Do you have any old, possibly damaged books lying around and you just don’t want to throw them out?  Lately, Pinterest is full of ideas on how to re-purpose them.  From antiquing them to tying them up with twine and stamping sweet words on the binding***…the sky is the limit!

I was recently cleaning out an old cabinet and came across a book that was damaged and missing its cover.  Upon further investigation, I noticed that it was also missing part of the book (how that happened I don’t know, but in our home anything is possible and nothing surprises me anymore).

So, I did what any smart diy’er would do and I poured myself a steaming mug of coffee and sat down in my favorite chair and began searching Pinterest for inspiration.  And, lo and behold, (cue the choir) I found my inspiration….a Christmas Tree!  The post that I found came from an article by Thoughts & Whimsy, but the following pics are all mine!

Materials Needed:

Old paperback books, preferably 120-150 pages in length

Step One:

Remove the cover and back cover of the book and press the spine open (here’s where all the English teachers cringe because they preach NOT to stress the book’s spine)

Step Two:

Fold down the top corner of the book into a triangle and press well with fingertips

Step Three:

Fold again to center of page (I align the edge to left margin of words)

 

Step Four:

Flip the page and turn up the little tail

Step Five:

Tuck the little tail up in between the pages, hiding it away

 

Step Six:

Continue doing this until all pages are folded.  It will get more difficult as you get toward the end of the book, but hang in there, I promise the result will be worth it!  Once the entire book is done, fluff it all evenly and display proudly.  You may want to put a dab of glue to hold the ends together, but it isn’t necessary if you break the spine well.  Also, some choose to spray or decorate their trees, but I love the simple, rustic look of mine.

***Love you more books purchased from ReefRainAria on ETSY.