Bittersweet

This is a bittersweet entry for me. Bitter because of the damage done to a lovely book, and sweet in that I've relished the memories of it while composing this post. You see, the

book I'm referring to is a book of French fairy tales* that was given to me in my childhood my my late Aunt Sara. It has perhaps the most beautiful illustrations** I've ever seen, and was my favorite book as a child. Enter Hurricane Hugo in 1989. My home was severely

damaged by the storm, and my cherished book as well. I've clung to it all these years in its sad condition, but have finally

decided to move on. I just finished photographing the illustrations in the book to preserve them as best I can. Now I'm

going to remove some of the less damaged prints and frame them. Others will be "reborn" into new pieces of art, as I incorporate them into my collages.

Now I'd like to share some of them with you.
Click on any image below to enlarge.

Bluecrest

The Tinder Box

The Sleeping Beauty

Beauty and the Beast

The Seven Crow Princes

The Royal Ram

The Wild Swans

The White Deer

Queen Cat

Donkey Skin

Puss In Boots

Urashima and the Turtle

Thumbelina
I hope you've enjoyed browsing some of the pages of my beloved childhood book with me. I've certainly enjoyed sharing them!

Until next time,
Sheilla

*This book was initally published in France in 1958. Rights were purchased by Golden Books and it was subsequently published in the United States. My edition was published in 1966 and was part of the seventh printing.

**The amazingly beautiful illustrations in this book were done by Adrienne Sègur.

I'm linked up with Show and Tell Friday at Cindy's gorgeous blog, Romantic Home Check it out for lots of incredible inspiration!

We'll Always Have Paris

"We'll always have Paris". That's a favorite quote from a favorite movie, and also the inspiration for a decoupage project that I'd like to share with you today.
I picked this chair up at the local Goodwill for $3. It was partially painted purple and had a few loose joints but the lines were decent. At that price, I figured I could find something to do with it. And I decided on decoupage.
Aside from a few painted accents, the chair is completely covered in paper, mostly vintage. I used lots of old sheet music, some reproduced vintage French love letters and wall paper from the 1930's and 1940's as the foundation materials. Accents include a vintage heart shaped doily, a postcard from France, and some magazine cutouts.

One of the details that I most enjoyed doing was the back slats of the chair; each one tells a little Parisian story
This one shows a couple in parting surrounded by love letters, a photograph of the Eiffel Tower, and an old airplane.
The one beneath it highlights a dreamy looking starlet with more photos of the Eiffel Tower, another letter, and lots of roses.
This one depicts a young couple married in Paris, with a photo of the Cathedral of Notre Dame and of course, another Eiffel Tower shot.
This one features a photo of a lovely young woman gazing into the mirror, memories of Paris in her thoughts. Other images from this scene include a party photo, the Eiffel Tower, a love letter, and lots of roses.

This was a very time consuming, but fun project, and I'm quite pleased with how it turned out.
It has found a home at the desk where I work on paper projects. Between the chair and my mood board there's plenty of inspiration close at hand.

Until next time,

This post is shared on "Show and Tell Friday" at Cindy's gorgeous blog, My Romantic Home. You should check it out....lots of great ideas to discover!