How to: Book With a Secret Compartment - Francine Juliet

      

There are two things I love more than anything; 1. Home Décor, 2. DIY projects. So naturally my home is a beautiful combination of the two. My goal is often to do them with things that I either already have or can purchase for a few dollars.  Setting the scene for future blog posts, I always keep a few things on hand and they won’t be added into the total cost of the project. These things are as followed: Mod Podge, assorted colors of glitter, E6000, assorted acrylic paints and brushes, scissors, blades, and a hot glue gun. These things, of course, aren’t mandatory by any means but they do come in handy in most of my projects.

Without further ado we come to our first project. We have all seen these hundreds of times in the movies and on T.V but I figured it was time to have one of my own….A secret compartment book! I know, I know, it seems a bit frivolous. But where else will you hide your candy bars from the kids and husband that they won’t find it?

 

 The first step is to find a very large book. Large in page numbers. I received a book with a huge order a while back that was incorrect, Flawed Giant by Robert Dallek. Which in my house this book works perfectly because no one has read it since it passed our doorway. The book finishes out at about 750 pages. 

The next step is to completely glue the first 20-30 pages together. This is where your paint brushes and Mod Podge come in handy. This process will take a bit of time, I said this was a fun project, not a quick one!

 

Place a sheet of paper between the glued chunk of pages and the non-glued ones. Now you are going to add a few coats of glue to the edge of the non-glued section to make your sides of the compartment.

  

Close the book and place a weight of some sort on top of it. You want it to be a heavy as possible to let the book dry in its normal closed position. 

Next you are going to want to measure out a rectangle in the book leaving about an inch on all sides. A good rule of thumb is to cut the text portion out, leaving the margins behind. Now use your x-acto or box cutter and cut. This will take a while. You will cut through about 10-15 pages each time.  After this take a measurement of the sides of the rectangle and the depth of each side. (you’ll need these a little later and exact measurements will make it easier) 

Amateur tip: Use a large box cutter, it’ll make your life easier. 

  Now you are going to want to glue the insides of the walls of the compartment you made along with the outsides of the book. Place the weight on them again and let it dry.

While they are drying, take those measurements and make a lining for your box. This step is optional but does help for a more uniform look. You can make the lining out of whatever your heart desires. I’ll be using some scrapbook paper. Cut out a rectange and four strips large enough for the inner sides of the box.

 

 

Once its dry, place and glue the lining inside of the box.

 

And Voila! We have ourselves a secret compartment box. What goodies will you hide in yours?

Total Cost: $0, using materials I already had.