The Perfect Gift

Some people have shoe fetishes. Pumps, heels, sandals of all colors, shapes and styles line their closets and overflow from the recesses under their beds. They fret over whether to mail their shoes or pay for extra checked luggage when traveling. You know who you are.

I am not one of those. I own a total of seventeen pairs of shoes. That may sound like a lot, but in a region where we actually endure four drastically different seasons, that’s not much. My collection includes snow boots, rain boots, sandals, sneakers and a few dress shoes. That’s it. I like shoes, but I don’t love them.

No, I love books. And bags.

Bookshelves literally line our garage. Our car suffers the weather, while our garage serves as an overflow library. Books pile two feet high around my bedroom. I even have a fully-stocked bookcase in the upstairs bathroom (affectionately nicknamed the “Reading Room”). I donate books regularly to all our local libraries and spend more time at Barnes & Noble than I do shopping for groceries each week. And all these lovely books go in my bags.

My beautiful bags. Bags flood my closets, the space next to my nightstand and our attic. And, yes, I even store some in the garage. Big bags, little bags, cute bags. Book bags, shopping bags, quilted bags, leather bags, furry bags. Hobo bags, messenger bags, duffle bags and backpacks. It drives my husband crazy.

Imagine my excitement last night when I found a way to combine my two fetishes into one perfect gift! Check it out: a recycled book handbag.

I mean, it’s JANE AUSTEN and it’s ADORABLE!! What I really like is that she’s not actually destroying the books. The pages can be rebound for you to match your new adorable purse, like this:

Or, if you like the cover, but not the book, she’ll donate the actual book — the inside pages — to a refugee center in Arizona called IRC. Pretty cool – huh? She also makes fun passport holders and wallets. Like this one:

It’s the perfect gift for someone like me.

Oh, and bonus: you can send the seller your own book, even your own choice of fabric and she’ll make it for you. Pretty cool if you’ve got a treasure of a volume sitting around. I may be scrounging the used section of B&N this week just to find something super cute.

All photos taken from Spoonful of Chocolate’s shop on Etsy.

UPDATE: I know have my own shop selling similar items! Not only do I make recycled book purses, but we (my business partner and I) use the inside pages to create beautiful items for home and holiday. Check it out at www.Zaties.etsy.com!