Books, books, books. We read them; we love them; we put them on a shelf and don't do anything with them after we're finished. But a dusty library doesn't have to be a graveyard for books loved and shelved away. Here are 12 ways to decorate with books, craft with books, wallpaper your entire home with books, and generally make it crystal clear to visitors that you have a serious thing for books.
Image: Design Every Day
Rethink the Bookshelf Stack
Think there’s only one way to display your books in a bookshelf? Silly you. Here are SEVEN (!) ways to stack, unstack, and rearrange your books on a shelf, from the hilarious Karen Bertelsen of The Art of Doing Stuff. Consider this the kama sutra of book positions. Oh yeah.
Image: The Art of Doing Stuff
Craft an Oversized Book Page Wreath
Need something big and bold for a bare wall? Roll up some pages from an old encyclopedia, glue them along a styrofoam donut, and you’ll have yourself a word wreath worthy of envy. Start crafting away with Myquillyn Smith, author of The Nesting Place.
Image: The Nesting Place
Make Paper Hydrangea Book Balls
You know those decorative wooden balls that retail for more than $100? These book page balls are twice as cool. And according to my precise calculations, they cost approximately one katrillion times less money. Stack them in a tray, display them in a vase, or just line them up on a shelf, and you’ll always have some pretty typed pages within sight. Learn how to make them here.
Image: Muslin and Merlot
Paper Your Walls with Book Pages
Can’t stand the thought of ripping and folding book pages for a craft? For the purists out there, you can always keep your precious pages whole and display them as a textured, layered wallpaper. This book page wall by Emily Jones of Jones Design Company adds a literary touch to a neutral, welcoming entryway.
Image: Jones Design Company
Turn a Book Into a Planter
Stack Books to Make a Coat Rack
Imagine you’re throwing the greatest literary party of all time. Things are going great, until you realize your guests have no place to hang their tweed blazers and cardigans as they arrive. That’s where this coat rack comes in. It not only showcases your favorite book covers, but it also keeps your literary apparel neat and wrinkle-free. Book nerds, rejoice!
Image: Knick of Time
Revitalize a Chandelier with Book Pages
Yes, you could pay a few hundred dollars for a pre-made book page chandelier from a fancypants store. But starving writers are craftier than that. Just pick your favorite pages from an old illustrated book, clip them to your existing chandelier, and feel supremely smug that you just saved hundreds of dollars. Learn how to do it here.
Image: Hugs and Punches
Upgrade Your Headboard with Books
Everybody knows that books make the best bedmates. But simply bringing a book to bed is for amateurs. Step up your game by turning books into your bed itself, with this clever book headboard from Design Every Day.
Image: Design Every Day
Write Your Own Story in a Book Journal
Couldn’t get through that hot new book everyone else loved? Don’t feel guilty — turn it into an opportunity to write your own story. With this easy tutorial, you can turn any hardcover book into a pretty (and inexpensive!) journal. And when you’ve filled all the pages, you can slide it right next to the other great classics on your shelf.
Image: Rook No. 17
Carve a Book Into a Monogram Letter
If you’re the type of lady that likes to play with band saws (and who isn’t?), try this intermediate-level project to turn an old book into a monogram letter. Bonus points if you band-saw yourself a R-E-A-D and donate it to your local library.
Image: Ashbee Design
Turn Cookbooks into Kitchen Art
Think you need to pay big bucks for classy kitchen art? With this tutorial from Holy Craft, all you need is pages from a discarded cookbook, a few antique pieces of silverware, and old canvases. Voilà, book art!
Image: Holy Craft
Fold Book Pages Into Flowers
Flowers die, but books are forever. So create your own book bouquet by folding pages into pretty petals and gluing them around a central bud. Think of it as origami for the literary set.
Image: 100 Layer Cake
