Tuesday, April 24, 2018

Upcycling Old Books

Okay, whenever I do something with old books, I feel like I need to have a disclosure: very few old books are worth money, thousands of old books are thrown out daily by thrift stores, and if it is sitting on a shelf collecting dust, it is better to find a new use for it.

buy old books form the thrift store to upcycle
So, there you go. But, if you are a bibliophile you may want to go to another post.


I always look at the books at thrift stores, especially on half price days. I look for cloth covers and colors I love, and for old children's books (of which I have MANY that I have not upcycled).
use old vintage books from the thrift store as photo holders or picture frames
I upcycled a few recent old book purchases into "frames" or picture holders. 
(affiliate links)
add clipboard clips to old books to make picture holders
I added clipboard clips to two of the larger books. You can purchase the loose clips HERE . Use screws that are about the same thickness of the book so that the pages are secured together.
make photo holder picture frames from vintage books
You also can use BULLDOG CLIPS like these.
buy bulldog clips in bulk from Amazon
For smaller books, use flat washers to hold the pictures. Using a photo as a guide, drill in the four corners and then add a screw and washer.
drill in the corners of the book and add washers
Loosen the screw to insert the corners of the picture and then tighten to secure.
make photo holders from old books
You can use glass from a thrift store picture frame like I did HERE.
make picture frames from old books
I added picture hanging wire on the back. These can be hung on the wall. They also can be set in metal plate/picture holders.
A whole group of book photo holders on the wall would be so much fun! 

My dog had to check out the flat lay.
use old vintage books to make photo frames and picture holders

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Use old vintage books to make photo frames and picture holders

4 comments:

  1. I love this idea. I have some old children's books that are missing a few pages from grandkids "reading" them. I'm going to borrow your idea and make picture frames for those same little ones' pictures. Thanks for sharing this great idea.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you! I love that you are going to use the books they read for their pictures.

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