What happens to a book that has overstayed its usefulness? It's time to make something with it! Around here, old books can become new flowers--Bookgonias. My bunch of Bookgonias combines a spiral flower (that a library manager taught me how to make) with a paper flower (that I saw at the wedding of a friend's daughter, flowers repurposed from old maps). Let's make Bookgonias.

Supplies

-A book -- At the local Friends of the Library bookstore, I check the books they give away that are out-of-date or damaged, ones that they don't want to put on the shelves...like Reader's Digest Condensed Books. You will need about 5 or 6 pages to make one flower. I also did this craft with maps and old flyers from library programs.

-Scissors -- You'll be doing a lot of cutting.

-X-Acto or Craft Knife--This is the best tool for cutting pages away from the spine of a book. You can get closer to the spine and have less-jagged edges.

-Glue Gun and Glue Sticks -- You can use school/white glue, but a glue gun gives better results. Of course, a hot glue gun and a child isn't a good combination (Hey! My wife gets worried when I use a glue gun!).

-Acrylic Spray (optional) --To spray your finished flowers to protect them.

Step 1: Circle to Spiral

Remove a page from the book and cut it into a circle...or something resembling a circle. Cut along the edge of the circle, making a continuous strip of paper 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch wide (1-1.5 cm). Stop when you get down to about 1 inch (2.5 cm).

Step 2: Spiral to Flower Center

From the end of the spiral that was the outside edge of the circle, roll the spiral. Try not to lose contact with the roll--it will unravel. As you coil the spiral, the outer edge will spread a bit. That's how it should look. Once you get to the part of the spiral that was the center of the circle, use the glue gun to put a blob of glue on that center, and seal it to the narrower end of the coil. Be careful! Don't burn yourself!

Step 3: Put the "petal" to the Metal

Cut flower petals from book pages. Teardrops or heart shapes (with rounded tops) are good shapes. Make as many petals as you want. Make them in different sizes.

Turn the flower center spiral-side down. Glue the petals onto the center, using the smaller petals first.

To get a more natural look (Natural? These are book pages with print on them!), I bend the outside edges of the petals.

It looks pretty good, but it won't stand up...unless you want to glue a pinback on it and use it as a large boutonnière.

Step 4: Stem the Tide

To make the stem, tightly roll a page diagonally, starting from a corner. One end will be wider than the other. A dab of glue will seal the end of the paper.

Step 5: Stem and Leaf

Glue the stem to the back of the flower.

Cut out a small circle, 1-2 inches (2.5-5 cm). Glue it onto the back of the flower, over the glued end of the stem, to make it sturdier.

Cut out 1 or 2 leaves to glue on the stem. Cut the leaf as an oval with pointed ends. I fold it once down the middle of the long way, to simulate the rib at the center of the leaf. Glue one end of the leaf and wrap it around the stem.