Grab Your Free Bookplates – A Special Gift for YOU!
I love getting freebies and I love to give away things, too! So, I’m always on the lookout for cool, “bookish” things that you might like. AND… since I am not, shall we say, graphically gifted, I tend to do more writing-type giveaways than pretty-picture-type giveaways. So, I started listing off all things bookish like bookmarks, of course, and printable wall art that maybe had funny quotes from my books or just about life in general. I was scribbling down ideas on a piece of paper which is **around here somewhere** when I remembered… BOOKPLATES! (And yes, I know only book-lovers get excited about stuff like this–that’s what makes it so cool!)
What’s a Bookplate?
Well, first I had to look and make sure I was thinking of the right thing because really, what I call something and what the world might call it is sometimes two very different things. It might be partly because of my New England upbringing (New England has some weird slang) and partly because I tend to rename things if I think my name for it is better. Since I live alone, this usually doesn’t cause any problems. But, it’s always good to double check that I am still speaking English.
And yes, just as I remembered, bookplates are those decorative labels that you stick in the front of your books and put your name on them so if someone borrows a book, they know who to return it to. But for me, bookplates were something that people with HUGE, fantastic libraries filled with old, hard-cover first editions had. They were part of that dream to one day have a big library with floor to ceiling wooden shelves and yes, of course, the ladder that slides across so you can access all the books, and a big bay window with a comfy window seat. and a cat sitting in the sun and a dog dreaming by the fire. And sure, let’s ring for the butler and have him bring in some cognac.
I bet you have a dream library in your head, maybe you’ve even sketched it out on paper.
You may not have your dream library yet, but you can start being all swanky and classy by adding bookplates to the books you already own!
I’m making a series of different bookplates that you can download and print out on adhesive paper for yourself. And yes, the first few designs are in the Freebie Library.
Here’s a Sample:
Right now I have three sets: one has traditional book images, one has doggos and one has kittehs. There are six different designs in each set and you can print out as many as you want! And yes, I’ll be creating more because I really had fun doing these!
The Importance of Bookplates
Did you know that bookplates are sometimes referred to as Ex Libris? (Ex Librises? Ex Librisi?) I didn’t. But, my high school and college Latin finally paid off (if you don’t count crossword puzzles). Ex Libris means “From the Library of” and a bookplate shows who the owner of the book is. Now, books weren’t always so easy to produce (No Amazon in the 1500s) so owning books was a sign of wealth. And you didn’t want anyone to just walk off with your very expensive book. (Especially if you hadn’t read it yet.) So, book owners would paste a decorative label in their books.
How long have bookplates been around? This one has some wear on it!
Bookplates have been in use since the 16th century. If you want to learn more about the history and see some cool, very old bookplates, check this article out.
Why I’m Giving Away Bookplates
Because I can!!
I love the old-fashioned idea of bookplates–I think it is probably a booklover thing that other people just don’t get. So, I’m sending a little bookplate love to you.
You can use bookplates to personalize your own collection or print some out as gifts to your book lover friends. If you have a young reader in your life, bookplates just might reinforce pride in reading and owning books.
I really hope you love these as much as I do. And, if you have a something special you might want to see as a bookplate, let me know. Just this morning I thought, “TROPICAL FISH! Tropical fish are so pretty and colorful!” I am not a big fan of fish in general but a lot of people are and tropical fish are gorgeous, so… maybe my next batch.
Claim Your Bookplate Now!
Just click on over to the Freebie Library. If you don’t yet have a password, you’ll be taken to an opt in form. (Don’t worry–I won’t spam you endlessly, I promise!)
Take a gander through the freebies; there’s some fun stuff in there. Click on the image of the bookplates you want and you’ll be taken to a new window with a downloadable pdf. You can either click the download arrow (towards the upper right) or, do what I do, which is right click your mouse (or right click on your touchpad) and choose “SAVE AS.” Then save the pdf to where you want it on your computer.
From there, load up your printer with adhesive sheets (there’s a link to Amazon if you don’t have any), print it out, put your name on the line, and tell your books that they should prepare to be prettied!
Share the Love
Do your friends love free bookish stuff? Share the love on social media. Feel free to share the link to this blog post. And a BIG THANK YOU for sharing!