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Collecting books, journals and magazines has been a pasttime for many people for many years. We all want our collections to last as long as possible or we may have books with beaten up covers we would like to hide. In any case, the need for a decorative book cover is apparent. Sometimes the need for a book cover may be strictly from point of view of a decorative approach. You may want all your books lined up on the shelf to look uniform, so you cover them. Whatever the reasoning, you need to know what you need to do this and how to accomplish the task with little hassle.
First, you’ll need to pick out your favorite papers. Keep in mind the size and shapes of the books you intend to cover. If it is a collection of small books and you want a unique look, consider covering them with recycled pages out of a magazine or pages from a newspaper. If you are looking for a more decorative look, consider covering these books with pieces of left over wallpaper from the rolls you used to cover the room. The options are endless with this type of paper craft. With the craft stores supplying reams of paper choices along with whatever you have around the house and your imagination, you can take this as far as you would like.
Now, let’s get started. Below are the basic materials you will need and the steps in which to complete this project. These materials and steps can be altered in any way to tailor you needs for this book-covering project.
Materials:
- Your choice of paper
- Scissors
- Tape (clear)
- Ruler
- Pencil to make measurements
- Books you wish to cover
- Other decorative elements you choose (markers, stickers, rubber stamps, etc.)
1. You will need a rectangular sheet of paper that measures approximately 17 by 36 inches. (this will fit most standard book sizes)
2. Place the paper horizontally on your table (if there is a pattern only on one side, this side needs to be facing the work surface).
3. Using your ruler, find the center of the paper and the center of your book. Place your book in the center of the paper and mark where you need the folds to be on the top and bottom of the paper.
4. Using your book as a guide if you wish, fold down the top and bottom edges of the paper. Your book cover will now be the same height as your book.
5. Align the book with the folds. Center the book and fold the left and right edges of the paper over the front and back covers of the book.
6. Check that the left edge of the paper reaches halfway across the inside front cover and that the right edge covers the same distance on the back cover when the book is closed. Trim the right and left edges of the paper if necessary.
7. Keep the left and right edges of the paper folded in on the front and back covers of the book.
8. Fold the tape into a curl and slide it under the loops of the book cover so no tape is showing or touching the book, itself.
9. Take the decorative elements you have chosen and use them to garnish the book in any way you like.
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