How to Make Brown Paper Bag Book Covers

Textbooks are expensive to replace, which you will have to do if you ruin the cover. Protect school textbooks, as well as library books and personal book collection, and your wallet with nothing more than a brown paper bag and a couple tools. A paper grocery bag is ideal for homemade book covers because the brown kraft paper is thick and, once open, the bag is large enough to accommodate even larger books, such as dictionaries. Once the book is covered you can dress it up however you want and rest assured that your pocketbook is safe.

Supplies

Brown paper grocery bag

Scissors

Book

Pencil

Stickers (optional)

Markers (optional)

Step 1

Open up the paper bag and set it on your work surface with the opening at the top. Cut down one of the corners of the bag from the top edge to the bottom. Cut around all four sides of the bottom to remove the bottom from the bag.

Step 2

Open the rectangular brown kraft paper and lay it flat. Open the book you are covering to the middle so it lays as flat as possible and lay it on the brown kraft paper with the cover face down. Trace the outline of the book's cover. Remove the book from atop the paper.

Step 3

Cut out a rectangle from the paper that is 3 inches long on the left and right sides and 2 inches wider along the top and bottom of the tracing. Fold the extra 2 inches along the top and bottom down and up, respectively. Crease these folds well. Fold the extra 3 inches on the left and right in toward the center. Crease these folds well.

Step 4

Slide the left edge of the book's cover into the 3 inch pocket you created on the left side. Slide the right edge of the book's cover into the 3 inch pocket on the right side. Decorate the book's cover with crayons and stickers if you like. Write the title of the book down the spine.