Pitcher Family Adventures: Storybook Table Decoration

I searched for tons of great ideas for a long skinny buffet table decorations. I wanted something long that could sit behind the food at the party, but still scream Classic Storybook Themed Baby Shower. I eventually came up with the idea of color printing a few book covers, cutting them out, and placing them on some scrapbooking paper. Bind them together and place it on the table. Little did I know this project would be a little harder then just copy, cut, glue, and bind! Don't worry though, I have a tutorial with photos, so you can follow along and make your very own! You could use this design for any party. Use photos, and place them on both sides for a center piece on a table. Or use animals, characters, or designs that are part of your party and place this decoration on a counter, party table, food table, dessert table, or even a presents table! This decoration can be made and used for almost any event!

What you will need for this project:

Take a few books that you want to use, color copy the fronts, and shrink them (or enlarge them) to the size you desire. Cut them out.

Next grab a few scrapbook paper that you like, or will match you theme or colors. I chose a few boy themed light colored scrapbook paper. I them cut them to a desired size. Which I think was something like 8 x 10 inches.

I then laid the pages out and placed the book covers on each page. I did this and changed them up and moved them around, etc. Once I decided on what I liked, I then took a photo to remember.

I then measured about a half inch on all sides, to get the book in just the right spot/center. You would have to do some measuring with your book covers and scrapbooking pages to figure out where your center is. I used a PENCIL and put a mark where I measured each corner to be. Thats a helpful guide for the next step.

I then used Tacky Glue (which you can get at any craft store), and place a drop of glue in each corner and center of the book covers and glued them in to place. Use your pencil mark guides to help you place the cover back into the correct spot.

Once all your covers are glued down and dry, you will now need a needle (large enough to place Embroidery Floss through), a safety pin, Embroidery Floss in your desired color, a pencil, and ruler.

Start by measuring out a pattern of how you want or where you want your floss to go. I wanted mine to look like Xs so I made sure I worked in groups of 4. I then placed pencil marks, using my ruler, about a half inch from the edge of the paper, and a half inch from the dot before.

Notice the small pencil dots, those are my thread holes.

I then knot one end of my floss, thread it through the needle, and push through from the back of on page at the bottom, and move upward. Skipping one hole on each side.

I then continue back down, making all the Xs as I work. I then go back and pull all the loose floss and make the Xs tight.

I then pull the floss through the last hole, and knot it onto the first floss hole I went through, as you can see below. I knotted it 3 times.

Your back should now look all pretty.

The front should look something like this, or maybe you added an extra 2 holes... which I didn't have room for.

Now move on to the next pages. I linked the two left pages together, then the two right and then placed them together with the center, that way I wasn't working with 3 or 4 pages all at once.

I made it easier on myself, and I created a template to help guide me in placing the holes in the exact same place every time.

I line up my guide with the two pages, and then push my pencil through the holes to leave a small pencil mark on the scrapbook paper.

I then push my safety pin through the holes, from front to back, this will keep the paper from ripping, or pushing upward and leaving white around the hole.