Book-Themed Party

Book-Themed Party Parties are about celebrating what you love. For the avid reader, there’s nothing better than books. All these crafts were made with only the first few chapters of a 25 cent novel from the local used bookstore. So, for your next party, try these craft ideas to make your party look like a book-lover’s heaven.

1. Happy Birthday Banner

Supplies Needed:
-Book pages
-Ribbon
-Martha Stewart Punch Around the Page
-Cricut and font cartridge or die-cut machine
-Contrasting paper for letters (about two 12”x12” sheets)
-glue sticks
o Cut the book pages into 5-inch squares. You will need 14 squares for the phrase “Happy Birthday.” 3.25-inch squares also work for a smaller banner.
o Use the punch to add a border on all four sides of each square. I used the Martha Stewart Punch Around the Page set called “vintage floral.”
o Cut out the letters in the desired font. They should be about three inches high. I recommend the font feature on the Paper Lace cartridge for Cricut.
o Paste one letter to each square. You will have one square left over as a space between words. The square can be left blank or you can add a birthday-themed cut-out, like a cake or present.
o String the ribbon through the punched border at the top of each letter, or use a hole punch to make an additional hole for the ribbon.
o Hang your banner with safety pins or straight pins to curtains or the table cloth.
2. Paper Flower Bouquet

Supplies Needed:
-Book pages
-Twigs or floral wire
-3” circle template or a plastic cup of the same size
-vase
-hot glue gun
-scissors
-glue sticks
o First, take a cup or a template for a 3” circle and cut out enough for the bouquet. Each circle will make one flower.

o Fold each circle in half, then in half two more times. It should crease the circle into eight equal pieces.

o With the circle still folded, round the edge.

o Unfold the circle. It should match the diagram below.

o Cut out a fourth of the shape, cutting along the fold lines. For a wider blossom, leave a tab.

o Glue the two edges together (the gray-shaded petals in the diagram) or glue along the tab.

o Hot glue the blossoms to the twigs for a natural look. If using floral wire, bend the end of each piece into a loop and glue a blossom to each loop. You can also glue a colored center into the blossoms. I glued seeds from the twigs to some of the wider blossoms’ centers for an added dimension of detail.
o Put them in a vase for a centerpiece that’s worthy of any bookworm’s table!
3. Decorations/Staging Tips
Stack books around the table to add the ambiance of an old library. You can even set trays of food on the books to make it look like an instant cake stand.
4. Wreath
Guests will be greeted by the theme of your party before they even walk through the door.

Supplies Needed:
-Styrofoam wreath shape
-Book pages (sheet music would work well also
-Ribbon= about 1 ½ yards in 1 or 2 colors
-Decoration= leaves, peacock feathers, fake flowers, bows, buttons, whatever you want for embellishments
-hot glue gun
o Cut the book pages into 4” strips.
o Wrap the strips around the wreath shape, hot gluing the ends to the back. Each strip should create a small visible stripe of text that overlaps a little of the previous strip. Continue gluing strips to the wreath until all the Styrofoam is covered.
o Next, create an oval-shaped decoration at the bottom by working the embellishments from the center of the bottom out to the desired width. I made the red leaves into the oval-shape, then layered peacock feathers under a few flowers.
o Wrap the ribbon around the rest of the wreath, leaving space for the book pages to show through. The ribbon pictured was a wider ribbon with a contrasting color glued down the center of it. The ribbon can also be tied into the decorations at the bottom of the wreath.
5. Decorations/Staging Tips= Scrabble tiles are the perfect substitute for confetti. They are bigger, so they won’t leave a mess like confetti does and you won’t be finding them all over the room days after you thought you finished cleaning. Your friends can even spell out messages on the table.
6. Party Favors= Never send friends away from a party empty-handed. Used or discount books can be fancied up with a bow or ribbon to give away as your friends leave. Decorated bookmarks with the event’s name can also be keepsakes that they’ll see every time they read the latest bestseller.