amazing holiday craft tutorial from family circle

soooooo... was chatting with my best friend yesterday, and she brought up this great idea for christmas tree decorations made from paperback books.  she found the idea in the latest family circle magazine, and i went a-hunting for it online.  low & behold, i found it, i'm excited about it, and i want to pass it on!


Novel Approach

A mini forest of silvery trees made from paperback books adds a shimmering touch to the mantel.

Step 1: Tear off the front and back covers of a paperback book, leaving the binding intact.

Step 2: Take the top corner of a page and fold it down to meet the binding.

Step 3: Then fold the same page down to meet the binding again.

Step 4: Turn up the resulting triangle at the bottom of the page so that it is even with the bottom of the book. Make the same three folds on the next page.

Step 5: Repeat the folds on every page until the tree looks generously proportioned—about 150 pages. To make things easier, clip folded pages together as you go. Trim the excess pages off the binding by using a utility knife or box cutter to cut through the spine.

Step 6: Glue first and last pages together so the tree fans around and stands on its own.

Step 7: To decorate trees, mist edges with silver spray paint and glue on metallic rickrack "garlands." For topper, stick a toothpick through a rhinestone button shank and into book spine. Or glue bits of glittered floral pick to top. To make silver rosettes, wind small pieces of silver pipe cleaners into circles, gluing a pearl bead in the centers. Glue rosettes onto the tree.

tell me that doesn't look like the most amazing, simple craft ever?!  i'm so excited to try it... just have to go hunt down some cheap paperback books, since i can hardly sacrifice the ones i own & love so much!

click here to view this on the family circle website!

xox kam