Back to School, DIY Brown Paper Book Covers

The first week of school is behind us and the kids are adjusting to the new routine.  There are a few extra school supplies left to get, a little organizing of their things and filling the calendar with to do’s/appointments/events.

Last year I helped Hannah covered her text books,  which I thought she knew how to do.  She was a little hesitant about it, but agreed to try.  For the project, I used regular brown paper bags and Washi tapes to secure and decorate the book covers.  Hannah liked them and her high school friends thought it was a “cool” idea.  There must be many kids from this generation that have never covered their text books before.

I haven’t made any new book covers since last year and thought this is a good time to make them again and share the different ideas I added to personalize the covers.

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Here are the plain and simple book covers.

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With a few extra supplies such as decorative tapes, markers/pens, rubber bands, and envelopes, I was able to transform and personalized the book covers.

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Supplies

1. brown paper / brown paper bag
2. tape
3. envelope
4. decorative tapes
5. rubber bands
6. scissors
7. pencil/marker/Sharpie marker
8. ribbons
9. rubber stamps
10. glue stick
11. ink pads

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Lay the brown paper down and place the book with the front cover open on top.  Cut the brown paper about 2-3 inches more than the actual book cover on all sides.

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At the top edge of the paper, bring the paper towards the top edge of the book to make a crease, remove the book, and fold along the creased line.  Place the book back on the brown paper with about 1/8″ from the folded top edge and repeat the steps to make a fold at the bottom.  Place the book back on the paper and make any adjustments to the folds so that the height will be about the same as the book, but with the added extra 1/8″ to the top and bottom.

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To fold the two sides, with the book on top of the paper, center it with the cover open, repeat the steps that were used to fold the paper for the top and bottom edges.  Slip the book cover into the folded side openings/corner pockets.

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To keep the book from slipping out from the two sides, secure the four corner pockets to the underside of the paper with tape or double-sided  tape.  The book cover is completed.

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Add a pocket to the front of the book cover using an envelope.  Before attaching it, cut the sticky seal adhesive band off the envelope flap, apply glue to the front side of an envelope then affix it to the front cover.  Use decorative tape as an added adhesive and as decoration around the outer edges of the envelope.

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Use rubber bands around the front cover to hold pencils,  papers, and other things in place.

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To help identify books and notebooks, use Washi decorative tapes on the binder.

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Embellish the book cover using your favorite rubber stamps and colorful ink.  Finish it off with a ribbon wrapped around the notebook and tied with a bow.

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Design a large custom letter on the book cover with a marker or a Sharpie pen.   This is a simple way to distinguish one book cover from another.

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This book cover was designed by our daughter when she was eight years old.  When Bill bought a new bible and didn’t have a cover for it.  I made him one from a paper bag and asked Hannah to draw pictures on the cover to show what is in the Bible.  After ten years, this cover is still on Bill’s Bible, a definite keeper!

Here is the back cover of the Bible with more drawings by Hannah.

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Homemade book covers made from basic brown paper is a great way to protect new and old books from dents, scratches, and wearing out too fast.

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Posted by Kay