I love to incorporate paper crafts into decorating! They are cheap, easy, fun, and provide instant gratification. When I was creating my recent Thanksgiving pool noodle wreath, I had originally planned on making book page feathers to accentuate the wreath but ended up liking the look of the paper leaves better. But these ended up looking so cute, I thought I’d pass the idea along in case you wanted to steal it!
What you’ll need:
- Book pages
- Pipe cleaners
- Glue gun
- Scissors
Step 1: Tear out a page from a book and fold in half. (Defensive disclaimer: Don’t freak out that I’m using fine literature for this craft. Hubs and I took the same course in college and we have two of these books on our shelf. If you feel the need to scream book murderer, go ahead and do so now ;).)
Step 2: Cut out a featherish like shape. Just go for it here. If you don’t like the look of your feather once opened, fold it back in half and trim it accordingly.
Step 3: Hold your scissors at a deep angle and “cut in” the feathers. Cut the feathers in the same direction using the smallest distance possible between cuts for a more realistic look.
Step 4: Using strips of book pages, wrap your pipe cleaner and secure where needed with hot glue.
Step 5: Run a bead of hot glue along the seam of your feather and secure your pipe cleaner to the center. Voila! You’re done!
I think these would look so cute as a book page wreath! I had made up a bunch so I placed a few on my mantel.
I also used them in our table setting at dinner just for fun.
You could steal this idea for Thanksgiving and have a unique, festive, and FREE place card for each guest!
Let me know if you try it!
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I love this idea! I have so many ideas for these babies already. I am hosting Thanksgiving at my house this year and I think they will look so cute on the table. Thanks!
I love feathers – books are sacred to me, so at first I gasped and wondered if I could rip out a page in an old book to make these beautiful feathers – luckily, I had some old books that I was willing to sacrifice. Thank you for this decorative idea. You created beautiful feathers.
Beth,
I did have to make my own! 🙂 Here is my versions! 🙂
http://www.thecountrychiccottage.net/2011/12/paper-ephemera-feathers-aleenesrocks.html
I love any craft that uses book pages. I am saving this tutorial and trying it this weekend 🙂 Thanks!
Jessica
this would make for a really lovely gift packaging addition too! especially if the gift was a book!
how do you come up with the stuff, Beth? This is just so dang cute. I have never seen this before, so I just have to pin it!
Have a great Sunday!
Those are so cute! I love them as a place card!
Oh I love this idea!
So simple and so very delicate and pretty! I could get the kids to help with wrapping the pipe cleaners. They’d enjoy helping mom with a project!
Thanks sis!
SIMPLY pretty. Love it! We have two parrots at home and get our fair share of feathers, but these are cool!
Great idea…Bet we’ll be seeing more of these in blogland…
Hi Beth,
I have a tute pinned on Pinterest but they used some kind of wire, not pipe cleaners and have been wanting to do this but ya beat me to it! Yours look good! Really great on your mantel and napkin holders.
So pretty and festive!
Cute!!! I am totally addicted to book crafts this fall, so you won’t hear any book-killer accusations from me 🙂 Love this! Thanks for another great idea, Beth!
In some sort of kinky way, this is what Mr.Darcy can tickle me with. In my head of course!
Those are wonderful! The wheels in my mind have been turning with book-page thoughts ever since Nester’s party for Emily, but I haven’t come up with anything that I actually wanted to DO. You may have just changed that for me! You executed this idea really well. And by the way, for such a noble task as this, I would not call you a murderer. Executioner, perhaps. If one book had to die in the pursuit of art, so be it. 🙂
These are so pretty and easy. I love finding crafts you can make with supplies you have.
Love the feathers! Will be making lots of these little darlins, thanks a bunch 🙂
Hi Beth! What a great project…very well-timed, too! We have a 2-day women’s conference coming up at church and I’m in charge of decorating. Definitely gonna make some of these. Thanks so much for sharing!
nice spell job Jess! 🙂 napkin
Cool idea! I like them with the knapkin holder 🙂
I saw some of these on pinterest!! They are on my to do list for Christmas! Love yours!
I figured I couldn’t have been the first person to have thought them up but I haven’t seen them anywhere else. I tell ya. It’s hard to be original in a world filled with such creative people!