Decorating for Halloween is super fun since it allows you to channel your inner child. Today I am sharing how to craft some unique spooky decor for the upcoming holiday. This Halloween spell books DIY is fun to create and can be personalized to your own style.
To create these spell books, I used ideas I have pinned and tutorials I found on the subject. Here I am sharing the techniques I used to create this collection of Halloween books from everything I learned. This compliments the potion bottles I also crafted to complete the witchcraft story.
how to DIY Halloween spell books
The best source for book craft projects like this includes thrift stores, garage sales, flea markets and the Dollar Tree. I actually have a bit of inventory left over from my consigning days so I just used a few books from my stash.
Book Covers
Start by applying a quick coat of paint on all the books.
I used Annie Sloane Graphite since I like how AS chalk paint adheres to different materials, ie. wood, cloth, metal, etc.
Only one coat of paint is necessary since you want the books to look weathered and grungy. I did however go around a second time dabbing the sides of the covers and the page edges for a more detailed look.
Using stamps, add the titles you want for the books on the spines.
I used acrylic craft paint to stamp the titles.
I have a wide variety of stamp sets in my craft area so I used a variety of fonts.
Stamping Tip
Always test a stamp on a scrap piece of paper first for placement, spacing and pressure. Always.
Viola- you have a library of hocus pocus books!
Spell recipe inner page
Print out the graphic of the page you would like to use as your spell recipe cropped to the same dimensions of you book page.
My main book is my book of spells, and I used a free printable from Marie @ the g*rated blog.
Find where the book opens to naturally and mod podge the printables to those pages.
Once the printables are adhered to the book pages, paint all around the edges of the open pages using the same paint you used on the covers.
Misting the pages also helps to mold and curl the edges to age the look of the book.
Distressing Tips
You can age and distress the book as much as you want with more water and paint.
You can personalize these details depending on the “look” you are going for.
Of course, I wanted my book to look all grungy like it had been around for centuries.
I also added a ribbon down the middle of the pages, holding the spot for the perfect spell recipe.
Simply adhere the ribbon using tacky glue or the adhesive of your choice.
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“You’ve always had the power, my dear. You just had to learn it for yourself.”
The Wizard of OZ