DIY Book Decor for the Home

Let me show you how to create the cutest home decor book! I'm using gold leaf on this tutorial, but you can always just paint your hot glue design and have a great result! I have included instructions for both. You can also do this for any holiday or theme you want!

• Hot glue gun

• Extra glue sticks

• Acrylic paint colors of choice for book cover (& the design if yours will be painted as well.)

• Gold leaf (I got mine from Amazon years ago, but your local craft store may have it as well)

• White tissue paper (the stuff that goes in gift bags!)

• A painting tray (mine is an old ice tray lid I use repeatedly. A paper plate or anything flat will work!)

• 1-2 Sponge/foam paint brush(es) (1 to apply Mod Podge & 1 to remove gold leaf)

• Paint brush(es) of choice (for book cover and/or design)

• Sharpened pencil (optional if you are free-styling your design)

• Mod Podge (glossy, matte, it doesn't matter!)

• Old towel/or similar to work on (optional, but recommended)

• Hard cover book of choice (This can be any book, but must be hard cover. Chapter/thick books are my favorite.)

• Scissors (very much optional, not necessary)

Take 1 sheet of tissue paper and crumble it up, then flatten back to original shape and set aside. You can repeat this step if you want the book to look older/more worn out.

Apply Mod Podge on the front cover & then smooth it over with your sponge brush. Make sure to go over the outer edges as well!

Lay your tissue paper from Step 1 on top and over the front edges using your hands. You can try aligning it like the picture shows for easier application in next steps, but don’t worry if you can’t. Unintentional folds/wrinkles are okay! I like to add some on purpose by gently scrunching areas with my fingertips after I’ve laid it on. If you miss a spot, just crumble some more tissue paper and apply the same way.

Open the book and apply a light coat of Mod Podge. Fold the tissue paper over as pictured gently working into place. (Don’t worry if it’s not perfectly adhered at this point, we will focus on that later.)

Set the book up teepee style & Mod Podge the spine & small section of the back working the tissue paper into place. Repeat Steps 2, 3, and 4 for the back of the book. You can lay the book flat with front facing down, or do this while book is teepee style, whichever is easiest for you.

Mod Podge over all the tissue paper that has been applied on outside cover and edges. (Ignore the inside of the book for now). You can use your brush to flip up and flatten back down any wrinkles that aren’t as flush to the book and spread Modge Pod in those areas. You can repeat all the previous steps with a new piece of tissue paper now if you'd like it to be more opaque. Now we wait! Set the book up teepee style & allow to fully dry.

Once fully dry, open the book and gently cut or tear away excess tissue paper from all the insides.

Flatten the small excess tissue paper left, apply a thin layer of Mod Podge, & work into place. Hold the pages up while you Mod Podge the other side. Set the book up teepee style & allow to fully dry.

Paint the outside areas with your paint color(s) of choice. (Save the edges and inside bits for last). Set the book up teepee style & allow to fully dry. You can repeat this step until you reach the level of opaque you prefer. Allow to completely dry between coats unless you want to blend multiple colors. Get creative! Brush on glitter paint or add an antique white over the top for a more aged effect! Once the outside has fully dried, paint the edges and inside bits, and allow to fully dry.

With a pencil, lightly draw the design you want on the cover.

Fully heat up your glue gun, go over your entire design with hot glue, allow glue to fully dry, and then you can paint your design! After painting go to Step 15.

Fully heat up your glue gun. *MAKE SURE to read Step 13 before applying any hot glue!* Go over your design with hot glue. You can do this in sections to allow yourself enough time to apply the gold leaf correctly.

WHILE THE HOT GLUE IS STILL WARM, lay the gold leaf directly on top of it and smooth on with your fingers. Don't forget the nooks and crannies to make sure it’s adhered all around! The tackiness of WARM hot glue is what allows the gold leaf to adhere the best.

Once fully dried, peel away any excess gold leaf and use a soft brush to remove the rest. The sponge brushes will work, and a small bristle paint brush can help with smaller spaces.

This is an optional, but recommended step. Do one last Mod Podge application over your entire design and allow to fully dry. Congratulations, you have just created the cutest home decor book!