Current mood:	pleased
Current music:	Bauhaus-hollow hills.

Great hand- made gift.
Though it may not be from the era, it is still equally useful.

I found in Gothic Magazine an article that describes how to make a book box.

I have carefully paraphrased the instructions below.

Enjoy.






Materials Needed:
Book
Glue Stick
Hot glue and glue gun
Straight edge
Craft knife(Exacto)
Fabric
Decorative notions





+First Select a hardcover book.

+next, the pages must be glued together to form a sturdy base. A glue stick is the easiest way to do this. Other glues such as "school glue" is too wet and may wrinkle the paper and rubber cement does not hold strongely enough.
Start by securing the back pages to the cover. Create a base of about 1/4 to 1/2 inch by applying glue to entire page and sticking them together.

+For the rest of the book, apply glue to the edges only, and stick together. You would want to leave the center of each page unglued. Afterall, the center parts will be cut out. Very often, the gluing is done until the first page or chaper since it is usually exciting and will be a pleaser for the recipient.

+Close the book and place under a heavy objects or in clamps (if owned) until the glue is dry (usually 24 to 48 hrs.). Be sure to distribute the weight evenly along entire surface of the book. Even with a glue stick there can be some warping to the pages.

If clamps are used, excess glue may leak out of the edges, be sure to wipe it to give a clean appearance.

+After the glue has dried, you will need to cut out the center. Using a straight edge to ensure clean lines, use the craft knife to cut out the center pages. Do this about a 1/4 inch down at a time, remove the pages, and continure. Hold book tightly to avoid slicing through unintented areas.

DO NOT CUT THROUGH THE BASE CREATED AT THE BACK. If you accidentally cut through the edge of a few pages, just make sure it is securely glued down. Once the box is finished, any wayward slices will be hidden.

do your best to cut away from yourself to avoid bloodshed

+One entire center has been cut out,clean edges and reinforce the inside corners with got glue. As the book open and closes,the pages will move along with the binding. The hot glue is flexible enough to let the pages move without the reinforcement cracking.

+ Finally, chose a fabric for the inside. You may like to choose something to complement the book's cover, or favorite colors.
Thick, lush fabrics such as velvet are best for the inside. Satin looks very nice, but will reveal all imperfections unless expertly applied-same for fabbrics like plaid, and checks unless cuts were made perfectly straight.

Smoothly apply fabric by securing it to each of the inside edges with hot glue. Folding the excess in corners, like folding oragami, will give a smooth appearance, but cutting the corners may be easier. Finish the upper edges with bias tape, extra fabric, beads, or a number of creative ways. The only goals in this process are to conceal the fabric edges and give the inside a polished look.


-Though is may look long, it's quite simple. I hope some of you try it.