Listen
to whispers,
stories in the wall.
Poems found,
Titles titillate,
tease, and
tantalize.
Writing on the wall
whispers
through the room.
.
.
.
Last weekend I started wallpapering my dining room with pages from a book. I was given a copy of Diana Gabaldon’s Drums of Autumn last fall. I already have a copy, and the gift had a broken binding, so I pondered ways to use it for practical purpose. Today I’m putting the finishing touches on. Most of the wall layout is fairly straight-forward, but I had 9 extra inches that I centred, and there I’ve been playing. I’ve included copies of autographs we have in other Diana Gabaldon books (copied onto a blank page of the book to match perfectly). I’ve cut graphic bits from Part divisions and used them decoratively. I’ve taken chapter titles and made them into little poems. I’m really liking my very unique wall!
This is a close up on a ‘poem section’ made with section and chapter titles:
Je t’aime
beaucoup
passionnément
pas de tout.
Blame
Forgiveness
The toss of a coin.
Here are the dedications (John’s is actually in the copy of The Scottish Prisoner and says “For John- No one looks better than a man in a kilt!” Mine is in The Exile and says, “To Shawn, Wonderful to meet you in person!”):
Here’s a step back at the wall. The diamond medallions spaced across the top were from dividing pages:
Shawn L. Bird 
A wonderful idea! I can imagine your room being a poetic haven. 😀 And of course, beautiful words. I have always had a fascination with words and language…
I’m not sure it’s a haven, but at least it’s a change after over a decade of the same!
brilliant idea
It’s certainly not original to me, but it was a fun project that suits an avid reader, a librarian, and an author! 🙂
What a cool idea! Love it. I don’t have kids but imagine the possibilities with all the beautiful illustrations of children’s books…it’d work anywhere. You should send that in to HGTV magazine. Seriously!
You could even paper with your kids actual art work, or colour copies of the same. Or photos of your friends/family… Possibilities are endless. 🙂
Pretty cool!
Thanks.
Oh I love the pattern you have made, that is very creative!
It was very random. When I laid the first one, I thought it was just going to be abstract, but I laid out a square, and I liked it, so I kept laying out squares, but there were little empty squares in their middles, so I covered those with diagonals. Then after I had a few rows, I calculated I was going to end up with 10 full repeats but with 9″ left over, so I papered in mirror image coming from both left and right, and in the middle, made up something completely different. It all works. 😉
🙂
😉
Looks awesome!
Thanks.
Wow! Amazing! I can just imagine myself inside those walls of yours Shawn! 🙂
Thanks.
absolutely beautful Shawn! 😊
I’m glad you like it.
Interesting wall of literature. Through a French girlfriend, I once met the founders of a small French publishing company who specialised in publishing exceptional literature which didn’t conform to conventional formats. I remember at that time they had just published a novel which the author had written on his apartment wall. They published the wall itself in the form of several sheets to replicate the original. I believe the novel didn’t have a conventional structure, either – no beginning, middle or end. So you could just launch into it anywhere and read it like going on some kind of journey.
That is serously cool.