Dollar Tree Farmhouse Cricut Mini-Book Stack
This simple and sweet DIY Dollar Tree farmhouse Cricut mini book stack will make your home look amazing. Getting that farmhouse look doesn’t have to be expensive! You can use your Cricut machine to make beautiful home decor in any style you choose. And buying items from the Dollar Tree to turn into fancy home decor saves money and is a great hack for any creative person to have in their back pocket.
This fun and easy project is perfect for any skill level, whether you’re a beginner or an expert. All you need is a few supplies from the Dollar Tree, some basic black vinyl, and your Cricut machine. In just a few simple steps, you can have a beautiful farmhouse mini book stack that will look great in any room of your home.
You can do this same project with full sized books, but I chose to use mini-books bought at my local Dollar Tree. They are fun because you can find so many places to use them. I love them on the tiered tray in my dining room. But they look great on an entry table, mantle or book shelf, as well. They are a perfect piece of decor for any small space that needs a little cheer.
I bought my chalk paint at Wal-Mart, but you can also find similar paint at your Dollar Tree. Basic acrylic or craft paint work fine, too, though if you add a bit of corn starch or baking soda to them, they can act similar to chalk paint. Again, all of this can be found at Dollar Tree.
If you don’t have black vinyl, or you want to make this project out of all Dollar Tree products, you can use some shelf liner or contact paper from the kitchen aisle. They have some dark wood contact paper you can cut with your Cricut, then use Mod Podge (from the craft aisle) to make sure it adheres properly to the books.
OR, you can simply buy the sheets of pre-cut letters from the craft aisle to use instead, and you don’t need a Cricut at all. However, you don’t get to choose the font, size, vinyl color or anything else if you do this, which isn’t nearly as fun.
The final step of this project is to wrap the books in twine, giving that real farmhouse look. This can be found in the craft aisle, and they have different types of string, twine and rope. Choose your favorite.
These books can be used as is, or you can add some fun extras to them. Add a few faux greenery sprigs, some berries or a mini wooden clothespin to each one. These can all be found in the floral aisle at Dollar Tree. You can also add some jingle bells to a few of them at the holidays. Use buttons, mini clothespins, or anything else you have on hand, or that you can find at your local Dollar Tree.
This is such a fun and easy project that anyone can do. It’s a great way to get that farmhouse look without spending a lot of money. So gather up your supplies and get started today! You’ll be so happy with the results.
Supplies:
- Black vinyl
- Scissors
- Weeding tool/ scraper too
- White Chalk Paint/ Paintbrush
- 3 mini books
- Twine or ribbon
- Transfer tape
- Cricut Machine
Instructions:
Begin by giving each book a few coats of white chalk paint. They should be fully covered so that none of the covers bleed through.
As you wait for the books to dry, open Cricut Design Space. Open a new design, and click on the Text tool. Select your preferred font. For this design, I chose Arial, as it was a nice clean look with enough space between the letters.
Unlock the size by clicking on the lock in the middle, then change the width to 1.75 and the height to 2.25. This fit my books perfectly. To check yours, simply stack your books on top of one another and check the height of them, as well as the width that you’d like the words to fit. Remember that there will be twine on one end, so don’t set the width for the full length of the books, but only about 2/3.
Type your words out one on top of the other. Make sure you like how they look. Make sure they are clear and easy to read.
Once you are happy, it’s time to cut out the vinyl. Place your vinyl onto your Cricut mat. I had some leftover scraps of vinyl, which is great for a project like this. Always save your scraps! I also suggest that when doing projects with small pieces of vinyl, use a blue mat (which is less sticky) or a green mat which is older and has loss some of its stickiness. Vinyl can be hard to peel away on a very sticky mat.
Turn on your Cricut machine and set it to the vinyl setting. Load your mat and cut your letters. Weed out the extra vinyl. Use transfer tape to pick up the words, each onto their own piece.
For this project, I actually used Dollar Tree clear shelf liner as transfer tape, which worked great! Another hack!
After making sure your books are COMPLETELY dry, place the vinyl words onto the book spines and use your scraper tool to burnish the letters on. Make sure they stick well, and remove the transfer tape slowly.
Stack the books one atop the other, ensuring the message reads correctly. Then use some ribbon or twine wrapped around them to secure them together. You can create a bow on top if you like. Add any embellishments if you want, or leave it plain and simple.
You have a gorgeous farmhouse inspired book stack that is just perfect and makes quite a statement. What message would your book stack say? Do you like the farmhouse look? Maybe a fall inspired book stack should be next?
Dollar Tree Farmhouse Cricut Mini Book Stack
Equipment
- Paint brush or foam brush
- scissors
- Weeding tool
- Scraper
- Cricut machine
Materials
- Black vinyl
- White Chalk Paint
- 3 mini books
- Twine or ribbon
- Transfer Tape
Instructions
- Give each book a few coats of white chalk paint. They should be fully covered so that none of the covers bleed through.
- Open Cricut Design Space. Open a new design, and click on the text tool. Select your preferred font.
- Unlock the size by clicking on the lock in the middle, then change the width to 1.75 and the height to 2.25.
- Type your words out one on top of the other. Make sure you like how they look. Make sure they are clear and easy to read.
- Place your vinyl onto your Cricut mat.
- Turn on your Cricut machine and set it to the vinyl setting. Load your mat and cut your letters. Weed out the extra vinyl. Use transfer tape to pick up the words, each onto their own piece.
- After making sure your books are COMPLETELY dry, place the vinyl words onto the book spines and use your scraper tool to burnish the letters on. Make sure they stick well, and remove the transfer tape slowly.
- Stack the books one atop the other, ensuring the message reads correctly. Then use some ribbon or twine wrapped around them to secure them together.
- Add any embellishments if you want, or leave it plain and simple.
Notes
- To check the correct size for your text, simply stack your books on top of one another and check the height of them, as well as the width that you’d like the words to fit. Remember that there will be twine on one end, so don’t set the width for the full length of the books, but only about 1/2 to 2/3.
- You can glue the books together with a couple of dots of hot glue between each one for extra security if you feel the twine is not enough.
Leave a comment to let me know what you think.
