Book stacks got so popular a few years ago. I don’t know when the burst happened, but, just like shiplap walls and sparklers at weddings, one day, book stacks were just everywhere.
Don’t fight the trend. Learn into it and make this very cute DIY But First Coffee Wood Book Stack.
We made ours using scrap wood with a rounded back, just like the spine of a book. But, it’s more sensible to make this using scrap wood that you have lying around rather than buying books just to use in a craft.
This would be a really great homemade gift for a coffee fan. For more ideas of what to get them, check out our list of 10+ Best Gifts For Coffee Lovers.
DIY But First Coffee Wood Book Stack
Affiliate links are included in this post and Drugstore Divas may make a small commission if you use them.
Use a miter saw to cut three pieces of 3.25- x 4-inch wood.
You want to cut from the back of each piece so that you keep the curved edge so that looks like the spine of a book. If you don’t care about that, you can just cut three equally-sized pieces from any part of the wood.
Pour some of the dark brown acrylic paint into the plastic disposable cup.
Paint the top and all the sides of one of the pieces of wood with the dark brown paint. Let it dry. If you think it’s too light, paint a second layer.
Add some of the white acrylic paint to the plastic cup. Stir until the paint is combined.
Use that new color to paint the top and all the sides of one of the pieces of wood.
Paint the last remaining piece of wood using the beige paint. Let the paint dry completely.
Now it’s time to add the alphabet stickers.
Starting with the beige brick, spell out the word “BUT”. The easiest way to do it so all the words end up right-justified is by starting with the “T” then the “U” then the “B”.
Set that block aside, grab the lighter brown block and use the alphabet stickers to spell out the word “FIRST”.
Finally, take the dark brown block and use the alphabet stickers to spell out the word “COFFEE”.
Stack the blocks on top of each other, starting with the lightest and ending with the darkest.
Take a piece of jute cording and wrap it around the blocks three times. Cut the cording with a pair of scissors and tie a knot up top. Then, tuck the extra pieces of string under the string that’s wrapped around the wood block.
Use a match (or lighter) to very carefully burn the jute cording to remove any fly-aways. This is optional. If you opt to do it, the cording looks really nice, but you want to be really careful with fire near wood.
DIY But First Coffee Wood Book Stack: Frequently Asked Questions
Can you use books to make a book stack?
You can use books to make a book stack. Everyone seems to make them out of wood (us included) and call them a wood book stack. But you could make them out of books.
You want books that are the same size, so you could either buy three copies of the same book or you could find three books that are the same size.
If they have paper covers on them, be sure to remove the covers and look at the spine of the book. You’re going to put the words there, so you want to make sure there aren’t any words already imprinted there.
Do you need to glue the wood book stack together?
You don’t need to glue the wood book stack together. You could if you really wanted to, but these are just going to sit near your coffee area or on a tiered tray as decoration and aren’t meant to be handled. So they won’t be flopping around or anything. They’ll stay put without glue.
If you’re set on gluing them together, though, use wood glue rather than school glue.
Can you use something other than jute cording?
You can use ribbon, twine, string, really anything you want as an embellishment for the wood book stack.
Purchase A But First Coffee Wood Book Stack Online:
If you really like this But First Coffee Wood Book Stack, but you don’t want to make it yourself, there are similar ones out there that you can purchase online (and if you say you made it, well, I won’t tell anyone your secret).
We love using scrap wood to make fun projects. So anytime we purchase food, we save all the pieces (yes, even the really small pieces) because we could potentially use them in a craft later.
National Coffee Day is held annually on September 29. This year, that’s a Thursday. To celebrate, Dunkin’ Rewards members can get a free medium hot or iced coffee with any purchase.
If you’ve been wanting to try Dunkin’s Tomato Pesto Grilled Cheese that we’ve been raving about for months, try it Thursday and pair it with a free cup of coffee. If you’ve been meaning to catch up with a friend, invite her out for coffee. Buy your cup and get hers for free.
National Coffee Day is on September 29, 2022 and to celebrate, make this DIY But First Coffee Wood Book Stack using scrap wood.
Active Time30 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
DifficultyEasy
Materials
Miter saw
Scrap oak stair treads
Burnt Umber acrylic paint (or any dark brown paint)
Plastic disposable cup
White acrylic paint
Beige acrylic paint
White alphabet stickers
Jute cording
A match
Tools
Paint brush
Scissors
Instructions
Use a miter saw to cut three pieces of 3.25- x 4-inch wood.
Pour some of the dark brown acrylic paint into the plastic disposable cup.
Paint the top and all the sides of one of the pieces of wood with the dark brown paint. Let it dry. If you think it’s too light, paint a second layer.
Add some of the white acrylic paint to the plastic cup. Stir until the paint is combined.
Use that new color to paint the top and all the sides of one of the pieces of wood.
Paint the last remaining piece of wood using the beige paint. Let the paint dry completely.
Starting with the beige brick, spell out the word “BUT”. Set that block aside, grab the lighter brown block and use the alphabet stickers to spell out the word “FIRST”. Finally, take the dark brown block and use the alphabet stickers to spell out the word “COFFEE”.
Stack the blocks on top of each other, starting with the lightest and ending with the darkest. Take a piece of jute cording and wrap it around the blocks three times. Cut the cording with a pair of scissors and tie a knot up top. Then, tuck the extra pieces of string under the string that’s wrapped around the wood block.
Use a match (or lighter) to very carefully burn the jute cording to remove any fly-aways.
Did you make this DIY But First Coffee Wood Book Stack? Let us know how it went in the comments.
I can't tell you how much I love these! They are so perfect to make as gifts.
Allyson @ Southern Sunflowers
Wednesday 12th of October 2022
Your coffee book stack is so cute!
Kelly
Tuesday 11th of October 2022
This is super cute. Thanks for the tutorial.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.AcceptRead More
Privacy & Cookies Policy
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
Carol
Thursday 13th of October 2022
I can't tell you how much I love these! They are so perfect to make as gifts.
Allyson @ Southern Sunflowers
Wednesday 12th of October 2022
Your coffee book stack is so cute!
Kelly
Tuesday 11th of October 2022
This is super cute. Thanks for the tutorial.