DIY Vintage Book Flower Vase

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I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE vintage books! Over the Easter weekend I was flipping through one of my mom's magazines after dinner and came across this cute photo. Shouldn't be too hard right? It wasn't except I couldn't bear to cut up any of my vintage books. :(

Materials:
2 books ~ the cover needs to be the same size
Twine ~ I used something I had on hand
1/8 drill bit ~ or whatever size similar to the twine
Vase ~ something smaller than the books
Flowers ~ fresh or fake

I grabbed a couple Goodwill books I picked up for a buck or two. I decided I would rough them up a little so I wouldn't have to mess with my precious vintage books. :)

I was much more comfortable slicing and dicing into those books. Plus if I messed one up I knew I was only out a $1 and another one was just a short drive away.

I cut out the pages leaving just the hard covers. One of the books did have quite a bit of glue from the binding of the book to the spine so I had to use a little arm power and rip it apart. I had to be careful thought to ensure I didn't rip the covers.

The pages are still intact with their binding so I can use the books for another DIY project or just for decorating.

I wanted a spring color so I added a couple layers of some leftover teal paint. Once the paint dried I used a piece of sandpaper and carefully rubbed along the sides, corners and the especially along the spine to create a vintage look.

Next, I drilled some 1/8 inch holes into each side of the covers. I staggered the holes so the stitching would look good. The left side of each cover has holes at 2", 4", 6" and 8" from the bottom. The right side of each cover has holes at 1", 3", 5" and 7".

I grabbed my twine and started lacing up the two books together {left cover of one book to the right cover of the other book} from bottom to top. The twine barely fit through the holes so there was not much wiggle room. This keeps the covers from shifting too much.

When I reached the top hole I tied a knot. I made sure the knot was big enough so it wouldn't slip through the holes I drilled.

Working my way back down, I pulled the twine as tight as I could so there was no slack. At the last hole I trimmed off the extra twine and made another knot. I repeated this process joining the other two sides of the covers to form a square. That was a little more tricky since I couldn't lay the covers flat.

I placed a glass vase inside the books and filled it with my favorite flowers, lilies! These are actually fake flowers I grabbed but with a hallow center {especially since I cut out the pages} I could definitely pick up a fresh arrangement and place them in the center without worrying too much about water damage.

Tada! My Vintage Book Flower Vase is ready to go on display sitting on top of my Vintage Wine Crate Side Table (BTW, they're for sale)... right next to my stack of vintage books and my Candle Holder Vase. :)

I think I'm going to give it a try again. The books I used had black covers and I'd like to see if I like it better with a lighter color. I also might try leaving the pages in the book. And of course I'll have to try a few different colors.

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***While I'm thrilled to share my step-by-step directions, the good and the bad, these are intended for your personal use. I'm always happy to hear and see what my bloggers have been working on. BUT a lot of work goes into these creations and while I have no issues sharing so you are able to create the work for your precious homes please understand that selling an exact duplication of my designs is highly frowned upon. :( Please always be considerate of another artists work. Thank you!***