A book you don't mind ripping apart

Scissors

String, ribbon, twine or yarn

Scissors

Markers

 

What you'll do:

1. Carefully tear out a bunch of pages from your discarded book as neatly as you can. The more you tear (and see your project come together), the less guilt you'll feel for ripping up the pages, we promise. 

 

2. Start with the main part of your design, like a word you want to spell out. To spell out "DREAM," I used full-size paperback book pages and left the torn edges ragged. Use paint or a marker (I opted for a black marker, but anything will do) to carefully draw your chosen letters, shapes or symbols.

 

3. Now it's time to go crazy! Fold your book pages in half and start cutting out shapes. I created several different-sized hearts, then glued two together, spine to spine, to create a 3-D look for some of them. You can make anything you want, from snowflakes to simple circles.

 

4. Lay out your entire design on the floor. Then, grab a hot glue gun and your string of choice and, starting at one end, glue the design together. Place a few dots of glue on each piece of paper, then carefully smush the string into the glue. Be sure to watch out for your fingers! Consider the way your shapes will hang as you glue them to  the string; for some of my hearts, I wanted them to hang vertically, so I glued the string right up the center. For others and for my letters, I wanted them to hang horizontally, so I glued the string across the top of the page, from left to right.

 

5. Let it dry, then start hanging! Ask Mom or Dad for help (um, and permission, if you need to put holes in the wall).