Upcycled Book Page Classroom Sign by Beth Watson 2

Happy Tuesday!  Beth here today to get all of my Teacher friends ready for Back to School (we start tomorrow here in Southwest Florida – YIKES!) with an upcycled book page sign for the Reading Corner of the classroom.

I was recently at a thrift store and discovered the mother load of children’s books for 50¢ each – SCORE!  I kept ones I wanted to upcycle into craft projects then donated the rest to the after school program at my Church.  Dr. Suess was (and is still) my all time favorite author, so upcycling the pages into a classroom sign was a passion project.

Step One:

Trace each wooden letter onto plain white paper with Tombow MONO Drawing Pencil.  Cut out with a craft knife and tape centers in place.  Use this window as a template to select the most usable sections of the pages for each letter.  I selected pages from the beginning, middle and end of the book, so the letters tell the story!  Piece the pages together, if necessary to obtain the best composition.  Make sure to erase the pencil lines with the Tombow Non-PVC Eraser before you move on to the next step!

Step Two:

Apply Tombow MONO Aqua Liquid Glue to the surface of the wooden letter using the broad tip and spread evenly. Carefully apply the book page pieces to the wooden letter and smooth gently with your fingers.  Set aside to dry. NOTE: The paper will initially look wrinkly, but once dry it will be smooth and tight (like magic)!  Since these letters will be used in a classroom, apply a top coat of Tombow MONO Aqua Liquid Glue to the surface and smooth with your finger, let dry.

Step Three:

Paint the edges of the wooden letters with Americana acrylic paint by DecoArt in Country Red and let dry.

Step Four:

Cut off sections of Tombow Xtreme Putty (four for each letter) roll into a ball and press into the four corners of the back of each letter.  Select the surface which you would like to apply your letters and press them firmly onto the surface. Tombow Xtreme Putty is a high performance re-usable adhesive tack for use where screws, nails and ordinary adhesives fail or cannot be used. Great for home, school, DIY projects or general repairs. It works on metal, masonry, brick, wood, ceramic, rubber, fiberglass composite, china, glass and stone. It can be used for indoor and outdoor projects. The pre-scored tabs are easy to remove and easy to knead. Won’t leave stains on painted or unfinished surfaces.  The Teacher’s BEST FRIEND!

Here is a close up of the upcycled book page classroom sign.  I love the way that the red edges make the letters really POP!

This concept could be applied to all of the areas of your classroom – try old maps with History or the periodic table for Science – the possibilities are endless!

Don’t forget to check out the Tombow IG for TONS more inspiration!

Thanks for stopping by!  -Beth