Shelf to Shelf

I've been told by multiple people that when it comes to books I am an extremely critical reader. I nitpick the details and am known to shoot down New York Times bestsellers because the author can't write worth a crap but somehow everyone thinks the book is genius.

What can I say? 

I think it has to do with the fact that my reading time is very valuable to me. I don't get a lot of downtime to read, so when I do pick up a book, I expect it to be worthwhile. 

Yes, I am a harsh critic, but to every con there is a pro. When I feel a book deserves praise, I sing it from the mountain tops. I'll recommend the book to friends and strangers alike, buy copies to give away as gifts, and of course write about it here on the blog. 

Because a 5 star book is hard to find (in my opinion), I've decided to take it one step further and do a #shelfshare link on every book from here on out that gets a 5 star rating on The Book Faire. Books are pricey, and I know that all bookworms hate choosing between that book sale and buying milk (for Captain Crunch Berries). To help out I want to share the books that I think are worth the milk money. 

When a book gets a 5 star rating, I will host a giveaway. Here are the rules for entering:

1. Must be 18 years or older to enter (or have parental consent as I'll need your address)

2. Must live in a country where the Book Depository ships to (Do they ship to my country?)

3. Must love books

That's it! Three requirements, and no limitations on how many entries you can submit per day (or per hour, or per minute...although that would be a bit obsessive of you.)

The number of books I'll giveaway will depend on the cost of the book.

I hope that this allows a few extra readers to get their hands on a book that I think is a worthwhile read!

DIY Book Flowers

April showers bring paper flowers...at least in my house they do! 

Now before anyone gets upset that I cut up a book to make this craft, know that all my "free game" books come from the thrift store. It saves me money and I'm able to make something new from something someone else gave away. 

So, here are the steps that I took to make this bouquet of paper flowers.

Before you start, you'll need the following materials:

- Book Pages (duh)

- Scissors

- Floral Wire

- Wire Cutters

- Hot Glue Gun

STEP  ONE

Trim the rough edges from the paper.

STEP  TWO

 Cut your pages into spirals. 

At the very interior of each spiral cut a semi circle to form a base for your flower. 

I played around with the spiral on the left to give that flower a little more textured. 

STEP  THREE

Starting on the outer edge, curl the spiral. 

If you want your flower to have a smaller bloom, twist the spiral tightly. If you want a bigger bloom relax your grip. 

STEP  FIVE

Hot glue the base of your flower to the bottom of the spiral. (The semi circle was important!)

Here's a sample of a few of the blooms I made. 

You can see how different they look depending on how tight they were twisted.

STEP  SIX

Decide how tall you want your flowers to be (this will depend on the vase height). 

Cut the wire to that length and twist the top once around the handle.

STEP  SEVEN

Bend the wire to 90° and hot glue it to the bottom of your flower. 

STEP  EIGHT

Arrange your flowers and put them some place sunny...and filled with books!