This is a small tutorial on how to create a decorative book lamp! It makes a great addition to any room, a great gift and can be any style you want, as you are the one creating it. I made the lamp as an anniversary gift for my wife. I looked on her pinterest account and saw one for sale for over $150. I thought it would be A. cheaper for me to make and B. More personal of a gift knowing that I worked hard to create it.

Step 1:

First thing is first. Go to a local hardware store and purchase a lamp kit. They generally cost anywhere between 8-15 dollars. Mine was originally gold, but I spray painted it matte black. Next, find some books that you don't want to ever read again. You can either find some in your home or do as I did and go to an old book store with a huge assortment of books. The book on the top is the most important as it is the cover of the lamp. So, I spent a little more on the one book than I did the others. I found "the black beauty" a 1901 copy, at an antique book store.

Step 2: Screws!

Once you have chosen your books you are now in the screwing stage. Got a handful of wood screws and screw one book on top of the other in your desired formation. With my lamp, I wanted my books to be a little off, so I screwed them in that way. Others may want to screw them perfectly aligned. The bottom book is going to take a little extra work, so don't screw it onto the others yet. The bottom book needs to have a hole running through the pages to accommodate the electrical cord. The way to do this is simple. Get two c clamps and place them on both sides of the book tightly. pressing the pages together with a lot of force. Get a drill bit and screw directly into the pages about half way into the book, or wherever you want the lamp to come up from. Refer to the second photo below for clarification.

Step 3: Drill Bit

After you have screwed all of the books on the other, get a 5/8-3/4 inch drill bit that is LONG. Now, drill a hole all the way through the stack of books. Be delicate with the top book as you don't want to mess up the front cover that everyone will see. Experiment with the books that won't be on top to see how the drilling will affect the cover. The post from the lamp kit should fit snugly in the book hole as you don't want it to be loose or have the need to anchor it in the books. Next, put the electrical cord through the bottom book and up through the post and screw the bottom book onto the rest of the pile. At this point your lamp should look about 50% complete, (refer to the second picture below.)

Step 4: Lamp Shade & Bulb

Now follow the instruction included with the lamp kit pertaining to the actual wiring. For my style lamp, I chose more of a cage style lamp shade and an old style filament bulb. I love this kind of bulb as it really enhances the overall feel of your custom lamp. They are a little pricey, but worth the price.

Step 5: DONE!

Now that you have completed your lamp, plug it in and just wait for all of the compliments to roll in. You can use it in all of your decorating and most of all impress your wife with the gift you made her!