Jean Covered Decorative Books

Even though we're almost reaching the middle of Spring and the weather is slowly warming up, I find myself craving the warmth of the summer sun and all the outdoor activities that come along with it.
This jean-covered decorative book project that I have for you today was born out of that desire and well, a project went wrong. :)

I was in the garage in the mids of building my miter saw station when I got into a painting project that stopped me dead in my tracks... A fail. :/  I went inside the house to calm my mind and for some reason a quick look at my jeans made me remember the stash of old jeans that had been waiting in line for another repurpose. Ha, perfect time!

I went back to the garage to grab a bunch of
plywood scraps got the old jeans and started making these jean-covered wooden books.

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I love that my scrap wood pile was reduced and most importantly I spent nothing because I already had the few materials needed to create them. Best of all, I know I'm going to enjoy looking at these books all summer long and for years to come. Let me show you how it all went.

| X-Acto Knife | Ryobi Hot Glue Gun | Scissors |

Here's a video of this project or you can continue reading below for complete details.

The tools and materials you'll need:

• Plywood or wood - I used 3/4" ply and 1-1/2" pine in a random book a like size.
• Old jeans 
• Hot glue gun
• Scissors
• X-Acto knife

Directions:

I used the jeans legs for this project. The first step you need to do is to cut all along the inseam to open it up,

Bring your book AKA plywood and place it inside the newly opened jean leg. Make sure it covers both sides of the book.

I made sure to position the outseam to the left, front cover part of the books.

Add hot glue to the front cover of the book and quickly bring the jean on top of it, pulling them tight and using your hands to flatten the hot glue underneath. The jean absorbs most of the heat.

Flip the book and using your X-Acto knife trim the section you just glued.

Next, you add glue to the spine of the book. Again, make sure you pull it tight and flatten the hot glue underneath.

Then, repeat the process on the back cover of the book. Trimming the jean all around it.

This is how my books looked at this point. I love how the layers of the plywood look like pages.

Fraying happens. You can use an anti-fraying liquid like the one here, all-around your books.
I don't have it, so I didn't use it. I burnt all those extra pieces of thread and called it a day.

I love the jean texture and the outseam detail. I'll probably add titles on their spines later on.

Right now, I'm going to enjoy them just like that!

If you enjoyed this upcycling idea, you may also be interested in these:

LAMPSHADE MAKEOVER

DIY - WIRE SPOOL ORGANIZER

PAINT STORAGE BOX

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