A Week of DIY Hostess Gift Tutorials

Date: November 25, 2017
Author: Sweetwater Style

Things are pretty much in full holiday mode around here….although since we are having a late Thanksgiving “gather and gobble” on Sunday….Mr. S has requested that I restrain myself a bit and leave a few remnants of fall decor….so the house feels a little like Thanksgiving.

Some of you may have noticed that I have been struggling to get posts written on a regular basis…
I have decided to change that!
I have a Goal: I plan to post EVERY DAY this week with quick tutorials for easy to replicate hostess gifts.  I hope this goal will motivate me to post more often….and inspire you to get your craft on!
So here goes!

DAY ONE
Coverless Book Bundles Holiday Style
Source
Coverless book bundles were all the rage a few years ago.
They are the epitome of “shabby chic”.
Shabby Chic is not for everyone….but…if you change it up to have a HOLIDAY theme….then these work for almost any decor style.
Do you know how hard it is for a retired “librarian” to rip the cover off of a book?
Well…I had to get over that for this project.
Since I promised you a tutorial….a tutorial you shall have…(even though I believe MY clever readers are all be smart enough to figure this out on their own!!!)

  •  Find some old books….the thrift store is a great source if you don’t have any lying around.  The older and dingier the better!  Look for groups of books that are similar in size. 
  •  Remove the soft casing of the book and make sure to remove any printed pages that precede the blank page. Most books have one blank page before the work of the book begins, so you want to leave that page as the top “page” of the book. When you remove the cover, don’t worry about peeling off the binding, the more weathered your binding looks, all the better for the look of your bundle. 
  • Play around with stacking your books.  It will all depend on the books you have.
  • Add your holiday sentiment.  I used the PRINT ON FABRIC technique to print the words on strips of canvas.  You can just use a fabric marker or sharpie to write your words.  Any kind of glue works to add the strips of canvas to the spines of the books. 
  • Wrap the books with a fun holiday ribbon just like you would wrap a  present. You can tie a bow or not tie a bow. It’s up to you.

You have just created a holiday themed vintage book bundle!
This is a perfect hostess gift. It takes little time and only costs a couple of dollars (or free if you use your own old books).
You will probably want to make a few so that you have one for your own!

Have  A Wonderful, Crafty Day!
Stay tuned for tomorrow’s Tutorial!