So earlier this week I started a fun little project in Brian's office. We have a wall of built-in book shelves that honestly have been kind of a catch-all for my random decor pieces. I had the intention of styling the shelves after we first painted them, but didn't have enough to fill them when I started so it had been low on my list of projects while I collected decorative objects over the last year. So these shelves have been a bit of an eye sore for me, and Brian started to put his finished, "nice" bottles of liquor to help fill the space like his prized Jack Daniels "Sinatra Select" I got him as an engagement gift... (not really the look I was going for babe, but nice try! LOL) and that is when I knew it was time to finish this project once and for all! 

So eventually I had collected enough decorative pieces to help fill the space but something was still missing for me... I love the look of antique books but I did not have any in my home. And I am the type of person that when I get an idea, I want it done yesterday! So I had to get creative! I found some books we had that were actually newer crime novels with very bright glossy sleeves, basically the opposite of an antique book. So I tossed the glossy sleeves and decided to age them myself... I'll explain the super easy process so you can do this at home with some of your books!

How to age a new book

What you'll need: A lighter, sandpaper, and coffee/tea

Step 1: Sand the edges and pages. I didn't spend a ton of time sanding for this project because my sandpaper wasn't super heavy duty,  but it did help a little with the edges and giving them a more worn look.

Step 2: Carefully use a lighter to burn the edges of the pages. It also helps to lets the flames burn on edges as well to give a dusty look. Use caution with this step to make sure the flames don't get out of your control! lol

Step 3: Brew some coffee or tea. No it's not time for a drink break! This is to help yellow the pages! The coffee and tea will stain the pages to give it that aged yellowish look. All you have to do is use the tea bag, or a paper towel dipped in coffee and smooth it across the pages. It helps to lightly saturate the pages to really get a good yellowed color.  Let dry and your books are ready!

This is a simple process and obviously a quick fix. Nothing beats a true antique book but if you're in a need for some old books fast and don't have time to go thrifting, this is the quickest way to get the look you are going for! Below I shared some pictures of how my books turned out, including a before and after, as well as some shots of how I styled these "new" old books! Thanks for stopping by and feel free to comment below if you tried out this project or if you used any other techniques to age your books!