How to Make Bookends
Bookends can be designed in any fashion and need only to be heavy enough to hold your books upright. Use wooden letters or phrases to create bookends or cut solid wood blocks in shapes, such as a Victorian house or a church.
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Things You'll Need
- Wood
- Saw
- Screws
- Drill
- Felt
- Stain or paint
- Blocks of wood
- Paints
- Painter's tape
- Permanent markers
- Embellishments
Instructions
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Letter Bookends
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1
Cut or purchase the letters or phrases you want to use for your bookends. You can purchase pre-cut letters and phrases at your local craft store.
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2
Determine the size of the wooden base of your bookends and cut it to size.
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3
Screw from the bottom of your wooden base up and into the letters to secure them to the base.
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4
Check the weight of your bookends. If they're light, cut a channel in the bottom of the base and add a piece of a metal, like lead, to give it enough weight that it can hold up your books.
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5
Paint or stain your bookends and allow them to dry thoroughly.
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6
Glue felt to the bottom of your bookends to prevent them from damaging your furniture.
Victorian Building Bookends
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7
Cut a large block of wood into a basic shape of a house.
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8
Paint the entire block of wood with a base color and allow it to dry thoroughly.
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9
Tape off small squares for windows and a large rectangle for the front door. Paint the windows yellow to give the appearance of lights on inside the home. Paint the door a complimentary color to the background.
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10
Use a black permanent marker to draw shutters on each side of the windows.
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11
Add any embellishments you'd like, such as miniature shingles made for doll houses.
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12
Glue felt to the bottom of the book ends to protect your furniture surfaces from scratches.
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1
Tips & Warnings
You can cut your block into any building shape you like, such as a school or a church. Create an entire village and cover the pieces with cotton for a winter scene.
