DIY: Bookplates

Despite my love of all things techno-gadget geekery, I will never – and I swear it, never – be able to buy an e-reader. I understand that you can hold sixteen million thousand novels on one and read it in a hurricane and it’ll make you coffee in the morning and all that, but there are some things that I don’t need upgraded. There’s something about the feel of paper, the idea of staring at something that isn’t a screen with a web browser, the thousands of years of history behind the form… it can’t quite be duplicated (and in my mind can’t be improved upon). Plus, obviously there’s a lot more DIY potential in a hardback than a plastic back. Prime example: book plates. Quaint, crafty, and a good way to keep track of which Game of Thrones books are yours; book plates are sweet and easy.

How easy? As easy as pressing “print” then pressing some paste and paper into a book. It’s cake finding free templates online, like here, here or here (or here, or here) and getting creative. Pretty cool, right? Print them on thick paper, hand draw, add embellishments… There are a lot of options.

There is always, some incredible inspiration over at Etsy. Check the library check out bookplate:

Tres chic, no? And, if you’re not into wasting printer ink you can always etch out your own bookplate stencil. It’s pretty much exactly like stencil DIY post from a while back: you’ll need the carving block, a linoleum cutter, some tape and some patterns. It requires a steady hand, but it’s good for multiple uses – like making sure your copy of Young, Broke and Beautiful doesn’t leave your house, or personalizing a notebook.