How to Make Easy DIY Wood Bookends

Learn how to build DIY wood bookends with this easy tutorial. These DIY bunny bookends are perfect for keeping kids’ books organized  – and it was a zero-cost project!

Lately, I’ve been noticing just how much my kids adore creative time.

The first thing my preschooler said today was, “Daddy, can you go to the store so that Mommy and I can do a fall craft?”

I laughed as I overheard it, but I absolutely love how much he values his craft time.

In addition to giving the kids plenty of time for crafts and creativity, my husband and I also have started creating things just for them.

They see us constantly building and creating things for the house. So it makes them feel so important when we make them something special.

We just made this sand and water table for their birthdays, which was such a hit! So funny how much kids love sensory tables.

Today, we are sharing how we made these simple bookends for our daughter’s nursery.

Nursery Bookends

Our daughter’s nursery needed a little love.

We previously painted a heart accent wall, but other than that she got a lot of leftover things from her brother’s nursery.

I was recently in Hobby Lobby and saw these cute star and moon bookends. I decided to make my own using bunnies.

My daughter adores all animals but especially bunnies.

I also knew bookends would be a simple project that I could handle making.

My husband has tons of wood leftover from all our projects. I knew he wouldn’t miss it.

Plus, he loves when I work in the garage because I always leave it neater than it was before.

How to Build Wood Bookends

This DIY bunny bookends project was super simple, and it was a no-cost project. I love creating something out of things we have.

Choosing and Cutting Wood for the Bookends

I first found scrap ¾” thick boards I found that would be perfect for the DIY bookends:

To create the book ends, I needed to cut out four pieces – 2 pieces of 4.5”x4.5” and 2 pieces of 4.5”x5.25”.

I figured this size would be on the smaller side (less clunky) and perfect for small kids’ books.

The two different sizes of boards would be attached perpendicular to each other.

I brought the scrap wood pieces over to the table saw to cut them to size.

Attaching the Wood for the DIY Bookends

With the pieces cut, I applied some construction adhesive and finishing nails to make a bookend.

A bar clamp also came in handy to hold the wood in place while I drove some nails in.

Sketch Your Shape

At this point, I took the bookends up to my craft room to figure out the bunny.

I traced the “L” bookend shape on a piece of scrap paper.

I freehand drew a sketch of a bunny and kept refining it until I was happy with the outline and the size (compared to the “L” of the bookend).

After you’re finished and happy with your sketch, cut it out and hold it up to the bookend to make sure you’re happy with it.

Drawing Tips

If you are stuck on how to draw your shape, google the shape you’re making and the word “outline” i.e. dog outline.

Then, you can focus on just the perimeter and not get caught up in the details. Or, if you’re using a bunny, feel free to grab the outline out of our resource library.

Making the Bunny Wood Cut-Out

Making the wood bunny was pretty simple, but it did take a little time.

Trace the Cut-Out

Once back in the garage, I traced the outline of the bunny onto the wood twice – one for each bookend.

Using the Scroll Saw for the Wood Cut-Outs

I opted for the scroll saw to cut out the wood bunnies. I wanted to preserve all the details of the bunny outline, and a scroll saw was perfect to get accurate cuts.

Here are the cut out bunnies resting in the book ends:

Finish and Paint for the Bunny Bookends

Because I’m so indecisive it took me a while to figure out what I was doing with the bunny and the bookends paint-wise.

I debated about painting the bookends white and the bunny light brown.

I started to paint the bunny light brown; however, I just wasn’t happy with it.

Then I decided to leave the bookends wooden and paint the bunny white.

Tung Oil for the Bookends

Happy with the painted white bunny decision, I used pure Tung oil on the wooden bookends.

Here are the bookends halfway through the Tung oil process (oil applied to the left bookend, and nothing yet applied to the second one on the right):

Painting the Bunny

I used Decoart white acrylic paint to paint the bunny.

Then, I painted the inside of the ears with a pink shade I made from red, and I drew on the face with a sharpie. I also did a little pink heart shape on the bunny’s nose with the acrylic paint.

Attaching the Bunnies to the bookends

With the bookends stained with Tung oil and the bunnies painted, it was time to attach the two.

I considered using just construction adhesive to secure the bunnies, but this sounded too permanent.

I was toying with the idea of swapping out the bunnies with other designs throughout the year (Santa bookends anyone?)

But, I ended up just using two screws underneath the bookends to attach the bunnies.

I made sure to pre-drill two holes centered on the base of the bookends. Then held the bunnies in place while I inserted two screws.

Time and Cost for the DIY Bunny Bookends

Making these bunny bookends took about 3 hours, and it was a no-cost project. We used scrap wood and paints we already had! Can’t beat that 🙂

My daughter absolutely loves the DIY bunny bookends. They look adorable in her nursery. Of course, my son adores them too and asked if we could make him skunk bookends. 🙂

If you’re up for a simple woodworking project, definitely try your hand at making DIY bookends. If you’re not up for the woodworking aspect, make something else for your kids or with your kids. I’m sure they’ll adore the creative time.

And if you are wondering if my son and I ended up doing our fall craft – we did. We made a 3D fall tree that he adores. We’re still gluing on the leaves and flowers, but if it turns out nice, I’ll share that too.

More Posts You Might Love

• Need a few things for your kids’ walls? Check out these easy DIY animal prints that you can make on a budget.
• This is another fun project you can make with or for your kids. It’s a giant jigsaw puzzle – perfect for outdoor parties!
• These easy no-sew felt finger puppets are perfect for an activity with your kids!