Halloween Altered Books

As promised, here is my versions of altered books!

You will need the following ingredients:
An old book- Any size will do but I kept mine on the small to medium size
Matte finish decoupage medium
Green paper napkins
Cover embellishments (for the Poisonous Plants I used leaves)
Heavy Cardboard
Printed Label for Title
Punch
Paints
Hot Glue Gun
Brushes, low tack tape

Brush the front page with decoupage medium and glue to the cover.  Do the same for the back page.  Close the book and cover the pages with decoupage medium (you can add a bit of colored paint or ink to add some aging to the pages).  Tape the book down with low tack tape and wait until it is dried completely.  (On the second book, I put pieces of silk leaves between the pages before I sealed it.)

 

While the book is drying, cut out a bookplate out of heavy cardboard for the title.  Use a ticket punch to cut out the corners. Add accents with hot glue (like nails or a border).  Paint the book plate.   At this time, print out your title.  You can use a side title and a front, or just a front. Most cardstocks will go through your printer but check first.  I used a natural colored paper but you could also "tea stain" your paper with a wet tea bag brushed on white card stock and left to dry.  Insert in your printer and print your title.

Add your embellishments with the hot glue gun.  I added lines on the spine on the first book but the second left    them off.  Hot glue the book plate on.

Next comes the messy part.  Tear up the napkin (or tissue paper) into medium pieces and decoupage all over the book, covering everything except the bookplate.  Use a small paintbrush to get into the little crevices and pay attention to the edges.  Don't spare the decoupage medium.  Allow to dry.  Attach title.  As an added element, you can "antique" the book by mixing a few drops of dark brown paint with water, brushing it over the book and wiping most of it off.  The paint will go into the crevices and accent the wrinkles.

Here are the examples I have done so far.  I am working on a Disney themed one but haven't quite figured it out.  Of course, this will be the first place that gets notified when I do!

There are so many different designs that you can do!  Have fun...