Check out this pretty, inexpensive and easy decorative accent idea from Michelle at Mich in LA! Here is her post (but check out her blog for more creative craft ideas too):
Create unique decor…lovely, easy and pretty much free!
And these:
Beautiful! They really got me thinking about the ends of books. (The butler did it! No, not the endings of…oh, stop it, Michelle.)
I had two thoughts. A gift idea and a home decor technique. First up, decor.
I don’t know about you, but I don’t have room for all my books. Overcrowded shelves full, packed cupboards full. I try to relieve the pressure by placing stacks around the house. My husband’s set of Horatio Hornblower novels sits piled up on the TV cabinet, here they are:
I wouldn’t do this craft with any truly old or valuable books. But here’s how I added a cool factor to this stack of boring trade paperbacks. Step one: bundle them tight with rubber bands (or you could tie them with twine).
Step two: tape on a stencil. I used painter’s tape so it would peel off easily.
Dab some paint, using the stencil technique of very little color on a dry brush or sponge.
See? You are beginning to work some stencil magic!
I added a second color, and some additional sections of stencil to fill the space a little more. Peel away the stencil, and check out your creation!
I kinda love how this came out! I was going for an old world, masculine feel (they are very macho tales). Behold, my new decor:
The other thing I especially love about this project: I stacked the books in order of volumes in the series, numbers one thru eleven – so as long as you have your pattern showing, they will always be stacked in the correct order for re-reading.
Now, I titled this post ‘pretty much free.’ If you don’t have a stencil on hand, there are lots you can print free from the web, and cut out yourself. But if you’d rather not be snipping out little stencil bits, here’s another, quickfire technique…
I took my raggedy, beloved Tolkien paperbacks (bought when I was a kid, and read dozens of times since), and bundled them up as before.
Dabbed blues, greens and purples…
…and here’s how they turned out.
Just how I wanted them to feel. Comfortably shabby-chic. They will now live on a table in the living room, instead of squished into a packed bookcase. I think they will be much happier there.
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I love this idea. I'm a book collector and save the book covers but never thought of the ends as a canvas. Thanks for posting this!
That is pretty cool! I've been seeing what you can do to the covers, but haven't seen something like this yet. Very creative!
What a cute idea! I too have a TON of books and am currently struggling to arrange them just so on my bookcase to fit. Pretty soon I'll have to start displaying them elsewhere; thanks for the tip!
By the way, I am having a slight dilemma and would love some input on which flooring stain I should choose. Please stop by my blog and vote!
I love this idea. Quick and easy, that's my style.
This is a very cool idea! So many things you could stencil on. Even a monogram!
What a fantastic idea!!! I'm sure most everyone has stacks of books that could use a little eye candy! Thanks for sharing!
Wow, I am so thrilled to be featured here! Thank you, Roeshel, you are fabulous & so is your blog!
Love that idea!!
That is a wonderful idea! And one I haven't seen before – I love it!
Thanks so much for sharing it!
Oh I love this! I have a project I'm considering for my bookshelves and I think this will go with it perfectly, great idea!
I LOVE this idea. The one with the doily turned out just fine and I noticed you used a kitchen-type sponge for stenciling. Next time try one of those triangular make-up application sponges. Just be sure to squeeze out all the excess. I won't use anything else when I stencil no matter what I am stenciling. They work FANTASTIC! Plus they are really easy to hold on to. Hold the small end and dip the large end in the paint. Give it a shot. Now I'm off to stencil the ends of some books. Thanks!
Wow, this is one of the most creative ideas I've seen in a long while. LOVE it!!