I thought the funniest thing to put into a book nook was more books. A lot of book nooks that I have seen are miniature alleyways, and after experimenting with this craft I see why. I decided to create a bookshelf and books, and had to figure out scale (see previous post). My first bookshelf, made out of foamcore and paper, is hilarious. It’s so wonky it seems intentional.
My second one was better, but I feel I made my third one too big. What I have in my head is those glorious two story structures with the sliding ladders or circular staircases, but my crafting ability in a new medium with no patterns or plans, is not up for the task. I am in the experimentation stage, the horrendous first try stage. I think I will try some different methods, such as paper mâché or using craft sticks. I found a tutorial online for creating books using a discarded paperback. I tried to change the plans by making bigger books. At first, it seemed great, but cutting that amount of paper, even with the right tools, is exhausting. At the end of cutting out a pile of mini books my wrist hurt and I had a nerve pinch in my fingers.
Did I really need that much authenticity? Maybe not. The effect is seeing all the books on the shelf, not individual pages. So I went back to the drawing board. Smaller covers, foam core inserts. You can find wrap (back and front) book covers pictures online. Barnes and Noble has some great ones in their collectables series. and other places show them to explain the history of book making. I printed them on cardstock and cut them out.
I am currently reading “In Miniature: How Small Things Illuminate the World” by Simon Garfield, which examines the appeal and obsession of making tiny representations. The English author is a bit pretentious, making a sweeping statement that manufactured miniatures don’t count, but so far it is fascinating. Ooh, I wonder if I can find a wrap picture of that to put on a tiny bookshelf!
