Ever start on a project and get disillusioned halfway through? This is one such project… I got hold of an outline file for a laser-cut 3D ‘book’ box and thought it would be ideal for a memory book. I spent all morning tweaking the sizes of all the holes, working through several sheets of MDF before I was more sensible and started cutting just a couple of joints at a time as tests. They’re still not quite dialled in correctly, but at least it went together for this prototype.

I used pink and yellow as the undercoat for an off-white crackle finish that I then ‘aged’ with more layers of paint before sealing with some soft-touch varnish. I really didn’t like the outcome: I think it is because it really didn’t resemble a book cover. There isn’t enough contrast on the side lettering between the gold and the yellow. The inside is fine though!

So this morning, I decided to redecorate. This time I used a combo of burnt sienna and rose madder paints sponged on to create a classic red leather cover. The old crackle just adds grain to the ‘leather’ – bear in mind you must seal the original crackle with varnish before painting over, else there will still be active crackle medium. I chose to go with the pink behind the letters – it’s a lot easier to add the letters after doing the background, but hey ho… A quick laser-cut bookplate and more lettering and I am much happier with the result.

The book is 6″ tall and the box is 1½” deep. It has a living hinge for the spine – the first I have tried in a project – which allows the 3mm MDF to bend around the sides.