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!
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