These decorative feathers are so cute! A great way to repurpose old books or scrap papers, and they are ideal for decorating. You can add these paper feathers to a gift, as a part of a centerpiece, or even laminate them and use them as bookmarks. Such a fun idea that is easy to make and super versatile.
If you enjoy this papercraft, then you will love my tips for how to make butterfly decorations out of old books.
Jump to:
- Decorative Feathers from Old Books
- What is the Best Way to Remove Pages from Books?
- How Can I Use These Decorative Feathers?
- Tips for Preserving Crafts Made from Book Pages
- Supplies Needed
- How to Make Decorative Feathers from Old Books
- Video Tutorial:
- Printable Step-by-Step Photo Tutorial:
- Materials
- Tools
- Instructions
Decorative Feathers from Old Books
I love going to thrift shops and finding things I can use to create cute crafts. One of my favorite things is when a local thrift store has books on sale 10/$1. Sometimes I can find books I want to read, but usually, I will find old books that aren't in great shape, that I can use for fun crafts. Recently, I found some that are perfect for making these cute decorative feathers.
Using different book pages in different colors and shades of fading makes this feather craft easy to customize. This is such a simple craft that is easy to use in tons of different ways!
What is the Best Way to Remove Pages from Books?
When taking pages from books, it can be tough to not end up tearing them apart. I've often had pages I wanted to pull out completely end up ragged and torn because it's hard to remove them from the bookbinding. There are many methods of taking pages from books, but only a few will result in neat pages you can use for crafting.
- Use an Exacto knife or utility knife and run it down the seam of the page to slice the paper neatly from the binding.
- Cut the bookbinding off the outside completely, releasing all of the pages. This will take a sharp knife, so be very careful.
- Fold the page at the base if possible, and very gently tear it out.
How Can I Use These Decorative Feathers?
I love adding embellishments to gifts, and that is my first instinct with these feathers. They are ideal for adding to a gift, especially for anyone who is a book lover. Just like my tips for how to make paper flowers from book pages, this tutorial gives you something that is a fun and versatile papercraft. Use your imagination for putting this cute idea to use!
- Glue or secure them to gifts as a gift tag.
- Laminate them and trim the edges to create bookmarks.
- Put them on long sticks or dowels and add them into floral arrangements.
- Add hooks to them and place them on the holiday tree.
- Hang them from the side of a picture frame as an accent to a photograph.
Tips for Preserving Crafts Made from Book Pages
Paper is one of those crafting items that are much more fragile than other mediums. That means that when you make things like these decorative feathers or my romantic bouquet from an old book, you want to make sure they are going to last for a long time.
To preserve paper crafts like this, I like to do a few different things. Try different methods of preserving the paper crafts and find one that works for you.
- Laminate items when applicable - like these decorative feathers.
- Spray with a sealant or shellac spray to protect - note this will create a shine on most papers. When doing this, you will need to have plenty of space and a well-ventilated area as the spray sealant will be a bit messy.
- Coat the item with the decoupage and allow it to dry completely.
- Another option similar to the decoupage is to use regular white glue. It can be brushed onto items and dried to create a seal.
Supplies Needed
- Book pages
- Wooden dowel or stick
- Scissors
- Paper glue
How to Make Decorative Feathers from Old Books
Begin by gathering your supplies and making sure you have everything needed within easy reach.
Next, you will remove a few pages from an old book. Use the tips above to remove pages easily if you aren't sure how to make them come out without tears.
Take the dowel or stick, and measure how big you want the feathers to be, then cut the stick to that length.
Next, you will use two book pages to create the feather.
Place one on your work table, and then apply glue to the page, placing the dowel in the middle of the paper, and then placing the second page on top of the dowel and the other page.
Press to seal the papers together.
Smooth the paper so that the stick is sealed between two pages and the rest of the paper is smooth.
Next, you will use your scissors to cut out the general shape of the feather.
After the feather shape has been cut, use the scissors to cut small stripes in a diagonal angle around all edges of the "feather".
As you near the base of the feather, you will make the fringe closer together and thinner to look more like a real feather.
Video Tutorial:
Printable Step-by-Step Photo Tutorial:
How to Make Decorative Feathers from Old Books
Use old book pages to create cute decorative feathers to add to gifts, create as bookmarks, or as embellishments to any floral bouquet!
Materials
- Book pages
- Dowel, stick, or straw
Tools
- Scissors
- Glue
Instructions
- Gather your supplies together and ready your workstation so everything is within easy reach;
- Your first step is to remove the pages from an old book. You will need at least 2 pages per feather;
- Use your dowel/stick/straw to measure how long you want your feather to be;
- Smear glue over the bottom page, and place your straw in place then place the second page over the top sealing the stick or straw in place;
- Once the pages are glued together, smooth them and make sure they are close around your stick/straw;
- Cut the feather shape out of the paper;
- Next, you will begin cutting small strips around the edges of the paper feather to create the natural look;
- As you get closer to the bottom, you will make the cuts closer together;
- Once you have cut all around the feather, you will ruffle the edges a bit to make it look more natural;
- Trim the end of the stick or straw and display as desired.
Donna L Johnson
Love doing the crafts.
Caitlyn o'brien
Cool!! This looks like a fun project!