Fellow blogger Sonya Heaney of Sonya’s Stuff recently featured a book sculpture by Malena Valcarcel, and when I saw it, I knew I had to see more. Starting with discarded and recycled books, Valcarcel cuts and carves and glues and sometimes paints them into magical landscapes and scenes. They make me want to be tiny so I can live in them!

“I am inspired mostly by my imagination, I am always thinking of new designs for my Sculpture, but also from nature!!”

I learned that Valcarcel lives in Alicante, a beautiful port city on the Mediterranean in southeast Spain. The young artist was actually born in the Canary Islands where she “grew up without losing sight of the sea.” But as much as she loves the sea, Valcarcel also told me she’s got a little cabin in the mountains, so she’s constantly surrounded by inspiration!

In addition to her Etsy shop, you can follow Valcarcel’s beautiful work on Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter.

All images property of Malena Valcarcel, used with permission.