This blog post was featured on Mod Podge Rocks blog and I'm re-posting it here for all of you. Also, in more Mod Podge news, I recently had the joy of having one of my projects published in the book Mod Podge Rocks!: Decoupage Your World
...it's a great book with so many great ideas in it!
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Hi everyone, today I'm going to share with you a quick project that will really spiff up your home....it's also perfect for you art journalers who like to work in books!
I love to use book around my home as part of the decor. It's a great way to add visual interest and sometimes give a favorite item a boost in it's height. My only problem is that books covers don't aways "go" with my decor...so here's a great way to change it.
Just grab some books, Mod Podge (I used a matte finish), fabric
, scissors, brayer, and an old hotel room key (or even a piece of cardboard will do), and some paper towels to clean up any excess.
For projects like this I like to put some Mod Podge into a squeezable container so that it's easier to control and I'm less likely to dump out too much. You can see that I'm not really a "clean" crafter & I already made a mess just transferring it...but I'm sure you'll be much neater about it. ;)
Start off by squirting out some Mod Podge all over one side of your book.
Next use the hotel key to spread it all over. Make sure that you cover it completely, especially the grove near the spine.
Then apply the fabric, smoothing it out with your hands and the brayer. If you happen to see that it's not sticking well somewhere you can add a bit more Mod Podge under the fabric and smooth it down again.
When you're done with one side, flip it over and do the spine and the other side.
Next, open the book up. Cut small slits near the spine and trim down the spine piece.
Then you're ready to adhere the "flaps" down to the inside covers. Since I am using these as decor I'm not too worried about what it's going to look like on the inside, so I just glued them down with Mod Podge. If that's going to bother you then you can always cover up the inside cover with another piece of fabric after you glue down the flaps.
For the corners, I just folded them like I was gift wrapping a box and made sure that they had plenty of Mod Podge in the layers of the fabric.
After the edges are adhered, apply some Mod Podge to the spine piece and tuck it down in the spine....you may have to use tweezers or some sort of tool to get it down there if it's tight.
And that's it!! They are really quick to make and they don't take too much time to dry either.
Go grab those books you have just laying around and get them covered!!
Erin Bassett writes the blog creativitE and considers it a blessing to be able to call her passion "work". She has been published in many books and magazines including Mod Podge Rocks!: Decoupage Your World. Erin is a craft addict who loves to do something creative every day. Her current loves are mixed media art, scrapbooking, papercrafts, sewing, and screen printing.
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