RBE Library Decor

At the RBE Library, we aimed at creating a space that was warm, inviting, and a great place where students and other RBE community members will want to hang out and read.

The RBE Library is a public space, and is often used for meetings, other events, and presentations. Our space is flexible in that we move tables and chairs around as needed for different functions.

We are so fortunate that our PTA saw the need for an update, and provided us with some funds for some of the raw materials needed for many of the decor projects you will see below.

I must admit that I saw some of these projects on Pinterest and other websites and blogs. However, some of these projects were born out of two things: creativity and financial constraints. All of the paper you see in these projects are either old book pages, scrapbook paper, or die-cut letters.

The fabric came from Hobby Lobby and the paint was matched to the fabric from Lowe’s. If you have any questions about any of these projects, please feel free to email me at [email protected], or just leave a comment below and I will answer your questions as best I can!

 

RBE Library Decor with Creation Explanations

 

 This is the Story Time Area in the library. We used book covers with cardboard cut to size, strung with ribbon, and hung on hooks as decoration. We used some old throw pillows and recovered with our signature fabric. We also took some inexpensive body pillows, cut them in thirds, sewed them up, and created more covers.

 

This is the rocker in our Story Time area. We recovered the cushions that came with it (it was already painted white) added some ribbon, and painted a small stool with our signature colors of paint.

These are our shelf markers. We just painted a stool that was in the library, painted several paint sticks from a local paint store, and then painted a paint can that I purchased from the same local store.

This is a decoration we made to put the library website address on. Since our theme is “Hang out and read” we used these hooks all over the library with book jackets glued to cardboard pieces cut to size, and strung up with ribbon. The web address is just plywood covered with batting and fabric. I bought plain wooden letters, painted them, and glued them onto the fabric with hot glue. I got an empty frame from the clearance aisle, and we placed the plywood, batting, fabric part inside it.

Here is a close up of some of the book covers on the hooks.

These are sign I made for the library. I just used scrapbook paper, die-cut letters, vases purchased off the clearance aisle, some tissue paper, dowel rods, and small clothespins. I stuck the dowel rods into one of those fake flower sponges.

This display lists the specific genres that our district has identified as the ones students should know. I just used die-cut letters on scrapbook and some die-cut circles from old book pages. You can’t see it, but there are also some painted stand up cardboard letters off to the side that say GENRE.

I have big windows on 2 walls in the library. I decided to add some decoration to serve 2 purposes: block some of the morning sun that comes in on the books and block out some of the outside action that distracts the kids. I used some pages from a large, old dictionary. I folded them accordion style and glued them together. I then cut some large circles from the scrapbook paper that matched my fabric, and glued die-cut letters to them spelling the words of our motto. I used straight pins to attach the ribbon to the window fixtures and the accordion folded book pages. All of the collections are also marked by these large signs. They are just large pieces of cardboard covered with torn book pages and die-cut letters. We then used modge podge over it to seal it. We hung them with invisible line and paper clip.

This wreath was a labor of love. All you need for this is an old book and wire hanger. I used a thumb tack to poke holes in the book pages that I rolled and folded the ends up to poke the hole in. Then, I just strung about 500 pages on a wire hanger.