A funny thing happened this week while cleaning out our spare bedroom. (there’s a lot of cleaning going on right now!) I was sorting through a stack of books that had been gathering dust in the closet while also organizing a bunch of craft supplies when I discovered a perfect match; a stack of scrapbook paper and several hardcover books. It occurred to me that I could create some easy DIY decorative book covers, in specific colors, to use in many of my decorating projects.
I gathered some supplies and tried a couple of different techniques before discovering an easy way to cover my books, using minimal paper and time. Below is a list of the supplies I used.
You are reading: Wrapped books for decor
- a hardcover book.
- mod podge or other sticky product
- decorative paper
- a paintbrush
- a ruler
- paper cutter, scissors or x-acto knife
I had a stack of 12×12 decorative paper to work with, which included heavy cardstock and regular weight papers. If you don’t have any decorative paper on hand, you can use wrapping paper, butcher paper, or any other paper you like.
Start by measuring the cover of the book, minus the area that contains the spine cover. add about 1″ to three sides and cut two pieces of the same paper for your cover. this doesn’t have to be exact, close is good enough.
glue to the paper on each side of the book. i used mod podge because it is flexible while wet but dries soft and hard.
See Also: GitHub – EbookFoundation/free-programming-books: Freely available programming books
once you’ve attached the cover paper, measure the entire spine of the book. cut a piece of complimentary paper to cover the spine.
remember that the spine is what you will most likely see when you use the books in your decoration.
glue the paper to the spine, smoothing out any bubbles and pressing into the notches.
Allow the glue to dry and follow the instructions below to fold in the edges of the paper, cleanly.
Once you have the cover paper glued and folded, trim the paper on each end of the spine to 1/4″ – 1/2 inch.
tuck the paper between the book and the spine to finish the look.
See Also: Lee Child Archives – Audiobooks (Free)
For a simple, clean look on the shelves or in a vignette, stack multiple books with the same color spine. To add a touch of color or interest, create books with matching colored spines and covers.
If you’re super creative, you can print or write sayings or titles on the spine. a stack of these makes a great gift or they look lovely on a bookshelf.
I designed my new books on the shelf of my breakfast nook. decorative books make shelf styling easy and effortless and add a beautiful touch to any vignette.
You can see all my shelf design tips here.
These decorative handmade book covers are definitely my new favorite craft project! I have all kinds of book stack blueprints that I’ll be able to use in every season. I’ve included some online shopping resources for you below, so you can start covering your books! Have a beautiful day!
See Also: Ellis Peters – Book Series In Order