Hi guys! Today is a simple vintage book DIY. I googled a bunch of ideas so I don't have one clear cut idea from a specific source. I also took this as an opportunity to experiment a bit with the rustic farmhouse look I like to do.
Supplies:
- Books (I found some in the clearance section of Half price)
- Truffle, Mineral, and Elephant Waverly Chalk Paint
- Paint brushes
- Painters tape (optional)
- Stencils
- Sandpaper or Sanding block (You can find it at hobby lobby or any craft store)
Step 1: You will need hard back old books. I found a few in the clearance section of Half Price Books for about $2-$3. I made sure that they were completely solid backing. A lot of the books have covers on them and that is okay. We will throw the cover away anyways. Look for something similar to the white book. Don't worry about the color you can add a few coats of paint to cover the lettering.
Step 2: Prepare your book. I did two things to test out the outcome and if I'd like it a preferred method. First, I tested out on sanding on the white book and painted it without. The second black book I sanded it down lightly which made it a smoother texture.
Step 3: You can choose to use painters tape to protect the pages as you can color them at a later time to make them look vintage. I chose to use painters tape on one book then realized it was too time consuming and did not use it for the other book. If you choose to use painters tape it should look similar to the pictures below. I decided not to paint the sides of the pages any colors with this project since it was going to sit on a small nightstand in the living room area.
Step 4: I painted the white book fully covering the sides with the Elephant Waverly Chalk Paint. I let it dry before adding a second coat. After the second coat dries lightly use your paint brush to make back and forth stripes with the lighter color of paint. I used Waverly Mineral Chalk Paint for this part. I went back and forth between the books during dry time as this speeds up the process if you are making two or more at a time.
Step 5: After both books had time to fully dry and both with two coats of paint and added texture I used the Folkart stencil set pictured below to add a stencil on the spine. This is the part where you can get creative and personalize your books to your liking. I've seen people use twine to wrap around their books as well. Once the paint is done drying you are ready to decorate!
