This is a cool project from my latest favorite book, Playing with Books: Upcycling, Deconstructing, and Reimagining the Book.
Happy cutting! I think this would look cool with just about any shape. Click on the images to get the full directions on how to make a recycled book page mobile.
Did you think this was a cool project? And want to be entered to
WIN
a copy of the awesome book Playing with Books?
All you need to do is leave a comment about
BOOKS!It can be:
A funny story.
Your favorite one as an adult (or child).
The last one you cut up.
The craziest thing you made a book with or about.
A "book" quote.
Anything "bookie!"
Leave your answer in today's post by midnight on Wednesday, June 9th and you
will be entered to win a free copy of Playing with Books: Upcycling, Deconstructing, and Reimagining the Book. The winner will be
picked by a random number generator.
Upcycling, Deconstructing, and Reimagining the Book
In these pages, Jason Thompson has curated an extensive and
artistic range of both achievable upcycled crafts made from books and
book pages and an amazing gallery that contains thought-provoking and
beautiful works that transform books into art.
The content
encompasses a wide range of techniques and step-by-step projects that
deconstruct and rebuild books and their parts into unique, upcycled
objects. The book combines in equal measure bookbinding, woodworking,
paper crafting, origami, and textile and decorative arts techniques,
along with a healthy dose of experimentation and fun.The beautiful
high-end presentation and stunning photography make this book a
delightful, must-have volume for any book-loving artist or art-loving
book collector.
Jason Thompson is the founder and president of Rag & Bone Bindery, and author of Making Journals By Hand (Rockport Publishing 2001). He is highly regarded as a book designer with integrity who creates unique handbound books and other fine bindings, as well as a popular blogger who writes about bookbinding, book arts, artist books, and paper craft.
To see more inside peeks into Playing with Books, pop on over to this post at Jason's blog.

I have started on so many book projects and never get one finished. Maybe this book would help!
Posted by: Barbara Bassett | June 02, 2010 at 09:08 AM
The first book I ever cut up was 'The Catcher in the Rye'. That was also the last book I ever cut up.
Posted by: Camille | June 02, 2010 at 09:49 AM
Never thought of doing that with books. It just seems wrong somehow. But then I've always had a hard time throwing out even cruddy books. Looks like a lovely project though.
Posted by: lionel valdellon | June 02, 2010 at 09:57 AM
I am a librarian in two small branch libraries, I tend to focus on electronic resources over print, but I do still have some print on my shelves. A couple of weeks ago a student comes up to me and asks me what the point of the library was- he was talking about the books on the shelves, not the information inside. I think it would be ironic to have a book like this that spoke of things one could do with other books - or even this one...
Posted by: Dawn | June 02, 2010 at 12:05 PM
I have several books set aside to turn into book "safes" by cutting out the center and gluing the edges together. Now I know what to do with the pieces of pages I cut out!
Posted by: Janel | June 02, 2010 at 12:15 PM
I LOVE books! My favorite as a teen was Illusions by Richard Bach. I thought he was a genius! :)
Posted by: Tiffany | June 02, 2010 at 12:34 PM
I would never cut a book apart :D At least not one of those I own, as they are mostly pre - 1900 atlases, science publications and other stuff worth preserving...
Posted by: Mademoiselle Chaos | June 02, 2010 at 12:45 PM
My mom was a children's librarian and also loved to make things. She inspired me to read and craft too, but I have to admit I've not yet tried projects using old books as the supply.
Posted by: Ann | June 02, 2010 at 01:22 PM
fave quote from one of my fave books: "You're just as sane as I am." --Luna Lovegood, "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" ;)
Posted by: Erica Wiggins | June 02, 2010 at 01:38 PM
I'm also a librarian but have no problem re-using (some!) books for art - some need to be saved intact, but others can be transformed to have new lives. I was just looking at this (Jason's) book in the bookstore the other day and thinking how great it is! Last book I cut up: a Tintin that was missing too many pages to be saved...I used some remaining panels to decoupage a stepstool. I think it was The Calculus Affair.
Posted by: Pekoe | June 02, 2010 at 02:45 PM