Hump Day How-To #3: Cereal Box Notebooks

This is the 3rd installment of Hump Day How-To.

Yes!! I missed a few between #2 and #3, but I'm still here and still making videos. The more videos I make, the faster I get at editing and loading them, so maybe by December of this year I'll have it down to a science :-).

This week, I wanted to make books from recycled items. I'm not a cereal eater, but I've got folks around me who eat cereal, so I was gifted several cereal boxes. (Now that I've made 52 books in a year, people like to bring me things and say, "Here! Can you make a book out of this?" and I love to say, "Sure!! I'll give it a try!!" and that's kind of how these wonderful little field notebooks came to be. What's your favorite material to use for recycled art?

Materials Used:

• Cereal boxes
• Waxed linen thread
• Dental floss
• Acrylic paints
• Gesso
• Bone folder
• Bubble wrap (recycled)
• Bottle cap (recycled)
• Hotel key card (recycled)
• Sketch paper
• Watercolor paper

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Things to consider if you decide to make your own:

• Your sizes will vary based on the size of the original box you're using.
• If the box is super glossy, you might try using a bit of sandpaper to rough it up a bit, then follow that with a coat of gesso to give you a prepared surface to paint on.
• I like using dental floss as thread when I don't plan to handle the book too much. It's sturdy to a point, so keep that in mind when selecting your thread.
• You can use your sewing machine to make a straight stitch up the middle of the book instead of hand sewing.
• Be sure to measure the cut for the flap WHILE the papers are in the book, otherwise your slit will be slightly off.

Join me for another Hump Day How-to next week.
xo