About

Before I started My Booklandia I was a cubicle dweller staring at gray walls and totally stressed and frustrated with my high tech job.  Then I was laid off.  While trying not to go crazy with worry over the situation and figure where to go from there, I used some time to sort through my books and donate the ones I no longer wanted.  My bookshelves were packed and I literally had thousands of books in boxes because I had kept every book I’d ever bought, even my college textbooks.

Sadly I learned that  many donated books end up in landfills.  I was appalled!  I knew there had to be a better way to use and enjoy the books I no longer wanted.  Being a book lover myself, I thought about how I might find new ways to display books and repurpose used books into functional items.  Then I could enjoy the way books look in my home, and recycle books for functional and decorative purposes.

Then I wondered…

Are there other book lovers like me, that would also enjoy having beautifully repurposed books in their home? I know people read books, but do they really love books?  Could I actually create something that would be functional, and with the high quality as I would expect if I were to purchase something like this?  I didn’t want to make something disposable, or that wasn’t well crafted. Anything I made had to be a truly functional and decorative piece. 

Me an entrepreneur?  Yikes!

Plus what about starting a business?  Me?  I’ve never wanted to be an entrepreneur and the amount of work to make, manage and find homes for my repurposed book designs was daunting.

I started researching online to see if anyone else was creating something like this.  There were some DIY examples but the end result wasn’t something I’d be proud to display in my home.  I began working through some of the design challenges and hunting down materials.  I tried out different processes and I had some serious disasters.

After thinking it through, I decided I would create the most unique, functional and high quality book decor, and more, for true lovers of books, whether they were teachers, librarians, decorators or readers of any age.  I started my quest designing book clocks and book lamps.

The road was more difficult than I imagined. ..

I learned power tools make much prettier holes and work a lot faster than X-acto knives.  So I built a special workbench, just so that I could work with books and power tools without causing unnecessary damage.   I had a lot of failures, but I learned from every one.  All of my attempts got better and better.

There is no substitute for quality materials. 

I tried a lot of quartz clock mechanisms from China and sold in the US.  But to make a quality clock you really need to use the same hardware that a clockmaker uses.  So My Booklandia only uses quality quartz clock mechanisms purchased from an actual clockmaker resource.  They may cost more, but the end result is just that much better.

You’ve probably seen books that were glued or taped and saw the damage caused by the repair are often worse than the original damage.  I learned about a lot of new materials that are used in the bookbinding industry and in libraries.  You’ll only find archival quality glue and repair materials in my workshop.

My fears…

When I launched My Booklandia I was afraid there weren’t other people like me that loved reading and having books in their homes.  With ebooks and audiobooks, and so many other options, were there still people out there who would love having book décor as much as me?

You make my day!

Through it all, I released my first products and the response has been amazing.  I’ve met a whole  community of book lovers of all ages.  I love meeting them and talking books, whether at a craft show or communicating online about the perfect books for their custom order.  I’m so happy that there are more book lovers than ever, and it totally makes my day when I can meet a new book lover and help them find the right item that’s perfect for them