What I've Been Up To...

Some of you may be wondering where I've been lately, well I'm glad to say there are a few good reasons why I haven't been posting a whole lot in the past few weeks. Sometimes it's hard to believe but I do have a life outside of cyberspace (I know, right?!). I've been visiting with family and working on new creative projects on top of all the reading I need to do in order to keep this blog informative and relevant. Family and the new creative endeavor I'm working on have been taking up A LOT of my time but it's not a bad thing in the least! I'm happy to say that the "project" I've been working on is somewhat book related and it might potentially lead to an even bigger project - my own online store!

By now you're probably all wondering what in the world I'm talking about so I'm going to tell you. I've been making book purses! What the heck is a book purse you may ask, well it's as simple as it sounds, a purse made from the cover of a book. Inspired by what I've seen around cyberspace including some great book covers and some gorgeous fabrics begging to be turned into something, I decided what better way to show my love of books than to make a purse out of one! This is not even close to being a "Renee's Original Idea" as there are many places you can go right now to buy a book purse but some are quite pricey. My goal was to create a functional bag that looked super cute while at the same time being durable and most importantly usable and inexpensive. I checked Wal-Mart, Joann's, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble and with all of the materials I got this is what I made.

From this...

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-greatest-adventures-of-sherlock-holmes-sir-arthur-conan-doyle/1111326818?ean=9781435144576

to this!!!

Sherlock Holmes Book Purse

From this...

https://www.bonanza.com/listings/The-Chronicles-Of-Narnia-By-Cs-Lewis-Barnes-Noble-Limited-Special-Edition/466681908?goog_pla=1&gpid=173784728461&keyword=&goog_pla=1&pos=1o1&ad_type=pla&gclid=CJ29nMT-19MCFc-EswodrDwOIA
to this!

The Chronicles of Narnia Book purse

Over the past few weeks I've posted photos to Facebook of the different stages of the purse while I was making it and I got a great response from my friends. A few of my friends even suggested that I start up a store and sell the purses online. Depending on how the first two "experimental" purses I have made hold up I'm definitely considering it. My mother is a phenomenal seamstress and she has been a lot of help with this project. Since she enjoys sewing so much I am thinking about partnering with her to sell not only the book purses but other handmade goods such as aprons and other types of handbags. What does this mean for this blog? Well I'm not sure yet but it could mean a little less posting from me. Depending on whether or not I decide to go ahead with the online store the number of posts will probably vary depending on how busy I get. That won't be for a while yet but I just wanted to give everyone a heads up. Don't worry, I won't be giving up this blog anytime soon, reading and reviewing books are still my first loves.

So now that you've all seen what I've been working on what do you think? Are the book purses cute? Are they something you would ever buy? Cute or not cute?

P.S. The pages of the books are still intact and completely readable. As a book lover I don't think I'd have the heart to make these purses if I couldn't save the story! :-)


Happy Reading!

Comments

  1. Brooke @ i blog 4 booksJuly 31, 2012 at 3:35 PM

    Wow! Those purses are incredible! What a fun idea for all of us bookworms. :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Amber HolcombJuly 31, 2012 at 3:45 PM

    Ummm...I LOVE it!! :D Those are beautiful and so fun! Definitely a book-lover's dream. :)

    I know what you mean about other creative endeavors making it hard to keep up with blogging... Maybe there will be some new websites going up soon, Lord willing! :)

    ~Amber

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Renee (BlacknGoldGirlsBookSpot)July 31, 2012 at 10:26 PM

      Hahaha I know you're a writer so you know all about those "endeavors"! There just isn't enough time in the day is there? *sigh*

      xoxo~ Renee

      Delete
  3. SukoJuly 31, 2012 at 6:25 PM

    The purses are fabulous! Perfect for the bookish set!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Tales of WhimsyJuly 31, 2012 at 6:45 PM

    Adorable!
    I would so use one.
    I don't like when crafters use collectible vintage versions but these pretty B&N versions are pretty, chic, and don't hurt my vintage sentiments.
    I love them.
    Bravo!
    How much will you be charging?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Renee (BlacknGoldGirlsBookSpot)July 31, 2012 at 10:31 PM

      As a historian I would faint if somebody cut up a collectible book for the sake of art so no worries about me taking an Exacto knife to an old book! ;-) I'm not sure yet how much I'll be charging but on Etsy people making similar items are charging between $35 and $200. My purses will definitely be on the LOWER end of the price spectrum. The most expensive part of the whole thing are the books (around $18 a piece!) but I'll be stalking thrift stores for books with nice covers to keep prices down. :-)

      xoxo~ Renee

      Delete
  5. Renee (BlacknGoldGirlsBookSpot)July 31, 2012 at 10:25 PM

    Wow guys thanks so much for your enthusiasm! I'm definitely loving my Sherlock purse and I'm thinking about making a Narnia purse for myself, the one above is for my cousin.

    xoxo~ Renee

    ReplyDelete
  6. Renee (BlacknGoldGirlsBookSpot)July 31, 2012 at 10:32 PM

    Oh also if I do decide to sell these I'll more than likely be hosting a giveaway or offering discounted purses for blog followers so stay tuned!

    xoxo~ Renee

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Amy July 31, 2012 at 11:30 PM

      I love those! I would love to know how you made them...but that might be spilling trade secrets! :-)

      Delete
    2. Renee (BlacknGoldGirlsBookSpot)August 1, 2012 at 1:39 PM

      Hi Amy! There are actually videos all over the Internet on how to make these but my mom and I worked on this pattern together. We're still probably going to do some tweaking with the design so it's not quite perfect yet, you just have to experiment until you get it right. :-)

      xoxo~ Renee

      Delete
    3. Amy August 1, 2012 at 10:44 PM

      Thanks! Yours are the first I've ever seen! If I get brave, I might try to make one.

      Delete
  7. SaraAugust 1, 2012 at 11:00 AM

    Oh my gosh, those are SO cute! Great job, Renee. I would totally buy one...especially a Harry Potter one. :)

    ReplyDelete

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