Covering school books is one of those task that I despise. I moan and groan till the cows come home until I have completed it. However, I think my dilemma was the horrible metallic contact I was using, I had bubbles and creases all over. Metallic contact is very different to use compare to the clear contact, I find that alot easier to use.
This year I have started covering the kids school books a little differently. As I have 3 kids and over 40 books/scrapbooks to cover I didn’t go to much fancy effort.
Here are some ideas you may like to try:
Covers
- Coloured reusable covers purchased from office supply stores. Very easy to slip book into, like a dust cover. It is great value for money and hopefully I will be able to reuse next year.
- Marbig clear covers, again great value for money and super easy to place on books. I used wrapping paper underneath which the kids picked out.
- The popular brown paper and plastic combo
- Cover book using gift bags
- Add comic strips to the front
- A bag from your favourite store
- Scrapbook paper
- Clear or coloured contact
- Butchers paper the kids have drawn or painted on
- or……Metallic contact, if you really have to…lol.
Items to use to decorate books
- Lace
- Ribbon
- Flowers
- Stickers
- Photos
- Old birthday/Christmas cards
- Doodles
- Images from a calendar
- Magazine pictures
- there are so many ideas.
For a video and step by step tutorial visit Kelly at Be A Fun Mum – How To Cover School Books.
This was such gorgeous wrapping paper for $1, cut in half and was able to cover 2 books. I then used the Marbig Book Covers to protect the paper/book.
Inside of book, covered just like a present
Another book cover slip, but coloured
Love these gorgeous That’s Mine bookplates
My son wanted harry potter contact, so instead I printed an image that I found online, stuck it to some black wrapping paper, then added the clear cover.
Thankyou to the wonderful people at Marbig for sending me their latest Flash Book Covers which absolultely saved my sanity this year.
63 comments
I agree, those book covers are the best! Much easier than using contact. I've already done my 6 year old's books for this year, but I'm always happy to win some more to stockpile for next year, when I'll have 2 at school!
What a great post! Covering books is not one of my favourite jobs either, these hints will make it a lot easier this year 🙂
I so detest the annual battle with contact. These book covers from Marbig look great!
wow I love the look of the Margot book covers where can I buy them from if I don't win the pack?
Hi Regina, you can buy these from most Big W or Officeworks stores.
Oops damn iPhone that should have read marbig not Margot.
I haven't seen or heard of the Marbig book covers but think they are a great idea and would love to use them.
I hadn't either Kerryn until I stumbled upon them at officeworks, so much easier than the contact!
Hi, I have never heard about these Marbig covers. Excellent idea to put it on the website and share it with thousands of mothers. Saves heaps of time for us. Thanks a lot
No worries 🙂
What a great idea those marbig covers are. I only have one book to cover for the start of the school year. I will have more to come when textbooks/workbooks come home in the 2nd week back…something I am not looking forward to, but would be made easier with these great covers.
Katrina – my son wants Harry Potter as his book covers too. Love the picture you have used, do you know what website you found it on?
Thanks
sorry Mel that I didn't reply earlier, I googled harry potter, in the left sidebar I chose images, then chose large size. Then pick out one that suits your little man.
Book covering is not my idea of a good time… these Marbig book covers are a great idea! ~ Christine
I am loving all the hints for getting organised for back to school. Those Marbig book covers look great. I would love to try them out.
I've never seen the Marbig covers – they look amazing and definitely a solution to beating the contact battle! Thanks for posting – I'm about to embark on the books this weekend – god willing!! 😀
lol, veronica…they are such a chore aren't they!!
Awesome! You are so organised!! I am insanely jealous!
You'll get there Rebecca!!
Some fab ideas – love the wrapping paper!!
I'd love to win some Marbig covers 🙂
Wrapping paper is a colourful alternative!
What a great idea using wrapping paper under the clear covers! Thanks so much for sharing 😀
Thanks for the great ideas on, not only book coverings, but all aspects of back to school. I have one starting school this year and am finding a lot of really great suggestions and ideas.
Wow what a great idea. I have never seen the Marbig covers either. Oh I how despise that darn foil contact. My girls school has big manilla envelopes for their homework that we have to cover each year. Argh it is horrible
Wow, I have never heard of covering Manilla Folders, is their a plastic variety you could use instead?
What a lifesaver! Those book covers look like they'll save a load of time and angst. Thanks for sharing.
Glad you love the idea?
Oh I love convering books! Mum used to get me to do my little brothers (younger by 15 years) books. I'd have a ball. I'll be having about 40 years of covering school books by the time my kids (incluiding my years) are all finished!
When I was a teenager I'd by Smash Hits mag. Was a popular music mag, Smahs Hits is what Video Hits used to be called for all the young ones lol.
Anyways I'd spend the shool holidays cutting out all the pictures that I liked. Then cover my book with some plain or printed coloured contact. Stick on all my pics then cover again with clear contact to protect them.
I'd do the same with the plain cardboard olders that we'd use too. Was lots of fun
Smash hits….that brings back memories, I used to love buying it and put the posters on my wall. Great idea Becci!!
Now that explains last years problems!! I wish I had seen this post before I bought more 'metallic' coverings for this year 🙁
if you haven't used them Kylie, return them if you still have your docket??
I covered my son's book with photos of him dressed in all his different costumes and then added clear contact. comic book pages covered with clear contact is another great idea, or even a map covered with clear plastic.
Hi Love your post…Book covering is one of my most favourite jobs so much fun…but yes i do admit i refuse to use character contact it does bubble too much and looks messy. I have used over the years on my daughters books…chrostmas wrapping paper put on backwards so using the plain side. birthday wrapping paper, or just plain coloured wrapping paper – eg- this year Australia Post had a roll of christmas wrapping paper half price so we got dark green plain wrapping paper for only $2 (half price) for a huge roll…we got some white paper too…so first we put that on then we decorate her books with photos of her, stickers , labels off her clothes we have saved over the year, but her favourite this year was a huge book of stickers u can buy from Smiggle with all different stickers – i think it was over 20 pages of them ….then after we write her name/class etc we then clear contact them- sounds like a lot of work but how COOL do the books look and they r neat…and much easier to do no more bubbles (arghhhh)…FUN!!!!
that sounds like so much fun, doing it together 🙂
thank you!!!! I requested some ideas and you have come through… Would love this win 🙂
Hi Katrina, thanks for this great idea, my daughter is going into grade 2 this year, and we dont have the books yet (pay day is 15th) so it will be a last minute rush (assuming anything is open for books here in Brissie), these covers are an excellent idea and will save much stress – thank you 🙂
Great ideas for book coverings… of course i like many others have bought some character and metalic covers this year and already opened some… might look at some bobble type stickers to go on any bubbles in the metallic cover and then look into the book covers as well.
that's a great idea covering the bubbles with a sticker, clever thinking!!
Last year I spent hours covering books only to find that the school supplied the wrong ones! Just gave up and my poor kids had pretty basic books. Those Marbig ones would be fabulous!
ooh no that would of been heartbreaking as covering books is not a quick task.
Wow what a great idea! I used to love covering my books when I was a kid. I used to save all my cool posters of my latest crushes like Dieter Brummer, Leonardo Dicaprio lol Too funny!
lol, I was a huge Dieter Brummer fan too, and Billy Warlock, had loads of their posters. Do they have magazines like they had back in the day with posters of TV/movie stars??
My son likes to draw comics so as a boredom buster I get him to do his on his book covers in the hols 🙂
thats such an artistic idea, unique!!
What a brilliant idea! Much more user friendly than the old-school contact!
these look great and are just what i have been looking for. where can you buy them?
Sorry it has taken me so long to respond Bree, you can purchase these from Big W or Officeworks.
I'ts my first year of book covering and I think these will be wonderful. Will definately get these and take the metallic rolls back (if the little dude will let me)
Totally LOVING these ideas! The book covers are way better than fighting with a roll of contact!
And a fight it can be Tam!!
As someone with a severe contact phobia (Lol) these Marbig covers look great! I end up wasting half a roll getting stuck to me, the furniture and even the cat!
lol the poor cat, i don't think many books fit to a roll either and they can be so expensive.
Looks like a must easier way to cover the books!! Great ideas thanks!
I hate sticky bookcovers. This year we are using these http://www.ezcover.net.au they are reusable and made from recycled materials.
Great idea Sharon, they have a great variety too!
I love helping the children decorate their books, going back through them you can see how their tastes changed and how they matured. The clear contact keeps them looking good and become a keepsake. I spend a little more a buy the contact that allows you to lift it a little to help fix mistakes.
I haven’t heard of that contact Fred, but yes we enjoy the decorating too!
Hi just wondering if there are book covers for actual textbooks not just exercise books? Or am I stuck with contacting them? Also does anyone know what is the best way to label books so that they can be resold at the end of yr?
Yay!!! This year is my first year of book covering and I have been stressing about the contact issue! I love your wrapping paper and plastic cover idea, thankyou x
Thanks for the recycling/reusing ideas. I never use contact because you can’t recycle the book cover but the teacher wants it, so now I have some eco-friendly options to keep us both happy!
Found a new product to cover books with contact that makes it so easy its called contastick the web site is contastick.com well worth checking out it so easy to use
We’ve had a great response to our reusable and recyclable school books covers. You can check them out at http://www.ezibooks.com.au
I just found this post and now your site ezibooks! Placing an order right now, these are going to be life savers!
Covering my daughters with brown paper, then recipies from her favourite cooking magazines, naming (printed out some labels on our computer) and contacted – if you spend a little more and buy a good contact you can usually fix any mistakes and books are so much easier to cover. A few extra dollars spent on contact saves my sanity!