: Book Page & Paint Chip Art

It's Spring Pinterest Challenge Time! The bloggers behind Young House Love and Bower Power dreamed this challenge up, and I was thrilled to participate again. I played along last summer when I created Repurposed Book Page art and this past winter when I created Personalized Bookmarks.

This time, I was inspired by paint chip art a la this pin and this pin, but of course I had to put my own bookish spin on it. I accomplished this by adding some book pages into the mix.

Take a gander at this beauty:

It was super easy to accomplish. Allow me to break it down for ya:

1. Go to your local home improvement store and scour the paint chip aisle for your desired colors. Don't let the judgmental  looks from the salespeople get to you-- so what you are snatching up colors for a good 20 minutes. Last time I checked, it's a free country and paint chips are free.
2. Cut out triangles from the chips and the book pages. I opted to take the pages out of the same book carcass I used for a previous craft project. As any true book lover should, I will use all parts of a book until there is no more.
3. Arrange and rearrange and rearrange your cut-outs some more until you are ready to pull your hair out. Then, take a break-- reading break, tea break, Doctor Who break, what have you. Finally, settle on a design already, you're taking forever.
4. Glue your pieces down, slap it in a frame, take a few pictures for bragging rights, and call it a day.

Here's some shots of my work-in-progress:

 As you can see, half the fun of the creative process is making a nice big ol' mess on the kitchen table.

My book page and paint chip art has yet to take up permanent residence anywhere, but I envision it as a part of my future frame gallery in the living room. I'll keep you updated :)

 

I am linking this project up here, here, here, and here if you are curious about other bloggers' Spring Pinterest Challenge projects.