Welcome to Ten on the 10th!
This month we transformed thrift store finds with the usual ten dollar budget.
A big thank you to Katie@Let's Add Sprinkles for organizing this hop.
While window shopping online, I've admired stamped bundles of vintage books for sale in various places. I've come pretty close to pressing the "buy" button.
The hesitation: making a set of my own would be cheaper and open endless possibilities of word combinations.

It's pretty easy to find old hardback books at thrift shops and garage sales. The covers won't matter, since they are headed for the trash can.
The picture below shows how the inner binding can be pulled out from the hard outer cover.
Pretty technical, I know.
I used a scissors to make a clean break. I also saved a blank page to go on the top of my finished book stack.
The only thing I purchased for this project (other than the 50 cent books) was this Mixed Media black ink pad. The ink is much heavier than traditional ink pads. This is needed to cover the texture of the binding. This ink pad was $7 at Michaels before deducting a 40% coupon.
I already owned the alphabet stamps.
Of course I practiced on paper before stamping on the actual books.
A Sharpee was perfect for a few touch ups before bundling the books with twine.
Patina and Paint
Chasing Quaintness
County Road 407
The Apple Street Cottage
Let's Add Sprinkles
Pandora's Box
Bluesky at Home
Exquisitely Unremarkable
Chasing Quaintness
County Road 407
The Apple Street Cottage
Let's Add Sprinkles
Pandora's Box
Bluesky at Home
Exquisitely Unremarkable

How cute! This is a simple and easy project that looks so adorable! It can be done for any holiday too!
ReplyDeleteEilis these are too cute! I many have to give these a try for sure!
ReplyDeleteHappy Ten on the 10th!
Adorable. I've been wanting to make stuff out of old books. Cute. Cute.
ReplyDeleteI love these. I too have almost purchased some but knew that I could make them if I would just apply a little effort. We have tons of old books and I need to make use of them rather than having them sitting in a storage crate. Thank you for the inspiration and the push to do so! Have a great one! Hugs!
ReplyDeleteCute idea.....and what will you do with the book covers.? iI have seen the spines attached to boxes that would go on a book shelf to hide "stuff" in!!
ReplyDeleteLove your books! I made a stack a while back and used my own shabby hand writing and should have used stamps. I honestly didn't even think of it. Not that I have any stamps. But now...I'm finding some stamps! So cute!
ReplyDeleteGood Morning!
ReplyDeleteI love this and you have inspired me to do this project! As I decorate our Colorado home I am using old books for a vintage desk. These will be a perfect and clever addition!
Great catching up with you too!
Jemma
Clever use of old books. Love it!
ReplyDeleteHi, Eilis,
ReplyDeleteBooks always grab me! Cute project for very little money...
Happy Valentine's Day,
Judith
This is such a darling project Eilis! I love that you can customize it too. Have a love filled week.
ReplyDeleteEilis, great way to use old books. I love stenciling on them. Stamping is a good idea too. Keeps books out of the dumpsters too. WIll look great on a table anywhere.
ReplyDeleteFabulous! I always see books at the thrift store and I pass them up. I'm going to try this.
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