Here is another great old book page idea! These old book hanging birds are a perfect choice for rustic and fun wall decor. Make these and add them to a wall, on a tree for "year-round holiday", or even use it as a bookmark. They are simply an adorable little project that uses scrap paper and old books to add fun decoration to your life. What's not to love about that?
Hanging Birds Wall Decor
It is no mystery that I love upcycling and repurposing anything I can for a new craft. If it can be turned into something that is functional or just a beautiful addition to my home, I'm all over it.
I recently saw some cute little bookmarks in a bookstore that were in the shape of little birds. They were made from a printed paper that looked like a book page, and were just a simple bird bookmark.
I immediately thought back to this felt bird paperclip bookmark I made last year and decided to try my hand at a similar craft. This is a simple wall hanging decoration, but the resemblance is obvious.
I imagine some of these will end up tucked in my favorite books in no time at all!
How Do You Upcycle an Old Book?
The answer seems obvious to me, but some ask why I would do this, and others want to know where to begin. So, I have decided to share a few things with you.
Hopefully, this will help others understand not only why, but how I do what I do with old book pages.
- Only use books that are damaged, misprints, or otherwise not salvageable. These are not antiquities torn apart but everything from an old Nancy Drew novel to a science textbook. For one reason or another, they are not worth keeping for reading. So, rather than throw them away, I use them in crafting.
- Begin by removing the bookbinding. This is usually fairly easy to do with an Xacto knife or scissors depending upon the age and type of book. Paperbacks are simple to just rip apart while hardbacks would need more work to remove the cover.
- Separate pages into sections by pulling apart the book at the glued center. Then, you can cut the glue off of the pages and trim them to suit your needs whether that be a beautiful quilled wreath, or a rustic butterfly from an old book to hang on your wall.
What Can I Do To Make These Last Longer?
Since old book pages can be fragile and thin at times, no matter the age of the book, it's important to protect them if you plan to use them for long. Since these have already been bookmarked in my mind to become bookmarks, I knew I needed to add an extra layer of protection.
The first suggestion I have is to run these through a laminator or put into a laminating pouch and seal. Then, you can cut the birds out and hole punch for your string or ribbon to hang them. This keeps the pages protected so they don't rip or tear, and protects them from any further water damage.
Can I Use Regular Paper for My Birds?
Of course! My goal was to use up old book pages. I also wanted to give my birds a natural or rustic look. That doesn't mean you have to only use book pages for this craft.
I love the idea of using different colored papers for the same hanging birds project. Think about how cute they would look in a themed room when coordinating colors. Another great idea would be to use these to decorate for a wedding. Wouldn't they look darling strung from the ceiling in various colors?
As with any of my crafts, I always want them to be something fun and easy to adapt to individual needs and abilities.
Supplies Needed
- Old book pages
- A bird shaped template (I hand drew mine) you can download it here
- Glittery craft paper or foam paper or Embossed Heart Stickers
- Twine
- Black marker
- Scissors
- Craft glue
How to Make a Bird From Old Book Pages
Download our bird template here or draw a simple bird shape template onto white paper and cut it out.
Now, use it to draw the bird shapes onto your book pages making as many as you wish.
Cut out your birds and set aside.
On colored craft paper or glitter foam paper, you will draw a small heart and a small beak for each bird you have cut out.
Peel the sticky back off of the foam paper, or use craft glue and attach the heart upside down on the center of the bird to create wings.
Now, you will add the peak toward the top of the bird shape.
Add a small black dot to be the eye on one side of the bird.
Now, you will glue, tape, or otherwise attach a length of twine to the back of each bird for hanging.
Note: If you plan to laminate these to preserve them, do that before adding the twine. Once laminated, you can use a small hole punch on the top of the bird to add your twine through.
More Old Book Page Crafts
Since I have so many amazing ideas using old book pages, I decided to just add them here for you to find easily. These are so much fun to create, and I know they will give you hours of happiness in your craft room!
- How to Make Decorative Feathers from Old Book Pages
- Vintage Flower Decor from Old Books
- Paper Flowers from Old Book Pages
- How to Make a Romantic Bouquet from an Old Book
- Lovely Flower Decoration from Old Book Pages
- Rustic Hanging Fern from Old Book Pages
- 10 DIY Book Page Rose Ideas
DIY Old Book Hanging Birds Wall Decor
Upcycle old books into these beautiful hanging birds as a unique wall decor that also doubles for a bookmark! A beautiful rustic paper craft anyone can make!
Materials
- Old book pages
- A bird shaped template (I hand drew mine)
- Glittery craft paper or foam paper
- Twine
- Black marker
Tools
- Scissors
- Craft glue
Instructions
- Create a bird shaped template and cut it out;
- Use this template to trace onto your book pages creating the bird shape you will cut out;
- Cut out as many birds as you wish, and then set them aside;
- Now, you will use your colored craft paper and cut out a small heart and a small beak for each bird that you created;
- Once all of the birds, beaks, and hearts have been cut out, you will begin assembling your birds;
- First, peel the sticky back off of the heart, or use craft glue, to attach the heart upside down on the bird to look like wings as shown;
- Next, you will add the beak to the top front of the bird, along with a small black dot for the eye;
- If you plan to laminate these to protect them, do that at this time then cut them out of and add a hole punch to the top;
- The final step is to thread the twine through the hole, or tape/glue to the upper back of the bird for hanging.
Notes
Make these in various sizes to create bird families to decorate with around the house!
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