Paper Bag Book Instructions
Step one: Bring together 3-4 paper bags. Until you actually have something holding your bags together such as ribbon, eyelets, etc., try using clothespins to keep them together while you are working on your book. If your book has a sewn binding you will not need anything. I like to alternate my bags when I layer them together so that (what essentially is the open end) the pockets are alternating.
Optional ideas for embellishing the book holes along the edge binding of the books are:
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large eyelets
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ribbon
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yarn
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metal rings that clasp together
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material ripped into shreds
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anything you can creatively come up with....I've seen them done with nuts and bolts. It was a neat change and great for masculaine themes.
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If your books are sewn you can use a decorative tape down the side and cover the holes
Just a note: If you would like to decorate the binding of the book, be sure and do it before you put your eyelets in. If you use ribbon or yarn do not tie it to tight or you may cause your bags / paper to tear. A helpful hint: when using ribbon or yarn ~ tie a knot around a pencil. This will give extra room for your pages to easily turn.
Once you are done deciding on the binding of your books you can begin decorating the bag book!
Step two: Select your papers. You will need to cut your paper with a paper trimmer to fit the available space on your bag. Some crafters like to cover every available bit of space on the page and others like to leave a border of paper bag showing around their paper.
For 6x6 books made from 3 paper bags you will use 3 ~ 12x12 papers for this step. If your book is made with 4 bags you will use 4 ~ 12x12 sheets of paper. Cut your 3 or 4 12x12 sheets into 4 pieces of 5'1/2" x 6 inch per 12x12 sheet. You will have extra strips remaining. You can use those later as embellishments.
Step three: Along with your bag and cut papers ~ gather all the embellishments for your choosen theme. Then go for it! Embellish your front cover with the theme. Glue your papers to the bag with a strong paper glue or paper mod podge. Have fun embellishing! Don't forget you can also use the opened end of the bag for hidden tags, extra journaling or pictures. Enjoy yourself. There are no limits! Don't forget ~ you can also use stamp pads to embellish around the edges or color wash to spray on the paper bags for a different effect.
A note about paper bag albums: Paper bag albums are not as sturdy as a traditional album. So please remember ~ precious, one of a kind photos can be printed out, color copied at a quick copy shop or duplicated at your neighborhood photo lab.
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