Have a very literary Christmas with these folded book page ornaments and Christmas tree toppers. These craft tutorials are (mostly) free, quick, and easy to make in minutes with basic craft supplies, yet they make a visual impact. You’ll have cheap fun and decorate for the holidays simultaneously. Add these do-it-yourself ornaments to your Christmas bucket list or make them as DIY gifts for an English teacher!
Handmade Paper Book Page Tree Topper Craft Tutorial
Angel Decoration From an Old Book
This folded book angel Christmas tree topper tutorial worked absolutely perfect for me! I used a 6 inch, 225 page book and folded up to page 200. I easily put it together in about an hour. Don’t fear — it’s very sturdy once folded up! And a stunner!
Easy and Free Ideas for DIY Folded Book Page Ornaments
Book Page
This is technically a DIY wedding invitation ornament, but a book page works well too. If you use a book page, I recommend printing one yourself on a thicker paper or cardstock to form the spirals more easily.
Mini Book With Book Page Spirals
I made this DIY Harry Potter ornament to celebrate this magical book series, but you can make it with any books and/or book pages you choose. I recommend heavier paper for the spirals.
Christmas Tree
This Christmas tree was the easiest book ornament to make in just a minute or two, yet it really stands out because it’s 3-dimensional. It would be fun to decorate, too.
Pinwheel
These pinwheels remind me of the paper snowflakes children often make by folding paper and cutting it. I picture it as Little Women Christmas decor. They’re easy, sturdy, and eyecatching!
Flower
Once you get the hang of it, this flower is fairly easy– and so pretty on a tree! The trick is you need to glue the loops together at the center — not stack them on top of each other. It’s a bit fragile, so you may want to double up your paper or use heavier paper.
Wreath
This origami-type wreath was slightly tricky but so satisfying to complete! It’s small (about 2″) and sturdy, and I do like it that way, but I would also like to try a larger version. Feel free to double the measurements and see how it comes out!
Spindle
These spindles are oh, so quick and easy to easy to put together (plus, festive!). Though, I wish I had made mine smaller, doubled up the paper strips, or used heavier paper. They are fragile!
Heart
This heart was a breeze to create, and you can play with the sizing. I also picture them on a leafless branch tree for Valentine’s Day.
Angel
While this angel looks fancy, it was one of the easiest book page ornaments to recreate and makes a lovely gift. It would also work well with paper song lyrics, such as “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.”
tips from jules
I used one 6-inch, 225-page paperback book to make these book ornaments. I chose an older, classic book in the public domain (meaning anyone can access it for free at any time) and purchased another copy to put back into the world.
Books with broken spines also work well since they can be unreadable. You can also use the pages before and after the contents of the books that just have things like advertisements on them.
Generally speaking, books on the smaller side (like mass-market paperback vs. standard paperback) work better for these tutorials. Heavier pages also make them more sturdy. Look in little free libraries or at thrift sales.
I only used basic craft supplies, including ribbon, a hole puncher, scissors, a pencil, a ruler, a stapler, and a glue gun to make these Christmas decorations.
These crafts would be fun to make at a Christmas book club meeting!
Related Christmas Decoration Posts
remember, it’s a good day to read a book. – jules
