Last week I was talking about using books as decorative accents in my home; today I’m using macro photos of pages in my favorite books. I took these pictures with my digital SLR and edited them on Picnik. I like the slightly blurry look of the text, but it’s a matter of personal preference.
I then used Mat-o-matic to get an idea of how my pictures will look once I enlarge, mat, and frame them.
I’m not crazy about such a thick mat, but the site doesn’t offer different widths. I’ll be using a much thinner mat and might only go with a single color. We have an empty living room wall and haven’t had any luck finding art or prints that we like enough to hang. In an inspired moment, I decided to just enlarge and frame macro photos of specific pages of my favorite books. These framed images will hang either in a straight line across the wall, or in pairs–one set above the other.
Here’s a teaser until I finish this project:
A favorite page from Harry Potter about the Mirror of Erised (Desire)
Remember, these are works in progress and there is still tweaking and cropping to do, but this is essentially the look I’d like to have. An here’s how it could potentially look as wall art…
Another image that I am going to use:
And that’s what I’m up to over here at Book, Line, and Sinker. Wishing you all a week of happy reading!
Welcome aboard, I'm Natalie! I'm 37, married to a dream boat, and live in New Jersey. It's all about books here! I read, recommend, review, and revel in them. Have a book you'd like me to review? Visit my
The look fantastic! I agree that a thinner mat is in order, but I do like the double mat.
Oh, I love it! Especially the Pride & Prejudice one. I wonder what my husband would think if I did that.
.-= Chrisbookarama´s last blog ..The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott by Kelly O’Connor McNees:Review =-.
What a great idea! It might also be fun to have a colour copy of your favourite book’s cover made, and frame it as well. I also once used a excerpt from a book to decorate a fabric tote bag (fabric paint pens).
Fabulous,
Lydia @ The Literary Lollipop
.-= Lydia´s last blog ..Operation: The Lost List =-.
Things like this make me wish I was a more creative and arts-and-crafty person. I would love something like this.
.-= Michelle´s last blog ..TSS – Billy Collins & Poetry =-.
UBER cool! Totally. Inispired. Genius! Thanks for sharing.
Love the idea of this! Your photos are great, and of course I was able to identify both texts just from the photos alone.
.-= Steph´s last blog ..Steph & Tony turn 3! =-.
well, the quality of the images here on my blog is less than stellar after i squished the rez to put them online. i’m going to make sure that you see a whole lot more of the text and much less of the mat when i finish this little project.
Oooh, I love those pictures! Looks like they’re going to look even more fantastic framed.
Re: your comment on my blog. I am so jealous of your 4-book tbr pile!! At times I feel slightly panicky and think that I need DROP EVERYTHING and Read! Read! Read! You are an inspiration that the tbr pile can be whittled down
.-= Alita´s last blog ..Soundtrack Saturday – Uglies =-.
Nat…these are truly awesome.
I’d have to see the thinner mat but I sort of like the thick ones, at least in the two examples you provided.
.-= Ti´s last blog ..Fancy That! Genres Through the Ages =-.
Fantastic idea! I love the way your personal taste in books is reflected in the quote you’ve chosen – it is so nice to create something unique for your walls. I look forward to photos of your completed project on the wall.
.-= Jackie (Farm Lane Books)´s last blog ..The Long Song – Andrea Levy =-.
What a lovely idea!
.-= Kathleen´s last blog ..A Reading Week in Review =-.
That is such a cool idea! You must share when you’ve finished the project. I’m already whizzing around in my head thinking which pages I’d feature on my own wall- but I’m not that good with a camera….
Oh, I love it! Perhaps I will try. I have many blank walls in my house, and I am looking for an excuse to try my hand at my newly acquired skill of matte cutting!
I love this idea! I’m a fan of double, or even triple, matting, though–they’re a great way to add a bit of color to something so neutral.
.-= Jena´s last blog ..Unforgettable: Southern Ladies & Gentlemen by Florence King =-.
Very cool stuff. Can’t wait to see it all done!
.-= Lisa´s last blog .."Comfort Living: A Back-to-Basics Guide To a More Balanced Lifestyle" by Christine Eisner =-.
Book pages as arts to hang in a living room wall is a very great idea! But I would like it to be bigger, a size that would fill the entire frame. I think it’s eye catching that way. Just a suggestion!
.-= Lex Cut´s last blog ..Tutu =-.
yes, i’m with you–the prints will be enlarged to maybe 11×17 or so–something bold–but i was using the online frame site to get a rough idea of how these pages will look framed. i may actually just go with a ‘museum’ canvas, a frameless enlargement of the image.
I love these. You should sell them, I’d totally buy one. I think the next step would be to get an electric frame and watch it flip through the pages. I can’t wait to the rest.
Awesome idea!!
.-= Beth F´s last blog ..Readalong 2: The Return of the King by J. R. R. Tolkien =-.
This is such a great idea and looks amazing! Simple yet personal. I had a similar idea but mine was to hand write it to make it a touch more personal. Hopefully it won’t be regarded as plagiarism as long as I add where it came from!
.-= Mae´s last blog ..The Most Memorable Books in My Life (so far) =-.
oh, gosh! i’m sure i’m not the first person to ever think of this, so don’t even worry for a minute about your own creativity.
OMG! What a wonderful idea! Not only is it something meaningful to you, but it is sure to start many conversations. Just lovely!
.-= Literate Housewife´s last blog ..#248 ~ Arcadia Falls =-.
What a great idea! I might have to steal it!!
.-= Lahni´s last blog ..DNF: She-Rain by Michael Cogdill =-.
Super cool idea! You could sell these I bet!
.-= Jenners´s last blog ..Question of the Week: Life-Changing Books =-.
What an inspired idea! You’ve captured exactly why I love reading. It’s not only what the words are saying but how the page looks and feels and how the words are arranged on the page. Beautiful!
Want! Would have never thought of that and it looks so cool.
.-= Nicole´s last blog ..5-12-10: Where Will You Be? =-.
on Nat – these are really REAAAAALLLLY cool! I love ‘em. (and that fact that I saw Ronald Weasley as the sharpest words on that first page makes miss Chartroose. sigh… Golly, did you even get to meet her? she had the coolest blog and has disappeared on us.)
anywho and again, COOL.
Holy crap, do you mind if I totally steal this idea? I also have an empty wall in my living room and this is an EXCELLENT idea!!
.-= Stephanie´s last blog ..Sunday Salon 04.25.10 =-.
BTW, I would totally use a page from Harry Potter & P&P – are you my long lost twin?
.-= Stephanie´s last blog ..Sunday Salon 04.25.10 =-.
lol! we must have been separated at birth! i was thinking of just blowing up the images and using a ‘museum canvas’ (without a frame) because i love the text soooo much.
send pics if you decide to go with this!
Love this idea!
.-= Jen – Devourer of Books´s last blog ..Claude and Camille by Stephanie Cowell – Book Review =-.
This is such a wonderful idea! I did something similar …
http://avidreader25.blogspot.com/2010/02/wedding-centerpieces.html
…but I love your pictures of the actual texts. Brilliant!