Thursday, July 24, 2014

UnMatched Book Artistry

Soman Chainani author of the best-selling YA series The School for Good and Evil will be visiting Murfreesboro schools September, 2014. For Literacy Day on August 2nd, we've designed miniature versions of his books for every age to craft together at the Friends booth. We will provide the supplies, and even some to-go bags if you can't stick around (literally). 

Here's what we'll be doing.

Supply List:
Matchboxes
Gesso
Scissors
Leather Square
Ultimate Glue
Glue brushes
Pencils
Crayons, colored pencils, etc.
Photo of book cover printed to size of matchbook

1. Empty the matches out of the matchbox (we found our matchboxes at an estate sale).

2. Photograph the book cover and then print it out to the size of the matchbox.
 
3. Gesso the entire matchbox and let dry (this is like a primer to give the box a gritty coating).
You can paint the inside of the box, glue book pages down, add secret messages, etc.
 
4. Once dry, glue the photograph to the front
 
 
5. Glue a leather square to the back and side of the matchbox.
 
You can carry the leather over to the front if you like that look.
 
We found old leather coats cheap at yard sales and cut them up into matchbox size squares.
Tip: Take a nap on one of the coats.
 
I accidentally made some copies in black and white, but no matter, watercolor pencils and crayons can enhance them.
 
 
6. Draw pencil lines on the ends and sides to look like pages of a book.
 
 
Tip: Use a ruler to make the lines.
 
There you have it - the Cutest Little Book that is UnMatched anywhere!
 
So, go ahead and make a miniature library of all your favorite books.
It doesn't take up a lot of room.