Books are great for reading, but what can you do with books that have been so well-loved they are falling apart? How about making your own book page canvas wall art?
I love books, reading books, quotes about books…you get the picture. 🙂
One day this past spring when I was at our local Goodwill, I saw a canvas and decided it would be perfect for making some book page wall art.
It was a little dingy looking, but I planned on covering it up so it didn’t matter. It didn’t have any holes and was really in good shape.
Plus, I only paid $1.99 for this 12 x 17 inch canvas which has a wood frame and a hook already on the back for hanging.
If you would like to know how you can make your own book page canvas wall art, here’s how.
Supplies
- Stretched Canvas (used or new)
- Old Book
- Mod Podge
- Foam Brush
- Black Card Stock
- Cricut Cutting Machine
- Permanent Marker (Optional. Use if you don’t have a Cricut.)
I want to point out that I used my Cricut Explore to cut the quote out of black card stock. But, what if you don’t have a Cricut?
Well, you can write on the book pages with a Sharpie, after they have dried, but before you put the top coats of Mod Podge on.
Instructions
1. Find an old book that you don’t mind tearing apart. Tear out several pages. I used about 12 pages for this project.
I have to admit that tearing up books isn’t something I enjoy. However, my copy of Wuthering Heights was beyond repair.
Random Fact: I used to work at a public library during college and minor book repairs were part of my job. 🙂
If you don’t have a book like this lying around you can find old books at yard sales, library sales, thrift stores, or simply by asking around.
2. Prepare your work surface. Lay the canvas on some old newspapers, brown packing paper, or an old vinyl tablecloth.
3. Use the foam brush to spread some Mod Podge onto a small section of the canvas at a time.
4. Place the book pages on the canvas so they slightly overlap and smooth out any air bubbles.
I was fairly boring with the way I put the pages on the canvas. You could be totally random and put some pages sideways and some like I did. There is no right or wrong way to do this.
Optional: Cute helper.
5. When you get to the corners of the canvas you will want to “miter” them. Basically you are going to fold one edge down, add a little Mod Podge, and then fold the other edge in at a slight angle.
Basically, you just want to fold the book pages at the corners so they look nice. Kind of like a present.
Make sure you are using enough book pages so they go over the entire edge of the canvas. I even had them go over to the back side a little.
7. Continue until the entire canvas has been covered.
The No Cricut Method: If you don’t have a Cricut and want to write a quote or draw a picture with a Sharpie, now is the time. You want to do that before adding the top coats of Mod Podge.
8. Cover the entire canvas, sides too, with Mod Podge.
9. While you are waiting on the canvas to dry you can cut out your quote.
I chose to use the quote “We read to know we are not alone.” which is often misattributed to C. S. Lewis. The quote is actually from the movie Shadowlands, which was about C. S. Lewis, by William Nicholson.
Regardless, I liked the quote.
I used my large cutting mat and 2 pieces of black card stock because my canvas was 12 x 17 inches and I wanted to fill the space.
You can use any quote you choose and design in yourself. If you want to use the quote I did, click on the link below for the free PNG file I created.
Free PNG for use with Cricut (We read to know we are not alone.)
10. Next, lay out the words and get them positioned how you want them. I used a ruler to be sure I had proper spacing.
11. Add a little Mod Podge to the back of each word, and glue into place.
12. Once you have the words on the canvas, Mod Podge over the top of each word. When that is dry, I recommend adding one final coat over the entire canvas for good measure.
I had a lot of fun making this book page canvas wall art, and I really like how it turned out.
I plan to hang this canvas in my bedroom in my little reading nook. I think it will be a great addition.
Do you have a favorite quote about books?
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