So You’re a Hosting Book Club!
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Whether you’re in a book club to have a guaranteed girl’s or mom’s night out, to have lively intellectual conversations about literature or something in between, a Book Club Party is a fun social experience. Book page crafts can add a little extra to the evening’s decor.
One thing I have loved about Book Club’s I’ve been in over the years is that they bring a wide variety of people together with a common love of reading. I’ve gotten to know people I probably wouldn’t have otherwise and thought more about the meaning of a book than I would if I just read it on my own.
Depending on your group, hosting can be as easy as making sure the bathroom is clean and there are enough seats to a more elaborate affair with a party planned around the theme of the book.
GET DIGITAL INVITATIONS ON ETSY | GET A BOOK CLUB PARTY KIT ON ETSY
In this blog post I’m going to share some simple Book Club hosting ideas for decor. There are inexpensive ways to add bookish ambiance to your next event, no matter the book!
Ways to decorate with Book Pages
One thing all books have in common is their color scheme – black and white. Black print on a white page – assuming of course that your book club isn’t reading children’s illustrated books or coffee table books. So keeping your color scheme black and white is an easy and sophisticated choice. You can add pops of color that coordinate with the book cover or just a color you love by using colored napkins, plates, embellishments and more.
First – you need a book that is primarily text. You don’t want to use pages with pictures or even large blank areas. I also like to cut off the title so as not to distract guests. You want the focus to be the fact that pages of a book are being used in clever ways, not on actually reading it.
Be sure the book you choose isn’t anything of real value like a first edition! Books are easy to find at thrift stores, garage sales or the Little Free Library network around the world.
I built a Little Free Library when I moved into my home and it is a hot spot for walkers and people will stop while driving by to see what they can find.
Your party starts at the front door
Set the stage for a fun event with a welcome sign. As your guests arrive they will see your unique welcome and know that this Book Club Party will be a little extra. (And the person hosting the next month might get a little nervous – but that’s not our concern right now!)
Here’s how to make one like mine:
- Tape book pages together, at odd angles, to cover a space approximately 16″ x 20″.
- Fold one short end over about 2″ and tape to the back, forming a tube for a dowel rod or string if you don’t want to attach the sign to your door.
- Add a sentiment – I used the “Welcome to Book Club” sign from my Book Club Party Kit on Etsy. (LINK)
- You can keep it simple and be done or add book page flowers. You can learn how to make them here.
Make a book page table runner
The simplest of food seems more festive when you do something extra in how you present it. Put plates on book pages or make a simple table runner to go under your food display, on a coffee table or wherever you want.
- Measure the area you want to cover.
- Tape pages together at angles, like on the Welcome Sign, until you create the size you want.
- My table runner is 19″ wide x 82″ long – a great length for a large table or my narrow table I use for a food or drink area. I taped two sections of pages, 19″ x 41″ each, and then connected them in the center so the pages went in the opposite direction. That is totally optional but I wanted the pages to look “right side up” from both ends.
Decorate Candles with book pages
I have a set of 3 flameless pillar candles with string lights that look so pretty shining through the text of the book pages.
- Measure how high you want the pages to go on each candle or votive and how many you will need to wrap around them. (I love how easy it is to cut book pages – just cut in between the lines!)
- Wrap the pages and tape or tie with ribbon, lace, twine – whatever fits your book club vibe!
Book Page Flowers
If you want to add paper flowers made from book pages to your decor I have a blog post with detailed directions to have you rolling in blooms in no time.
More book club themed accents for your next party
When it was a good friend’s turn to host Book Club I volunteered to help and she smartly agreed. I created the Book Club Party Printable Kit you can find in my Etsy Shop. It includes book themed food table tents or label, wine glass tags, water bottle labels, signs and round designs you can use as confetti, stickers or whatever other idea you come up with. Many of the items can be personalized in Canvas too.
Pull out all the stops with book page flowers, decorations and Book Club themed printables to make your next event the talk of the town!
LOVE THIS IDEA?
Leave a comment and let me know how and where you plan to use book page flowers.
