book themed bridal shower & table runner tutorial

$10 at Target and a book page table runner tutorial

Table of Contents

I feel like I have been so sporadic around these parts lately and I really hate it! One of the things that has had me busy has been some preparations for my baby sister’s wedding. Last weekend I co-hosted her bridal shower and even though it was stressful (party planning always is for me), it was also so much fun (party planning always is for me, lol). I decided to go with a book-themed bridal shower since my sister is book-obsessed. I also already knew she was incorporating them into her reception décor.

$10 at Target and a book page table runner tutorial

details of a book themed bridal shower

One of the things I knew I wanted to do early on was make a book page table runner. Originally I was going to leave the pages in their natural state, but then I saw some pink paint in the craft aisle at Target.

| Read: Aqua and Pink Bridal Shower |

My go-to spot to pick up books I’m going to, um, alter–is Dollar Tree. I would feel so terrible destroying any other book, but only paying a dollar for a book that is not the best quality (be careful thumbing through them, most of the content is pretty “questionable”) leaves me feeling that I’m giving the book a better life in the form of a fun project.

DIY book page table runner

  1. Start by ripping out several pages from your books. I think it looks better if you have two or three different sizes that you can mix together.
  2. The base of your table runner will be a long roll of paper, like Kraft paper. I purchased mine from Dollar Tree and then cut it into thirds to make it thinner. The particular paper I bought was 15 feet long and I kept it at that length since my table was going to be long.
  3. Start spreading Mod-Podge onto your table runner base and smooth each individual book page down. Try to place and overlap them as randomly as possible. Once the entire surface is covered in you book pages paint another layer of Mod-Podge over the top. This helps give a really finished look and helps keep the page corners down.
  4. You can either keep the pages natural, or paint a color over the top once they’re dry. After trial and error I discovered the best method was to water down your paint and then dry brush it on the pages in several layers until you reach your desired look.
  5. Allow to dry overnight.
$10 at Target and a book page table runner tutorial

I made two 15 foot table runners and it took me two evenings. I probably could have pushed through and completed it in one long night, but I ran out of Mod-Podge.

| Read: Mason Jar Bridal Shower Invites |

Other features of her shower included custom bookmarks that I designed with a quote from Walt Whitman, a personalized Mad Libs that the guests contributed to and I then gifted in a frame to my sister, and a fun “He said/She said” game that my other sister put together to help the guests get to know the groom a little better.

We were together. I forget the rest.

~Walt Whitman
Have you attended any bridal showers lately? What was your favorite part?

Find more fun party ideas over on Pinterest!

How to make a book page table runner for a book themed bridal shower.

20 Responses to book themed bridal shower & table runner tutorial

  1. Christina July 19, 2017 at 3:43 pm #

    I always love good party decor in general. I wish I was at the stage of all my friends getting married or having babies now that we have blogs and Pinterest!! This is beautiful and unique. Love it.

  2. Ashley July 19, 2017 at 4:33 pm #

    What a fun idea for a shower! Love it!

  3. Tayler Morrell July 19, 2017 at 7:11 pm #

    That bridal shower theme is adorable! I love it!

  4. Amy July 19, 2017 at 7:14 pm #

    What a unique and creative idea. And personal.

  5. Kerry July 19, 2017 at 10:22 pm #

    Such a cute and creative idea! I love the book theme. I always hear about this $10 target challenge. I need to try it!

  6. Danielle @ A Sprinkle of Joy July 20, 2017 at 4:10 am #

    Hehehe… I love the word “alter”… 😉 Your table runner turned out so cute! 🙂

  7. Kristie | The Mom Life Chronicles July 20, 2017 at 6:26 am #

    Who would have thought! This is the cutest theme ever. I love the runner.

  8. Casey|www.completelycasey.com July 20, 2017 at 6:39 am #

    What a cute idea! I especially love the fun pink color!

  9. Lauren July 20, 2017 at 6:56 am #

    Love this idea! It would be awesome to use books that have a certain theme or hold other memories (copies obviously). Illustrations too!

  10. Carrie Ford-Coates July 20, 2017 at 7:20 am #

    What a fresh idea for a bridal shower! Love this book theme! I could even use this for book club!

  11. Joleen July 20, 2017 at 8:44 am #

    I love book-themed parties! I’ve never seen this runner idea — it’s so pretty!

  12. Rochelle Valle July 20, 2017 at 9:58 am #

    This is such a cute idea! I am going to have to show this to a couple friends.

  13. Bethany July 20, 2017 at 12:10 pm #

    Such a clever idea! The English teacher inside of me is pleased!

  14. Heaven July 20, 2017 at 7:55 pm #

    This is so creative!

  15. Nicole July 22, 2017 at 10:34 pm #

    This is such a creative and fun theme!

  16. Ashley Ziegler August 4, 2017 at 2:32 pm #

    I love the shimmer!!! I seriously think the book page table runner is brilliant. Probably the most perfect touch to a book-themed bridal shower!! 🙂 So cute.

  17. Katelyn August 4, 2017 at 4:05 pm #

    I love this! Such a cute and fun theme.

Trackbacks/Pingbacks

  1. a year of color: my favorite red home décor pieces | Little Dove Blog - July 21, 2017

    […] preparing for my baby sister’s wedding (next week!) and as part of that I helped throw her a bridal shower. As she was opening up her gifts that our generous friends and family had gifted her I realized […]

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    […] | Check out the book themed bridal shower I threw for my sister here! | […]

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