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Christmas holidays
November 9, 2020

How to make a Folded Book Christmas Tree

In today’s post: Learn how to turn an old book from the thrift store into a cute Christmas decoration with this folded book Christmas tree craft.

I’m sitting in my kitchen with a Christmas scented candle burning and Christmas music playing, trying to capture the feeling of comfort I associate with the holidays. My kitchen needs cleaning and my laundry needs doing–I’ll get to them both soon–but for a few minutes I just want to look at the wintery sunshine streaming through my windows and be still.

I think that’s why I like making things: the act of using my hands to make something helps my mind relax. Even when I have so many things I need to do, it’s worth it to me to carve out time to craft or sew or bake. Making something isn’t about the finished product so much as it’s about freeing my mind from everything else for just a little while.

Learn how to make this pretty folded book Christmas tree with an old book from the thrift store. Easy Christmas craft.

If you’re looking for a simple creative project that will help calm your mind, try making a folded book Christmas tree. This is an easy Christmas craft that doesn’t take many supplies. It repeats a couple simple folds that will keep your hands busy while you listen to music or watch a favorite show. And it looks really cute propped up in a frame on a shelf or mantel!

Closeup of folded book Christmas tree

Folded Book Christmas Tree

I know some people REALLY don’t like projects that use books – it can seem like such a waste to ruin a good book that way! Believe me, I love books as much as anyone. But I’ve also seen how many books end up in thrift stores or on racks outside libraries. I figure once a book has been read and loved by a couple of people and likely won’t be read again, it’s fair game to be turned into something that can still be enjoyed as a decoration.

Christmas tree made from pages of a book. Easy Christmas craft.

I created my book Christmas tree so it can sit flat against a frame and you can still see the pages to either side because I love the look of text. However, you can use the folding technique I’ll explain below to create a 360 degree that stands on it’s own. For examples and instructions of a 360 degree tree, visit this post at In The Kitchen with Mum.

Book Tree Supplies

The only thing you actually need to make a folded book tree is a paperback book. I used a “mass market paperback” book, which is nearly 7 inches tall and about 4.25 inches wide. This is a fairly standard size for the cheaper paperbacks, and you’ll likely find plenty of them at any thrift store. You do want to look for a book that’s at least three quarters of an inch thick (or more), which means it will likely need to be about 300-400 pages long (or longer). Long books can be cut down using an exacto knife. Finally, I like choosing “classics” for projects where I’m using book pages because they tend to have small fonts and they are much less likely to have curse words on any given page.

To decorate my tree, I also used a small wood star that I painted red as well as red and white twine. If you’ll be adding decorations, you’ll also need a hot glue gun.

Finally, my tree sits inside an 8×10 photo frame that I lined with white cardstock.

Folded book Christmas tree supplies: old paperback book, star decoration, twine

How to Make a Folded Book Christmas Tree

Watch this video to see how I made my book Christmas tree. Detailed instructions follow the video.

Christmas tree made from a book with folded pages in a picture frame
Print Pin
5 from 2 votes

Folded Book Christmas Tree

Learn how to turn an old book into a pretty folded paper Christmas tree.
Prep Time 45 minutes

Ingredients

  • Paperback Book at least 3/4 inch thick

Optional Supplies

  • Red Twine
  • Star Decoration
  • Glue Gun
  • Picture Frame larger than book when opened
  • White Cardstock cut to fit the frame

Instructions

  • If your book is more than 1 inch thick, use an exacto or utility knife to cut it down to 1 inch (depending on the thickness of the paper this will generally be between 300-400 pages). Open the book at 1 inch and slice down the spine, discarding the excess pages or saving them for another craft project.
    Use exacto knife to cut along the spine
  • Determine the halfway point of your book based on how many pages long it is now. Open the book wide at the halfway point and crease the spine. Crease the spine 3 times before the middle crease and 3 times after the middle crease at 25 page intervals. This will help the book lay open.
    Open book wide and crease the spine
  • You are going to start folding 50 numbered pages before the halfway point and finish folding 50 numbered pages after your halfway point to create the Christmas tree in the middle of your book. (That is 50 numbered pages, so 25 actual folds before and after the center point.)
    Starting 50 numbered pages before the halfway point, open the book up wide. Take the top right hand corner of the page and fold it down to the center of the book, as far as it will go. Make a tight, clean fold and crease it well.
    Fold right corner of page down toward center
  • Fold the same page again, this time taking the first folded edge into the center, as far as it will go. Crease.
    Again fold right edge to the center
  • A small corner of the page will now be hanging past the bottom of the book. Fold it down along the bottom edge of the book to crease. This will make a small triangle that you can tuck inside the original fold so there is a straight edge along the bottom.
    Fold small triangle at the bottom up
  • Turn the folded page to the left, and repeat with the next page. Remember, you will be folding about 50 total pages (100 numbered pages). As you get more pages folded, it will become a little harder to make a nice fold, especially at the top. You can use your fingernail or fingernail file (or even a toothpick) to turn the paper at that top corner and get a sharp fold.
    Hold folded pages to the left as you continue to fold pages on the right
  • Continue until you have about 50 folded pages and the Christmas tree looks full and the book lies flat. If your pages are a little thicker, you may only need 40 folded pages.
    Folded pages create a Christmas tree shape
  • If desired, decorate the Christmas tree. Hot glue rows of twine so they appear to wrap around the tree. Hot glue a star decoration on top.
    Folded book Christmas tree: hot glue gun attaching twine
  • If you'd like your tree to sit in a frame, make sure the frame has a piece of white cardstock in it. Stand the frame up horizontally and set the book in it. You can hot glue the book to the white cardstock to make it more stable if desired.
    Book paper Christmas tree

Notes

You can purchase inexpensive paperback books at the dollar store or the thrift store. I prefer to use Classics from the thrift store because they are less likely to include curse words that might show in the finished project.
I used a mass market paperback book, which is nearly 7 inches tall and 4.25 inches wide, and an 8x10 picture frame.

Learn how to make this pretty folded book Christmas tree with an old book from the thrift store. Easy Christmas craft.

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Comments

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    November 9, 2020 at 7:45 am

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  2. Susan Barton says

    November 25, 2020 at 12:41 pm

    How do you make the 360 degree tree?

    Reply
    • Lee says

      December 1, 2020 at 11:36 am

      To make the 360° tree, cut off the covers, fold every page per the instructions, and if necessary to keep the tree shape, glue the start and end pages together, or fasten with paper clips. I remember making these in art class. We used magazines.

      Reply
  3. Barbara Warner says

    December 3, 2020 at 7:27 pm

    I most certainly will try this folded book page Christmas tree. What a lovely item to set on a side table, entry table, or in a library, guest room – anywhere people can see it. This is adorable. Love the red/white twine garland and the star!

    Reply
  4. Mitra Surik says

    January 31, 2021 at 4:02 pm

    5 stars
    In fact, the work of Macbeth is very versatile and there are many pros and cons. Many people just don’t understand its real importance and therefore underestimate it. I really had an epiphany after reading it, though, and now I’m actively studying it to understand more about it. If also interested, I recommend reading various information about it at studydriver.com/macbeth-tragic-flaw/ , I have managed to understand a lot about it here. I hope it will be as useful for you as well. Good luck!

    Reply
  5. Charly Wiliamse says

    February 2, 2021 at 4:49 pm

    Informative article
    I was searching for this information on google

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. 25 Easy Christmas Crafts for All Ages - Crazy Little Projects says:
    November 16, 2020 at 8:44 pm

    […] Book Christmas Tree: […]

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I'm Autumn, a mom of five who loves ice cream, Masterpiece Theatre, and clothes that hide the fact that I eat so much ice cream. When I was 18 I got a job at a craft store and told everyone (regularly) how much I hated crafts. Well, things change! Read More…

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