Okay, if you’re already cringing at the thought of having to put screws into old books or rip apart old books, just stick with us, we promise we have some great ideas and good reasons for this! Let’s first talk about a couple of the major benefits of repurposing things.
Repurposing pieces keeps said pieces out of landfills and gives them a new purpose. Think about it! You hit up your favorite thrift store and find a stack of pretty old books; now, they could in theory, just sit around your house collecting dust, but say instead you make bookmarks out of the spines, then use the pages to create a paper lantern to hang in your home library. Not only did you save those books from being thrown into a landfill, but you also gave new life to each book.
When you set out to repurpose items, you gotta let the creative juices flow. Regardless of what pieces you’re nabbing at antique stores and flea markets to repurpose, there is a reason you’re being drawn to them, and we’re willing to bet you have a creative vision. The best part? You get to customize these pieces just for you. Or your friends. Repurposed pieces make great gifts!
We feel like we’ve justified repurposing old books, so let’s look at some project ideas!
Book Lamp
Can you believe with just a stack of old books and a few tools you can make this incredible lamp? Our brains are spinning with ideas; for instance, if you’re making this for a tiny human, vintage kids’ books would create a colorful and funky piece of art. Or if you’re setting out to make this for someone older, or yourself, of course, a favorite book series or set of books with a particular color scheme or cover print would be *chefs kiss*. Get the full instructions here.
Book Planter
Books and plants just kinda go together, ya know? If you’re a bibliophile that doubles as a crazy plant person, then this may be just the repurpose for you! And believe it or not, this project is actually pretty simple and the results are beyond cool. So go ahead and buy all the plants and all the books, and get to crafting. You can find the full instructions here.
Bookmarks
Remember earlier when we mentioned bookmarks made out of the spines of old books? Well, here you go! Not only can a person never have too many bookmarks, but these make great little gifts for all of the readers in your life. Get the full instructions here.