For my friend Melanie’s birthday, I wanted to do something simple and use decoupage.

I’ve this half-finished, red wooden “M” chilling in my craft drawer of wooden letters for a while and thought it would be perfect. (Red is her favorite color, and yes, I do have a drawer that is full of wooden letters.)

Originally, I had planned to photocopy pages of a book she really likes (since the copy I have is borrowed), age the paper and decoupage the edges with that—but I’m both lazy and busy, so I used a book I had an extra copy of. My beloved Scarlet Pimpernel. Which I thought appropriate.

(The book was an old thrift-store hardcover with a great spine and cover. Unfortunately, they were taped together.)

So, I used my book scraps on the edges, repainted the front & added a modpodge layer on top and PRESTO! A book-lover’s monogram.

I also stole an idea off pinterest and added a wooden tag. I painted it with chalkboard paint and used book scraps on the back.