How To Reuse Old Encyclopedias and Books

2 Materials
$10
30 Minutes
Easy

We had a set of very out dated encyclopedias, and they had sat on our shelves untouched for years. Thrift Stores, Libraries, etc won't take them anymore. So I figured out a way to reuse them in our home without damaging them! You can see more of my crazy creations here

Here's a picture of our old encyclopedias. I moved them to our living room.

I bought 2 of these trays from the Target Dollar Spot.

I started by stacking the encyclopedias on either side of a bench we have in our living room.

I placed a tray on top of the book stacks.

Now I have side tables in our living room which is also our reading room.You can see how to make my Zen Garden here - https://chascrazycreations.com/upcycled-candle-holder-to-zen-garden/

I decided I wanted to try another version, so I spiraled the books in and added the tray on top. I really love how this one turned out. Which one do you like better?

I would love to have you stop by my blog  Chas' Crazy Creations  for the full tutorial as well as sign up for my latest creations, posts, recipes, exclusives, and more...

I would love for you to subscribe to my YouTube channel to see more of my crazy creations - https://www.youtube.com/c/chascrazycreations

DIY home decor using old books

Check out more ideas for how to decorate with old books here.

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  • Tina Tina on Jan 31, 2020

    i like the spiral ones. do you glue them so no one knocks them ove

    good idea.thank you

  • KerryAnna Spear KerryAnna Spear on Feb 10, 2020

    I love the spiral look. Going to do it myself💜

  • Cathy Cathy on Jan 25, 2021

    Hi! I’ve done this too. You can spray paint the books to match your decor and you can glue the book covers to each other for more stability. It works well with glass table tops - especially the ones that went with those small cloth covered tables in the ‘90s that can be found at thrift stores. I’m partial to the spiral!

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