Literary Stalagmites
Intro: Literary Stalagmites
Literary Stalagmites? What are those, and why do I want them in my house?
The idea is to create some unique wall art on the cheap. In essence, this instructable is a fancy way to nail pop-up books to your walls and ceiling. It's fairly self-explanatory, but there are some good tips that will save you time and money. Let's get to it!
The idea is to create some unique wall art on the cheap. In essence, this instructable is a fancy way to nail pop-up books to your walls and ceiling. It's fairly self-explanatory, but there are some good tips that will save you time and money. Let's get to it!
STEP 1: Materials
Most of the required tools you'll already have around the house. New pop-up books are always pricey due to manufacturing costs, but, if you're willing to buy them used, you can get a bunch pretty cheaply. I bought all mine used for only a few dollars on Amazon.
Required:
1. Assorted Pop-Up Books
2. Hammer & Nails
3. string, duct tape, or anything that can hold the pages together
4. scissors
Optional:
1. Eyelet Pliers (The link is merely an example; I don't particularly recommend this brand or model. Actually, I recommend you don't buy this one because it broke on me halfway through the project.)
Required:
1. Assorted Pop-Up Books
2. Hammer & Nails
3. string, duct tape, or anything that can hold the pages together
4. scissors
Optional:
1. Eyelet Pliers (The link is merely an example; I don't particularly recommend this brand or model. Actually, I recommend you don't buy this one because it broke on me halfway through the project.)
STEP 2: Prep Work
A little forethought goes a long way:
1. Decide which pop-ups you will use and where you will place them. In general, pop-ups near the center of the book work best flat against the wall, whereas pop-ups in the front or back of a book look best in corners (see pics below 1-2). This is especially important if you're just going to nail them straight to the wall, since removing and repositioning multiple times will damage the book.
2. If you're using the eyelets, first make holes in the book covers using a sturdy hole punch or by just nailing through it and pulling the nail out (pic 3). The eyelets have flayed edges that splay out and lock tight around the book when pressed with the eyelet pliers (pic 4). Unlike a good screwdriver, the eyelet pliers aren't magnetized and the eyelets love to fall out. You can save yourself some time by placing the eyelet in the book first, instead of in the pliers (pic 5).
3. The cover is what gets nailed to the wall, the pages need to be held back. I used string, but, whatever you're using, it's a lot easier to fasten them in place before the book is flat against the wall or stuck in a corner (pic 6).
1. Decide which pop-ups you will use and where you will place them. In general, pop-ups near the center of the book work best flat against the wall, whereas pop-ups in the front or back of a book look best in corners (see pics below 1-2). This is especially important if you're just going to nail them straight to the wall, since removing and repositioning multiple times will damage the book.
2. If you're using the eyelets, first make holes in the book covers using a sturdy hole punch or by just nailing through it and pulling the nail out (pic 3). The eyelets have flayed edges that splay out and lock tight around the book when pressed with the eyelet pliers (pic 4). Unlike a good screwdriver, the eyelet pliers aren't magnetized and the eyelets love to fall out. You can save yourself some time by placing the eyelet in the book first, instead of in the pliers (pic 5).
3. The cover is what gets nailed to the wall, the pages need to be held back. I used string, but, whatever you're using, it's a lot easier to fasten them in place before the book is flat against the wall or stuck in a corner (pic 6).
STEP 3: You're Done!
All that's left to do is to nail them prominently on your wall and (ideally) get cute people to sit under them. Now you're finished!
Now you can invite friends over to sleep on the couch and watch them freak out when they wake up with a giant 3-D T-Rex in their face.
Optional $$$ saving tip:
A few friends have suggested cutting our the pages and hanging them individually, giving you much more pop-up for your buck. This is kind of nice because most books have a lot of great pop-ups and it's hard to choose just one. You also wouldn't have to hassle with tying back pages. Some bibliophiles might object to destroying a book (worse things have been done for the sake of art). For me, a large part of the aesthetic is in actually have a whole book on the wall, not just the pop-up, so cutting out the pages would defeat some of the purpose. Nevertheless, it's something to consider.
Now you can invite friends over to sleep on the couch and watch them freak out when they wake up with a giant 3-D T-Rex in their face.
Optional $$$ saving tip:
A few friends have suggested cutting our the pages and hanging them individually, giving you much more pop-up for your buck. This is kind of nice because most books have a lot of great pop-ups and it's hard to choose just one. You also wouldn't have to hassle with tying back pages. Some bibliophiles might object to destroying a book (worse things have been done for the sake of art). For me, a large part of the aesthetic is in actually have a whole book on the wall, not just the pop-up, so cutting out the pages would defeat some of the purpose. Nevertheless, it's something to consider.