Gimme Some Oven

DIY (Easy!) Book Page Ornaments

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DIY (Easy!) Book Page Ornaments -- a step-by-step tutorial for cute ornaments that can be made in minutes! | gimmesomeoven.com #christmas

Happy holidays, friends!!!

I am long overdue for another DIY project on here. But I’ve been getting crafty for the holidays — as I tend to do — so stay tuned because more projects are on their way!

Today, though, I thought I would share this easy DIY book page ornament tutorial with you that I actually made and gave away to my book club members last year. I have a little annual tradition of making Christmas ornaments for everyone from yellowed book pages. (Which is nearly a crime in my book club to tear apart a book, but somehow everyone always survives the literary sacrifice.)  This project was by far the easiest one I’ve ever made. Each ornament took a grand total of about 2 minutes once I got rolling, and they turned out super cute!

If you don’t want to tear up an old book, you could easily substitute in scrapbook paper, newspaper, or even brown grocery bags for a project like this. I just recommend using some sort of paper that is double-sided, since both sides will show as these ornaments sway in the breeze.

Here’s how to make them!

DIY (Easy!) Book Page Ornaments -- a step-by-step tutorial for cute ornaments that can be made in minutes! | gimmesomeoven.com #christmas

 

Well first of all, here’s a little closeup, since you know me and macrophotography. ;)

DIY (Easy!) Book Page Ornaments -- a step-by-step tutorial for cute ornaments that can be made in minutes! | gimmesomeoven.com #christmas

And here was my little display with them last year on my dining room buffet. I was actually hosting book club the night that I gave these away, so I just scavenged some fallen branches from the yard and popped them in a glass vase and then hung the ornaments on those. Then everyone took one home as a little gift. It was cute!

Alright, here’s how to make them:

DIY (Easy!) Book Page Ornaments -- a step-by-step tutorial for cute ornaments that can be made in minutes! | gimmesomeoven.com #christmas

Begin by gathering your supplies. You’ll need:

  • paper (I used old book pages from a PD James mystery — a favorite with my book club that I found at a thrift store for $0.99)
  • hooks (I found these at Target, but if you can’t find hooks, you can tie loops with string)
  • scissors
  • glue (I used hot glue, but any fast-drying glue would work)
  • a standard-sized hole punch

DIY (Easy!) Book Page Ornaments -- a step-by-step tutorial for cute ornaments that can be made in minutes! | gimmesomeoven.com #christmas

Begin by cutting out 5 strips of paper for each ornament. You want two that are long, two that are medium and one that is short. Feel free to play around with sizes before you begin. (As is probably obvious, the longer your “long” pieces are, the more the ornament will bow out once it’s assembled.)

DIY (Easy!) Book Page Ornaments -- a step-by-step tutorial for cute ornaments that can be made in minutes! | gimmesomeoven.com #christmas

Then begin glueing the pieces together at the very top (use just a thin line of glue), with the edges even at the top. You want them in this order: long, medium, short, medium long. If you are using hot glue, try to apply it as thin as possible, since your hole punch may need to cut through those 4 layers of glue.

DIY (Easy!) Book Page Ornaments -- a step-by-step tutorial for cute ornaments that can be made in minutes! | gimmesomeoven.com #christmas

Afterwards, your ornament should look like this.

DIY (Easy!) Book Page Ornaments -- a step-by-step tutorial for cute ornaments that can be made in minutes! | gimmesomeoven.com #christmas

Next, go ahead and glue the other ends of the ornament together, again being sure that all of the edges line up evenly. Your pieces of paper will all bow out now and form the ornament.

DIY (Easy!) Book Page Ornaments -- a step-by-step tutorial for cute ornaments that can be made in minutes! | gimmesomeoven.com #christmas

Finally, use your hole punch to make a hole in one of the ends to hang the ornament.

DIY (Easy!) Book Page Ornaments -- a step-by-step tutorial for cute ornaments that can be made in minutes! | gimmesomeoven.com #christmas

 

And then poke a hanger in the hole. (If possible, I recommend squeezing the end of the hanger together so that the ornament doesn’t fall off. I had to do that with a pair of pliers.)

DIY (Easy!) Book Page Ornaments -- a step-by-step tutorial for cute ornaments that can be made in minutes! | gimmesomeoven.com #christmas

 

And then — voila! — your ornament is ready to go!

DIY (Easy!) Book Page Ornaments -- a step-by-step tutorial for cute ornaments that can be made in minutes! | gimmesomeoven.com #christmas

 

I thought they turned out pretty cute and classy. Although heads up that you might want to check beforehand (which I never do) to see what’s actually written on the pages. Two years ago, I gave everyone ornaments with scandalous little love scenes printed on them. And last year, they got a gruesome murder. Lesson learned: if you give a book club bookish ornaments, they may actually read what’s on them too. ;)

Enjoy! And hey — if you make some of your own — be sure and snap a photo and hashtag #gimmesomeoven so that I can see your creations!

DIY (Easy!) Book Page Ornaments -- a step-by-step tutorial for cute ornaments that can be made in minutes! | gimmesomeoven.com #christmas

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26 comments on “DIY (Easy!) Book Page Ornaments”

  1. These are absolutely amazing and beautiful! I love this idea!
    ~Sara

  2. I made a book page wreath for our dining room and was looking for an idea for my small tree in that room! These look great! Can’t wait to try!

  3. What a fun and festive idea! Perfect for book lovers on our list :) Thanks for sharing,

  4. These decorations are so cute:)

  5. These are so cute.  I love the idea of a giving that as a gift for a book club.  So creative.  www.eatallovertheworld.weebly.com

  6. These are such an awesome idea! I must try! Thanks for the inspiration!

  7. Too cute!! I wonder what other kinds of Christmas pop-ups could come from this! Hmmm…

  8. In addition to making these for myself, these will make great stocking stuffers! 

  9. Okay, these are insanely adorable.  Pinning and making asap!

  10. These are gorgeous Ali!!!! Love them so much! (And that branch display idea!)

  11. These are adorable, I am going to have to make a thrift store run for a book. Though cutting up a book might be really hard for me too.

  12. Girl, this is genius. Simply vintage. I’m hunting for newspaper right now. 

  13. Thanks for ones marvelous posting! I definitely enjoyed reading it, you can be a great author.I will ensure that I bookmark your
    blog and will come back at some point. I want to encourage you
    continue your great writing, have a nice morning!

  14. This reminds me of the types of ornaments we made as children at Christmas, but we only had paste glue. Hot glue can hold things together a lot better than paste, but you have to watch out so that you don’t glue a burn onto yourself! Really cute ornaments, thanks.

  15. Lovely post. Thanks for sharing.

    What I like the most about paper ornaments is variety. This DIY easy book page ornament is a good fit for those who are looking for affordable gifts that are still meaningful and kind of fun. And for those who lack the talent or time or money, such DIY ornaments are absolutely helpful.  

  16. I think these would be adorable with double sided scrapbook paper, too. Or maybe even some metallics in there for bling! Old floral catalogs would be great for non traditional tree colors. Will try some for our church bazaar! Than.

  17. Thank you so much for posting this! At my request, my daughter-in-law gave me two stacks of old book pages. She makes book safes & sells them on Etsy. I inquired what she did with the pages she cut out & she throws them away. So I asked if I could have some; I thought surely I could find a use for them. And today I came across your DIY book page ornaments. Seems simple to make and I just love the looks of them! Gonna try my hand at it & will let you know how they turn out. Thanks again

  18. What a fabulous idea! I’m hosting a Christmas Book Exchange party for our book club and wanted to make ornaments that they could take home. These will be perfect!

  19. I am a librarian at a grade school and high school and was wanting to make some of these with my students. I only see a tutorial for one book page ornament. Would you be able to email me the rest? Thank you!

  20. Thanks for sharing this with us. I just made one and I love it.