Wreath making, by the book
Story & photos by Gretchen Ammerman
Oregon Coast TODAY
I was raised by a teacher, and was taught to revere books in a way that put dog-earing them on the no-no list somewhere above cursing and petty theft and only just below murder.
So, when I was challenged to try a crafts project where you take unwanted books, tear out their pages and fashion them into decorative wreaths, my insides did their best impression of Edvard Munch’s, “The Scream.”
“It’s a good thing mom’s not here to see this,” I thought, as I mentally prepared to commit bibliocide.
The project was promoted in the last edition of the Driftwood Public Library’s newsletter, where staff offered old or damaged books destined for the bin to use as the central element of said wreaths.
When I picked up my bag-o-books, I expected to have instructions included, but instead I was encouraged to avail myself of what turned out to be a dizzying number of instructional YouTube videos, from simple to complex.
Whether you like to be considered a card-carrying member of the crafters club, or coddled like a child who should still be using the round tipped scissors (that’s me!) there seems to be a video for everyone.
Apparently my parentally instilled guilt didn’t make me unique; almost every video includes a section where the crafter justifies their act of literary violence, the main thrust of which is that at least the butchered book will be spared the indignity of the landfill.
The instructions started out fairly simple, supply-wise. Old book, check. Stapler, check. Cardboard, check. Hot glue gun. Hot glue gun? And there it was, the thing that separates the crafters from the rest of us.
Luckily, I have crafty friends, one of whom is married to the person who issued the wreath challenge, and so was beholden to lend me her glue gun for the day.
So, preparing to stream a few hours of the pirate misadventures represented on the TV show “Black Sails,” I settled into the task, which starts with separating pages with a razor or box cutter, a tool I do own.
Creating cones out of rectangles is an easily learned skill, and once I’d mostly mastered it, the project went swimmingly. You can choose to make a wreath that is open in the middle, or left solid and later filled with holiday ornaments, fake flowers or anything your imagination and the available space allows.
I chose to make a solid wreath with a less holiday-specific theme, mining a box of old buttons in a black, grey and blue palette.
Hot glue gun at the ready, I attached my cones, then the assembled buttons, and was surprisingly pleased with the result; having expected my first foray to result in something that only vaguely resembled the desired shape.
The next step? I’m off to buy a glue gun of my very own.
If you're interested in receiving a free bag of books for crafting, or a free bag of surprise titles to read, keep or share, call 541-966-2277 and staff at Driftwood Public Library put something together for you that can be picked up curbside. If you want written instructions rather than a video, go to bookriot.com/book-page-wreath.