5 Ways to Repurpose Books

Repurposing old books is an easy way of expressing your personality because you can pick personalized covers and texts. Here are five ideas for reusing old books to get you started.

Coasters

If you aren’t familiar with Mod Podge, it is a water based sealer that inexpensively allows you to adhere pictures and papers to items with a nice finish. For example, you can take pages from a book and Mod Podge them to old coasters to add some individual flair. You can also coat old book spines to use them as bookmarks.

Secret Storage Spot

With an exact knife and some time, you can carve out space in an old book to use as storage or a secret hiding space for valuables. You can even string a ribbon across space if you want to add some extra security to hold the items in place.

NotebookIf you carefully remove the cover from a hardback book, you can easily reuse it to recover fresh notebook between the covers of a hardcover. If you want, you can also leave a few of the first and last pages in for a special effect.

Make a Purse

If you have a hardbound book with an appealing cover, you can easily repurpose it into a bag or hardback. A half a yard of fabric will be needed, some needle and thread, craft glue, and some finish, like Mod Podge. Use a utility knife to remove the binding. Next, stand the book vertically on a piece of paper, opening it as wide as you’d like the opening of the handbag to be. Trace the cover of the journal, cut out the shape, and add half and inch for the seam on both sides. Glue the fabric to the ends of the book cover to create the bag. You can make the straps from the fabric and lace them through holes you punch on both sides of the opening. Adjusted the straps to fit your purpose best.

Gift Wrapping Accessories

You can use book pages as wrapping paper is not only an inexpensive way to wrap a present, but also it’s an easy way to personalize a gift. You can use pages as wrapping paper, in place of tissue paper, or as excellent packing material. For example, you can cut thin strips of pages and curl them with a pair of scissors to use as package cushion to a bow. You can also cut shapes out of the pages and use them as a gift tags.

Resources:

Rohland, C. (n.d.). 5 Ways to Repurpose Books. Retrieved  April 02, 2017, from http://crohland.com/5-ways-to-repurpose-books/