Use a Box to Make a Book Cover

This book is made a little differently than the previous one. It is a small book made from the snack raisin boxes for packed lunches.

First, you have to cut off all the flaps and folds until you get to a three sided section: one narrow between two wide sections, like this.

Cut paper a little larger than the piece of cardboard, so that you can pull the excess over to the other side, like this.

Here is the other side, completely covered. You can't use a card stock in this step, because it does not fold over as easily. This is a printed paper, normal weight, like typing paper.Then cut a piece to cover the back, leaving some of the trim showing. Here, I have used mylar paper from a gift bag purchased at Dollar Tree.

Punch one hole at each end, instead of two as in the previous post. Trace around one side of the book to determine the size of pages. Fold a piece of paper several times and cut pages on the fold. Make the pages a little smaller than the book.

Punch two holes in the pages, just like in the book jacket, and thread a ribbon through them, like this.

Tie the ribbon through the outside of the book jacket.

Add stickers or clippings to the front of the cover, like this.

This book is for a little girl who is two years old on December 25. She likes to be read to, but there are no "girl-books" around the place.

Some of the inside pages are just stickers from the dollar store,

and catalog clippings.

This one was made by a 9 year old boy, using construction papers as coverings and pages. He calls the book "The Luxury Rabbit" because Candy, from Alberta, sent me a glittered rabbit sticker that he used. He has had his eye on that sticker for quite some time and was so happy that he got to have it.

He uses stickers to fill the pages.

Now that you know how to make a book jacket out of a box, you won't even need a box any more. These book covers can be cut from card stock or heavy scrapbook papers. In case you think you have to have some skill or talent for things like this, let it be known that I never use a ruler. I "eye" everything.

When making pages or shapes or card designs, I often begin by folding paper on a straight edge, re-folding, until I get all the edges I want, then unfolding and cutting it out for a pattern. Projects like these are pretty even when you aren't accurate, and they are very hard to mess up. You can always paste over them again, if you do. Even if the box and pages are not cut straight, it makes a pretty little book. The attitude toward quiet endeavors like this, is not to "get it done" but to enjoy the color and the texture and the creativity of it all. I don't worry about how it will turn out.