Projects
Here's just a small sampling of the various book projects we’ve tried.
Book Flowers
From very, very simple book flowers to some that LOOK difficult but aren’t, to wedding bouquets, book flowers make for eye-catching fashion accessories, and are conversation starters wherever I go.
Altered Books/ Shaped Books
Altered books turn old books into art journals, and inspire creativity and self- expression. Unfortunately, since most of us have been taught from a very young age to never EVER write in, cut up, or in any way, deface a book, our future as altered book artists is stunted. Fortunately, we’ve found that cutting old books into shapes, rendering them unuseable as books derails that inhibition in most cases. I use a bandsaw to cut books into shapes that inspire creativity, and when I bring an assortment with me to sell, the cat and teapot shapes are always my best sellers.
Book Safes
Popular with spies and lovers around the world, the book safe is made by hollowing out a cubbyhole in a book, whether by tedious hand work with an Exacto knife, or with some sort of power tool (I use a band saw). It’s an easy project, and you can customize the hole’s shape according to the occasion. Hearts are unbeatable for Valentines Day, but a coffin shape for Dia de los Muertos, and a star for Christmas or Fourth of July work, too. The pages from the hole removed from the middle of a book can then be further used for decoupaging onto furniture, for making jewelry, and for producing paper book flowers.