When books begin to fall apart, get ripped, scribbled on by little hands, don't discard them quite yet. Instead, think of them as craft supplies or in this case art. I salvaged this "fish illustration" from a book where the binding had begun to come apart. Now the set of pictures hang in my dining room. 
Illustrations from a child's book would make a wonderful art piece for a nursery. Just think of all the possibilities. One example of a beautifully illustrated book is Masquerade by Kit Williams. 
Painting by Kit Williams in MasqueradeOn a side note, if you've never heard of this book before, there's a lot more to it than just a story. There's a built in riddle that once lead to treasure. This book was one of my favorites as a child. If you want to read more about it, there's a good history of the book on wikipedia.
Where to get free books
Often libraries will get rid of old worn out books so ask your librarian.
Garage Sales - I find at the end of most garage sales they begin to give most of the stuff away. One item I always find are books.
Where to find cheap frames
Thrift stores often price paintings by the quality of the image and don't even consider the frame. Often you can get a good frame for $1 and up.
Where to get free books
Often libraries will get rid of old worn out books so ask your librarian.
Garage Sales - I find at the end of most garage sales they begin to give most of the stuff away. One item I always find are books.
Where to find cheap frames
Thrift stores often price paintings by the quality of the image and don't even consider the frame. Often you can get a good frame for $1 and up.
