Make Heart Garland From Old Books

Today I am showing you how I made Heart Garland from old books.  They don’t even have to be old!  You can use any junk book that you want!  I bought a collection of old Readers Digest books for a dime a piece, so I have  amassed quite the collection.  I could do without one.  Especially when I get to make sweet heart garland with it.  Heart Garland from old books.  Who would’ve thought.  Okay, so I have been blinded by love.  I cannot seem to get enough of these Valentines decorations I am working on these days.  I cannot get enough of my old books as well.  So why not mix them!  That is just what I did.

I think the reason I haven’t necessarily loved valentines decor is simple.  Too.  Much .  Color.  Now, that is just in my opinion.  If you love it, go all out!  I think its great.  I really wanted to create some items that I could use in my home.  Items that would blend seamlessly into the decor, adding that special touch of Valentines Day without having Valentines Day throw up all over.  Did I paint a pretty picture?  Awe, well your welcome.

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Here is a short list of items I used to  make these:

Dual Temperature 60 Watt Full Size Glue Gun– I like this one because it is dual temperature.
Multi Temp Full Size Glue Sticks -24-Pack
Paper Cutter–  it make look large, but you will be so glad you have one this size.  I use it all the time.  You can always purchase a small one and it will work.
Sisal Twine 300 feet

I started my heart garland by tearing out a handful of book pages.  I started by using my paper cutter to cut consistent widths, some the original length of the pages and some half the length.  If you are unsure how wide to make them, using a plastic ruler is a great guide.  Just set the ruler down on the paper and draw  a line.  The rulers width is the perfect measurement.

The next thing I needed was my hot glue gun.   I know you could use craft glue, or Elmers glue, but then this project would end up taking all day instead of an hour.  Plus, so messy!

Please ignore my “fancy” nail polish.  My daughter painted them and they  had seen better days.   I started by working with the smaller piece of book pages.  I glues two pages together at the top.

 

Make a line across the top and press the two pieces together.  Don’t use too much glue.   This will become our small heart that will be on the inside.

Once the glue has cooled, which only takes a second, flip the papers inside out.  Does that make sense?

Do you see the heart emerging?

Now glue the bottom pieces together to close up the heart.

I made all my small hearts first.

Aren’t they pretty?  I love the way they look on my stenciled concrete floor.

I now started on my larger hearts.  The only thing I did different was that I glued a 6 inch piece of twine in between the two pieces of book.  This is what the heart will hang from.

 

See?  This will be the top of the large heart, and the twine will be seamlessly hidden.  The next step is to close up the bottom of the heart just like you did for the small hearts.

 

Now, you will apply some hot glue to the smaller hearts crease?  Crack?  Geez, I am not sure what you call that.

Quickly insert the small heart into the large heart and press the inner point of the large heart into the crack of the smaller one.  I am literally laughing right now.  I cannot seem to come up with a better way to describe this.

Now it makes sense, doesn’t it??

Once I had all my heart complete, I tied each piece of twine to a longer piece, creating the garland.

 

Here it is in all its glory.  If I have to have Valentines decor, this is exactly my kind.  Simple and understated.

Make sure to come back tomorrow when I highlight another awesome Valentines craft that is also make from old books.  I cannot get enough.  If you’d like to see other projects I have used these books in, check these out.

Book Christmas Ornaments

Book Christmas Tree

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a great day!