It Is Time...
Brace yourself…because pumpkin everything is coming!
Brace yourself…because pumpkin everything is coming!
Fall is just around the corner and my excitement for my favorite season and one of my favorite holidays is mounting! So, I’ve decided to open my upcycled book pumpkin orders today! These are some of my bestselling products and I always end up with a bunch of orders in September, so I’m hoping to hopefully spread out some of that congestion with an earlier ordering option!
My pumpkins come in 4 different sizes and 4 different color options, so hopefully we’ll have something just right for your bookish fall/Halloween decor needs! I try to keep these orders open through Thanksgiving, but depending on how many orders I get, I may need to limit the number available later in the season. So I would suggest ordering some of these right away if you want to get them!
I will also slowly be adding my other fall and Halloween product listings between now and September, so be on the lookout for those soon!
In other news I am excited to announce that I’ll be a vendor at Coulee Con, a regional gaming celebration based in La Crosse, WI, over this coming weekend, Aug. 19-21! Online badge sales will end on Tuesday, Aug. 16, although you will be able to purchase badges at the event starting on Friday.
If you’ll be attending, be sure to stop by and say hi at our booth! This will be my first bigger event over an entire weekend, so I’m very excited and nervous all at once! We’ll have plenty of video game inspired items as well as general bookish, geeky and fantasy products as well. I’m even working on a few completely new products that will hopefully debut at this event! Anything left over afterwards will be added to the website, just in time for the holidays, so keep an eye out over the next few weeks.
Life Finds A Way...
It is officially summer now, which seems crazy to me…almost as crazy as the world lately, am I right? Not gonna lie, things have been rough, just in general, status of the world, type things and more personally as well. Everything just seems a bit overwhelming at the moment, and I’m sure that’s true for many of us…but as the title of the blog (which is quoting Jurassic Park) says, life finds a way. I’m sure that will prove true, but sometimes it really seems like that might be up in the air.
It is officially summer now, which seems crazy to me…almost as crazy as the world lately, am I right? Not gonna lie, things have been rough, just in general, status of the world, type things and more personally as well. Everything just seems a bit overwhelming at the moment, and I’m sure that’s true for many of us…but as the title of the blog (which is quoting Jurassic Park) says, life finds a way. I’m sure that will prove true, but sometimes it really seems like that might be up in the air.
On a less heavy topic - the new Jurassic World movie is out! I haven’t seen it, but I noticed that they brought back the original trio from the movies that came out back in the 90s, so I’m excited by that! I also just read the Jurassic Park novel for the first time and loved it! If you haven’t read the book - do it! I sat down to do a quick look for quotes to make some new products with the latest movie out and ended up just reading the whole thing in basically one sitting!
I did end up finding a ton of great quotes to use for products also - so those are up in the shop here now & I definitely have material to make more if there’s a high demand or if you’re looking for a specific quote!
Also on the topic of nostalgia and bringing back things from the 90s (and my childhood) - the Obi Wan show has been AH-MAY-ZING!!!! As a hardcore Star Wars prequels fan (I grew up with them and they were my Star Wars) who has always loved Ewan McGregor as Obi Wan and Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker - this show was made specifically for me and people like me! I’m absolutely loving every minute of it and can’t wait for the final episode coming up this Wednesday!
Due to the Obi Wan show basically taking over my life - I have been working on a bunch of Star Wars products lately as well and probably won’t be stopping any time soon, even if nobody is buying them (I’ll just keep them all for myself!) My favorite so far is a double-sided Han & Leia silhouette bookmark, but I’m also hoping to get an Obi Wan/Anakin one done before Wednesday’s finale.
Happy Star Wars Day!
May the 4th be with you on one of my favorite fandom holidays of the year! Star Wars is one of my absolute favorite fictional worlds and I am so excited to announce that our May the 4th drop featuring several exclusive items from some fantastic shops, in addition to my own Star Wars upcycled book products is live!
May the 4th be with you on one of my favorite fandom holidays of the year! Star Wars is one of my absolute favorite fictional worlds and I am so excited to announce that our May the 4th drop featuring several exclusive items from some fantastic shops, in addition to my own Star Wars upcycled book products is live!
When I started thinking about putting something together to commemorate May the 4th & the release of Kenobi later this month, I knew I wanted to include a few other shops besides my own, in order to give customers a variety of options - I also really just wanted each of the items that I commissioned!
We ended up with some insanely talented and lovely artists and shops featured in this drop - take a peek!
Keisha Caetano from YOUnique Designs covered a lot of the design work in this drop - including the Obi Wan shirt design and the original artwork for the puzzle! She is a multimedia artist and designer who has been creating personalized works of art since 2012. Keisha uses many different platforms and processes for art and design. She specializes in custom portraits on a variety of topics, including automotives, animals, houses, boats, and more. She also offers many graphic designs services, including photo editing, logo design, flyers, brochures, posters, etc. Keisha has an Etsy shop, but keeps her newest work on her website.
Jules from Spaced Out Design Co. created the lovely little Skywalker Women sticker for our May the 4th drop. Spaced Out Design Co. is a digital design shop for custom portraits, stickers, and illustrations. Jules specializes in pet portraits and nerdy stickers and is based out of Arizona where she is an HR generalist during the day who loves to read and watch movies.
Serpent & Flame owner, Amanda, came up with the scent blend for the I Don’t Like Sand candle with very little, mostly vague suggestions to “make it like what working with mechanical things on Tatooine” would smell like…and she knocked it out of the park! This candle scent is a blend of ozone, sandalwood and metal that just works so well for the image of Anakin as a little boy, working on machines and vehicles in Watto’s shop, all the while despising that awful, annoying sand.
Serpent & Flame specializes in making scents for the wayward, witchy & weird. You can find candles, lip balm, perfume, bath soaks and more in their shop. Themes range from books to fandom to witchy and snarky.
Then there’s little ol’ me: Tallitha from Repurposed Words By Reese. For this drop I’m offering the largest selection of character silhouette & quote bookmarks & prints that I’ve ever offered in a single listing - so you have lots of options to choose your favorite Start Wars character! The selected quotes will be random, but that just adds to the surprise, right?
For this drop, I have the stickers and candles on hand, so if you order those individually they will ship right away. For the bookmarks and prints I will be making them as orders come in, which shouldn’t be longer than a week or so, at most.
However, the shirts and puzzles will be coming from a print on demand drop shipping partner, so I’m tentatively planning to make one (possibly two) large orders towards the middle-ish and/or end of the month - hopefully in time to get you everything before the Kenobi show premiers (no promises though)!
So, if you order a puzzle or shirt by itself - those can be shipped directly to you, however if you order several things, I will put them all together to ship in one package.
I think that’s all - but please, if you have any questions about anything to do with this drop or the products, just send me a quick email or message me on social media and I will do my best to get back to you quickly!
Have a great Star Wars Day!
Rabbits in Children's Literature
Easter is almost here, and I’ve been thinking lately about how rabbits are such a common theme in so many children’s books - from the works of Beatrix Potter to The Velveteen Rabbit, Goodnight Moon, Guess How Much I Love You, The Runaway Bunny, Alice in Wonderland and beyond, it seems like there’s a surplus of fluffy bunny characters.
Easter is almost here, and I’ve been thinking lately about how rabbits are such a common theme in so many children’s books - from the works of Beatrix Potter to The Velveteen Rabbit, Goodnight Moon, Guess How Much I Love You, The Runaway Bunny, Alice in Wonderland and beyond, it seems like there’s a surplus of fluffy bunny characters.
The easy explanation to that would be that rabbits are small, fluffy, and cute, making them appealing to many children. Rabbits are also one of the most common animals in the world and live on every continent except one, so they would be a common, easily recognizable animal regardless of where young readers are from.
In this feature from The University of Cambridge, Dr. Zoe Jaques notes that the reason animals are often used in moral tales (think of Br’er Rabbit and The Tortoise and the Hare) and children’s literature in general is because of “the sense that there is a special closeness between children and animals that is lost in adulthood.” There’s this idea that growing up and abandoning childhood things (such as stories of anthropomorphic animals dressed in their own little clothes), establishes a firmer boundary between the fantastical world of childhood and that of serious adulthood.
Though Jaques points out that there are far less young adult and adult fictions that focus on animals, even some of the stories that technically are classified as children’s literature are quite memorable indeed and can be enjoyed by an older audience, including adults. The stories of Redwall and Watership Down for example, may strike a first impression as children’s stories, but they are definitely intended for an older audience than that of Peter Rabbit and The Runaway Bunny and they tackle much more mature concepts.
Rabbits are said to symbolize a variety of things, from sensitivity, gentleness, new beginnings, birth, new life and good luck, just to name a few. Many of those traits or aspects would seem to align well with childhood and young children as well.
So, needless to say, I don’t have much beyond conjecture and opinion for why rabbits are so common in children’s literature, but I have to admit that I do have a fondness for them, which is why I just had to make an upcycled book sculpture rabbit (as evidenced in the photo above). I had also planned to get some Velveteen Rabbit and Peter Rabbit products done in time for Easter, but that just didn’t happen this year…maybe in 2023…
Which rabbit from fiction is your favorite?
Strong Literary Women
Happy International Women’s Day! Today is a day to appreciate and shout out all the women in our lives - including the fictional ones!
Happy International Women’s Day! Today is a day to appreciate and shout out all the women in our lives - including the fictional ones!
Below is a list of some of the literary women (and girls) that I truly appreciate, even though I may not always like or agree with them…which is true in real life as well. We don’t always have to agree or even get along with other women or people in general in order to appreciate and support them!
So, without further ado, here are some of my most appreciated literary ladies:
First up is Ella of Frell from Ella Enchanted, which is a lovely middle grade fairy tale twist by Gail Carson Levine. Ella is cursed with a gift of obedience at birth and hilarious and sometimes unexpectedly deep hijinks ensue. This is such a lovely, heartwarming story about learning how to support and save yourself. As for the movie…it’s kinda like Bruno in Encanto…we don’t talk about it!
Next is Elizabeth Bennet from Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. Elizabeth is a character who overcomes a set way of thinking and is able to realize faults about herself and how she looks at the world (and other people). That’s a difficult thing to do and I love when literary characters accomplish it! She’s also sassy, headstrong and a bit perverse just for the sake of it, which I also appreciate.
Alanna of Trebond is the main character in The Song of the Lioness quartet by Tamora Pierce, who writes amazing female characters, often for middle grade books. These were the first books I remember reading as a kid about a female who took charge of her life and did what she wanted, overcoming the obstacles set in front of her and making tough choices about learning to let go. I think there’s such a great sense of the reality and sometimes difficulty of life in these books, (even though they’re definitely in the fantasy genre) that isn’t always done or done well.
Eowyn is one of my all-time favorite female characters from The Lord of the Rings and in general. She starts out so resigned and hopeless about so many things which puts her on a certain path for maybe not the right reasons, but she is also able to realize that about herself and develop as a character before the end of the story.
Annabeth Chase from the Percy Jackson books, by Rick Riordan is another great middle grade female character. She’s smart, independent, levelheaded and loyal, as well as stubborn, a bit judgmental and proud, but she learns to recognize and acknowledge her mistakes and flaws. Since the Percy Jackson world of books is so extensive, you really get to watch Annabeth grow, change and develop along with the other characters in the series, which is always something I enjoy.
Ginny Weasley from the Harry Potter series is a character that is introduced as a background, victim and develops into so much more later in the series! You see her through Harry’s eyes and watch as she is able to overcome her own insecurities and awkwardness to become a strong, funny, willful, athletic, badass young woman! I love that we are able to see her come into her own true character that was stifled in the early books and grow beyond the victim personification. Also, the movies, in my opinion, really didn’t do a great job of showing the potential of her character, sadly.
Hermione Granger, also from Harry Potter, I think personifies so many of us female bookworms. The ones who did well in school, were always a little afraid to break the rules and stray outside of the well-established lines, and didn’t always have many friends or was that popular. That’s definitely a specific type in YA, but Hermione also grows beyond that characterization and develops into a strong, extremely capable character who isn’t afraid to do what she needs to do, while rocking most of it at the same time! I also love seeing Hermione deal with and overcome the prejudices within the wizarding world against muggleborns.
Lucy Pevensie is my favorite of the Pevensie siblings in The Chronicles of Narnia. She’s the one to first venture into the wardrobe and discover the world of Narnia and best embodies the innocence, wonder and true belief of childhood. She was also known as Queen Lucy the Valiant, which I just love. She’s just as brave and true as her older siblings, and even willing to fight as a small child, if need be, but she’s also the one gifted with the power of healing and seems to be the most compassionate.
Aelin Galathynius/Celaena Sardothien from the Throne of Glass series is such an interesting character to me. I have a serious weakness for assassin type characters and stories, so I just loved Celaena from the start. She’s initially portrayed at times as almost a shallow, silly, selfish, and rude character in some ways, who is nonetheless incredibly deadly and capable and has gone through unspeakable horrors herself. As the books develop (confession: I still haven’t completely finished the series!), you learn more and more about her and why she is the way she is. I think many of the aspects of her personality and character that people sometimes have issues with are mostly a front that she uses to avoid her own trauma and issues, but eventually she comes to terms with those things. I think her struggles and weaknesses are also incredibly realistic in a lot of ways. How often do we avoid anything to do with the things that bring up bad memories or experiences in real life or avoid doing something we know we should, because it’s just hard?
Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games is one of those characters that I respect and can even relate to, even though there are many things she does and decisions she makes that I don’t always agree with or like. I think she’s a very, very true and accurate portrayal of what a person would potentially have to become in order to survive in a world like the one depicted in her books, however. It’s not pretty and it’s not always “right”, but it’s realistic in my opinion. Would I be able to make all the right choices for the right reasons in that same position or would I become something even worse? Food for thought. The Hunger Games always made me a bit uncomfortable to read, because sadly, with my own pessimistic and fatalistic view of the world sometimes I can see the reality of how easy it would be to get to that point as a society…which is scary, but done so, so well by Suzanne Collins. Katniss is a cold, cynical, stubborn, opportunistic character alot of the time, but those are things that she has had to become to survive, and deep down, she’s still a good person, who tries to do the right things (most of the time) in the best ways that she can, but she’s still a person with weaknesses and flaws who sometimes just reacts badly to the things that happen.
So, who are some of your favorite literary females?
Literary Love
Happy Valentine’s Day! As always, I’m a bit behind on, well, everything - but I did want to get something up today, since I’ve been neglecting this blog for the past few months…
Happy Valentine’s Day! As always, I’m a bit behind on, well, everything - but I did want to get something up today, since I’ve been neglecting this blog for the past few months…
First up: bookish Valentines! I whipped these up pretty quick, so they’re not the greatest quality, but I had fun with it and I hope you enjoy them! Share them on your socials, send to someone special, save them, do whatever makes you happy! I would appreciate if you do mention where they came from though, since I belatedly realized I didn’t make note of that within the design…
Since it’s the day of love, I’ve been thinking of some of my favorite literary couples to read about and think some of my top OTPs are the following:
Darcy & Elizabeth (Pride & Prejudice)
Will, Tessa & Jem (Clockwork Angel trilogy)
Jaime & Claire (Outlander)
Poppy & Hawke (From Blood & Ash series)
Kaz Brekker & Inej Ghafa (Six of Crows)
Rose Hathaway & Dimitri Belikov (Vampire Academy)
Who are some of your favorite literary couples?
On more of a practical update side of things - I am hoping to soon be starting a complete website overhaul and redesign and will also be making some general changes, one of which will be a product pricing increase. So, if you’ve been eyeing something in the shop for a while, be sure to snag it before that happens!
You could also join my email list or my VIP Facebook group: Repurposed Words & Whimsy to make sure you’re getting all the exclusive deals and latest updates as well!
Black Friday Shopping Guide: Small Bookish Shop Edition
So here we are, just a week away from the biggest shopping weekend of the year. Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday are quickly approaching, so I wanted to share a few of my favorite small bookish & geeky businesses as well as their planned deals for the upcoming shopping extravaganza!
So here we are, just a week away from the biggest shopping weekend of the year. Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday are quickly approaching, so I wanted to share a few of my favorite small bookish & geeky businesses as well as their planned deals for the upcoming shopping extravaganza!
While small shops like these ones can’t necessarily afford to slash prices like Amazon and Target, they still try to offer deals in some form for their shoppers and these hardworking business owners, who are often handling most if not every aspect of their business, will truly appreciate your support and also provide specialty, unique items that just can’t be found on the shelves of your local Target or listed on Amazon.
If you’re looking for that perfect, unique gift for a reader or geeky bookworm on your list (or you just want to treat yourself!), please consider checking out these amazing shops - all of which I personally support and own items from.
Repurposed Words By Reese
Repurposed Words By Reese is my own shop (full-disclosure), where I create paper goods, décor, and more from upcycled book pages and other repurposed and recycled materials. From bookmarks and prints, to ornaments, wreaths, and book sculptures, I love taking damaged, unloved books and materials and upcycling them into something new so that they can be loved in a different form! I also love working on custom projects featuring your favorite book or quote!
Repurposed Words By Reese will be offering 15% off sitewide (excluding custom items) with code: BLKFRI15 from Friday, Nov. 26 through Monday, Nov. 29 and will be including a free small gift for every customer who signs up for the Repurposed Words By Reese newsletter with the same email that is linked to their order. To access an even deeper site-wide discount, be sure to join my Facebook group: Repurposed Words & Whimsy!
Serpent & Flame
Serpent & Flame (formerly 42 Nerdtastic Place) creates bookish and fandom scents, offering candles, wax melts, sprays, bath & body care and more! Owner and creator, Amanda Mayer, started her business as a hobby in order to celebrate and share her love of fandoms and being a nerd, before going full time with the intent to bring joy to others through olfactory senses while celebrating the uniqueness of individuals.
Serpent & Flame will be offering a 15% discount from Friday, Nov. 26 through Monday, Nov. 29 with code: BF2021 and will be holding their monthly restock & holiday release at 7 PM CST on Friday, Nov. 26. Rep codes will also be applicable during the sale and you can use my code: WORDS10 to save an additional 10%!
Amanda has a running list of the products and scents that will be available in the Black Friday restock and you can check that out in advance on her blog! There will be gift sets, Winter collection scents, sprays, 4 oz candle tins, 7.5 oz candle jars, bath soaks, and 13 oz double wick candles.
In The Reads
In The Reads offers beautifully bookish and affordable artwork that brings to life the worlds within your favorite books, TV, and films. Owner and artist, Lauren Stewart, is known for her “Tolkienized” maps of both fantasy and real world locations that she has crafted in the style of JRR Tolkien. The name of In The Reads has also become synonymous with beautiful, quality woodmarks or wooden bookmarks, all of which feature Lauren’s artwork or that of a collaborating artist.
In The Reads will be hosting a Buy 2 Bookmarks, Get the 3rd Free sale from Friday, Nov. 26 through Monday, Nov. 29 at 11.59 pm Mountain time. The promo will apply to up to a total of 12 bookmarks using the following codes:
3 bookmarks: BUY2GET1
6 bookmarks: BUY4GET2
9 bookmarks: BUY6GET3
12 bookmarks: BUY8GET4
Codes will apply to bookmarks only, with the exclusion of misprinted bookmarks, which are already offered at a discounted price.
In The Reads will also be debuting a new subscription style box called Page & Parcel on Black Friday that was created in collaboration with @paperbackbones, which will include more than 7 total Middle Earth themed items valued at approximately $90! The box will go live here on Black Friday!
Charming Kate’s
Charming Kate’s is a jewelry shop owned by Katie Holland that offers a variety of unique, beautiful jewelry pieces, many of which are inspired by fiction and pop culture! The bangle bracelets that cleverly represent beloved stories and characters are my personal favorite items in her shop!
Charming Kate’s will be hosting a Semi Custom and Mystery Box Sale in her Facebook group: Charming Kate’s Creation Station from Friday, Nov. 26 though Sunday, Nov. 28 and you can learn all the insider information by joining the group in advance!
Northanger Soapworks
Northanger Soapworks is a shop that offers handmade soap and accessories, as well as other self-care and home products for the Jane Austen addict! Owner and soapmaker, Laura Hansen, notes that the shop was born out of her own addition to Jane Austen and classic literature and that she aims to create one-of-a-kind products that “lift you from the modern world” and transport you to your favorite literary settings within the world of Austen.
Northanger Soapworks will be kicking off a 2-day sale event on Friday, Nov. 26 (also the date of the famed Netherfield Ball in Pride & Prejudice!) by offering 20% off the entire shop. A free lip balm will be included in every order while supplies last and free shipping will be offered on all orders over $60 (for US domestic orders only)! This event will run through Saturday, Nov. 27 - but several of the shop’s winter collection products are starting to run low in stock - so get your orders in quick!