Books are for reading, sure. But they are also for stacking, displaying, propping and arranging. A stack of thick coffee table books is as essential in decorating as a vase or a throw pillow. They also offer a chance to show off your personality, especially if you were the one to personally decorate them with just the look you want. Your books say as much about your interests, taste and personality as your art. So why not make your decorative books into art themselves? Let’s check out a few ideas on how you can paint your own artsy books with stencils:
Curling up on your favorite chair with an easy DIY project and a good book has never sounded better. Annie Sloan’s Unfolded blog, The Palette, shows you how to beautify your reads with stencils. No fabric or paper needed! They transform these books by simply painting directly on the covers. To achieve a polished look, they used Annie Sloan’s Chalk Paint, Decoupage, Gold Leaf, Stencil Size, and a variety of stencils.
Books are all the rage as interior accents right now – without covers, piled high, ornate, decoupage and painted like objects d’art. A shelf full of these beautifully patterned and softly aged books could give your space a rich and decadent feel. This stenciled and gilded books project could give a perfect vintage look for your own home décor or could make for a beautiful and thoughtfully handmade gift as well. For the full DIY tutorial using our French Menu Lettering Stencil, check out Bling Up Your Bookshelves with Stenciled and Gilded Books from My Patch of Blue Sky.
If you like the look of old books, this DIY is for you. My Patch of Blue Sky shows how you can transform your favorite read into an antique keepsake in How to Create a Gorgeous Antique-Looking Book. She loves decorating hardcover books since they are so easy to get – such as from storage or a thrift store! For this project Debbie used our Moorish Fleur de Lis Moroccan Stencil, Antique Gold Stencil Crème, Wood Icing, Gold Leaf, and Annie Sloan Chalk Paint®.
Finding Silver Pennies found a fun way to spruce up her office with stenciled notebooks and organizers. She used Royal Stencil Cremes and a few of our Mini Craft Stencils to create the perfect decorative pieces that blended creativity and productivity. These patterned pretties are perfect for back to school supplies, to give as special gifts, or to keep as your own office decor. For the full DIY tutorial, check out DIY a Creative Office with Stylish Stenciled Accessories.
These stenciled book covers are great in decorating books without actually painting directly on them. That way, you can protect your precious book on the go and replace the covers onto different books! My Patch of Blue Sky loves this idea for dressing up and protecting her kids’ textbooks for the school year. They are so pretty that we want to do this to our own books! For the full DIY tutorial using our Lace Stencils, check out Stencil DIY: Back to School Book Covers.
Are you now inspired to use stencils for your own DIY decorative books? We’d love to see how your DIY stencil projects turn out! Email us at projects@royaldesignstudio.com, share them on our Facebook Page, or you can even Instagram your projects and tag us with #royaldesignstudio
