Vintage book page garland DIY, Digi Mart USA News: Vintage books are often discarded because of damage that cannot be repaired or because thrift stores receive more donations than they can sell. A craft project shared by House Digest suggests that these books can be given a second life by turning their pages into a decorative garland.
The basic materials are an older book that can be taken apart, a pair of scissors, a stapler with staples, and push pins for hanging. Tape is unlikely to hold the weight of the paper, so push pins are recommended, with several placed along the garland to create a swag effect.
The first step is removing the pages from the book, using scissors to get clean edges rather than the rough edges left by glued binding. Pages can be cut into strips of the width desired for each loop.
To make the garland, staple both ends of one page together about half an inch from the top to form a loop, then repeat to create several loops. Each new loop is added to the previous one with its straight edge positioned slightly above the first, stapling loops on alternating sides until the garland reaches the desired length.
Garlands can be made long or short, but the weight of the paper should be considered when hanging. Complete, uncut pages may require multiple push pins to hang securely.
An alternative method forms the loops during stapling rather than beforehand. This starts with a single premade loop, to which a flat page is stapled, bent into a loop and stapled in place, repeating for the length required.
This approach can also be useful when the final length is not yet known.
The garland can be personalised by adding colourful paper loops for a more whimsical look, or rustic touches such as berry sprigs, dried flower stems, feathers or fall leaves. Because these items are heavier, strong glue rather than staples is recommended to attach them to the pages.
