It’s a Book Thing

I love books! Not only are they great for entertaining you on a rainy Sunday afternoon, they are also great for crafting. Generously used books that have seen better days with tattered covers and brittle mustard colored pages are some of my favorites! As far as genre of books to be used for crafting I would have to say cookbooks or text books from the 60’s and 70’s with illustrations.


Using books as a craft supply can be expensive unless you live Baltimore. Thanks to a local book worm with an active social conscience and a love of literacy, we have The Book Thing of Baltimore with the noble mission of placing unwanted books into the hands that want them.

Do I feel guilty tearing up these books instead of reading them? Sometimes, but I always try to choose books that are falling apart or extremely outdated like a 1970’s cookbook or chemistry text book. Furthermore, for every book I take I make sure to bring at least two books in good condition to replace it. Plus, like a good hunter, I use as much of the book as I can, not wasting an inch if possible.
To give you an idea of an inexpensive book craft, I recently made a journal out of an old cook book, blank scrap paper from work and old pieces of wrapping paper. The total cost of the project was only $2.11 for the spiral binding.


All you have to do is find a good paperback cover and remove it from the book, cut to size some blank paper you have laying around then take it to a store like Staples to have it spiral bound while you wait. To add a little interest you can add a few of the book pages or scrap pieces of wrapping. It is an inexpensive and unique alternative to purchasing a mass produced journal in a bookstore.


I highly recommend a trip to The Book Thing of Baltimore! Make sure to bring a bag of great books to drop off—especially children's books. They also are in need of copy paper, empty printer cartridges and handful of other things that are listed on their Wish List.

Post written by Design by Night