Faux Stacked Books Card Box

They say that necessity is the mother of invention and this is no less true than on the eve of a family wedding. 

We needed a card box, stat! 

So, I made one out of stacked boxes made to look like a pile of big books.

I had some boxes in my stash that were just the right dimensions so I proceeded to make them look like books. I used the same techniques that I show in this the link to my DIY on making vintage style editions....

http://makethebestofthings.blogspot.com/2014/01/how-to-restyle-books-to-look-like.html

I added front and back "covers" to each box using pieces of cardboard. I added spines to each book with hot glue. Then, using watered down school glue I covered each book shaped box in Dollar Store tissue paper. I used three silvery/wedding style patterns so they would complement each other.

Starting with the bottom book box, I cut a rectangular hole in the top cover. I cut holes through BOTH covers of the middle box then stacked it and secured it with hot glue on the bottom book. The top book only needed a hole in the bottom cover and a slit in the top cover so cards could be slipped inside. Don't be shy with the hot glue. Use plenty to make sure all three book boxes are secure.

I had the labels in my stash and they were perfect for these books!

I dry brushed all the edges with silvery grey paint and also a tiny bit of black to bring out all the textures in the spines and in the crinkly tissues. I faked some pages with sharpie marker then dry brushed those edges, too.

The big book stack measured 12" tall x 14" wide and looked elegant and REAL. Touch up your edges with additional glued tissue paper and a bit more paint to blend your stack together. Remember that in dry brushing, a little paint goes a long way!

Two wine corks and skewers and a handmade banner completed the project. We didn't have to run out and spend money on a card box for the wedding and the fake book stack looked great. I call that a win win, and that's my favorite kind of project!