Book to Clutch, Take 1

 It's no secret that I love books.  My husband would probably say I have an unhealthy obsession with them.  I, however, like to think of it as a passion of mine, and see nothing wrong with having 29 boxes of books when we moved.

That being said, book based crafts tend to catch my eye, and this one, which I saw on Pinterest, looked so fun I had to try it right away.  It started with a used copy of Harry Potter, which I got at Half Price Books...

Continued with a small gold clasp, which I had to go to three stores to find (partially because I was still new to Austin and didn't really know where to shop).

And it ended with a very cool book with a secret hiding place inside.  

In the middle there was some glue frustration (I don't think I found the right type, as my pages remained flexible after the glue dried, and I don't think they were supposed to).  It also took a lot longer to carve out than I originally thought it would.  Prisoners who used this method to hide tools were very patient people!

And yes, technically, the tutorial was to make a clutch purse, but Harry Potter books are a bit too thick for that in my opinion.  Next time I'll find one that is slightly thinner if I really want to carry it around.  This one was sent in the mail to a good friend whom I know will appreciate it, and I have a copy of Inkheart waiting to make myself another one.

 Happy crafting!

Lisa