decorating with books {& little details}

Do you have a favorite thing around your house that you're always decorating with?

Mine are books.

Old and new, we have them all over the place.

This dump truck houses our most recent library books.

My favorites are those from my Grandfather's old library.

He was from Sweden & we called him Farfar - Swedish for father's father.

Being a history professor & having a passion for knowledge, he had books of all subjects and in so many languages.

It's so fun to think of him as I see them around our house today.

I try to think outside the box when decorating. WWAD {What would Antropologie do??!}. I hot glued ribbon along the top rim of the above apothecary jar to hold snacks Anton's birthday a few years ago.

And repurposed it, placing this is tiny pocket sized 1913 Swedish Bible into it. It now rests upon one of the shelves above our tv.

This book is quite certainly my favorite. It's copyright says 1877. Can you believe it? My Farfar must have brought it over from Sweden.

I love how it's drawn in, stamped, and many of the pages are colored upon by {what looks like} a child.

Ok, stop.

I'm freaking out a little bit about this letter...I doubt my dad knew it was here, I've had the book for years and never noticed the note being stuck between the pages {of the above book} until this very second. It's posted 1882. Wish I spoke Swedish. I'll have to send it on to my uncle Martin...Martin are you reading this?! I 'bout had a panic attack when I tore it a little opening it up. So curious what it says!

...back to decorating.

The top three paperbacks here are on a shelf right above my computer where I'm sitting now.

They have been passed down from my mom. Katie Kittenheart was as much my favorite growing up as it was hers. Books contain so many memories, don't you think?

It's been many {many} years since we've had anything on our coffee table, but the kids are finally old enough to understand that they don't touch and play with absolutely everything.

I'm trying to help them understand how to respect things that are mine, and that not everything is up for grabs and to be played with.

So far my books {and even the little porcelain number/letter balls in the jar} haven't really been touched. If they're doing a project and wanting the table moved, they call for me to move it myself. Props to them!

You can just barely see it, but the cloth on the coffee table was left to me by my grandmother. vintage. from sweden. love.

Even little shelves under the kitchen cabinets/butler's pantry are perfect spots to tuck a fun little book {the art of the handwritten note}.

I will admit that not all of my collection has been passed down to me. These were found a week or so ago at a local used book store. I didn't spend more than $1 on each.

Should I be embarrassed that I bought almost 30 books? Maybe. But I couldn't say no. They're like little pieces of art.

I bought only green and blue ones, as that's the scheme I was going for.

Still haven't found homes for them all. Some are {gasp!} actually IN the bookshelf!

Perhaps I'm a little obsessed. I promise my house doesn't look like a book store. Umm, I don't think. Does it?? Now I wonder.

These sheets of music were about 10 cents. Thought it'd be cute tied with ribbon & twine and stuck in an apothecary jar. What do you think?

When in our entry, you can see straight down a hall leading to our kitchen...this is what you can see on the counter from the front door.

{print from jones design company}

Notice what my fern is in? mhm, an old colander {from goodwill}.

I spent perhaps $1.50 on it. I think it's perfect.

My grandmother would completely freak out if she saw that I let my silver get like this. But I actually LIKE the oxidized look of it.

{I have napkins from Crate & Barrel and Anthropologie folded inside}

I've talked about this book before, but inside my kitchen cabinet where it's easy to reach & remember, I have a copy of My Quotable Kid. I even have a pen tucked behind it.

No excuses. Write their goofiness down!

Ben & my room is far from done. We've been concentrating on getting the downstairs remodeled and decorated...so this is what the master looks like for now.

I do love our bedside tables though.

The glass dome is from pottery barn. Similar to this one.

My earrings are...of course...stella & dot.

Right now I'm reading Becoming a Woman of Influence.

I'm not far into it, but it's really good.

This is Ben's side of the bed.

Those vintage spectacles are actually the ones my Farfar wore in WW2.

The beautiful drawing tilted against the wall was my gift to Ben for our 1st Christmas after we were married. I had it commissioned and am still thrilled at how it turned out.

Look at this detail. Amazing.

This scene has so much significance to Ben & I from our engagement and wedding days.

{if you don't know the Biblical story, you can read it here.}

Even little Imani has books around her room.

{isn't this vintage baby scale fantastic??}

Half the time, this book is off the dresser and down on the carpet because our kids think Olivia's stories are irresistible & are always leafing through it, pretending to read and making up their own stories to the pictures.