I'm Crafty and I Know It

I'm not a big fan of buzz words like repurpose or upcycle, mostly because I've been doing this kind of thing for as long as I can remember. I think most people have been reusing and reinventing for much longer than the current trend would have us believe.

But "to speak in the vernacular of the peasantry" (can you place the quote without Googling it?), I recently decided to delve into our sizable collection of discarded books at the library and upcycle them into holiday decorations. Honestly though, it's always a little difficult for me to cut up a book. It just feels wrong. But I'd rather transform them into something else, and give them a new life than just have them end up in the recycling bin. Here are the first ornaments I made:

And why stop at a few ornaments if you can build a whole village?

The houses are each made of two books, opened facing each other at 90 degree angles. I printed out pictures of doors, but some old Christmas cards that feature doors would be even better. You can make a roof easily by just putting an open book on top, or you can put in a little more effort and make one out of cardboard and paper 'shingles'.

And of course you can add some evergreen trees by folding an old paperback book into the right shape:

You can use a marker to color the edges green, and/or add some glitter.

And of course, be sure to populate your village with some beloved book characters. It's only appropriate that Matilda would live in a book village.