Craft Ideas:

Craft Ideas for Using Antique Books

Hymnbook Angels

The angel displayed is a Christmas decoration, considered to be a Bible craft. It is actually made from a hymnal. Many churches, when they get new hymnals, dispose of the old ones so you may get used hymnals that way. You may also check at used book stores or antique shops for old hymnals that can be used for Bible crafts. Before you start making the hymnbook angel, find a couple of songs that you would like to be displayed on the wings of the angel and cut or tear those pages out and set them aside. Tear another page out which you will use to cover the angel’s head. Next, begin folding each page, one by one, from the top corner of the page to the center to make the skirt for the hymnbook angel. Once the skirt is completed the angel will be free standing. Using a hot glue gun, attach lace to the edges of the book cover all the way around and around the skirt. Next, glue your choice hymns onto the inside front and back cover of the hymnal using a paste or glue that won’t soak through the pages. To complete the hymnbook angel wrap the remaining hymn sheet around a Styrofoam ball and attach the angel’s head to the top of the hymnal. Glue on pre-curled doll hair. You can also make a halo from tinsel, pipe cleaners or a small strand of pearl-like beads. Ribbons or lace can be used to decorate the collar. Hymnbook angels are adorable crafts for Christmas or year round decorating. They also look great sitting on a piano.

For more info visit www.aboutchristmascrafts.com

Phone Book Christmas Tree

Take a phone book - it has to be a real thick phone book though. Start with the cover and take the right upper corner and fold it into a triangle to the left and repeat until every page is done. Then press carefully the back folded cover with the front folded cover and staple them together. Fluff out the pages and spray paint the whole thing green until all you see is a green folded book. Take several 5 inch pieces of yarn (color is optional) and glue them in a circular formation around the book. Take cotton balls and dip them in paint (color optional) (or use pom-poms, glitter, etc) and glue them around the book. Now you have a Christmas phone book!

Reader's Digest Angel

Take an old readers digest. Start by folding the top corner all the way down as far as you can into the binding of the book making a large triangle. Then fold the bottom corner up to meet the bottom of the top fold making a small triangle. Do this for every page. When finished the book will fan out, making a circular base. Attach the front and back pages with tape, glue or staples. Spray paint gold, white or whatever color you want your angel to be. Next, take a Styrofoam ball, appropriately sized for the head (available at most craft shops), and decorate it like a face using glitter, beads, paint, pipe cleaners or whatever you want. Take a pipe cleaner and create a halo out of it. Attach the head to the readers digest body or base. Using pipe cleaners and tissue paper make angel wings, bending the pipe cleaners to form the wings and attaching tissue paper to the inside. Glue these to the back of the angel. Add arms using pipe cleaners and there you have a fun easy and inexpensive project for kids to enjoy.

Above two ideas from www.dltk-holidays.com

Please let us know what other ideas you may have. 
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