How do you upcycle books? There are a lot of things you can do with old books – from book art, repurposing vintage books, using them in your home decor and more! I have a video to show you several easy and fun project ideas anyone can create!
Where do you find affordable books? Dollar Tree has great hardback books, not just to read, but also to craft with! Or maybe you already have some books around your own home you could grab and use for these ideas too. Some of the best places to find books, at the best prices, are yard sales and thrift store. I’ve come across some for as little as $.10 each! So keep an eye open for those bargain finds.
I’ll link the video of ideas below, but let me share my favorite project from the video first:
*TIP: Make sure the book page thickness is the same size as the paint stick you are using
Step 1: Cut the pages apart from the book. To do that, you’ll take a knife, run it along the front cover and first page from top to bottom. Flip it to the back cover and repeat – cut from the top to bottom of the back cover and last page. You’ll now be able to pull the pages out of the book and are left with just the hard cover. *Save the pages for more crafting!
Step 2: Cut out scrapbook paper, the same size as the two inside covers, and glue in place.
Step 3: Use thin wood stir sticks to create a box inside the book. Measure the outside edges and use tin snips or scissors to cut wood stir sticks down to size. Hot glue the sticks to the edge of the box. I did the longer sides first, then cut the shorter sides, one at a time, to ensure a snug fit. Make sure to add hot glue to the corners for a good seal, all the way around the box.
Step 4: Add hot glue to the inside of the book’s spine, lift the spine to meet the stir stick next to it and glue in place.
Add your treasures to the inside of your book and add back to a shelf or stack for a hidden spot disguised as a book! This would be cute on a desk to store your office supplies or on a vanity for jewelry and makeup. I also love the idea of this as an alternative to a gift box. Add a gift card, money, notes, or little trinkets and then it’s two gifts in one!
Is it spring yet!? YES, IT FINALLY IS SPRING! Whether it feels like it, that’s a different story. Here in the midwest, it is all over the place. Nonetheless, we are decorating for spring around here.
We are transforming inexpensive Dollar Tree finds with decorative scrapbook paper into beautiful Spring DIYs and home decor in this brand new video! It is packed with great paper flower ideas, big and small.
The burlap Dollar Tree banner project is one of my favorites in this video, but there are so many great ideas you have to see! Let me show you how easy it is to make this banner first.
DIY Spring Burlap Banner
Grab this burlap banner from Dollar Tree (here is a similar banner on Amazon), it will save you a TON of time! It’s already cut and hung on jute. It has 6 flags on it which just happens to work out for the word “SPRING.” Add more or remove to adjust for your desired word(s).
Time to add the letters, one on each flag. I used my Cricut machine and cut out matte white vinyl to size and applied them without any type of transfer tape. Since they are small enough, you can just peel each letter from the paper backing and place directly onto the burlap. If you don’t have a vinyl machine to cut out your own letters, head to the craft store and pick up some medium sized stickers from the scrapbook section.
Within the Cricut Design Space I found a “Spring Wreath” project that made things super easy. It already had different sized flowers, the flower centers, and the leaves all laid out. I did scale them down a bit and didn’t use all the flowers. I ran each page through the Cricut as directed in Design Space (5 colors) and made enough to create 6 flowers. Again, if you don’t have a vinyl machine, grab a detail pair of scissors and get to cutting. You can do less layers and less detailed flowers for a more simple look that will take a lot less time to cut out. This is a key reason I LOVE my Cricut, TIME SAVER.
This is the part where you can get creative in how you build you flowers. Mix and match the colors, add a fun flower center and leaves, and curl the edges with your finger nails or a popsicle stick. This will really give your flowers life and “fluff.” Use hot glue to attach your flower layers together for a strong bond. Again, you’ll need 6 flowers total for this “SPRING” banner.
This is where your banner is really going to POP! Hot glue a flower onto each on of the flags. I added mine to the top left corner and alternated the two colors.
Hang your banner! I layered mine with this cute beaded and bunny garland I found at HomeGoods but it looks simple enough, I’m sure it could be a DIY project you could recreate too.
MORE Dollar Tree Spring DIYs w/ Scrapbook Paper:
See MORE paper flower crafts paired with Dollar Tree finds to elevate your home this spring! Click this video above!
There are a TON of great planter options at Dollar Tree during the spring and summer months. Even some really neat ones you can use in interesting ways. In this video tutorial I’m sharing a bunch of those ideas such as, an organization idea, garden idea, quick flip DIY, and more.
Gather your supplies, everything except the fountain is from Dollar Tree.
Take a large planter ($5 Dollar Tree Plus) and find a smaller planter ($1.25) that will sit down inside of it, and place it inside the larger planter, up-side-down.
Cut up a pool noodle and use as a filler inside the planter, covering all the gaps.
Put together the fountain (from AMAZON here) and place on top of smaller pot inside the planter.
Cover the top with river rock. Make sure to cover the pool noodle, top of inside smaller pot, fountain base and some of the cord to camouflage. Next, fill with water.
Attach the power source (USB or solar panel) and your fountain is FINISHED!
You can see this fountain in action and working in the video tutorial HERE.
Lookin for MORE fun, simple, and easy ways to use Dollar Tree garden planters? Click the video tutorial below! I’m sure you’ll be running to Dollar Tree or your local Dollar Store after watching these awesome ideas!
Save SO. MUCH. MONEY. shopping at the thrift store for your home decor and organization needs. Many items you can find, nearly brand new, at a fraction of the cost. The wreath below is a wicker wreath, nicer than the traditional grapevine wreath, and retails for around $20. This one was only $3 at the thrift store! 85% OFF retail! I used flowers I already had on hand and two $1.25 greenery stems from Dollar Tree (you know I love DT!) to make a wreath for under $6! A STEAL! It is the perfect spring pop of color and flowers to our front door and was super easy to make too. You can watch it come together by CLICKING HERE
Thrifted Spring Wreath
I featured this fun new glue skillet of mine in the video. If you’ve never had one before, they are SO GOOD for floral arranging and wreath making. You can find it on AMAZON HERE
Thrifted Ornate Gold Frame
The wreath is just one of the many thrift flips in this video tutorial. I also found a BEAUTIFUL ornate gold frame. These frames are in high demand right now and hard to find, so when I dug and found this one in the stacks of frames at the thrift store for only $2.00, I was sort of shocked. It has some issues such as cracks and an entire corner missing but I was up for the challenge. You can see how I brought this frame back to life by CLICKING HERE , but the end result looks like a million bucks. I feel like this project is the perfect example of how you can get a high-end and on-trend piece and also save a bundle of money.
FREE PRINTABLES: I’ve also included two FREE landscape art printables you can download and use in your own frames. They are perfect for any size or style frames you have, not just the gold detailed frames, so get to creating with these free graphics!
THRIFTING TIP: ALWAYS clean and disinfect your thrift store treasures and finds before using them. Soap and water is always a good way to go, or my favorite antibacterial spray is MICROBAN – you can find it on AMAZON HERE