by Wendy Brumback

Created on: January 22, 2011   Last Updated: January 23, 2011

In today’s technology savvy and eco-friendly world there is one item that we are increasingly finding less use for – the printed book.  That’s not to say that we have stopped reading, we have simply found a cost-efficient and space-saving alternative to the printed word, the e-readers.  With more and more of us turning to these devices we have come to discover pounds of books stacked in corners, discarded, with little use to us now.  And let’s face it; we don’t want to throw them out.  Not only did we spend money on them, but it would be horrible to waste all those trees.  Luckily there are several alternatives out there to tossing them out.

Book swaps
There are several legit places on the web where you can swap one book for another.  Some place will even allow you to swap out books for video games or music as well.  Two really great places to check out are Swaptree and Paperback Book Swap.  The best part is that they cost you no more than the money to send off your item.  There are no site or membership fees, you don’t have to pay out extra money to get a product that costs more than what you have to trade for it.  These sites are free and easy to navigate.

Craft Projects
This can be a little harder for some people to swallow.  It can seem weird to tear apart a book, but for those of you aren’t squeamish about it there are tons of great craft ideas out there using old book and newspaper pages.

Wallpaper
This is not limited to only walls.  You can use book pages to cover desks, dressers, cabinets, end tables, jewelry boxes, and so on.  Your best bet for accomplishing this task is to use an actual wallpaper paste and, when dry, using a layer of a sealant, matte or glossy depending on the desired effect.

Journals, Scrapbooks and Notebooks
This is a great project for the use of a hardback book.  While the pages in the book can be covered with matte finish paint and then reused for writing on, it is also a way to make use of the binding cover once all the pages have been torn out for another use.  Leaving the pages as they are is also a great background for a scrapbook filled with pictures and little odds and ends.  The pages themselves can also be torn out and used in a scrapbooking project.

Hallow book
Simply use a sharp razor to cut a square out of the center of the pages of a book, glue the remaining portion of the pages together and there you

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>