After reading a bit about Altered Books, I decided to attempt one myself. I decided to go for a forest theme. It's very easy to make and it doesn't take too long. The folding and the cutting do get a little bit tedious but if you have cups of tea and good music, it's not too bad!
Instructions
1. Pick an old hardcover book that you have no interest in. Charity shops and Second-hand Bookshops are a great place to find cheap, hardcover books.
2. Choose some nice paper to stick on the inside cover. Cut it to the correct size, making sure it's not crooked. A guillotine is the best thing for this.
3. Fold all of the pages of the book in half.
4. Cut out indentations for your creatures to live in. I cut a semi circle out of a few pages to create the grooves that I would then stick animals in. I used a nail scissors to do this. It takes a little bit of time to make sure that all the semi circles are the same.
5. Cut out pictures of animals from an old book. I had an old nature book that I used for my animal images. You could also print pictures of the internet or use another source. Then stick the animals in the grooves you have already cut.
6. Draw and cut some green leaves from paper and stick them in between your pages.
Ways to display it:
1. Put a little hook on the back of it and hang it on the wall.
2. Prop it up on a shelf against the wall.
If you do try one, send me a link to the photo. I would love to see it!
Thanks to Conor Barry for the photos. They are quite lovely. Conor is an awesome writer for the "University Observer" and you can see his writing
here. It will make you chortle
Happy Crafting.
B x
