Crafty Questions
I’m so excited to share these Answers that so many of you have been asking for. You can ask in person at my many presentations (such as at the upcoming Americal Library Association conference, January 2022- Incidentally, the Handout for that talk is in the “Resources” section.), but let’s cover the bases here first.
How can you call yourself a “Bibliophile” if what you’re doing is dismembering books?
The Crafty Bibliophile LOVES books, TRULY! But there are a LOT of books that can no longer fulfill their original calling of imparting knowledge, information, adventure, and thrills, whether through obsolescence, redundancy, trauma, or just being loved to death. I try to find good homes for as many as I can, but in repurposing these neglected volumes, I can give them new life as a craft, a fashion accessory, an avenue for artistic expression, or even as home decor, AND I can keep them from filling our landfills. As my husband always said, “Be sure and tell them that ‘No book actually worth reading has been harmed in the making of this project!’”
Where do I start?
Don’t be afraid to try anything that appeals to you! If it looks like fun, it will be! I think the easiest project that I’ve done, and which I’ve taught to probably thousands of people, is the easy carnation style flower. It starts with rounds of paper stacked and stapled, then mooshed up and UN-mooshed to reveal a lovely flower, ready to pin on as a corsage or embellish a hat or headband! See “Easiest Carnation Corsage Pin” in Ideas section of this website.
Anyone contemplating repurposing a book can browse Pinterest or Google search for projects…. but not all projects are good for beginners. Everyone can enjoy someone ELSE being immortalized for their “Pinterest Fail”, but just as the baby learns to crawl before he walks, so does the amateur crafty bibliophile start small and easy before tackling the harder (and larger) projects.
If it’s fun, it doesn’t have to be perfect…. if it’s fun, it doesn’t even have to be recognizable! It’s FUN!
Where do I find books?
Don’t buy books, or at least, don’t pay very much for them. Used bookstores often discard books by tossing them into the closest dumpster, but there are many options to score books for free at the end of garage sales, and Friends of the Library book sales. Let’s face it, not many people have any use for old Readers Digest Condensed books, or old technology and textbooks (When was the last time you needed tips on “How to Get the Most Out of Your New Apple 2-E”? Or “Asbestos Is Your Friend”?)
Can kids do these crafts, too?
YES! Not every craft needs a bandsaw, and even those that do may only need that for a single step. Crafts ideas that are especially kid friendly are tagged “Kid Friendly” on Crafty Bibliophile. …(Wellllllll, I’m trying to sort out projects and tag them to be more user friendly, but I’m not the most digital savvy person in the world. If this would make a big difference to you, please let me know at UseThoseBooksUp@gmail.com I would appreciate knowing if it’s worth the effort)
Do you sell any of your book crafts?
Well, yes, I sell them (my house could never hold the sheer volume of book crafts that I have generated), but generally only when I’ve been asked to speak to a group, or at the New Braunfels Friends of the Library annual book sale, or through their Book Store inside the New Braunfels Public Library. All the proceeds of my sales go to the Friends of the Library…. I would explore opening an Etsy store so anybody anywhere could enjoy these bookcrafts, instead of having to come to New Braunfels, if the interest were high enough, I suppose.