Here are some easy ways you can re-use those well-loved books instead of throwing them away.
I have a hard time parting with old books. Especially the really old ones with the yellowed pages from my grandma’s house or classics that I have read so much that they’re falling apart. But there are so many ideas of DIY crafts you can do to “upcycle” those books and make a new use for them! The following are some of my favorite ideas for re-purposing old books.
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Book Purse
–I love unique purses and one of my favorite purses is one made from my favorite book: Jane Eyre. There are tons of tutorials online for how to do this and different styles as well. A tutorial from HGTV is posted here.
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Wreath
— There are so many different styles of wreaths done with books. I have seen some done with rosettes or magnolia leaves made from book pages or pages rolled into a cone shape. It is a great statement piece for any book lover’s home. Here is one of many tutorials I found.
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Flowers
— I have made a bunch of different book page flowers and they have all turned out amazing. I have seen tutorials for almost every flower imaginable but I think the roses are my favorite. The rose tutorial is included here.
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Bookmark
— There are some unique ideas for bookmarks. Check out this link for a tutorial on a corner heart bookmark or this one made from the spine of an old book.
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Framed Book art
— Use old pages of books as backdrops for paintings or collages. Or if you aren’t feeling crafty, you can even run the book pages through a printer for a silhouette effect like this example.
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Necklace
— For book-lovers, how about putting your favorite quote into a necklace? It’s a piece of the book that you can always have with you. This tutorial shows you a fairly inexpensive way to simply frame a phrase from your favorite book.
- Journal — I have seen homemade journals made from old book covers at boutiques and farmer’s markets but they would be so easy to make yourself. This example shows a planner made from vintage books and it is to die for!
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Garland
— There are endless ideas for making book garlands. I’ve seen some as easy as circles strung together or paper chains for Christmas trees. I love the example below of the paper hearts and twine for a rustic feel.
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Clever Storage
— How about some clever storage options? I love this book safe idea or even this example of “hidden storage” books where you can keep things like routers or remotes that you don’t want cluttering your shelves.
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Book Letter Decoupage
— This would be great for a nursery! I love the idea of taking an old children’s book and using Modge Podge to attach it to a wooden letter to make a custom work of art.
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Book page heels
— This one is a little out there but the book nerd in me loves the idea! These Harry Potter high heels are amazing! How about making a fashion statement by decoupaging your favorite book pages to your high heels? Love it.
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Bookish Wrapping Paper
— I love the classic look of brown paper packages tied up in string. What a great idea to add a little book-themed wrapping into the mix. Click here for some great ideas for tying in books to your holiday wrapping.
Let me know if you have any other ideas for re-purposing your old books!
