Make something pretty with those old books.
- Type of project: Altered book, art journal
- Occasion: Anytime
- Style: Mixed media, artsy, vintage
- Techniques used: Altering, stencils,
- Decoration: chipboard, phrases, texture paste, distress oxide ink, washi tape, dies
- Main colour: manila, blue
A friend of mine found this beautiful old book at an antique store and bought it for me. What a lovely gift.
I have ripped out and used some of the pages on other projects but I also wanted to use the book itself as an art journal and make some pretty art. The book was simply far too pretty not to keep. I found a page with a pretty print as my base. Old books have often lovely pints and fonts and I like that it was considered a part of the experience to make the book not just interesting but also pretty. I had to try to make it even more pretty. 
I used a stencil designed by Tim Holtz and opaque texture paste. After it was completely dry, I used some distress oxide ink mixed with water to add a tint of blue. Love that matte finish you get with oxides. The decorations used are chipboards designed by Vicky Papaioannou. I couldn’t resist also adding a twig die-cut out of another book-side.
Have you altered an old book? Let us know and use #TPCMagazine
Petra Offrell is from Sweden. Petra has been writing for TPC since 2021. Petra started paper crafting in 2004 and she mostly makes cards, layouts and Art Journals. Her paper projects are often made in Clean and Simple style with some Artsy details.