5 Ways To Upcycle Old Books

I am one of those people who just cringes at the thought of upcycling a book. I have boxes and boxes of old books with major damage, missing covers and pages, and no spines.  I like to look at them and wonder how they were once loved.  However, deep down, I know that some books can be so damaged they have no life left in them.  To upcycle these books and give them new life can be a thing of beauty.  

1. Recover old containers.  The above picture is paper mache canisters decoupaged with old book pages.   You could use pages with custom messages or add some pictures depending on the look you are going for.  With pages from an old childs book, you could use these for your nursery decor.  For complete instructions on how to do this, check out Trash2Treasure's Blog.

2. Embellish those dictionary pages.  Take a page out of one of those old dictionaries and either print your design right on it or paste a cut out image ontop of the page.  I've actually done some art like this.  Take the page with coffee on it and add a steaming silhouette of a coffe cup.  Coming from someone who isn't really artistically talented, I recommend printed a trial page before you actually print on the page you want to use.  

3. Turn it into a clock.  If your book has a pretty cover still, what better way to upcycle then to turn it into a clock.  What time is it?  It's time to read!  While you could turn it into a functional clock, the one above is actually being used as a table number!  For instructions on how to do this, check out HillCityBride.  

4. Create your own Junque Journal.  Junque Journals, or junk journals, are something that was recently been brought to my attention.  However, it seems like they have been around for a while.  There are numerous options on what to use to create your journal.  The one above is a vintage sewing magazine with a hanky layered on it.  For detailed instructions on how to make your own, check out Tangie Baxter.  

5. Holiday Decor. There's something warm and homey about upcycled book holiday decor.  With the holidays coming up, it's the perfect time to get started on some new seasonal decor!  All of the images came from Pinterest and are linked.  Pick and choose, get creative and breathe live back into those old books and pages!!