Introduction: Halloween Spellbook Made From a Recycled Book

By Unique Creations By Anita
About: I enjoy repurposing and restoring old furniture and making woodwork projects that are not seen every day. I make most of my projects using wood that is either, recycled,reclaimed and love to repurpose and rest…

Thanks in part to Harry Potter and now Halloween spellbooks have become very popular. Who would not love this creepy spellbook as part of their Halloween decorations? I gave this book a mixed media makeover, but there are many ways to decorate your book. I will show you how to make this spellbook book and how I decorated this one in a creepy Halloween theme.

Supplies

  • Old book
  • Mod podge
  • Black Gesso
  • Gold Wax paste
  • Polymer clay
  • Glass bead
  • Halloween silicone moulds
  • Hot glue gun

Step 1: Find a Suitable Book

For this project, any book will do because we are only using the pages. The way I made this book does not allow the book to close. So you don't need to decorate the covers. If you are going to have to book standing up at an angle, it would look better to paint the back covers black. To glue the pages into shape you will need some mod podge and some bobby pins.

Step 2: Divide the Pages

Divide the book into sections and add a bobby pin to keep the pages together. Books are bound in sections so this will help you dived the book equally. Leave a couple of pages loose on the top of each side to add some detail.

Step 3: Glue the Pages

Add a layer of mod podge to the ends of the book. Move each layer into the centre of the book slightly, so the ends are staggered. Mine would not stay in place, so I used some saran wrap to hold them in place while the mod podge dried a little. Once the pages start to hold on their own, you can remove the plastic so the mod podge can dry properly. Next, add some mod podge to the sides of the book to hold them in place.

Step 4: Roll the Corners

The pages that you left loose in the beginning can now be curled. You can do this in any way that suits. I added some mod podge to the corners and rolled them around a straw, then remove the straw.

Step 5: Paint the Pages

This will leave you with curled up corners. When the mod podge is completely dry, you can paint the book black with whatever paint you have at home. I like gesso because it has good coverage.

Step 6: Making the Eye Ball

I used a glass bead as the eyeball and used some nail polish to add some detail. While this looks great now once I baked the clay to set it, the colours faded. Sharpies did not show up well either.

Step 7: Making the Eye

To make the creepy eye, I used polymer clay. The clay was rolled into snakes and shaped around a glass bead to form the eye. The circles in the clay were made using a pen with the tip clicked inside. I cut small pieces of wire and pushed it down into the clay to make the eye look more creepy. To make the eyeball yellow, you can add a layer of mod podge then add yellow ink. I also added some red paint to the eye for effect.

Step 8: Making the Snake

My snake left a lot to be desired, it was naff but close enough. I just roll the clay into a snake lol and flattened its head. To give the appearance of scales, you can add some detail to the snake using a craft knife.

Step 9: Adding the Spells

Because I wanted this to be a quick project, I bought the printable's from Etsy for a few dollars. Which I printed off and glued into my spellbook. Yes, I cheated!

Step 10: Making the Elements

The other elements were made using silicone moulds and a hot glue gun. I would normally use resin, but hot glue dries in minutes so it was no competition.

Step 11: Adding the Gold Wax Paste

To make the pages look old and creepy, I used some gold wax paste. You dip your finger in the paste and rub it over the surface of the book and the embellishments. You can glue the embellishments onto the pages using hot glue or tacky glue.

Step 12: Finished Project

I added some of last years decorations to go with the book, for added effect.

Step 13: More Halloween Projects

Recycled wine bottles decorated in a Halloween theme.

Step 14: Creepy Halloween Mirror

This creepy Halloween mirror can be added to any mirror as a temporary fixture for Halloween night. It can easily be removed and is very quick and easy to make.

For more Unique DIY ideas please pop across to my website and check them out. Unique Creations By Anita

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