How to Create a Heavenly Book Stack with Rice Paper and Clay

Have you ever wanted to turn something plain into a timeless vintage keepsake?

Donna from Mason Creations etc. shows exactly how to do that in this enchanting tutorial — creating a Vintage Angel Book Stack using decoupage rice paper, molded clay angels, and golden accents. Watch the video below to follow along and craft your own shabby-chic centerpiece that feels straight out of a Victorian Christmas story.

Step 1: Prepare Your Book Stack

Start with plain paper-mâché book boxes — Donna uses two from a three-pack. Give each a base coat of Dixie Belle Chalk Paint in Cotton, creating a smooth white foundation for decoupage.

Step 2: Add Vintage Rice Paper Designs

For the large book, Donna uses Leafy Scrolls Rice Paper. She trims the factory edges, applies Polyvine Heavy Duty Wood Varnish as her decoupage medium, and smooths the paper with a piece of plastic. Unlike thick glue, this varnish gives a crystal-clear finish that dries quickly and never yellows. For the smaller book, she centers the angel from Magic of Winter Rice Paper across the cover.

Step 3: Create “Book Pages” Texture

To mimic old book edges, Donna mixes Pentart 3D Powder with Dixie Belle Chalk  paint to form a texture paste. She spreads it along the book edges with a palette knife, then scores it with a fork to resemble stacked pages. Once dry, she seals it again with Polyvine varnish for durability.

Step 4: Mold and Attach Clay Angels

Using DAS Air-Dry Clay, Donna presses the material into angel and wing silicone molds, freezes them for 20 minutes, and pops them out easily without breakage. She glues them onto the books while still damp with Aleene’s Tacky Glue, allowing the shapes to curve naturally to the book surface.

Step 5: Add Antiquing and Gilding

After painting the molded angels and book edges in Drop Cloth Chalk Paint, Donna applies FolkArt Antiquing Medium (Wooden Bucket Brown) to bring out detail and vintage depth. She finishes by brushing Redesign Decor Wax in Eternal over the high points for a subtle golden shimmer.

Step 6: Assemble and Decorate

The two books are glued together, tied with aged ribbon and lace trim, and finished with pearls, greenery, and a candle topped with a small angel. Donna even demonstrates how brushing Polyvine varnish directly onto ribbon gives it a beautiful wrinkled, antique texture when dried.

The finished project looks like something found in an old European chapel — rich with aged beauty and charm. It’s the perfect holiday piece to display on a mantle, shelf, or entryway table.

Thank you, Donna, for sharing your creative spirit and this beautiful idea with our crafting community!

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