Altered Book Tutorial

I just want to begin by saying I was really, really unhappy with how the finished product turned out. It wasn't at all what I expected, or wanted, or anything; but I promised an altered book tutorial, and this has an unusual spin on it with multiple layers. 

Begin with a book of your choosing. It is very popular to use old books, antique books or specialty books with beautiful pages to work from, but there is no reason you can't use an ordinary paperback or your favourite well-worn novel!

To get the layered look, I separated the book into three sections, and secured it with bulldog clips. If you want to have a one-layer altered book, clip the paper together with a larger clip or a large peg.

Apply glue (PVA or another paper/woodworking glue) to the edges of the book sections (or section, if you have it clipped in one large section). Apply the glue thickly with an old paintbrush, making sure to try and brush as many pages as possible. Don't do what I did, which is paint the entire layer THEN bulldog clip it, because I ended up sticking those to my book as well and having to rip them out. Paint glue AROUND the clips, then go back when they are dry and paint the spaces.

Once the glue is dry, take a craft knife and carefully cut a rectangle (or any shape!) out of the pages. Your pages should be glued together in a large paper book lump, so they should be far easier to cut because there is less movement. Once you have cut all the way through the layers, apply a thick layer of glue to the inside edges to the paper cut outs.

For the layered look, I had three segments to work with, so I arranged a number of pre-cut flower images along the bottom and sides of the paper, sandwiched between the layers. Once you are happy with the layout, glue the pictures in place. A good tip is to cut your pictures a little longer on the bottom than you want to have showing, to have space to glue to the paper.

Once the glue is applied, hold in place with clips or mismatched pegs until dry.

I had some fun with this book afterwards, but haven't taken a photo of the finished look because I'm still really unhappy with it. Just thought I'd show you the step-by-step, so you can have a go!