I try to keep the supplies simple and low cost. If you have questions please email me.
- 10 or more old but not precious old books
- exacto knife and sharp blades or razor blade and box cutter
- sharpie black pens, ultra fine point and fine point, (or similar black marker)
- basic white glue
- hot glue gun
- 2″ wide cheap bristle paint brush
- strong coffee or tea
- paper trimmer or ruler and cutting mat
- large piece of wood, foam core or artist’s panel ( 5.5 mm underlayment at the big box hardware store for $6.00 2′ x 4′ and have it cut in half 2’x2′) It looks like thin plywood. Wood or artist panels work best for this project because foam core and cardboard can warp.
- A couple of found stencils such as a paper plate holder with a geometric pattern, plastic items with patterns that you could stencil through, plastic doilies
- White acrylic paint
- Black india ink
- small bristle stencilling brush
- Thick crayons
- tracing paper
- tea bags
- Waxed bookbinding thread (or wax and embroidery floss)
- Curved needle ( you can sometimes find a packet of variety needles at discount stores)
- a few scraps of leather or canvas (could be recycled from purse or clothes)
Some good sources for nearly free old books:
- Yard Sales
- Friends garages and basements
- Small independent used book sellers
- Local libraries
- https://www.booksalefinder.com
What to look for in an old book?
- Cool covers
- Interesting End pages
- Old notes
- Fades pages
- Drawings, music, foreign language
- Embossed words or designs
- Books with yellowed pages
- Books with interesting covers
- a foreign language book
- a music book
- a few dictionaries, look at the font size
- children’s picture books with a style of illustration that speaks to you
- Books with interesting spines
- a few books that are approx. 5″ x 8″ (13 cm x 20 cm)
- any kind of book that speaks to you
- books of different sizes – tiny to large
With any type thrift store shopping, it usually takes time to make great finds. So be patient and shop often.
Many of the supplies are adaptable, so please email me if you have questions Linda@LindaGermain.com
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