Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Scraps to books

This is a use what you have kind of craft - mainly cereal boxes, construction paper and glue. I happened to have some post-screws on hand (doesn't everyone?), so we used those to bind the book, but string or ribbon would also work to tie through the holes. Below the pics is a rather dry tutorial so don't bother to read on unless you like to try this. The boys were basically in charge of putting the pictures on the pages as I was assembling and they were also the glue dispensers (any chance they get).

  1. Pick the size you want, I started out cutting the construction paper in half, I used that for the main size of the book. Then hole punched one side of each page for the screws. If you are using thread or ribbon to bind the book I would suggest more holes.
  2. The covers will over-lap the pages slightly. Measure them onto the cereal box, this will provide extra stiffness. The front cover will consist of two pieces to allow the cover to bend. Cut out and glue to a large piece of construction paper, leaving at least an inch border on all sides. For the front cover, leave a small bit of space (see above picture) between the two pieces of cardboard, a binding piece (1 1/2-2 inches wide) and the main piece. The back cover will be all one piece for extra sturdiness.
  3. Clip corners of the construction paper edge. Fold and glue each side up and over onto the cardboard. Next glue a half-piece of construction paper on top (with holes measured and pre-punched) to hide the cereal box completely.
  4. Leave to dry a few hours under some heavy books to avoid warping and bubbling.
  5. Assemble, front cover, pages, and back cover all holes on the left side, twist post screws together and decorate your book.

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