Faux Antique Book Storage Boxes

I saw a project on Pinterest where a crafter cut apart actual good books so she could glue the spines to a storage box. She chose the books for the look of their spines. To be clear, I've cut up and recycled books when they are so decrepit that they won't hold together for reading but it makes me sad.

BUT, I truly do like the idea of some nice book themed storage, so here's what I came up with. And not one book was destroyed in the creation of this project!

Ooooh aaaaah!

And here's the best part....I didn't need to buy anything to do this project. I already had everything on hand and you probably do, too!

Here's the list of materials you will need-

A good sturdy cardboard box that will fit your shelves.

Inside rolls from gift wrap, paper towels or toilet paper, depending on your box size.

Hot glue

Tissue paper or printed napkins for texture.

Mod Podge.

Craft paint.

Sharpie marker.

Spray sealer.

Cut the cardboard tubes into roughly thirds. Flatten slightly so that they measure about 2" across. These will form your faux book "spines."

Measure the height of your box. In this photo I've covered the box with crumpled tissue and painted it white.

Cut off the flattened tubes to the correct height. At this point start fitting your  spines across the front of your box. Cut some narrower to make the design more interesting or you can keep them all the same size, it is up to you!

Use hot glue to make dimensional stitching and decor across the fake spines. Look at photos of old books for spine ideas.  You can also add other designs with the hot glue, such as  fleur de lis, capital letters or numbers.

Tear the tissue or printed napkins in small pieces and crumple up tightly then smooth out. Spread  Mod Podge on the spines you have made. You can paint the spines or cover them with printed paper as I have done.

Hot glue your finished spines to your chosen box. Remember not to glue them down flat but leave them a bit curved for the realistic book look. Here are two of my book spines glued to the box. As you can see I ended up painting the box black on this side so if it showed between the books it would blend in..

Cover the sides of your faux book storage box with glue and crumpled tissue or printed napkins to match the books on each end. Smooth with a soft brush but not too much, as the crumpled tissue will tear. It will give you a wonderful antique texture so it's worth it. Let dry completely.

I

 Dry brush the edges and spines black contrast color sparingly until you get the look you want. If you get too much on your project just wait for it to dry and do a coat of white over it to tone it down. Remember you are going for an antique look to your fake books!

You can use the Sharpie to add more details if you wish. 

 Ta da! Look, you've made a clever storage box for your shelves that looks like you've collected a set of antique books! You can also choose to make your book box look like a set of matched books. It is entirely up to you.

My faux book box looks great with this shelf of restyled books I've made. Yay for saving old books in new ways and making your own book themed decor!

 I tell you, the possibilities are endless with this project and the best part is, you probably have everything you need to go do this RIGHT NOW. You'll have fun doing it, I know!