They say you can’t judge a book by its cover, well with Kate Bufton that is certainly true! She sees books as much more than a mere storage area for words and ideas, but as the starting point for some incredible pieces of artwork.

Based in Warrington, in the North West of England, Kate says her creative side was nurtured by her teachers at school and college. “It was only at university when I started to realise that art and craft are so closely linked, yet so far apart. I consider myself both an artisan and a crafts maker,” she notes.

Kate creates amazing shapes and designs by manipulating old and unwanted books through a variety of cuts and folds. “I love manipulating the pages of the book and transforming the books from a carrier of text to an object of art,” she explains. “The pages take on a whole new and innovative life, forcing the books to be open and the pages to be displayed for all to see.”

[Her life is an open book...]

Most arts and crafts are a mystery to me, but there are plenty of folk out there who are putting their talents to good use. And when their work includes old books, then I’m definitely hooked!

Upcycler Jodie Rogers, also known as Sewn By The Sea, lives at the seaside in Leigh on Sea in Essex in England.

Mum-of-four Jodie comes from a very artistic family, and arts and crafts was something they did together as she was growing up. After leaving school, she studied for a national diploma in fashion and design and A-level art. Then came motherhood, but she kept up with crafts as a hobby. Now that her two older children are at school and the younger two at play group, she has the time to turn her work into a business.

[Time is on her side...]

Books. They take us to places we never dreamt of going; introduce us to people we may love or loathe; inspire, educate, thrill, and move us. They may also provide a starting point for great artwork—and I’ve been seeking out craftsfolk whose love of literature has developed into something amazing...

My idea of recycling books is to pass them on to friends or give them to the charity shop. Which just shows how little imagination I have, because out there in the world of arts and crafts there are people inspired by old paperbacks and hardback novels.

[We envision something beautiful...]

Just lately, I’ve been pondering the reasons behind my apparent predilection for all things crime fiction.

As a kid, I remember staring with amazement at the covers of my Mother’s library books. Invariably, they showed a discarded gun, carefully posed body, or spatters of blood—which my brother and I thought was hilarious. We were always teasing her about “Mum’s Murders.”

I couldn’t see the attraction then, and contented myself with the likes of The Famous Five and Nancy Drew—both gave me a grounding in the world of detection, but apart from a desire to drink lashings of ginger beer, they didn’t take me any further along the path of criminal enlightenment.

I suppose both played a part in making me a crime fiction aficionado, but throughout my ruminations I still felt there was something I’d forgotten—the missing link, as you might term it.

[Maybe if you hum a few bars... heh, bars...]