DIY Book Flower Vase

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Green Floral Dress || Cranford Classic Books || Cream Rose Stems || Cabage Rose Spray || White Queen Anne’s Lace || Daisy Stems

For nearly a decade & a half, I’ve been on a mission to give old books beautiful new lives through creative upcycling projects!

Roger & I tied the knot in 2012 with a dreamy backyard wedding that perfectly captured the vintage, shabby-chic aesthetic that was so popular at the time.

Books & hymnals were everywhere, & we turned them into adorable decor throughout my parents’ backyard!

We stacked them into towering centerpieces, wove them into whimsical wreaths, & crafted delicate paper flowers that guests still talk about.

Nearly 15 years later, I still have a passion for transforming rescued books into beautiful decor for our home & parties.

Here’s my not-so-secret secret: almost all my crafting books come from the treasure trove of a free bin outside our local used bookstore.

If you’re not familiar with bookstore free bins, they’re simply boxes outside bookstores where unwanted books await rescue before heading to the landfill.

Ours is usually filled with some pretty junky books, but I’ve also rescued dozens of hymnals and even a copy of Louise May Alcott’s The Inheritance when they had an overflow of them in the store (don’t worry, that one didn’t get crafted & instead was gifted to another bookworm).

I’m always a bit hesitant about letting these books into our home, so I typically let them air out in the garage or bask in the sunshine for a few weeks before I allow them into our home & little library.

My library now houses a growing collection of dozens of rescued books & vintage hymnals, each one waiting to become something new & beautiful!

But for now, they’re serving as placeholders as I work to grow my library with the classics & some of my favorite childhood books.

If you don’t have a used bookstore nearby, no problem! You can find so many free books online, but fair warning, it’s addictively fun to browse for books online, & you might lose track of time like I just did!

I totally understand that book upcycling isn’t for everyone, but I see it as giving discarded books a second chance at being loved & admired while transforming them into art & decor that will be treasured for years to come!

P.S. Can you spot the other book craft hiding in our library? I shared another book project last year and would love to know if you spy it! Hint, it’s on the left side.

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Materials:

Old Book

Ruler

Exacto Knife

E6000 Glue

Hot Glue Gun & Glue 

Flowers (I used Cream Rose Stems, Cabage Rose Spray, White Queen Anne’s Lace, and Daisy Stems)

Instructions:

1. First, open your book to the middle, place the ruler near the center of the page (parallel to the words), and use your exacto knife to make the first cut along the ruler.

2. Continue to cut more pages until you cut as many as you need. I cut 8 pages.

3. Next, use the exacto knife to cut and remove the upper half of each page from the ones you just cut in half.

4. Fold over each of the remaining lower pages and glue them in place with the E6000 glue.

5. Use the hot glue to glue the first and last page to the hardcover, and then flip the book upside down and hot glue the bottom of all the pages together to keep them in place.
I also added a dollop of hot glue on the bottom of both halves to help keep it upright on the bookshelf.

6. Trim the artificial stems to size and place them in your new book vase.

7. Style/arrange the flower and enjoy your new DIY Book Flower Vase!

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