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New life for much loved books

7/30/2017

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It's no secret that my youngest son is hard on books. He loves them to pieces...literally. I'm a book lover, too, which makes it painful for me to throw away all those beautiful illustrations. When several pages fell out of "How Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night?" a few weeks ago - our third copy of this favorite title - I had the idea of turning the sheets into puzzles.

And so my upcycled book art puzzles were born. Each is made from an original page salvaged from a children's book and affixed to sturdy birch plywood. The pieces are large enough to be safe for the littlest kids and at 1/4" thick, they are durable. A clear acrylic sealant protects the image. The frame and tray keep the puzzle together when assembled and make for easy storage.

Since I won't be able to keep a consistent stock of these on Etsy, I thought I would post them here for people to browse. If you would like to purchase any of these puzzles, message me with the puzzle number and your shipping address. I will send you the total price with shipping and tax, if applicable, and payment instructions. Remember that each puzzle is one-of-a-kind, so once it is sold it's gone for good.

Lastly, if you have a page from a much-loved book that you would like made into a special puzzle, let me know! Mail me your page or picture and I'll send it back to you as a unique puzzle souvenir.


Upcycled Book Art Puzzle Gallery - Browse and Shop Below


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Birds, Bees and Trees

5/7/2017

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Spring has come to Holyoke. Bees and birds are once again frequent visitors to my yard. Big fat honey bees buzz around the blueberry flowers. Robins pull worms from the newly turned garden soil while starlings and sparrows argue over the seeds at the feeder.
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Although we live in a neighborhood of closely packed homes, we make good use the yard we have to provide food for ourselves and many furry, feathered and flying visitors. My family grows blackberries and honeyberries along with blueberries. Last year a friend gave us seven grape plants which thankfully survived the winter. Before too long we'll have lettuce in the ground and as warm days become more predictable, beets, carrots, cucumbers, beans, squash, tomatoes and peppers will go in.

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It's spring, or so the calendar says

3/25/2017

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Google calendar assures me that it's spring, although given the snow flurries yesterday I'm not entirely convinced. The one good thing about lousy weather is that it encourages me to sit down at my desk to catch up on piles of neglected work.
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That begins with craft fair applications. Several shows now appear on my 2017 fair calendar. That list will grow as acceptances come in. Check in periodically to see where I'll be in the coming months. Next up is the Music and Arts South Hadley Craft Fest at the Plains School April 22 from 9:30 to 3.

New puzzles continue to come out of the workshop. An equine theme emerged in my latest designs. This horse and centaur are made of walnut. I also plan to try them in other woods like maple and shedua. I've had commissions for a few custom puzzles of favorite pet dogs and a lovable squirrel with chunky pieces.

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    Author

    Barbara Bitgood, Artisan owner of Holyoke Puzzles in Holyoke, Massachusetts.

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