How to make a Folded Book Christmas Tree
In today's post: Learn how to turn an old book from the thrift store into a beautiful Christmas decoration with this folded book Christmas tree craft.
I'chiliad sitting in my kitchen with a Christmas scented candle burning and Christmas music playing, trying to capture the feeling of condolement I associate with the holidays. My kitchen needs cleaning and my laundry needs doing–I'll get to them both soon–but for a few minutes I just want to await at the wintery sunshine streaming through my windows and exist still.
I recall that'south why I like making things: the act of using my hands to brand something helps my mind relax. Even when I have so many things I need to do, it's worth information technology to me to carve out time to craft or sew or bake. Making something isn't about the finished product so much as it's nigh freeing my mind from everything else for just a little while.
If you're looking for a uncomplicated creative project that will help calm your heed, endeavor making a folded volume Christmas tree. This is an easy Christmas craft that doesn't have many supplies. Information technology repeats a couple simple folds that will keep your hands busy while you mind to music or sentry a favorite show. And it looks actually cute propped up in a frame on a shelf or mantel!
Folded Volume Christmas Tree
I know some people REALLY don't like projects that utilize books – it can seem similar such a waste matter to ruin a skilful book that way! Believe me, I love books every bit much as anyone. Just I've as well seen how many books cease upwardly in thrift stores or on racks exterior libraries. I figure once a book has been read and loved by a couple of people and likely won't be read again, it'south fair game to exist turned into something that can still be enjoyed every bit a decoration.
I created my book Christmas tree so it tin can sit down apartment confronting a frame and you can still see the pages to either side because I love the look of text. Still, yous tin can use the folding technique I'll explicate below to create a 360 degree that stands on it's ain. For examples and instructions of a 360 degree tree, visit this post at In The Kitchen with Mum.
Book Tree Supplies
The but thing you actually need to make a folded volume tree is a paperback book. I used a "mass market paperback" volume, which is virtually 7 inches tall and virtually 4.25 inches wide. This is a fairly standard size for the cheaper paperbacks, and you'll probable find plenty of them at any thrift store. You practise want to wait for a book that's at least three quarters of an inch thick (or more), which means information technology will probable need to be nigh 300-400 pages long (or longer). Long books can be cutting downwards using an exacto knife. Finally, I like choosing "classics" for projects where I'm using book pages because they tend to have small fonts and they are much less probable to accept curse words on any given page.
To decorate my tree, I besides used a pocket-sized wood star that I painted cherry as well as red and white twine. If you'll exist adding decorations, you lot'll too demand a hot glue gun.
Finally, my tree sits inside an eight×10 photo frame that I lined with white cardstock.
How to Make a Folded Book Christmas Tree
Watch this video to meet how I fabricated my volume Christmas tree. Detailed instructions follow the video.
Learn how to plough an quondam volume into a pretty folded paper Christmas tree.
- Paperback Book at least 3/4 inch thick
Optional Supplies
- Red Twine
- Star Ornament
- Glue Gun
- Pic Frame larger than book when opened
- White Cardstock cut to fit the frame
-
If your book is more than 1 inch thick, use an exacto or utility knife to cutting information technology down to 1 inch (depending on the thickness of the paper this will more often than not be betwixt 300-400 pages). Open the book at i inch and slice down the spine, discarding the backlog pages or saving them for another craft projection.
-
Decide the halfway bespeak of your book based on how many pages long it is now. Open up the volume wide at the halfway point and pucker the spine. Crease the spine 3 times before the centre crease and iii times after the middle crease at 25 page intervals. This will help the book lay open.
-
You lot are going to start folding 50 numbered pages before the halfway point and terminate folding 50 numbered pages after your halfway point to create the Christmas tree in the middle of your book. (That is 50 numbered pages, so 25 actual folds before and after the center point.)
Starting l numbered pages before the halfway betoken, open the volume upwardly broad. Take the meridian right paw corner of the page and fold it down to the middle of the book, as far as it volition become. Make a tight, clean fold and pucker information technology well.
-
Fold the same page again, this time taking the first folded border into the center, every bit far as information technology will get. Crease.
-
A small corner of the page will now be hanging past the bottom of the book. Fold it downwards along the bottom edge of the book to crease. This volition brand a modest triangle that you lot can tuck inside the original fold so there is a straight border along the bottom.
-
Plow the folded page to the left, and repeat with the next folio. Recollect, you will exist folding near 50 total pages (100 numbered pages). Equally you get more pages folded, it volition become a footling harder to make a overnice fold, particularly at the top. Y'all can employ your fingernail or fingernail file (or even a toothpick) to turn the paper at that tiptop corner and get a sharp fold.
-
Proceed until you have about 50 folded pages and the Christmas tree looks full and the book lies flat. If your pages are a little thicker, y'all may only demand 40 folded pages.
-
If desired, decorate the Christmas tree. Hot glue rows of twine then they appear to wrap around the tree. Hot mucilage a star ornamentation on elevation.
-
If you'd similar your tree to sit in a frame, make sure the frame has a slice of white cardstock in it. Stand the frame up horizontally and set the volume in it. Y'all tin can hot mucilage the volume to the white cardstock to make it more stable if desired.
You can purchase inexpensive paperback books at the dollar store or the thrift shop. I adopt to employ Classics from the thrift store because they are less likely to include curse words that might bear witness in the finished project.
I used a mass market paperback book, which is nearly 7 inches tall and 4.25 inches wide, and an 8x10 motion picture frame.
Reader Interactions
williamsounts1973.blogspot.com
Source: https://www.itsalwaysautumn.com/folded-book-christmas-tree.html
0 Response to "How to make a Folded Book Christmas Tree"
Post a Comment