Creative.....Got It Covered

     My project for Altered Eclectics is another folded book but this time the emphasis is on the altered cover, something I was shown by Lindsay Mason at Stitches, I'm still trying to get it to look as good as hers did!
     I have fallen victim to the book folding bug, I love making small gifts for friends and family that are unique to them and this is a great way of doing it. Don't worry, all the books used are very much pre-loved and come from boot sales and charity shops, this way they get to live on a bit longer.

     This book was a paperback, which is not the best for a book fold, a hardback helps support the weight without collapse. The book is only six inches tall, smaller books are easier to find a home for, they just tuck in a small space on the shelf for a little point of interest.
     I cut greyboard covers for the front, back and spine slightly smaller than the paper cover. Each piece of board has been covered with crumpled book pages stuck down with Ecogreen Matt Medium, the pages are wrapped over the edges too. I have used a wallpaper roller to squash it all down and make sure it is all stuck firmly.

     On the front cover I have stuck a variety of bits and bobs from jewellery findings (kindly supplied by Aldridge Crafts) to hot glue moulded shapes. The large blueish piece is a hot glue blob shaped by pushing a floral stamp into it and the heart on top is made from a Woodware mould, both made on the craft mat and allowed to cool completely before adding to the cover.
    Some of these items are tricky to stick down so I have used Glossy Accents as it's really very strong.

     I have painted the findings with Cosmic Shimmer Gesso, it would have been better to use black but I've only got white (at the moment!).
     It has two coats of Gesso to make sure everything is covered, I didn't paint the blank pages as the black acrylic paint will cover that just fine.
     The spine has three tiny lengths of sting stuck on to make it look a little more like a real book cover.
     The covers have two coats of black acrylic paint, making sure to cover the edges as well as getting into any of the little creases in the crumpled paper and into all the add ons.

     The inside has had the few extra pages removed and black card stuck over the paper cover, I prefer to do this as it makes the word stand out more. The outside also has a black card cover stuck over it.
     I have used a Crop-A-Dile to punch a hole in each cover just below the word, there is an eyelet in each hole and black ribbon run through it and around the back of the book to hold it in position. When there are lots of folded pages the books can become too fat to stand up properly and need to be held together.
     This 'fixing' has been done before the addition of the board covers so that it all gets covered up neatly, it will also give a little more security to the ribbon.
   

     The board covers have been decorated with Cosmic Shimmer Gilding Waxes Golden Light and Decadent Denim dabbed on at random. After a few minutes they have been buffed with a tissue to bring out the shine of the wax. I have added a couple of blue gems to the front cover, again stuck on with Glossy Accents.
     Once the boards were finished I stuck them on to the black card covers with Stix2 Ultra Clear 19mm Redline Tape, this tape is amazingly strong so I have no worries about them popping off in a few days time. With the covers on you can only just see the ribbon on the outside, nice and tidy.
     This has been fun to make and I will keep playing around with this technique on books and boxes.
     Why not come and join us at Altered Eclectics with your creations, anything BUT cards and ATC's, we would love to see what you've made.

I would like to enter my book in the following challenges:

Artful Times - A Bit Of Finnabair

Not Just Cards - Anything Goes
Crafting From The Heart - Anything Goes
Through The Craft Room Door - Anything Goes