Well hello there! Today I have my second of three Thanksgiving posts. On Saturday I gave you some ideas for name cards, and today I have the perfect centerpiece for your table!
This idea came from a lady in California who passed it on to my sister, who passed it on to me, and now I'm passing it on to you!:)
You already know how much I love thrifting, right? What do they say, "Name brands at Walmart prices?" I'm all for it. But this thrifting shopping trip with my sister was all for the sake of crafting. First we picked out some books for our pumpkins. (I had to go with some vintage ones to get those awesome covers). We ended up with some old fiction, a German dictionary, books on the Alps, dog attractions in California, and how to groom your poodle......random right? (Oh, and of course I had to pick up that Sense and Sensibility...who could resist? But don't worry, we didn't cut it up for a pumpkin.)
And this belt-turned-boho-headband. (Super simple. Just pulled a few stitches to remove the buckle and re-glued the leather to cover up the braid). All for a whopping 99 cents.
Alrighty. Enough about my love for thrifting. On to the pumpkins. To begin with, remove the cover from your book. It is easiest with paperbacks, because you can just slowly rip it off. Just make sure to not break the binding. Next, draw half of a "pumpkin shape" on the first page of the book. Cut through a few pages with your scissors.
Once you have cut the first layer, trace that outline onto the next page and cut a few pages. Continue doing this until you have gotten through the whole book!
As you are cutting, try to make sure that your pages are not getting bigger or smaller.
It will be hard to cut close to the seam of the book, but don't worry. You can cut all of that off at the end.
As you can see, you'll be cutting through a lot of paper!!! When you have cut through your whole book, hot glue gun the front and back cover of the book together. (Cover the entire page with glue so that it will stick really well). When that glue has dried, glue a short stick into the hole on top of the pumpkin (see pictures below). And now you have an adorable little pumpkin!
For this centerpiece, Lara spray painted some big fall leaves gold and sprinkled nuts and pinecones around.
Don't you just love how a little gold spray paint can add some sparkle to any project?
Do you have a Thanksgiving centerpiece made up yet?
~Kelsey
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So cute! I think if I did this I would be killed for having destroyed a piece of literature. :) Your decorations make it look like its sunny outside. :)
ReplyDeleteOh man, I can just hear the clamor when your family realizes that you cut through a precious book!!!:) I think a phone book also works, if that would be less offensive;)
DeleteOh, and Lara took the pics a few weeks ago when it was still sunny. But maybe the gold spray paint helps a little bit?:)
DeleteI think it is adorable! I generally have a hard time cutting up a book, but there are a lot of just plain bad books out there at the thrift stores. I say take them out of circulation and make something good come of them :)
ReplyDeleteThank you! We picked books that we had absolutely no connection to (ya know, I don't need to know anytime soon how to groom a poodle;) I would've had a hard time cutting up a book that I actually would've sat down and read!
DeleteHi, you have such a nice collection of antiquarian books pumpkins. I desire to subscribe for this web site to obtain most up-to-date updates antique book pumpkins, so where can i do it please help.
ReplyDelete