Altered Book

I am going to step away from jewelry for this post and share another item I created. Let me start off by saying I really admire many of the altered books and other scrap art being created these days by some very talented and gifted artists. I have some awesome creative friends that do amazing work and I enjoy seeing what they come up with on a continual basis. I decided to do my own version of an altered book. As is the norm, I started out with an old book. I used an X-acto blade to cut out the center of the inside pages. Next I glued the pages together. I 'upholstered' the book using some leftover fabric and batting I had on hand from a previous project. I had cross-stitched the rose that I used on the cover, gluing it down and framing it with scraps of gimp and fancy trim I also had in my stash. On the inside back cover (center area) is more of the fabric used to cover the outside of the book. The glued pages were then glued to the back cover. I covered the inside front cover and the 'frame' section around the opening of the glued pages with some paper I made in a paper making class. As you can see, the edges of the pages were left natural, showing the wear and tear of an old book. Ribbon is sandwiched in the front and back covers to tie the book closed. I have begun using this book as a prop when photographing my jewelry. I find it compliments my jewelry style nicely, partly because it also incorporates recycled, repurposed and found elements. This book box was fun to create and could be done in a number of styles. I hope it inspires you to create your own version.