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Do you ever wish you had something crafty to do with your old, unwanted bokos? The new trend is to turn them into crafty works of art! Encyclopedias and even mystery novels can all be easily transformed into ‘altered books’. Small treasures and collectibles can be displayed in altered books. If this idea tickles your crafty side, follow this method for creating your own altered book.

You’ll need the following materials:
- An old hardcover book
- Sheet of sandpaper
- Paper towels
- Craft glue
- Manila folder
- Sharp knife
- Craft primer (like Gesso)
- Craft paint and paintbrushes
- Your choice of decorations – ribbon, transfers, stamps, beads, etc.
?br>Rub down the volume. You will need to prepare your book before you can start to decorate your altered book. Begin by sanding the edges of all of the book’s pages. It might be a good idea to also sand the book cover in case it seems too slick for the paint to adhere to. Afterwards, make sure to blow the dust off.
?br>Prime the cover. A primer should be used on the book to ready it for painting. Have you ever used the craft paint primer by Gesso? -it’s awesome. The primer will be used to paint the spine of the book and also the front and back covers. After it dries, paint over the very center pages after opening the book. To prevent paint seepage down the altered book sides, painter’s masking tape should be used over the edges.
?br>The next step in the process is to cut the folder. Begin creating the atmosphere of your book when the paint has dried. This is the part where you will use your manila folder. It will need to be able to fit into your altered book so measure your cut to the exact size of the center pages. Next, remove it.Then, using a ruler, make a square on the folder as your guideline for where you will cut out the windows (cavities).
?br>Copy the window guidelines over to your book. Now you want your windows to be transferred to your altered book, so use your sharp knife to cut out the windows. You will have to slice right into the book’s pages down to the desired depth. Every window can vary in depth. Figure out the content to be put in each window, and then its associated depth.
?br>The windows could use a good painting, but make sure that you use the primer first. After you cut out the windows from the book, you should apply paint to them (if you wish, prime first). Make sure to only paint the areas inside the windows. Now leave, allowing the book to dry with the pages fanned out and not touching so that they won’t dry together.
?br>Use an adhesive to tack the pages together. After letting the paint dry, you need to decide which pages of your book you want to bind together. You must wait until the glue dries once you glue them and clip them together. Extra or dripping glue should be wiped away with a paper towel.
?br>Adorn your newly modified book. You can decorate your book once the windows are done. Begin with a primary coat of pain on the cover and middle pages. You will have an individual creation by adding your own decorations.

Tiffany Provost writes about craft piece and other hobbies for HowToDoThings.com.