Convert old books into useful everyday items

They say,

ʻDonʼt judge a book by its cover. ʼ But we decided to prove them wrong by upcycling damaged books and their covers into everyday usable items.

projects and styling CARIN SMITH photos ED OʼRILEY

Heading embossed at Typo.

BOOK EMBROIDERY BOX

We found a lovely vintage embroidery book and decided that its next lease of life should be to house embroidery items.

DIFFICULTY: challenging TIME: two hours

We started by carefully removing the pages of the book (called the book block) and cutting the back cover from the spine with a sharp craft knife. Keep the front cover and spine joined together. Find a ready-made box roughly the same size as the book and glue the spine of the book to the side of the box with hot glue, to create a lid with the front cover. Use some of the pages from the book to line the box. Cut the back cover into 4 lengths, slightly narrower than the depth of the box, to create partitions. Cut 2 for the length and 2 for the width. Trim the strips so they fit snuggly into the box. Cut slits in the strips so you can slot them over each other to create partitions. Secure with a drop of hot glue to the inside of the box. To complete your box, add a wooden ruler to the outside and fill with all your embroidery goodies.

BOOK FILE

DIFFICULTY: medium TIME: an hour, plus time for the glue to set

Most vintage books have beautifully marbled or decorated endpapers (the sheet of paper glued to the inside of the cover). Why not convert the cover into a file to highlight this gorgeous element? All you need to do is stick the clasp mechanism from an old file to the inside of the spine of a hardcover book using heavy-duty glue ‒ perfect for filing your handwritten recipes.

TIP: To separate the book block carefully from the cover, try using a hairdryer on its highest setting. Focus the heat on the spine for a few minutes until the block starts separating from the cover.

SKETCHBOOK COVER

DIFFICULTY: easy TIME: 30 minutes

Make over a regular sketchbook with a beautiful cover upcycled from an old art book. We attached it to the sketchbook by punching eyelet holes at the top and matching holes through the sketch paper. Thread gold ribbon through them to join everything together. This will make a lovely gift to yourself or for someone special add a label below the picture for the person's name if you wish.

PHOTO BOOK

DIFFICULTY: easy TIME: five minutes

(Below, left) All you need to create some unique photobooks are a few family photos and a pack of photo corners. Try to find books that depict an interest or a connection to the photos for an added personal touch. We found an old schoolbook that used to belong to the boy in the photo with his name written in the front.

BOOK SPINE BOOKMARK

DIFFICULTY: easy TIME: 30 minutes

(Above, right) Cut the book spine carefully from the front and back covers with a sharp craft knife and a cutting mat. Punch an eyelet hole at the top edge and thread gold ribbon through, ready for its new use as a bookmark.