French Lessons

A few years ago at a swap meet here in town one of the dealers

was selling some old books for just a few dollars a piece.

There were a handful that I was interested in

 but they were in terrible condition.

It was getting late and he didn't want to haul them home,

so he suggested I pick out several for a dollar.

One was a French Lesson Book in English from the 1850's

and another was this book published in 1905.

The Lesson book's cover and binding were falling apart

but I loved the yellowing pages and some penciled notes

from a student many years ago.

And if you've visited many flea markets or antique malls

I'm sure you've run into at least one of these glass top trays,

probably from the 30's or 40's.

So some Modge Podge and book pages,

with a little white paint,

transformed the ho hum

into a sweet little tray to brighten the ottoman in my studio.

The vintage bird graphics aren't glued down,

they're just under the glass

so it can be changed out for the seasons.

I'd been wanting to do this for awhile and finally got it done

during one of my "paint" sessions.