# How I made my Witch library books.



## smoke_dog (Nov 1, 2010)

They look great. I will have to show my sister this.

If you want to ripple the pages try soaking them and letting them dry out. I know it does it to my news paper when it rains


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## rockplayson (Jun 7, 2008)

Thanks for this. I'm doing a witches theme this year and these will be perfect,  Your book's look amazing.


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## beautifulnightmare (Oct 31, 2010)

Fabulous!!!


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## azazel (Jul 18, 2011)

to get a real good ripple effect spray the pages with Windex for a cool ripple when it dries 

i had to do this at my old job when we got in stacks of new ones so they would not stick together


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## Madame Turlock (Nov 2, 2007)

great work!


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## witchy poo (Jul 24, 2012)

azazel, thanks for the tip I will give it a try.


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## lmz319 (Jul 6, 2012)

These are great! Thanks for sharing!


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## azazel (Jul 18, 2011)

yea me i finally got to give some one advice on something i knew about an was helpful


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## SimplyJenn (Jul 29, 2010)

Inspired. Thanks


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## crazy xmas (Dec 30, 2008)

Totally cool idea thanks for sharing!


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## WickedBB70 (Aug 23, 2007)

Very neat idea! It allows you to choose whatever title you want to give to your book.... Very useful to make some book in French (since there are none in the stores!!).

Thanks for sharing!


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## SonofAllHallows (Aug 8, 2012)

Wow, that's pretty amazing, useful and inspiring if I do say so myself!
I might actually do some of these for this upcoming halloween!


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## purpleferrets3 (Jun 20, 2008)

These are great! Awesome job!


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## SweetnScary (Apr 4, 2011)

You just saved me a load of time with this tutorial! I've been trying to figure out how to make a Witchy Library for my theme this year.... THANK YOU!!


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## JustJ (Oct 4, 2010)

Love them!


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## Mystery Library (Aug 1, 2012)

Great!!! The images & tutorial were very appreciated!


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## MissMandy (Apr 18, 2011)

These are great! Definitely one of the more easier ways of making them that I've seen


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## spook kitty (Aug 9, 2012)

wow amazing and so simple. You have inspired me to do one now, thank you


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## The7Martins (Aug 22, 2012)

This is awesome!!!


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## Coffin Joe (Aug 19, 2012)

Wow, those look fantastic, well done !


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## JustWhisper (Nov 16, 2008)

I had to revamp my book collection this year and this was the inspiration I needed. On your advice, i headed to a local thrift store a couple weeks ago and loaded up with nice leather belts with decorative buckles. The cool thing I never thought about is that just the buckles alone would cost you about $5-$8 even in a place like Walmart. I got them for 50c to $1.50, and now have the belt to boot. I wish I could find some letters like those, especially on sale. 

All your books look terrific and I am really impressed. Thank you for sharing this with us. I hope I can do your tutorial justice with my books.


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## sneakykid (Sep 19, 2010)

That is quite inspiring! Reusing old books is genius. And I enjoy reading everyone's suggestions for how to age the paper.


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## lisa48317 (Jul 23, 2010)

Really like these! I feel a trip to the Salvation Army is coming soon!


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## witchy poo (Jul 24, 2012)

JustWhisper, I am looking forward to seeing pics of ur books. I also have been buying old gaudy jewelry and taking it apart. I even used the chains. On this book I used a skull necklace and glued on the skull and used the chain to wrap the book. I am really getting into using rubber stamps on the books for an added touch.


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## spook kitty (Aug 9, 2012)

Ive been inspired by your books and tried my hand at mine. 
This is the Tobin;s Spirit Guide aka ghostbusters handbook of spookies


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## Ghost of Spookie (Sep 28, 2008)

Witchie Poo, I'm one of those who asked for your tutorial and love the look of your poison book. Thanks for the photos and technique. You did a nice job with the book cover edging. Looks old and banged up and maybe rat nibbled. I'll have to take a look at the raised lettering next time I'm in a craft store. That's not something I would have thought to use and I like the look with how you colored it. BTW you did color the backside or underside (flat) of the lettering right?


Nice job @@Spookie Kitty.


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## Saki.Girl (Aug 22, 2012)

these are so good 
way to go i think i am going to give my self a try to make a few


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## Gerardina (Sep 17, 2009)

Great tutorial. Thanks!


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## aero4ever (Oct 19, 2009)

Love those! I'll be looking a jewelry a lot differently that's for sure.


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## Deadna (Oct 19, 2002)

I spotted an open book at a yard sale that I want to copy. It was somehow stiffened with the corners of the pages curled up a little. Does anyone know how this was done? They wanted too much for it plus it was opened to some religious pages and I couldn't figure out how to change them to the darkside or I would have bought it 
In other news I finally found a leather belt covered in metal medallions and can get started on one of these neat projects!


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## CreepyCreations (Oct 16, 2011)

These books look wonderful. Although I don't usually do a witch-oriented theme, I am desperately trying to figure out how to incorporate something like this into a pirate theme now!


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## Deadna (Oct 19, 2002)

CreepyCreations said:


> These books look wonderful. Although I don't usually do a witch-oriented theme, I am desperately trying to figure out how to incorporate something like this into a pirate theme now!


No reason why it couldn't be a captains journal or a ships log book!


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## moonwitchkitty (Jul 22, 2012)

Too cool thanks


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## pumpkinpie (Jul 9, 2011)

Love this effect, the warn edges are perfect. Thank you so much for sharing


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## pumpkinpie (Jul 9, 2011)

Deadna said:


> I spotted an open book at a yard sale that I want to copy. It was somehow stiffened with the corners of the pages curled up a little. Does anyone know how this was done? They wanted too much for it plus it was opened to some religious pages and I couldn't figure out how to change them to the darkside or I would have bought it
> In other news I finally found a leather belt covered in metal medallions and can get started on one of these neat projects!


Try this... http://www.diynetwork.com/how-to/how-to-make-decorative-open-book-plaques/index.html

And for changing the page http://christybuonomophoto.blogspot.com/2010/10/witchs-spell-book.html?m=1


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## notjustaphaze (Sep 18, 2010)

Love them!! Thanks for sharing..adding to my list for this year..


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## ToxicTeaLady (Feb 14, 2013)

Those look really awesome! I'm totally gonna try this. Thank you for posting the tutorial!


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## Lady Arsenic (Sep 5, 2011)

These look great, I'm going to try making one too, thanks for the inspiration!


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## LittleBoo (Jun 15, 2013)

I will never have enough time to make all the books I can now imagine... this is such a perfect way to start. THANKS a bazillion.


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## QueenHalloween (Oct 9, 2013)

These look great, good work!


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## witchy poo (Jul 24, 2012)

Thanks for all the complements. During the rest of the year the books are on a shelf in my sons Harry Potter room.


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## RCIAG (Jul 19, 2010)

This is perfect timing for this thread to show up for me because I just went to the used bookstore yesterday & bought some $1 books. They have all sorts of books but they have this one room full of nothing but $1 books, mostly paperbacks so I had to sift through a lotta stuff. They call it $1 Book Room, I call it the "Just Because You CAN Write Doesn't Mean You Should" Room. I don't even recall the titles I bought because I was just looking for anything in hardback to mess up.

Then I went to the dollar store to see what they had out for Halloween (not much but spiders, bugs & rats on an endcap) & found out they have $1 books too & bought a copy of Joe Hills "Horns" to read since the movie w/Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter) in the lead role is coming out on Halloween. All of their other books were paperbacks so I didn't buy any other books there.

**BOOKMARKS THREAD!!**


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## witchy poo (Jul 24, 2012)

RCIAG I look forward to seeing what you do with your books. I bought several old encyclopedias at a garage sale for $1 for all of them. They are big and will make great open spell books.


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## printersdevil (Sep 7, 2009)

We are doing spell books as one of the projects at this month's MNT for Texas/Oklahoma group. I can't wait. 

I need to pick up some different sized books in the next week or so. I have been buying up belts, jewelry and other items. I am also going to used a gel witch head and hands that I got at Dollar Tree last year. I put it on my mirror in one of the baths and it has been there since last Halloween. I think it will be cool on a book. So, I am taking it down to use, too.

Thanks for all the great ideas.


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## mariem (Oct 7, 2012)

Thanks for sharing. I get a kick out of the vampire killing book. I may "borrow" that if you don't mind. I love your books. I am going to try to do some for this year. I made a couple last year but don't really know what I was doing.

Marie


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## witchy poo (Jul 24, 2012)

Printersdevel, that sounds like so much fun make sure and post your book. 

mariem, thanks and I would be happy if you use any ideas from my books.


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## B Scary (Sep 8, 2007)

Fabulous! I think I just found my next project!


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## RCIAG (Jul 19, 2010)

I started mine a couple of days ago.

First I wet the pages of the book & let it dry outside in the sun for a few hours, then I painted the outside & inside cover pages with a Krylon Red Brick spray paint & primer we had. The cover was shiny & I was afraid the craft paint wouldn't cover it. I was just too lazy to go downstairs & find my Killz which will cover ANYTHING so the primer paint it was!! 

The most fun was taking a cheese grater to it! It feels sooo wrong to mess up a book but it was fun! I was afraid to get too near a knife of any kind to do this, I had a bad knife experience just around this time last year trying to stupidly cut a watermelon & got lucky I only cut myself so I'm kinda weird about knives now. I thought the grater would have the same effect & it did. 

I'll take some pics later when I get home. The only downside to the grater was it did take off some paint but that's easily fixed.


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## Ghost Ninja (Aug 25, 2013)

Way cool!!!


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## witchy poo (Jul 24, 2012)

RCAIG, I never would have thought of a cheese grater. That would be much safer.


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## RCIAG (Jul 19, 2010)

It was a handheld one, not the standup boxy one you'd sit on a counter & use. 

I have also learned that one should sorta carefully pick the books you're going to alter.. This is a new book which means it's pretty much a thinner, cheap, cardboard cover that's covered by shiny paper. Older books have heavier, thicker covers & will probably shred better. Of course I realized I bought a think paperback one so I'm not sure what I'll do with that one.

This one practically disintegrated to nothing with the grater. I had to be careful not to completely take the cover off!

I swear it's kinda hard for me to do this because 1)I'm a big reader & always have been, 2)I still remember our elementary school librarian Mrs. Longmuir telling us how to treat the books, chastising us for bending the spines on the books, don't fold over the pages, don't write in them, etc.that's not how you treat a book & 3)to this day I can't bend a paperback book in half to read it. It makes me crazy. Not that I don't own some like that but I didn't do that to it.

That said, some of the books I bought didn't need to be written no matter what their authors say. Just because you CAN write a book doesn't mean you should.


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## screamqueen2012 (Aug 2, 2012)

Here's my first two I did last fall. I copied the Snow White hag on one ane the other did the layered with cardboard,wire, twine and brown thin wrapping paper...hg's worked great. Lol. I burned the bejeepers out of the pages it has a hidden compartment for mini spell bottles and another wand. I love making these. Woowoo


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## screamqueen2012 (Aug 2, 2012)

I've used old DIY books that are out of date or old reference books or old out of date texts. Hit my attic and the thrift store....be really cool to do a bookcase with many of these


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## WitchyWolf (Sep 4, 2013)

I love these books, always checking out the hollow ones at the craft and thrift stores...great idea for halloween and safekeeping


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## printersdevil (Sep 7, 2009)

OMG. screemqueen, those are to die for! Great job. I just don't have the knack for doing something like this. Our MNT group did spell books at the last meet of the summer and I couldn't go since I had surgery on my shoulder just several days before. I was so sad!!!!


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## Berserker (Sep 4, 2012)

Very cool and great idea.


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## pumptroll (Aug 20, 2014)

So clever! I have to do some of these!


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## xkwisit (Sep 12, 2009)

This is wonderful!!! Thank you for sharing..... as I was setting up my apothecary table I was just thinking I need some books! Now I know what tomorrow's project will be! YAY!!


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## mariem (Oct 7, 2012)

RCIAG said:


> It was a handheld one, not the standup boxy one you'd sit on a counter & use.
> 
> I have also learned that one should sorta carefully pick the books you're going to alter.. This is a new book which means it's pretty much a thinner, cheap, cardboard cover that's covered by shiny paper. Older books have heavier, thicker covers & will probably shred better. Of course I realized I bought a think paperback one so I'm not sure what I'll do with that one.
> 
> ...


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## mariem (Oct 7, 2012)

screamqueen2012 said:


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Great job. It looks awesome.

Marie


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