A picture may be worth a thousand words, but words can create a pretty picture, too. That's what stylist Paul Lowe set out to celebrate when he determined to make artful use of books and letters that, too often, end up in the trash.

Poetry- and prose-inspired crafts, such as these decorative plates printed with word decals at home, may cost very little, but they certainly say a lot.




How To Spell It Out

To create a message worthy of a mobile, Paul begins with vintage letters from the Anagrams game. They're cardboard, not wooden like newer ones, and they adhere easily to lengths of thin copper wire with a hot-glue gun. Once tied to a clothes hanger, the dancing phrase can be hung for display anywhere. Search eBay.com for vintage Anagrams letters.



Not sure you have the time to craft an original phrase for your home? Find one ready-made. A pair of store-bought pillowcases presents a graphic contrast to the floral headboard. Paul selected these for the pillowcases' extravagant Victorian-style font.



Take a Novel Approach

Rescue an abandoned book, and present it as a still life. Paul adorned this dilapidated atlas with delicate butterflies, their winged shapes the product of a butterfly craft punch. He glued a page from a discarded novel to the cover before affixing the butterflies with glue dots to look as if they were flying off the page.



Storybook Door

Door: Set the tone for years of story time. Select a child's literary classic in decal form and apply the oversize adornment to a wall or a door. "Try not to center it," says Paul. "Let it extend to a neighboring wall." The application is easy. "Just be sure to work slowly, taking your time to remove bubbles with a flat tool, such as a bone folding tool."

Wallpaper: Pages ripped from books that might otherwise have been tossed away or sheet music can become lyrical wallpaper the pages slightly overlapped, then applied with conventional wallpaper paste.

Industrial Chair: What is it worth? This mid-20th-century industrial design chair is valued from $35 to $100. However, a chair that has been stripped to its original silver metal finish could bring more, says appraiser Helaine Fendelman.



Three Big Words

Decorative wall decals like this one from Harmonie Interieure, which can be custom-made in words of your choice, set the tone for a room and provide, by way of the font, a playful nod to the pattern on the chair's upholstery. Apply the decal slowly and carefully. Small air bubbles can be popped with a pin.