Gothic Book Nook

I love miniatures and I'm hooked on Book Nooks. There are several you can get from artists on Etsy and elsewhere if you search. Or you can get my free one and make your own. I'm talking about the paper ones and they are inexpensive and quick to put together with leftover papers you might already have.

If you buy the wooden expensive kits, you can get realistic miniature worlds to make that light up. I just built a Beyond Library not that long ago. They are my favorites but if you want something simpler, less expensive and just as pretty or to make one for a gift then you can make one out of poster board or heavy card and decorate it with cutouts. They look absolutely adorable between a bunch of books on your shelves!

I start with a simple box cutout that anyone can make. I cut it out of poster board or heavy card stock but you can add layers of decorative paper on both sides to make it more sturdy. And you can also add lights, furniture, 3D miniatures and plexiglass covers to keep the dust out too if you want.

Once you have the box put together with a strong white glue you can plan the interior. I like libraries and conservatories but you can make the room any theme you want or even decorate it with a holiday theme. 

You can add battery light packs to the back or make an easy to remove bottom at the back to hold the battery pack. You can get a battery/light pack at any dollar store for cheap so you really don't have to spend a lot to make a beautiful book nook you can be proud of.

These are really a simple concept. Shaped like a book looking like a secret little room with a world all its own! That's what books do. They take you into other worlds to explore. Easy and fun to decorate with stickers, paper and limited only by your imagination.

I put three lights into mine from a simple led pack. I cut off seven lights to use just three and colored the "bulb" part with alcohol inks. I cut a hole in the side to access the switch and cut a place in the back so I could access my batteries. I also painted lace trim for the top "spires" and glued it between the folds.

You can come up with a gazillion ideas for making these. Just download my template pattern here and make a heavy card template to use. The instructions are written on the template. Then you can cut out as many as you like. I got most all of my decorative images from Laura Carson's Artfully Musing site. She has some free images and she also has a lot of great high quality graphics on her Etsy site.

Oh yeah, there will be a Christmas book nook or two free patterns in the future.