Library Love: Signs, Stationery & Scents
It's chilly, it's foggy, we're all broke: it's the perfect time to celebrate the library. Public libraries are chock full of movies, books-on-tape, music, and of course, the hottest new books. Here are a few of my favorite library-inspired goods, though I'll probably be saving my cents for the late-fines I inevitably accrue. Sorry, library! I'll try to be better this year..
- Three Potato Four's Library Sign is made in Philadelphia, features mahogany veneer, and is inspired by the library signage of the 1950's. Classy!
- The San Francisco Public Library In Its Own Words is a "remarkable piece of journalism and art", according to The Curiosity Shoppe. It is full of drawings & paintings that describe the unique experience of frequenting SF's libraries.
- The Curiosity Shoppe also carries the Library Pocket Journal, a quirky little book full of paper ephemera, and with plenty of pockets to fill with your own treasures.
- If you are a generous (and thorough/serious/amazingly organized) book lender, the Personal Library Kit from Fred Flare could be just what you need to get your beloved books back in a timely fashion. Other people are waiting to read them!
- Think how good all your back issues of Martha Stewart would look spread out on this vintage Library Map Table from Three Potato Four. Unfortunately, shipping costs (even within NYC) are prohibitive, and do not include the cost of those big wooden sticks to put on your newspapers.
- Want to enjoy the rich, studious scent of the library without having to go out into the rain? Paddywax makes a line of Library Candles, inspired by such literary luminaries as Henry David Thoreau (juniper, cedar, moss), Jane Austen (gardenia, tuberose, jasmine), and Leo Tolstoy (blackplum, persimmon, and oakmoss). CB I Hate Perfume makes a perfume and home scent entitled In The Library, a "warm blend of English Novel, Russian & Moroccan Leather Bindings, Worn Cloth and a hint of Wood Polish".
- If you do brave the book return, the Little Library Tote from Bushel & Peck Paper is the perfect accessory.
- Finally, if you want to have lots of fun at no cost (just like the library provides), use the Catalog Card Generator from Blyberg to create custom catalog cards. Any guesses on how much time I wasted on this when I first discovered it?
Images as credited above.