Last weekend I had planned on going to my local garden store to buy a little tabletop Christmas tree, but I was feeling under the weather – so instead, on Sunday, I got inspired and constructed my own Christmas tree made from books. Several friends and family members have shared pictures of book trees with me and I always thought it looked like too much of a hassle to do myself. It did take a couple of tries to get a structure that resembled a tree, but I used this tutorial and finally got I shape I could live with. After I put the lights and ornaments on and stuck the star on the top I saw how great it looked and I am perfectly thrilled with my homemade tree.
Do you put up a Christmas tree? I’d like to feature a few bloggers’ and readers’ trees here next week – if you’d like to share your tree on Gudrun’s Tights, email a photo to me at gudrunstightsatgmaildotcom. I know this is very last minute so if I don’t receive any submissions I will feature some other Christmas-y photos.
We’re two weeks away!
A Certain Fondness 
It does look lovely! Is there room under it for presents?? I’ve given up having a tree of any kind, because the cats take it as a personal challenge – what they don’t try to eat, they pull off the tree. I put lights up around my windows last night, and I’ve already had to chase the younger one away from them.
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Not having any room for presents is the only downside to the book tree. My cats are curiously uninterested in it and haven’t really bothered my real trees in years past either, other than liking to sit underneath. They’d probably attack lights in the window, though.
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I **LOVE** your tree so much, and that first line of the instructions “As many books as you can find” gave me a good laugh – heavens!, ours could consume rooms! 😉 We have a very ordinary Xmas tree which my little nieces/nephew have decorated by putting all the balls on one side in a series of clumps. I can’t figure out what look they were going for, but it did at least keep them occupied for ages while doing it.
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Thank you, Vicki! I did start out thinking I would make a full-sized tree, but when I realized how many books I’d have to haul downstairs I decided to keep it small. Oh I bet your nieces and nephew had so much fun decorating your tree – I remember loving to do it when I was a kid.
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That looks amazing! I always see pictures of book trees on the internet, but I’ve never known anyone to actually make one in real life before…
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Thanks! I’m glad I tried it, but I will more than likely go back to a traditional tree next year.
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That is lovely, and now you have me thinking I should start pulling green Virago Modern Classics off their shelves and building a tree.
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A Virago tree would be perfection! I did include several Viragos in my tree, but I don’t have many. I think you should try it, Jane!
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That is downright clever and pretty! The only problem would be if you suddenly decide that you must read one of the books in the tree! We put our big tree up this year hoping that our younger cat wouldn’t climb it like she did the first year we had her. So far, so good. She does attack an ornament now and then and loves playing under it, but no climbing.
Merry Christmas!
Nancy
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Thank you, Nancy! I did need my copy of Howards End the other day and realized it was in the tree – I had to choose another book instead 🙂 My cats have stayed away from the book tree, thank goodness.
Merry Christmas to you!
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What a fabulous tree! I also think it would make for an amazing gift for a book lover to wake up and find a tree like that on Christmas morning 🙂
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That is a great idea, Lauren! I hope you’ve been well – I’ve missed your posts.
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It’s beautiful. Glad to see you have Sylvia Plath in your tree! Have a wonderful Christmas.
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The Bell Jar was one of my favorite books read this year – I had to include it! Merry Christmas to you!
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Congrats! I made one at our local library and could not find a tutorial anywhere 🙂 It looks great!
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Thanks, Sheila! I would love to make one at my library, but we’re not allowed because of the ‘no religion’ thing. I can only dream of how great it would look with access to so many books 🙂
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Simply gorgeous! Well done.
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