Easy homemade bookends

Sometimes the simplest solution is the best solution! A decorated brick can make an inventive yet stylish book end - and it's nice and cheap too!  

We know that Kindle's and eReaders are having a moment but we also know that if you're anything like us, you have piles (and piles and piles) of books that you just can't throw away!

Well, now you don't have to. Prevent those piles and piles of  books from falling over with these super cheap, cheerful and easy-to-craft bookends. Pop to your local DIY shop to find some house bricks and simply paint them using the design below.

This idea takes roughly 30 minutes so it won't take up too much time! Place a paperweight at the end of the shelf to add a more personal touch to this craft. You could even try using different colours of paint if pink isn't your style.

You will need:

• Bricks. Standard house bricks (available from most DIY shops) will work just fine for this project.
• Pink paint
• Paint brush
• Masking tape
• Copper metalic paint

Step 1

Simply paint each side of the bricks with the pink paint, making sure you don't miss any bits. Once finished, leave to dry - this should take about an hour.

Step 2

Using the masking tape, mask off triangular shapes  - ar any shape you'd like, geometric patterns are big at the moment - on each long side of the bricks, then paint with copper metalic paint. Remove the masking tape and leave to dry before placing them on your bookshelf.