10 Ways to Upcycle Old Books
1. Smash Book – Mod out an old book into a keepsake to remember special occasions or important times in your life. Think of it as an extreme upcycling version of a scrapbook!
2. Book Page Wreath – Use the pages from old books to make beautiful wreaths! You could add holiday-specific adornments to make this work for any holiday!
3. Picture Frame – Old books make beautiful picture frames! A cluster of these on a table or mantle would look just lovely.
4. Paper Pumpkins – Feeling Halloweeny? Turn an old book into a cute paper pumpkin!
5. Table Numbers – If you’re planning a wedding or other large shindig with lots of tables, you can use chalkboard paint to turn old books into beautiful table numbers.
6. Shelves – My friend Jeanee at Finely Crafted shared a peek into our friend Sarah Lodato’s house, and I love, love, love her floating shelves made from vintage hardcover books!
7. Book Light – If you’re a little bit tech-savvy, you can turn an old book into a nice, ambient light.
8. Easier Book Light – This DIY book lamp from Instructables uses a requires less technical savvy. To make it as energy efficient as possible, go for LED Christmas lights.
9. Decoupage Book Lantern – This decoupaged Chinese lantern at Fuck Yeah Book Arts uses old book pages. Really, this whole site is full of awesome book crafts, and you should check it out!
10. Planter – You don’t have to stash a gadget in a cut out hardcover. Turn it into a sweet planter for succulents instead!
Have you guys made anything fun from old books? Share your favorite upcycled book crafts in the comments!
Image Credit: Smash Book photo by Julie Finn and Book Shelves photo by Jeanee Ledoux
I love these ideas, thank you! I particularly love that first book light — my dad’s an engineer and I’m a physicist so we love doing little electronic projects together.
Awesome! I’m so glad that we could help. I didn’t even realize until you pointed it out that most book projects involve gadget cases or purses, but they totally do!
I have lots of leftover book pages from my other projects, so I’m always looking for new ways to use them. Recently I sliced the pages into thin strips, rolled them into curvy shapes, and made an interesting collage. Details and photos are here:
http://creativeupcycling.blogspot.com/2013/08/turn-page-colorful-collage-made-from.html
Awesome list! I’m always on the look-out for cool upcycling projects, and this list (especially the book page wreath) hits the spot! If you have a cool paperback cover, especially after using up the pages in one of the projects listed above, you can turn it into a super-sturdy wallet. I wrote a tutorial on how to do just that:
http://hello-refabulous.blogspot.com/2009/01/make-your-own-paperback-wallet.html