Ever since I was a pre-schooler, books have filled me with delight. Walking into a library or bookstore filled me with wonder as a child, and I still get that same adrenaline rush as an adult.
With all the responsibilities of adulthood, I find I don’t have as much time to read as I would like, so I compensate by surrounding myself with other bookish delights.
I collect Willow Tree figurines, and these two were some of the first I added to my collection. In fact, the sitting figure is the one that got me hooked on collecting them in the first place. A former supervisor gave it to me as a gift, and now I have dozens decorating my shelves in my office and home.
My husband knows he can always make me smile with bookish clothing. I have a wonderful assortment of bookish socks and t-shirts. These are the latest to be added to my collection from my birthday in May. When I’m writing at home, I often strategically select an appropriate pair of book socks to give me added inspiration and motivation.
Even my hobbies are more exciting when I can work a bookish angle into them. We typically do at least one or two family puzzles a year (although I end up doing the majority of the piecing), and my favorites are always the ones that feature books in some way. This was one of my favorites from a couple years ago.
My favorite hobby (besides reading, of course), is cross stitching. These projects take much longer to complete, but I find myself drawn to book-related patterns, whether they be smaller projects like the bookmark or larger projects like the medieval maiden called The Reader.
What are some of your favorite Bookish Delights?
Latest posts by Karen Witemeyer (see all)
- Karen’s Favorites - May 4, 2025
- Spring Reading Bouquet - May 1, 2025
- April in Texas = Bluebonnets - April 17, 2025
I love your bookish ideas. I need to get shirts. I would love the cross stitch pattern for the bookmark. May I ask where I can find it? Blessings!
Hi, Lelia. I found the bookmark pattern on Etsy. It was so fun to do. The pattern itself actually has a fourth shelf but the bookmark blank I had at home was too short, so I cropped the last shelf out. Here’s the link to the Etsy shop: https://www.etsy.com/listing/597132098/bookmark-cross-stitch-pdf-pattern-fully?ref=yr_purchases
A few years ago a friend of mine had each letter of my first name carved from vintage Reader’s Digest Condensed Books. I have them on my bookshelf and smile every time I see them. Here’s a link if you want to see what I’m talking about.
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/70509550391105276/
Those are so fun, Amy! I see those in stores sometimes, but the pages are always blank. I like that yours are made from actual books.
I have bookish socks a friend gave me and have several T-shirts about books, but mostly about writing. I wore a T to the store the other day that says “Ask me about my book.” The cashier did ask about my book(s) and we had a great discussion about the setting for most of my books (my hometown).
So smart, Pam!
You touched on so many of my favorite things today!
I have the Willow Tree figurine who’s standing — now I’ll need to find the one who’s sitting. I have a shaped puzzle of an old Remington typewriter framed in my office and my next puzzle (which I also plan to frame) is a New Yorker cover of customers in a bookstore. I used to cross stitch all the time but don’t much anymore because it’s gotten really hard to see those tiny fabric squares. 😉 Your project is beautiful. I need to work on my t-shirt collection! Thanks for starting my day with a smile!
Leigh – That Remington typewriter puzzle sounds awesome! I’d love to get an old typewriter one of these days when I actually set up a real writer’s office. Right now, it’s just the bedroom. Ha!
Thank you for sharing these wonderful bookish ideas. I used to make crosstitch bookmarks long ago in my early years of stitching. I bought different colors of grosgrain ribbon and stitched my designs to the ribbon using a blind stitch. I am interested in the backing for your bookmark – lovely.
Hi, Betty. I love to talk stitching. 🙂 I didn’t do any kind of backing on my bookmark. The bookmark blank came pre-made and I just stitched directly on it. So the back is visible, but all the threads are neatly tucked away, so there should be no snagging. Hopefully. 🙂
Thanks, Karen. Where did you get the bookmark blanks?
Karen, you are AMAZING!! 🙂 I’d remembered that you enjoy cross-stitch, so when I began reading this post today, I had a feeling there would be something cross-stitch related in it! 🙂 The medieval maiden is beautiful, but must’ve taken quite a while!
One of my favorite bookish t-shirts (my husband gave it to me for my birthday a couple of years ago) says: I am a writer. Anything you say or do might end up in my novel. 😉
Hugs, Patti Jo
Patty Jo! So fun to catch up with you. 🙂 I love that writer shirt you have. So great. And probably true. Ha! The medieval maiden is actually part of a set I made for my daughter. She and I both played flute and we both are big readers. So this one is the reader and there is another one called The Musician where another lady is playing the flute. They took several years to complete with interruptions along the way, but I finally gave them to her this year for her 23rd birthday. 🙂
Still collecting, reading, writing, sharing books…storage is always an issue! I really need some bookish clothes though. 🙂
I’ve always had a thing for socks, so those are my go-to bookish clothing item. 🙂 I dream of building a real home library one day, though. To help with that storage issue you mentioned, Angie. I think all readers can relate to that problem.
Love this post! ❤️ The pandemic last year did a number on me in a good way. I was a reader before, but then, to keep me from total cabin fever, I joined instagram and a number of reader groups on facebook. And my reading life shifted into hyperdrive. I crave for bookish delights now. I am into almost anything with books or quotes on it. To the above list in the post, I would add jewelry and pictures of cats and books or tea and books, well really anything and books. ☺️
Mmm – Tea and books. My favorite combination. 🙂
Loved your post. Three of my enjoyments are reading, counted cross stitch, and drinking a good cup of tea. Thanks for sharing the link to Etsy shop. I plan to get the bookmark pattern.
Ruth – You and I could be twins! I hope you enjoy the bookmark pattern. 🙂
I haven’t done cross-stitch in a while. Yours are beautiful!
I collect Willow Tree angels too. I was gifted some and found others at garage sales and thrift shops.
I have a bookish tee shirt that a friend gave me.
These are so much fun!
Thanks, Paula. I have several angels, too. My newest one is holding a tea pot, which I love, since I’m a tea drinker, especially with books. 🙂
No Willow Tree (my parents have a couple of those), but I have plenty of Precious Moments from way back when they still looked like Precious Moments! I don’t have any bookish clothes other than a pair of socks (maybe I should acquire at least one t-shirt), but I do have a WW2-inpsired wardrobe that I wear to writers conferences. It becomes pretty clear to people what I write. 🙂 Hope you are enjoying your summer.
I love that wardrobe idea, Janice! The 40’s was such a classy fashion era anyway. I bet you look fabulous!
Ooh, your featured puzzle is available as a blank journal/diary cover!
I love that design! Aimee Stewart is a fabulous artist. She has several bookshelf designs that I love.
I really love tote bags, so I have a few bookish ones. I love socks, I don’t have any book ones, but I would definitely like them.