Homemade Book Ends
By putting your creative mind to use, you will never have to buy bookends again. There are many things that you can use to make bookends. Think of items with enough weight to support your books or something that you can bend so that a portion of it fits under a few books to create the needed weight. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Two old license plates
- Ruler
- Two vinyl albums
- Pot
- Sink
- Rubber gloves
- Hard, flat utensil (wooden spoon or spatula)
- Hard, flat surface
- Felt
- White crayon
- Scissors
- Glue
Instructions
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Make Bookends From Vintage License Plates
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1
Obtain some old license plates. You can find these in your garage, your grandmother's garage or at a secondhand store.
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2
Clean the license plates with mild soap and a non-abrasive cloth.
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3
Measure 4 inches from one end of your license plate and mark it with a pencil.
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4
Place the license plate on the edge of a table and apply even pressure to bend the plate into an "L" shape.
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5
Repeat with the second license plate.
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6
Place the license plates on each end of your books as you would a traditional bookend.
Make Bookends From Old Vinyl Records
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7
Use your pot and boil enough water to fill your sink. The water must be deep enough to to reach the label on your album.
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8
Put on your rubber gloves and dip your album into the hot water. The vinyl will begin to soften from the heat.
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9
Slowly bend the album into a right angle by applying even pressure while it is still in the water. The edges of the album in the water may begin to ripple.
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10
Use your wooden spoon or spatula to flatten any ripples along the edge.
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11
When you are satisfied with the angle, pull the album from the water, place it on a hard flat surface, and continue to smooth the flat bottom as it cools.
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12
Place your album on your piece of felt and trace the half-circle shape using the white crayon.
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13
Cut the shape from the felt. Cut just inside your crayon marks for a better fit.
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14
Apply glue to the bottom of your album bookend and attach the piece of felt. This will prevent the bookend from scratching surfaces.
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15
Repeat with your other album. Then, place the albums on each end of your books as you would traditional bookends.
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References
- Photo Credit bookends image by Richard J Thompson from Fotolia.com
