New Uses For Old Books: The Book Safe

Posted by Alana T.

I have always loved the idea of book safes.  The idea of having a secret hiding spot - in a book no less - has long been a fascination.  Over the years, I've tried many times to make the type of safe that has a section cut out of the pages, but the technique is more difficult that you might imagine.  Each cut has to be perfectly aligned with previous ones and and the process eats craft blades for dinner. I always gave up after about 30 pages.

This example is quite a bit simpler and faster.  Maybe not as elegant, but so easy, you can whip up a bunch in an evening.  Kids can help with many steps, but supervision is necessary for steps including the box cutter and gluegun.  These make fantastic gift boxes, too!

To make each book safe, you will need two old books (one for the safe & one slightly smaller for the interior), a box cutter with extra blades, a metal ruler, hot glue and gluegun, a strip of muslin or other lightweight cloth, white glue and a paintbrush.  Total working time is about an hour.  To print or download the instructions, click here.

If you're looking for other holiday crafts using recycled books, visit our previous winter projects: an elegant wreath and classy gift bows.

New Uses for Old Books: A Holiday Wreath

An old book gets a new life as a lovely wreath

Posted by Alana T.

Looking for a fun, simple, inexpensive holiday project?  This handmade wreath is all of those things, and easy enough to do with the kids.  Searching online for wreath ideas brings up all kinds of things made with books, but I think this is the simplest (and loveliest!).  The final wreath can be embellished with ribbons, flowers, or paint, but looks fantastic by itself.  It is very lightweight and easy to hang anywhere inside the house.

To make a wreath, you will need a large cardboard box, an old book, white glue, hot glue and gluegun, and a 12" length of ribbon (for hanging).  Total working time is about two hours, but that includes about an hour for glue to dry during intermediate steps. For complete instructions, download the pdf file here.

If you're looking for another holiday craft using book pages, revisit last year's project.  These bows take a bit of time to make, but they are simple and can be re-used year after year.

How much do you love your library?

photo copyright chrisdonia (@chrisdonia on Twitter)

Posted by Alana T.

Recently I was reading posts from one of my favorite blogs and I ran across the following post about love of libraries, book art, and generosity in Scotland.  Here at the EPL we admired the sculptures and our collective heart was touched by the obvious love of books and the creativity of the person(s?) involved.  And just like with a good mystery, we were all drawn in by the story and left wondering what will happen next.  Will there be a happy ending? One last cliffhanger?  We can't wait to find out.

This STV news segment gives more info and includes some wonderful close-up shots of the sculptures.

Spread the love: Unique Valentines from old books

Posted by Alana T.

V -Day is just around the corner - are you prepared?  If not, we have a project to get you ready and it reuses old books (no library books please!).  The project is a bit time consuming, but super simple and appropriate for kids.

The oversize conversation hearts are made of paper mâché. Depending on the materials you have at home, you can make your hearts any size, paint, write upon, or decoupage them.  Be creative!  The hearts are lightweight and sturdy and can be enjoyed for years if they are stored in a dry place.

Click here for a down-loadable tutorial.

A New Use for Old Books

 Posted by Staff

Looking for a unique and beautiful holiday craft?  Do you have a stack of old books sitting around?  Are you an avid recycler?  If your answer to these questions is yes, yes, and yes, then we've found the project for you.

Kusudama (literal translation from Japanese is medicine ball) are paper spheres created from multiple, identical units.  You can certainly make enough units to create a ball, but 1/2 of a ball makes a beautiful paper bow.

Making these lovely holiday bows takes a bit of time (about 1 hour start to finish), but if you have a group of people working together, you can reduce the time commitment substantially.  The process is simple and kids can help (or even do most of the work!). 

For each bow you will need 30 squares of paper (cut from old books), white glue, and large paper clips (optional, but very helpful).  The process requires you to fold and glue each square into a petal shape.  Five petals are glued together to make a flower, then the six flowers are glued to make the bow.  Detailed instructions with photos are available here. The final bow is very sturdy and can be re-used easily.

For another variation of the petal, visit the Folding Trees blog.