Books that Inspire…

Hello! I hope you are all having a lovely bank holiday weekend!

As you all know, I’m a book lover. I always have been since I was a child (a long time before I was old enough to read them!) and right now my house is crammed full of bookcases as well as boxes of books that I can’t fit on them!

What I do love more than anything though are the books that really inspire you, and I was lucky enough to find two of them on a recent trip to Salts Mill with my parents while James was away.

What inspires me most about these books is that they are completely unique – I have never encountered books like them before. They have stunning graphics  that really speak for themselves, so prepare yourself for a photo heavy post. Because of this, I’m only going to  give them the briefest of introductions, then let the pictures get you inspired too!

The first book that I bought was Snail Mail: Celebrating the Art of Handwritten Correspondence which is simply an essential for anyone who, like me, loves snail mailing. It is a stunning hardback volume with over 200 pages crammed full of inspiring stories, tips and crafts for avid snail mailers. The author is truly passionate about the art of snail mail and really presents it as an art form through the beautiful photographs. Mackintosh shares the origins of her love of snail mail from her Dad’s romantic telegram messages to her mother, and walks you through the etiquette of the hobby. The most inspiring thing about this book however, is the wonderful abundance of ideas that this book invokes – everything from font styles to handmade envelopes and gifts, to stamps and decoration, which really urge you to dig out you stationary straight away and get started! See if you can make it through the next twenty photographs without rummaging around for a pen and the address book!

The second book that I bought was FLOW BOOK FOR PAPER LOVERS – N2 2015 by FLOW MAGAZINE; this is a really innovative book unlike any that I have seen before. If you like paper for any reason – whether it is for snail mailing or paper crafting or even just for collecting this book is perfect. It is another chunky book that is packed full of paper goodies to set your creativity loose with! With just a couple of pages handed over to an introduction, this entire book is an Aladdin’s cave of paper wonders. Inside you will find letter writing sheets, craft card, tags, stickers, postcards, A3 sheets that can be used as wrapping paper, posters, dress up dolls, pop up pages, bunting, thank you’s, invitations, colouring sheets…the list really does go on! And on top of all of that, there is even a pocket at the back crammed with some more loose paper goodies such as paper bags and banners. There are really no instructions with this book, you can just tear the sheets out, colour them and craft with them however you want to! It is just like a catalogue of papercraft supplies! I tried to photograph as big a range of the contents as I could, but there are just so many things that inevitably some things have been left out.

Although I bought both of these books based on their individual appeal, they do, inevitable complement each other hugely. The inspiration to write letters and to craft wonderful handmade envelopes and unique mail from Snail Mail can inevitable be fulfilled using the resources in Flow. Both books are stunning in their own right and they fill a unique void in the books that I own, but the pair together have really provided me with almost infinite hours of snail mailing and papercrafting happiness; and the inspiration they have provided will last long beyond when I finish the books to be sure; they are both wonderful treasures that I had the pleasure of stumbling upon.

What inspires you? Have you been lucky enough to find a hidden treasure recently?

Please note that both of these books were chosen and paid for by me. This is not a promotional post, just something I think my readers will be interested in.