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13 September, 2012

Quoth the Raven...Vintage Book and Candle Covers

Halloween is still weeks away, but since I make many of my decorations each holiday, I need to get a head start. Sooo… I have another Halloween project to share with you! This one is centered around a long-time favorite poem…Edgar Allan Poe’s The Raven.  

bkBaby Kitty was excited when he found out that this project will involve a favorite of his…birds! However, he was disappointed to learn that these are faux…although this one looks pretty real from this angle, huh? All you need is a candle holder (mine came from Dollar Tree), black construction paper, access to a printer and some jute twine. My “raven” is actually a crow from Dollar Tree.

raven book cover 2
First, I created this book/candle cover by taking a portion of Edgar Allan Poe’s poem The Raven and superimposing the stock silhouette of a raven on it. I printed it at 8 x 10 size and aged it with the same method I used for my vintage fairy tale book covers explained in detail here. It only takes a few moments and your leftover morning coffee. I made two…one at a time…so I had one for both my candle and my book covers.

NevermoreNext, I printed a little quote from the poem and glued it to a tag that I had cut from black construction paper…ready to be tied to the finished book or candle.

book cover Finally, it was just a simple matter of cutting the cover to fit and attaching with tape on the inside (in the case of the book) or on the back (in the case of the candle). The book cover is the perfect fit for an old paperback!

candlecover I trimmed the candle cover a little imperfectly so that it would have more of a vintage look. The addition of the little tag finishes them off. If you like, you could distress the tags as well, but I like the contrast. I also added a crow’s feather that I found in my yard…a souvenir of a visit of a murder of crows several days ago. Don’t you love that word…a murder for a flock of crows? Perfect for Halloween!

RavenAnd there you have my literary Halloween decorations! And best of all...they were free since I already had everything I needed! I am sure you will be seeing more of them and more of my other raven-themed projects in the coming weeks! What about you? Have you started any Halloween projects yet?

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you enjoyed a little peek at my project! Please visit these wonderful bloggers and their beautiful blogs to see what they are up to and to find a list of this week’s participants!
Under the Table and Dreaming for the Sunday Showcase Party
Thrifty Decor Chick for Before and After Monday 

Boogieboard Cottage for Masterpiece Monday
Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday

The Stories of A2Z for Tutorials and Tips Tuesday
Coastal Charm for Nifty Thrifty Tuesday

A Stroll thru Life for Tabletop Tuesday
Cedar Hill Ranch for Cowgirl Up! on Tuesdays

My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia for Tuesday's Treasures
Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesdays
DIY by Design for Fall into Fall

Sand and Sisal for the Countdown to Fall Party 
Thrifty Decor Chick for the Easy Fall Decor Party
The Shabby Creek Cottage for Transformation Thursdays
No Minimalist Here for the Open House Party on Thursdays

Stone Gable for Tutorials. Tips and Tidbits  on Thursdays
My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday
French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday  

 2805 for Potpourri Friday
At the Picket Fence for Inspiration Friday
Common Ground for Vintage Inspiration Friday
The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home Friday

Craftberry Bush for Happy Hour
Funky Junk Interiors for Saturday Nite Special
See you next time! A la prochaine!

38 comments:

  1. Another fun project. I love it. I am sure the grands will have fun seeing it all. Hugs, Marty

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  2. I love it, Debbie! The coffee gives the paper the perfect aged look.

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  3. Hi Debbie,

    Fantastic Halloween projects. I love the found feather and the vintage look.

    Dee

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  4. A great fall and Halloween project! Easy steps in your tutorial. I love how the raven looks imposed on the poem cover. You are such an inspiration Debbie, your ideas are always fabulous!

    ~Emily
    The French Hutch

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  5. Great project. I like the book very neat.

    Cynthia

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  6. Oooh! Spooky yet sophisticated at the same time!! These might be just what I needed to add to my elegant Hallowe'en decor in my dining room. Thanks for sharing!!

    BTW, I am your newest follower.
    Bronwyn
    www.queenbcreativeme.blogspot.com

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  7. so fun, you always come up with such great holiday ideas!

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  8. So simple but so beautiful and effective! Again, bravo! I must copy this:))

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  9. I always enjoy your projects Debbie! I am hoping to do a few things before leaving for Texas. I think I will miss being home for Halloween this year :( oh well! hugs, Linda

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  10. This is a great project - thanks so much for sharing it!

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  11. This is perfect for Halloween - and very crafty! Love how it turned out! (and love the cat in the pic too)

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  12. Love, love, love! I am definitely copy-catting this!!! I have one prayer candle left and this would be perfect!

    Jeanine

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  13. Thanks for another cute idea and thanks for the printable! I always appreciate the inspiration yous share at Potpourri Friday!

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  14. This is so fun, Debbie. Not like the garish Halloween decorations we usually see! Thanks for the instructions, I'd like to give the candle and book a try!

    XO,
    Jane

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  15. I love any projects having to do with books, and so I am in love with this one! I may do the book cover and raven/crow on top of my china cabinet or top of the bookcase--we'll see, but I'd love to fit it in. Thank you for the wonderful inspiration and easy instructions, and once again Baby Kitty is a heavy hitter in this post!

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  16. Love the Raven vignette and the book cover is fantastic...went to a dinner party recently and she had the ravens in the centerpiece!...You are so very creative!

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  17. I love your look I love that you used one of your favorite poems as the Halloween inspiration! I haven't even started thinking about Halloween decor... but you are making me want to!!! Thank you SO much for linking up at Happy Hour :o)
    Jaime from crafty scrappy happy

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  18. Debbie, another winner! Always fun to see your latest project. Black crows will be flying into here soon. ~ Sarah

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  19. Those covers are so cute! I love the ravens! Stopping by from the Happy Hour Party!

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  20. I love decorating for Halloween,these are sooo cute!

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  21. I don't decorate for halloween, but I love, love these projects! All your little details are just perfect.

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  22. Love it... I teach "The Raven" every Halloween and my students love it!

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  23. They are a little bit spooky buy I love them!!Such a pity for your cat!He would have been very dissapointed!!!

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  24. Classic -- and just spooky enough!
    Perfect!

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  25. My Halloween obsessed daughter will live this. She grew up with holiday decor deprivation, and is making up for it in her own home. Thanks for sharing!

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  26. This is so cool! I love how the book pages and the ravens look together. Really fun project. Thanks so much for sharing at Happy Hour this week!

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  27. great idea, and very fun. thanks for how to's.

    blessings
    barb

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  28. Hi! New follower -- I just saw your feature on the Happy Hour party at Design, Dining + Diapers and Craftberry Bush! I love this project! I'm an English teacher and plan to use the book cover print out in my classroom!! Thank you for sharing! :)

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  29. Debbie, this is so cute for Halloween. I love decorating for this holiday. You are going to be ready for those trick or treaters! :)

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  30. Adorable, Debbie! You are always so ahead of the game with your decorating. I, on the other hand, am a bit far behind right now; so I'd better get on the stick! LOL Love the idea of superimposing the raven onto the paper. :-)
    Hugs,Sue

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  31. Love the snippet from "The Raven" and the superimposed silhouette complements it so well.
    Thanks for sharing!

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  32. Love this! You are SO talented!
    Brenda

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  33. Wonderful.
    I love crows.

    I have some of those DT crows too.
    I use them on my front porch twig tree for Halloween.
    Thanks for the reminder that I need to go get that out. :) Heehee!

    Thanks for sharing your wonderful creation.
    Tam

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  34. That bird looks so real!!!
    I would love to invite you to Homa Style's No Orange Autumn Display Link Party going on now.
    Here's the link... http://homastyle.com/wp/2012/09/25/no-orange-autumn-decor/
    Hope to see your bird and kitty cat there!

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  35. Simply Perfect! {like all your projects} Love it. Pinning it.

    <3 Christina at I Gotta Create!
    Wildly Original linky party is open.

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  36. Thank you, so awesome, brilliant in fact - I may have to just make them, I really love the way they look!

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Thanks so much for stopping by and taking the time to comment! I appreciate my wonderful readers!... Debbie