Photo: Martha Stewart
Now that the holidays are over, many of us tend to spend time cleaning up our lives…literally. For me, this usually involves cleaning out closets and drawers in an effort to make more room for the gifts I received and to get myself organized for a new year. Often, this is a season when I like to fill up bags with clothing and gently used house ware items to donate. However, these organizational adventures are also a great time to search out some (perhaps overlooked) household items that can easily be given new decorative life at one of the many events you will host in the upcoming year.
One idea that I recently came across is to create small table centerpieces using books. As you clean out your home in the coming weeks, look for old books that you have stored in cabinets and in various nooks around your home. Though their content doesn’t matter, try to locate books that are hardcover and are a range of sizes. Once you have selected the books, remove their paper flaps to reveal beautifully colored covers. Stack the books on top of one another and secure the pile with a piece of fabric, twine or ribbon. For an added touch, decorate the books’ edges using rubber stamps. Design your wedding or shower tabletops by selecting stamps that will display inspired words, such as “congratulations” or “love.” If you’re hosting a child’s birthday party, stamp the edges of the books with the name of each child in attendance. For a small lunch or dinner party, try pressing each book’s edge with an appropriate seasonal stamp, such as a branch or leaf for a fall gathering or a nautical design for a summer get-together.
This is an easy centerpiece idea that embraces the idea of “reuse,” costs very little, and can be easily arranged in just a few minutes when unexpected company arrives.
