I have a great project for you today, friends! And there’s a good chance that you already have everything you need for it on hand. I’m teaching you how to decorate bottles with book pages and they look absolutely adorable when they are done!
I absolutely love displaying old books in my home. I just love everything about them. Probably because of that, one of my favorite things to craft with are old book pages. It’s a great way to bring the inside of an old book out into the light! I’m excited for you to learn how to decorate bottles with book pages so you can enjoy them in your own home.
I’m using those cute little syrup bottles from Cracker Barrel but you can use any bottle that you have on hand. Or, you could ask the restaurant to save you a few. I’m lucky because Randy has been collecting them for me while he’s on the road but I know that’s not the case for most of you. So, it’s totally fine to just use what you have or what it’s easy for you to get your hands on. They’ll be super cute no matter what you start with!
How to Decorate Bottles with Book Pages
I just love these little bottles and they look so cute on a coffee table or end table! You can display them in anything you like too. Grab a dough bowl, a pretty plate, or a wooden tray and throw a doily on it. Then lay down your bottles and surround them with other cute vintage items. I love the contrast that greenery adds so that’s a must for me. But, you could also use battery candle and some tiny vintage treasures too!
Tips and Tricks…
These book page bottles are really simple to do so I don’t have too many tricks to share with you. One thing that I do advise, however, is making them in batches. One reason is that they look best in groups of at least three. But, the main reason is that they can get a little messy.
Any time you use Mod Podge things can get messy and that is true with these bottles. You can keep the mess to a minimum though if you cover the body of all of your bottles first before you move on to the necks and tops. You can keep your fingers pretty clean while adding the paper to the body of your bottle. Once you get into the nooks and crannies of the tops though, you will be getting your fingers dirty. This isn’t a big deal but it does make working with the body of your bottle more tricky. For that reason, I do all my bodies first and then do all my tops. Easy peasy!
I really like the way the old book pages look but you could also use any type of newer book page too. In fact, if you used a mix of old and new pages, you could get some great color contrasts. You could even use scrapbook paper if you wanted to. You’d just need to dampen it first since it’s thicker than books pages. If you love the idea of old pages but don’t want to rip up an existing book (believe me I get it!) you can snag one of the paper packets that I have here on the website. The pages in the packs have been taken from books that had already fallen apart. So, no worries, no books were harmed in the making of those packs!
Supply List
- Bottles ( I used those cute little syrup bottles from Crackle Barrell but you can use any you have on hand)
- Old book pages
- Scissors
- Matte Mod Podge
- Paint brush
- Raffia
Step by Step Instructions
- Start by trimming the plain area around the edges of your pages off so that you only have words.
- Figure out what size paper you need to cover your bottle and tear it to size.
- Then, use the paint brush to apply Mod Podge to the main body of your bottle. No need to cover the bottom and leave the neck and top clean for now.
- Next wrap your paper around the bottle and add a little more Mod Podge to the end to glue it in place.
- Now continue your Mod Podge around the neck and top and start training your book page around it, gathering it as you go. Be careful not to twist the paper or you will rip it.
- If you have any areas of the bottle that are not covered, just rip small pieces of the paper and use the Mod Podge to cover them. Once the whole bottle is covered, add a coat of the Mod Podge over the whole thing to seal it.
- Once your bottles are dry, cut a couple of strips of raffia to wrap the neck of you bottle then double knot it. Trim the raffia ends to the length you want them and you’re all done!
I absolutely love how these bottles turned out! This is such a quick and simple project with beautiful results. Whatever you end up using to make them, I hope you love them as much as I do!
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