If there’s something I love about our home, it’s all of the books.
While we’re all about simplifying, we also believe you should have books of all kinds. And unapologetically hoard them. In a library. With lots of awesome shelving.
The ones you love, of course.
Old books. New books. Awesomely written books. Inspirational books. In the digital age of iPads and Kindles, beautiful books in print are a novelty. Call me old fashioned, but I’m always scooping up a few oldies but goodies at the local flea market, and I also love all the books the kids have from homeschool. It’s like a book fair exploded, and I love the fact that they have a ton of valuable resources right at their fingertips. But therein lies the problem: how to properly display said books so that they don’t take over my home and, you know, eat my children?
We have a few systems in place, but I’m always on the lookout for clever little bookends… and then we had this easy peasy idea.
These handmade bookends were easy to make in just an afternoon, and they’re so super sturdy and fun, we thought we’d share how.
So without further ado: how to make your own {house shaped} bookends.
All you’ll need: • 4 x 4 piece of wood {we totally grabbed ours out of our yard-yes, we had one sitting in our backyard. #sanfordandson} • miter saw • measuring tape • carpenters square • paint in whatever colors you wish to finish it in.
We made three of three separate heights, the bottom of the roofline coming to 3.5, 5.5, and 7.5 inches. We simply measured how high we wanted the “bottom part” of the house to be, and from there, drew lines at 45 degree angles until the points met for a peaked ‘roof’.
We used our miter saw to cut, and tada! We had the right shapes.
Our wood was looking a little aged and had that yellow pressure treated look {see: sitting outside for a while}, so we actually sliced some off the sides, because we wanted to leave some woodgrain mixed in with the paint in the fresh, finished look. We would also suggest using a belt sander for this step, especially for those not comfortable with their miter saw.
Also, the one on the left has a possessed ostrich shape in it.
Am I the only one who always sees faces and shapes in things? {Basically my childhood = staring at popcorn ceilings.}
When the cutting was finished, we finished them with stripes and scallops in various colors. You can use a little painters tape to take it across, and we painted the sides as well.
{Psssst- read how to make a puzzle, here!}
And tried them out around the house with fun book combos.
I think we’ll be making more! Their sturdy shapes are just perfect to hold up whatever you can lean on it!
As always, let us know if you try it, or have any questions! We’d love to hear!
Have an inspired day!
Michael @ CraftyDad.com says
Sweet project! Thanks for sharing.
Loved your #sanfordandson reference. Laughed out loud at that one! {Yes, I can SO relate!}
Also loved the collection of what appears to be almost-vintage Nancy Drew books. I was a huge Hardy Boys fan back in the day. Such great books. And I had the Hardy Boys Detective Manual too. (I was hard-core!) TRUE CONFESSION: I read most of the Nancy Drew books too.
I am a book hoarder too. I’m sure there’s a #twelvestepprogram for that. (Not that I would join, though.) : ) Been a bookworm since I was a wee tot. I promised my wife that I would not buy very many books this year and take advantage of our public library. But…as an Amazon Prime member, it’s hard not to find a book and push the “Add to Cart” button. Know what I mean?
My favorite used book store is in the town where we spend the weekends during the summer. It’s a huge bookstore (in what used to be a grocery store with old wooden flooring) and I try to get there every Saturday morning. I could spend a small fortune in there. Oh. Lord.
Hope you’re having a great week!
#stayinspired
–Michael
Yes, I love my digital stuff. But (to me)….a book is not a book unless it has real pages. As in PAPER pages.
ashley @ the handmade home says
HA! I am in the process of starting a Hardy Boy collection for my boys – I was raised on Nancy drew ad there’s something about the older ones! ;}
Britt Jones says
I, for one, am so excited to see your Usborne collection! You have some wonderful classic stories with those! I adore books and I’m so thrilled to be building my children’s library with Usborne Books & More, the ones kids love, of course! 😉 And you nailed it, display them so they see, use and learn to respect them but contain them so they do not overrun your home to only become another mess. Cute bookends! Thanks again for a fun post, as always!
ashley @ the handmade home says
Awe, thanks Britt! Yes, I have a total weakness for Usborne! They are some of our very favorites! I am such a sucker anytime a friend of mine has a party! HA!
Britt Jones says
That’s wonderful! I’ve had so much fun doing the Facebook events! I’m sure you’ve found some of the books to be a great supplement to your homeschooling. And I love the color in your bookshelves!
DeeAnna says
This post went right to my heart! Both my parents are bibliophiles and we had the best reading room in our house, lined with bookshelves and a comfy (bright orange!) chair. Now my husband thinks it’s a little strange to have so many books, but he loves me even when our bookshelves are lined two deep with books. We just got some lovely tall bookshelves to take care of that problem and your book ends are adorable and will look wonderful, thank you! p.s. I also spent my childhood looking at shapes in things, our kitchen floor had this awful linoleum that had a terrifying face in one spot and then a teddy bear in another spot.
ashley @ the handmade home says
HA! I love book lovers. and to know that I’m not alone with all of the faces and shapes thing. ;}
chelsea says
Was that a set of Nancy Drew books in the one picture?! Took me back to my childhood!
ashley @ the handmade home says
YES! Gotta love some Nancy!
Andrea @ MouseInMyPocket.com says
Those are adorable! They aren’t really my style- but they’re totally giving me some ideas. At my house, books are often held in place with pottery pieces, but I’m odd like that.
Tennille Mykula says
Great idea. I think you should paint a few to look like stubby pencils for your home schooling room. Just one more project that shows us that good ideas can be simple ideas too.