Book Hiding Spot

I really wasn’t sure what I wanted to do for the Thrift Store Remake Challenge. Sometimes I go into a thrift store with a basic idea and just need to look for “the parts.” More often than not, I go in blind. Going in blind can work out so well because I can see something and know how I want to transform it. This time, however, it took a bit longer to be inspired. Once I found an old Reader’s Digest, the wheels started turning. I knew it was meant to be the perfect hiding spot for something special for my book crazy Tasha.

Thrift Store Remake Challenge

Meet this month’s participants!

Across the Blvd | Coastal Bohemian

Domestic Deadline | Cookies, Coffee, & Crafts | Stone Cottage Adventures

Purple Hues & Me | This Autoimmune Life

Be sure to check out all the other thrift store projects after my book secret hiding spot project…

Beautiful Book Cover

Old Reader’s Digest books often have such beautiful covers. Several years ago at one of our church yard sales, we had a whole box of them. I thought they were gorgeous and really wanted them. But, it was before we moved into our new house.

We were out of space.

I had no place to store or display these beautiful books.

IronFish did not believe I would actually read them (I didn’t think I would either!)

So, I had to pass on them.

Now, when I use books in displays and décor, they are my old Nancy Drew books. As a child, I loved going to antique stores with my mom, once I discovered Nancy Drew that is. One store sold me a bundle for $1.00. I plowed through them and was hooked.

The newer versions of the books didn’t hold the same appeal for me. I liked the original Nancy. She was way ahead of her time, plus I enjoyed the descriptions of things and life in the 1930s.

My old original edition “Nancy’s” are special to me. Which makes them perfect for displaying.

But, I never forgot about how beautiful the Reader’s Digest books were!

And really kicked myself for not getting them when I found a crafter who cut letters and words out of them.

Tasha got one for her room, she displays it with her books. We have an F for Fish which is either in my craft room or incorporated within seasonal décor.

I don’t pass up old Reader’s Digests anymore!

Original Nancy Drew books also always come home with me… but I’ll never destroy one of those for any reason.

Hollow Words

This is a super easy project. Grabbing an Exacto knife and a ruler, I began cutting out the text from the book, leaving the first few pages.

And just keep cutting.

Cutting through as many pages as possible, sometimes I needed to snip the corners with scissors so I could remove the text.

Eventually, I started cutting from the back of the book.

A few pages ended up coming out completely. But, overall, the majority of the pages are still in the book, just without middles.

I think we might end up using some modge podge on all the pages. There is plenty of that at home, I didn’t find any at the lake house, so it can wait.

Secret Hiding Spot in a Book

While cutting away at the book, O-Man came to see what I was up to.

“Can I have that?”

Me: “No. Why? What would you do with it?

O: “I’d put my phone in it and then I could use my phone at school and my teachers’ would think I was reading!”

Yeah, I now know who is NOT getting the secret hiding spot book!

But, it did make me think it could easily be made into a cover for Tasha’s Kindle Paperwhite.

I’m now on the lookout for another old Reader’s Digest. She already has plans for what she is going to keep inside her book.

I can’t tell you what….

Mainly because she won’t tell me!

More Thrift Store Projects