DIY Folded Book Vase (Easy Tutorial)

Create a unique book vase with this easy book page folding tutorial. Learn how to upcycle an old book into DIY home decor with vintage charm.

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DIY Folded Book Vase

All you need is an old hard cover book and a craft knife to create a unique folded book vase. Add your favorite flowers for a beautiful centerpiece that brings that wow factor.

This is a beginner-friendly craft that can be completed in under 30 minutes! I’ll show you how to make your own with a step-by-step tutorial.

There is a printable craft card at the bottom of this post to make it even easier!

Supplies

Hardcover Book – check out thrift stores, yard sales, flea markets or even your basement.
Craft Knife or X-Acto Knife – I love my Cricut craft knife.
Double-Sided Tape Roller
Faux Flowers – be sure to check out seasonal flowers on clearance at Hobby Lobby or Michael’s. You can also check the dollar store.

You may also like this folded book art tutorial and this book page wreath.

Easy Tips for Folded Book Vase Craft

1. Select a book

The first thing you want to do is choose a hardcover book with about 300 pages that is 9-12″ tall.

You can also look for a book cover that is the color you like. But, if it’s not-no worries! I’ll share a quick fix for that in the steps below.

2. Find the center of the book

Go to the middle of the book and open it extra-wide to break the spine. This will make it easier to remain open once the pages are folded.

Mark 50 numbered pages from the center of the book to the end of the book and 50 numbered pages to the beginning of the book.

For example, if your book has 300 numbered pages the center will be number 150. You want to mark numbers 100-200 as the pages that will be folded for your vase. This will actually be 50 book pages.

3. Cut the center pages in half

Find the halfway mark of the pages and use your craft knife or scissors to cut the top half of the pages. You should be able to cut through several pages at a time to make it faster.

Don’t worry if your pages are not perfectly cut. You won’t see that once the flowers are added. But, if you want everything to be straight you can use a ruler.

Finish cutting all 50 pages and set them aside. You can use them for more book page crafts.

4. Fold book pages

Begin folding 5 pages at a time to the center of the book spine. There will be 10 folds total of 5 pages each. The good news is you don’t even need any adhesive.

Once you have a couple of folds the pages will stay rolled. However, you can use a bit of adhesive on the corner of each section if you want.

5. Add faux flowers

Now for the fun part; adding your faux flowers! This is where you can get really creative and mix and match greenery with flowers in different styles.

I chose to go with pretty pink and white flowers for my bedroom. These were leftover from my empty can wall planters.

folded book on white background with pin flowers

Start with tall flowers first to cover up the center of the book spine. Simply place them into the rolled pages of your vase. Trim the length of each flowers as needed.

Continue adding flowers until you are happy with the placement. Look at how pretty!

Now, you can stop here or continue to the next step to decorate the book cover.

6. Decorate the book cover

If you want to take your DIY book vase to the next level, decoupage the book cover with pretty paper and mod podge.

I used lovely floral paper placemats that I picked up on clearance at Michael’s. But, you can use napkins, wrapping paper, tissue paper or decorative cardstock.