Bookish Halloween: How to Make a Book Page Wreath

I’m on a mission to make as much bookish Halloween decor as possible this fall. I started with a book page ghost garland, and then I made a reading ghost embroidery. Now, I’ve created a book page wreath for Halloween!

Wreaths are one of my favorite things to make. I’ve made 2 Halloween ones so far and have a list of ideas for even more that I would love to make in the future.

While this is a relatively inexpensive DIY project, it can be quite tedious. So, turn on your favorite fall TV show or movie, light a candle, and settle in for a quiet evening (or two!) of crafting.

Here’s how I made this rolled book page wreath:

Step 1: Prepare the Book Pages

The first step to making this bookish Halloween wreath is preparing the book pages. Start by tearing them out of an old book.

After tearing out the pages, trim off the margins.

This step is completely up to you. I wanted the print to cover the rolls on the wreath completely, so I trimmed the top and side margins off.

If you want your book page ‘rolls’ to be a little longer and don’t mind the blank ends, then you can leave the side margins. However, I recommend trimming off the top margin, or your rolls will be mostly blank, except for the book/chapter name and the page number.

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Step 2: Prepare the Wreath Form

The next step is to prepare your wreath form by covering it with book pages.

I ripped book pages in half, wrapped them around the wreath form, and glued them on. Make sure you glue the pages to the wreath form, or they’ll slip around and won’t stay in place.

Step 3: Roll the Book Pages

Rolling the book pages is the most tedious and time-consuming part of making this book page wreath.

However many pages you think you’re going to need, double that number!

I didn’t count how many rolls I made, but I used up to page 402 in one book (note: book pages are double-sided, so that’s 201 pages). Plus, I had some pages left over in an old Reader’s Digest book that I used for other projects.

So, I estimate that I used 230-250 pages altogether.

To create the book rolls, simply roll the page from the bottom up and secure it with a thin line of hot glue.

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Step 4: Making Bundles

Once the rolls are ready, make them into bundles by gluing the sides of the rolls together.

The majority of my bundles were 3 rolls stacked in a triangle. However, I also made bundles of 2, and I made a handful of bundles that had 3 rolls side-by-side.

I tied twine around about half of the bundles to add a little bit of texture to the wreath, but that’s optional.

Leave some of the rolls as singles! You’ll need them to fill in the empty spaces later.

Step 5: Make a Base Layer

After your bundles are ready, it’s time to lay down your ‘base layer’.

To do this, lay the bundles (all different kinds) facing the same direction, around the wreath form, in a single layer. Put them into place without gluing them, as you may have to move them around to make them fit correctly.

Once they’re all in place and the whole wreath is covered, you can glue them into place.

There will be gaps in your base layer, but don’t worry. You can fill them in with single rolls.

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Step 6: Glue on the Rest

After your base layer is glued down, glue the rest of the bundles onto your wreath.

I didn’t do another layer of them all facing the same direction (but if you like that look, go for it!). Instead, I placed mine haphazardly.

Start with your bundles of 3; lay them in various places in different directions. Then use your bundles of 2, prop some of them up on the bigger bundles, or place them across 2 of the bigger bundles, leaving a space underneath. Then fill in the gaps with the single rolls.

Like before, don’t glue them down yet. Place everything down the way you want it. Make any necessary changes or corrections. Then, when you’re satisfied with how it looks, glue them in place.

Step 7: Add the Accessories

At this stage, your book page wreath is almost complete! You just have to add the accessories.

I want an Edgar Allan Poe-themed Halloween this year on my bookshelves, so I added a raven to my wreath. (It came in a 2-pack on Amazon.)

Before I could place the bird on the wreath, he needed a stick to perch on. I have a bag of driftwood in the garage for another project, and found a piece in there that was almost the perfect size! I had to cut off about an inch on one end to get it to fit inside the wreath form.

After it was cut to the right size, I hot-glued it to the back of the wreath. Make sure you hold the stick in place until the glue dries, or it might fall off, depending on how heavy it is.

Then attach the bird to the stick using the wires on its feet. Even with the wires on both feet wrapped around the stick, the bird still didn’t feel secure. So, I put a little dot of hot glue under each foot.

I also added a black, glittery bow to my book page wreath, but it’s entirely up to you how much or how little you add to it. (I’m thinking of adding some black spiders to my book page wreath as well!)

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Your spooky book page Halloween wreath is ready to hang!

Since we have a narrow porch and Hawaii has a rainy/humid climate, I’m not going to hang this wreath on the front door. It’s going up on my bookshelves!