diy owl bookends

Pretty Handy readers Happy New Year!  Jaime here today from That’s My Letter to share how to make scrap wood DIY Owl Bookends.  It’s January and everyone is in cleaning, purging, and organizational mode.  While you’re cleaning out the scrap wood bin, save a few scraps to make these cute owl bookends. They are adorable and will help straighten up your bookshelf, too.

I used scrap wood pieces straight from my cut off bin to quickly put together these bookends.  These wood pieces happen to be different colors (some stained, some cedar, some painted) but you could easily use new lumber and paint the owls in fun colors.

owl bookends 1

This is a great gift idea for adults and kids alike!  I sent this pair off to my sister who happened to have an owl get down her chimney (someone left the flue open!) and was flying around in her house.

owl bookends 3

Below are the step-by-step instructions including materials and a cut list.  Always follow all safety precautions when using power tools.

owl bookend tml

Materials:

  • scrap wood pieces as listed below
  • miter saw
  • measuring tape & pencil
  • jigsaw
  • sandpaper
  • drill & drill bits
  • 1 1/4″ wood screws
  • nailer
  • 1 1/4″ finish nails
  • 3/4″ finish nails
  • wood glue

Cut List (for 1 bookend):

  • 1 – 1×6 @ 6 3/4″ pine board (side)
  • 1 – 1×6 @ 6″ pine board (base)
  • 1 – 1×6 @ 6″ cedar board (head)
  • 1 – 1×4 @ 3 3/4″ pine board (face)
  • 2 – 1 1/4″ circular dowel (eyes)
  • 1 – cedar plank scrap (beak)

Instructions:

Step 1: Assemble the bookend.  Attach side piece to base using wood glue and countersunk 1 1/4″ wood screws.


owl bookend step 1 tml

Step 2: Cut out owl head shape as per sketch.

owl bookend step 2 tml

Step 3: Attach the face piece to head using wood glue and 1 1/4″ finish nails.

owl bookend step 3 tml

Step 4: Attach eyes and beak to head using wood glue and 3/4″ finish nails.

owl bookend step 4 tml

Step 5: Center owl onto base and attach using wood glue and 1 1/4″ countersunk screws.

owl bookend step 5 tml

Be sure to sand any rough edges.  I recommend painting the owl prior to attaching it to the bookend.

owl bookends 2

Cheers to another great scrap wood project.  Now go raid your bin and make some owl bookends!

Jaime signature

FYI, you only have a few hours left to enroll in the Nester’s Cozy Minimalist course. This is bound to change the way you think about your home and decorating! I promise.

page_break_2

cozy-minimalist

The Nester’s motto is “It doesn’t have to be perfect to be beautiful.” I can’t even begin to tell you how freeing that statement is and has been for me. My skills have always been with building and crafting, but I used to struggle with decorating. I looked at magazines and other blogger’s photos and felt inadequate. Then I started reading The Nesting Place and soon I was able to let go of the perfectionism and begin decorating my home as a reflection of who I am.

The Cozy Minimalist is an online workshop that will help you love your home again and free you from the challenges of decorating. These are a few of the topics that will be covered in the workshop:Screen Shot 2016-01-17 at 6.41.23 PM

You don’t want to miss out on this opportunity. Enroll now, because the doors close tomorrow.

PHGFancySign

 

Pin for later!

12 replies
  1. Grace Gates
    Grace Gates says:

    These are adorable and the perfect gift for my great niece. I bought (I did not have any scraps) the wood at Lowe’s and had them cut the 1 x 6 and 1 x 4 for me – yay for Lowe’s cutting. I got home and now am wondering how I am going to cut the scoop for the owl’s ears. I was going to use my jigsaw, but thinking the 1 x 6 is too thick? I only have a circular saw and jig saw. Any ideas or guidance?

    Reply
  2. Serena @ Thrift Diving
    Serena @ Thrift Diving says:

    This is so cute, Jamie! I love how easy these are to make. For some reason, I’ve really started to love owls. I ince passed up on a cute blue ceramic owl from the thrift store and I regret it to this day. Lol. These might possibly be a good replacement for my bookshelf! Thanks for the idea!

    Reply
    • Jaime Costiglio
      Jaime Costiglio says:

      Thank you Serena. Owls are definitely making a come back, in fact I might be late to the owl trend but they were just too fun to make. Now I’m thinking we need more animal shapes, elephant? moose? bird? it’s endless!

      Reply
  3. Cat
    Cat says:

    I love your bookends! Scrap projects are the absolute best. It always feels so good to use up things you have on hand. Thank you for sharing your plans!

    Reply

Trackbacks & Pingbacks

  1. […] Scrap wood and book lovers this one’s for you: diy owl bookends.  Free plans to make these simple wood owl bookends are up over at Pretty Handy Girl here. […]

Leave a Reply

Want to join the discussion?
Feel free to contribute!

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.