PB Worn Book

Check out these old, worn out looking books from my latest Pottery Barn catalog. The are usually stacked, tied together, and slightly disheveled.

 

For some reason, I LOVE THEM! I gotta have them.

Here's what you'll need:

• Cheap paperback books - you can't go wrong at the dollar store,
• A sink, container, and/or casserole dishes for the soaking,
• Herbs, tea bags, or flowers to soak in the..
• Water you'll need,
• Twine, thin rope, or embroidery floss (I used the floss),
• Scissors
• Child's watercolor kit and sponge brush.

So, if you are using tea or real herbs, start putting them in pots filled with water and boil. Let them boil for about 10 minutes and then steep for another 10 minutes.

While your water is boiling, start ripping the covers off the books. I always kept the title page on top or the dedication; one book had an awesome first page and I made that one the top page of the book.

 Soak in water, binding first.

While I soaked the binding, I liked to open the book here and there so the water would get in the cracks.  Getting water in there really made the pages of the book look uneven and made the binding of the book curl back a little. I also soaked the other edges of the book and tried to keep the middle of the pages mostly dry.

From there you can start accessorizing your book with wear and tear. To do this, I would ripe out a few corners, scratch the pages, roll pages back with my fingers, and anything that would give the book a worn feeling to them.

If you wanted the sides of your book colored, take your watercolor kit and sponge and gently stroke the edges of the book. This sort of replicates those older books with the red edges.

Next, let them dry. This part was brutal because it takes a few days for these babies to dry, depending on how soaked they got.

 Tie with string. I used embroidery floss because I didn't want anything heavy. When I got home, I realized a little too late the color possibilities one could have with embroidery floss...

 

 and ...VOILA!

 

I get inspired from your comments and reactions. I would love to get your feedback and ratings, "Uno" meaning you liked it, "Dos" meaning you loved it, and "Très Chic!" meaning it was the totally rad! 

Thanks for visiting! :)

BTW - I am being featured at Inside Out Design for the "Before & After Thursday" series - for this. 

SO FUN!!