Literary Lovely

Long ago I bookmarked a tutorial on how to make a book wreath and finally got around to making mine over the Labor Day weekend.

I needed a distraction. The Boy said I have a problem sitting still and being.

He's right.

Anyway, to make a book wreath you need craft paint (black, grey or brown), a book that you don't care about (I bought my bodice-ripper at a thrift sale), hot glue and a foam wreath. The tutorial called for a 10" wreath, but I used an 8" that I had sitting in my craft supply box.

Use a paper towel to rub paint on the edges of your book. Let it dry for about 10 minutes.

Rip the pages out of the book. (Relax: I flipped through Ten Things I Love About You and determined that it wasn't a literary loss to destroy the book.)

Working one page at a time, roll (don't fold) the pages and hot glue to the form. When you roll, make sure that the painted edges are facing out. In other words, the base of the roll that is glued to the form should be your unpainted edge.

Do this layer all the way around the form. This becomes the base of the wreath. Flip the form over to start the next layers, but make sure the wreath will lay flat. If it doesn't, use a heavy object to flatten the pages some.

For the next set of layers, continue rolling the pages but add a folded tab at the base. Put glue on the tab and press it to the form. Continue rolling, folding and gluing around the form. Complete each layer before beginning the next.

When you get to the center, roll and glue pages the way you did for the initial layer.

While the wreath looks nearly complete, you'll want to fill in the gaps where the tabs are very noticeable.

I should have mentioned earlier, make sure you have your resident furry supervisor there to monitor your use of the hot glue gun.

To fill in the gaps, roll a page, add glue to the end and stick it into the wreath. The page can either adhere to the form or to the other pages in the wreath - it will look good either way. You might want to use a pencil to press the page in rather than using your fingers. Trust me - the hot glue is very painful when it gets on your fingertips.

When you've finished filling in the wreath to your satisfaction, flip it over and add a bit of ribbon to serve as a hanger. Hot glue should suffice to hold the ribbon, but you can also add a couple of straight pins for added strength.

And that, my friends, is how you make a book wreath! Think of how cool it would be to make a wreath out of sheet music to hang above a piano...the possibilities are endless.

For more detailed instructions, click here to go to Living with Lindsay. Spend some time on her site while you're there - she's a great DIY resource!!