One of my favorite things to do with an old book...
is give it new life as a piece of art.
I was first introduced to the idea of cutting into books by watching a YouTube of
I had to give it a go, it looked like so much fun.
The first book I did, I actually cut out the inside shadow box area
by hand with a utility knife...argh!
It was not easy, though I enjoyed it none the less.
I did get a Dremel MultiMax for Christmas last year...
it cuts right down through all the pages very nicely and quickly.
Along the way I learned a thing or two about paper,
specifically papers that are used to make books.
A little paper history...
It wasn't until a little more than a hundred years ago that paper began to be made from trees, and then it was because quantity, not quality, required alternative fiber sources. Until then paper was made from recycled linen and cotton rags. When the paper industry was established in the United States, it was a recycling industry. Rags were so valued for paper making that one mill in Massachusetts used as its paper's watermark the words, "Save Rags."
Paper made from cotton called "rag paper" and was known to last many years without deterioration. Cotton paper is superior in both strength and durability to wood pulp paper, which may contain high concentrations of acids...not good for art.
Seems rag paper would be great to bring back, to this planet of landfills overflowing with rags and cast off yesterdays trendy fashions...while deforestation is ruining our environment and its animal inhabitants are loosing their homes and food sources...seriously!
I now save my cotton paper cutouts to use with all my art mediums.
Once I get my little cubby cut out, I dye the inside, line it with a little box or line it with decorative papers. Then I add a few screws under the front cover to hold the book together, glue the front cover to the book and keep it closed up.
Then its ready to add treasures to the inside and outside to tell a little story.
Once it's all filled up, and the story is told, I add a small decroative frame to the cover
to finish it off and keep it behind glass.
This was one of my favorites...they're all really favorites, right?
Speaks of a woman being in her own power.
It now sits on a shelf in the home of a woman it really did speak to...
my first book sold.
Of course the book titles inspire me too and start me thinking of what
it wants to say. This one is a Junior English book...
what better than to have a schoolmarm peeking out through little scissors
behind a frame with glass.
Available in my Etsy shop.
I finish most of them off with a backing they can hang from...
my books can sit on a shelf as well.
Queen Bee
Available in my Etsy shop.
Available in my Etsy shop.
This book was so fun to work on and had
lots of cotton paper scrapes for me to use later.
I have a stack of books on my work bench I've been keeping aside
for when the urge strikes to do a few more books.
Well, the urge has struck... and my Dremel tool is ready to
power up and start cutting!
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