This summer book stack idea features a watermelon theme and supplies from the Dollar Tree. Grab the free design to make this with a paint pen or a Cricut, Silhouette, or other cutting machine.

In this tutorial, I’ll show you how a cute little watermelon slice charm can be made in just a couple of minutes using the same paint. It’s also too precious and really ups this summer farmhouse DIY.

Horizontal image of a small dollar tree book stack made with mini crate, paint, ribbon, and model magic watermelon slice in front of white wood background. — How cute is this colorful summer book stack with a watermelon theme?!

What You'll Find On This Page

Watermelon Book Stack Craft

Here at Ruffles and Rain Boots, a sunny day in Seattle is a time to get outside and soak up that vitamin D. We recently had a gorgeous day and after a bit of a hike, decided we needed some crafting on the back patio.

I’m making a set of book stacks to display on my larger tiered tray so I sketched out a fun little summer book stack with a watermelon theme.

No Time to Make This Now? Save for Later

Need to gather supplies? Save this to a summer farmhouse crafts pin board or share it with a crafty group on Facebook. It will be easy to find when you’re ready to begin.

Vertical image of a small clay gnome next to a watermelon themed book stack for tiered tray in front of a white wood background. — This quick and colorful DIY is a fun one to do on the patio.

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More Themed Book Stacks For Inspiration

I mentioned above that I’ve been on a kick lately of creating quite a few themes for my tiered tray this year. Here are a few more you might find inspiration from. Just click on one and check it out.

Stacked vertical image of a bee themed bookstack on top and year round book stacks on bottom with text which reads book stack inspiration ideas to get crafting. — Once you have the basics, check out all of these book stack ideas for year round decor and holiday displays.

Tips for Making This Mini Dollar Tree Book Stack

Instead of using books for this craft, I used the miniature full-sided crates from the Dollar Tree. You can absolutely use thrift store hardcover books with canvas covers or paperback books and can paint both the spines and the pages.
Please sand the dollar store wood crates for the best results. The sides and edges can be rough, causing things to snag or even the acrylic paint to look chunky and bumpy.
The charm I made is using Crayola’s Model Magic® and let me tell you, I’m growing to love this stuff. It’s unlike polymer or air dry clay – it’s much lighter, which works well on small projects.
If you love farmhouse decor and the more rustic look, use the sandpaper after painting on the edges to roughen it a bit. You can also add a shade darker or lighter with a dry brush technique.
Impatient like me? Make the Model Magic® charm the day before. Use a heat gun on the paint to speed up drying and get the project done faster.
As I mention in the video tutorial, you can make this book stack two-sided. A lemon theme would be adorable!

Square image close up of a watermelon themed summer book stack for farmhouse decor and tiered trays in front of white wood wall. — Make this summer book stack using Dollar Tree wood crates, Model Magic, and a little paint.

How to Make This Farmhouse Book Stack for Summer

Below is the written and printable tutorial for this easy summer DIY book stack. Use the comments if you have any questions or watch the video tutorial for a summer farmhouse book stack idea on the YouTube channel.

While you are there, be sure to subscribe – we have a lot of fun tutorials and I’d love to have you as part of the community. If YouTube isn’t your thing, join us in the Facebook group here.

Yield: 1 Book Stack

Watermelon Book Stack for Summer

This adorable watermelon book stack made with Dollar Tree crates is too cute on a tiered tray or tucked into a summer display. Add a charm using Model Magic® for a touch more fun.

Active Time 15 minutes

Total Time 15 minutes

Difficulty Easy

Estimated Cost $3

Materials

Dollar Tree Mini Crate
Acrylic Paint (pink, green, white, black)
Polymer Clay or Model Magic
Ribbon (I used three)
Free Summer SVG, PNG Design
Optional, HTV in Black

Tools

Sandpaper
Paintbrushes
Q-Tip
Tape
Wire (or string)
Hot Glue Gun and Glue Sticks
Optional, Cricut, Weeding Tool, and Press

Instructions

Tape off the bottom (closest to the open side). Paint the top two raised areas (tiers) and top of the crate pink. Allow the paint to dry.
Remove the tape and paint the bottom dark green. Allow the paint to dry.
Mix together white and green paint to cover the portion between the pink and dark green paint. If it's messy touch up using the pink and green paints and allow to dry.
Use a Q-tip to paint black seed shapes onto the top (pink area) of the crate. Allow to dry.
Beak off one double-quarter-sized portion of clay or Model Magic and form it into a triangle about 2 inches tall and ½-inch thick. Round the bottom edge to make it look like a watermelon slice. Bake the polymer clay or allow the Model Magic to dry before painting. Paint the dried Model Magic watermelon slice dark green on the rounded edge and pink in the remaining area. Allow to dry.
Download the design and follow the prompts in your software to set up the cut, resizing the lettering to fit on the tiers of your crate. Select the text and click “Attach” in the lower right corner to keep the text in place throughout the cutting process. Mirror the image for heat transfer vinyl and weed once cut. Apply the heat transfer vinyl shiny-side-down to your standard grip cutting mat and load the mat into the cutting machine.
Wrap one ribbon of each color around the book stack, securing all three.
Tie a large bow (make it larger than the watermelon slice) and hot glue the bow where the ribbons join.
Hot glue the watermelon slice on top of the bow and display.

Notes

This looks just as cute without the watermelon slice charm, so if you don't have Model Magic® or clay, leave it off.

It would be fun to make this a two-sided project doing the watermelon on one side and lemon on the other. Use yellow paint and stick with black and green ribbons to coordinate.

More Summer Farmhouse Craft Ideas

Summer Farmhouse Beach Wreath – A few packs of clothespins and you have a stunning tri-color wreath that’ll have everyone talking about your farmhouse style.
Cute Mushrooms for the Patio or Garden – Everyone will love making this with clay pots. Seriously, those dots are precious.
Adorable Beach Gnome Made from an Ice Cream Sign – Oh yes, the Dollar Tree for the win again. This cute fella is done in about 10 minutes.

Please Save or Share This Craft

Your shares are how this site grows and I am sincerely grateful. Please save this to a summer DIY crafts board on Pinterest or share it to a crafty group on Facebook. I do very much appreciate it.

Stacked vertical collage of DIY summer farmhouse bookstack with text which watermelon book stack with cute charm. — This watermelon book stack will add a pop of color to your decor.

Sarah Nenni-Daher creator of Ruffles and Rain Boots in black shirt against greenery background.

Meet the Creator

Hi there, I’m Sarah Nenni-Daher. I’m a crafty gal and always have at least 14 projects going at once. I am a crafter, designer, DIYer, and pattern maker. I share my creations here and in the Ruffles and Rain Boots® Shop.

Here at Ruffles and Rain Boots®, you’ll find DIY gnomes, crafts, gifts, cupcakes, laser crafts, and so much more. I love sharing video tutorials over on YouTube and chatting with other crafters in my Facebook groups. We’d love to have you!

Summer Book Stack Watermelon Themed DIY