Tutorial: Make a book with shaped pages

This cute little shaped book is so much fun to make.  Let me show you how I did it!

First, I used my die cutting machine to cut several pieces of thin chipboard and two pieces of cardstock for the cover.  I used the spellbinders label 8 die.  Use bookbinding glue or PVA to glue the chipboard pieces together.  I use glue from Club Scrap.

Fold one die cut page and use it to trace where the cover will be trimmed.  The folded edge will be flush with the cover, and there will be an even reveal around the other sides of the cover.

Use the first cover to create a trim line for the other cover.  After trimming, you'll have a front cover (left), back cover (right), and a little strip of chipboard in the center that is scrap.  I use a utility knife to cut my chipboard.

Ink or paint all of the exposed edges.  I like to use pigment ink, and these spot ink pads from Stampin' Up! are great for solid coverage and getting into curved areas.  I inked the edges several times until I was happy with the color coverage.

Glue a piece of the die cut cardstock to the cover and trim.

Glue the remaining part of the die cut to the other side of the cover and trim.

For the inside of the book, cut as many pages as you would like and score them in the center.  I like to use a scor-it board for easy positioning and a crisp crease.

Pierce hole in the fold of each page.  I'm sewing over the green ribbon, so I'll have six holes along the spine.  See my "Getting started" link on the left side bar for links to videos for stitching together a book.

Glue the finished book block to the front cover.  Let dry until sturdy.  I usually dry overnight in my book press or with heavy weights on top.

On the back cover, punch two evenly spaced holes for eyelets.  I like my crop-a-dile for this.  Put elastic in one hole and set an eyelet in that hole.

Repeat on the other side, cutting the elastic to a length that will wrap snugly around the book.  (I have a longer tutorial on the elastic closure in an earlier post.)

Glue the back cover on the book, and embellish as desired.  I used some paper flowers and punched leaves.  To give the flowers a bit of gloss and make them a little more sturdy, I coated them with gel medium.  For a little extra pop, I used some self-adhesive pearls from Stampin' Up! in the centers.

I tried something a little different for wrapping the cover, and ended up with this:

As you might guess, I'm a bit obsessed with covering the edges of chipboard any way I can!  Hope you enjoy this project.  I'd love to see what shapes you can use to make books.