Pretty in Print: Book Folding

Hello dear readers!  

This is my last post in my book case styling series.  

My first post was on how to style your book cases, and I talked a little bit about

how to mix your books in with some fun and unique objects to add interest and variety to 

your shelves.  This week's post is for those of you that don't have any, or not enough,

items to mix in with your books.

Books with folded pages are eye catching and very unique. 

 They add fun visual interest to any space and are so easy and cheap to make.

And would make the perfect item to mix in with your stacked books.

Go to your local DI or thrift store and pick up a few hard back books.  

Look for a variety of sizes, get some big ones and get some little ones to 

mix and match.  A few of the books that I have are little dictionaries, and some are

novels.  If you are putting them in your book cases you won't be seeing the covers

and you, of course, won't be able to read the text, so any type of book works great.

Then put on your favorite movie and start folding!  

This is such an easy craft, but it is time consuming, so it's fun to have a movie playing

or have some friends over, and you can chat while folding.

Here are a couple of step by step instructions for 

a few different patterns:

Triangle and diamond shapes are the easiest 

It's just two simple folds per page

This is what the pattern looks like

First, fold the top part of the page in half, making sure the corner of the 

page reaches the spine of the book.  If you want the entire edge of the page

to line up with the spine, you will have a more pointed top.  If you just bring the

corner to the spine, as shown below, the top of your book will

be a little more flat.  Either way works great, it just depends

on the look you are going for.

Second, fold the bottom corner up to the top of 

the page just far enough to make a sharp point. 

Repeat this same pattern on all the pages

This is the pattern if you are wanting a

 more diamond looking shape

Fist fold up the bottom of the page, lining the edge of 

the paper with the spine

Second, fold the top part of the page until the edge meets the spine.  

Repeat this same pattern on all of the pages

This look is one of my favorites.  It's fairly simple 

as well, it just requires three easy folds per page.

This is what the pattern looks like

First, fold the page in half

Second, fold back the top and bottom corners

to create an arrow pointing towards the spine.

Repeat this same pattern on all the pages.

This double diamond look is the most difficult,

but only because you alternate the pattern slightly on 

every other page.  It's still only two folds per page.

Here is the pattern for half of the pages

First, fold the bottom corner up so the edge 

lines up with the spine.

Second, fold the top corner down until it forms a point.

On the next page, repeat the same pattern in reverse. 

Start by folding the top corner down, then fold the bottom

corner up to create a point.

These are just a few ideas, there are endless possibilities.  You can easily create

your own pattern, simply by opening up your book, folding the first page

in anyway you like and repeat it for the rest of the book and see 

what fun shape you end up with!

As always, I would LOVE to see how your folded 

books turn out!  Post pictures of your newly folded books

to instagram and make sure to tag @deliciousreads in the caption

so I can see all of your beautiful creations!

Thanks for reading 

and happy book folding!

xoxo

Kate

Pretty in Print: Styling Your Bookcases

Bookcases are often the centerpiece of a room.  

They set the tone and mood for any space, and are also a perfect place to show off your interests, hobbies, passions and memories.  

For this month's post, I would like to share some ideas with you on how

to create visual interest in your bookcases.

First off, some general suggestions about how to arrange your bookcases:

1.) Have a variety of vertical and horizontal groupings of your books. 

This is a great way to break up the space, and to direct the eye to different levels of each shelf.  

By having all the books on one shelf stacked all vertically or horizontally, it may create a visual weight that can make bookcases seem heavy or stuffy and it can lack visual interest.

2.) Mix in items that that say a little something about you

Bookcases, filled to the brim with books can be magical, and if done correctly, can look crisp and organized.  But they can also tend to look like a university library or a book store.  When you have bookcases in your home, you can use them as a way to express your personality.  Mix souvenirs from your travels in with your books, or if you are into antiquing or art or photographs or model cars etc. mix and match your collections in with your books.  It creates amazing visual interest for your bookcases and makes them your own, not to mention they become wonderful conversation starters whenever you have guests over.

3.) Don't neglect the negative space

In any type of art, negative space is just as important as the primary subject.  The same idea applies to the art of styling your bookcases, it is important to leave negative space.  If you fill each shelf completely full of fun items and books, it can come across as cluttered and it robs the viewer of the chance to appreciate each piece in the grouping.  Make sure you can see the back of each shelf, and each item and book has enough room to make a statement and not get lost in the composition.

Now,  I would like to share a couple of ideas for different bookcase concepts:

1.) A Pop of C O L O R

Arranging your books by color is a fun and unique way to brighten up any room.  It's also a great way to pull in colors if you don't want to commit to a paint color for a wall or if your in a rental property and painting just isn't an option.  It's also fun to rearrange your shelves for different holidays, use green and red for christmas, or yellow, green and lavender for easter.  You could use analogous colors to create a desired mood or feeling for a room. Using cool colors will create a more calming and peaceful atmosphere while warm colors will energize and liven up a space.  There are so many options with color, the list goes on and on.

2.) Clean and Classic Neutrals 

Having a bookcase full of clean and classic neutral colors can bring a breath of fresh air to your living space.  It's refreshing, it's light and it goes with absolutely everything.  A great way to achieve this look is by turning your books around so their spines are facing the back of the shelf and their white, cream and beige pages create a great uniform look.  This is also a good way to go if you have a random assortment of books and you don't like the way the spines look or you don't think they go together very well.

I hope you have found one or all of these suggestions interesting and useful.  I would love to hear some bookcase styling ideas that you have implemented in your home, share them with us in the comments below!  I would also love to see if you have taken any of these suggestions and added your own flare and creativity for a fun new look, take a picture of your newly styled bookcases, post it to instagram and make sure to tag @deliciousreads in your caption so I can see how they turn out!

Next month I will be sharing a fun and crafty way to achieve these looks even if you don't have the colors of books you are wanting for your bookcase, or if you don't have enough neutral books to fill the space, make sure you check back to see what great tip I have for you!

Thanks for reading and happy styling,

xoxo, Kate