Art Book Jackets

Have you bought something at a thrift store and wondered if it had value?  Value beyond the thrift store price?  I did, but found out making art book jackets was a better idea.

We bought this painting at a thrift store last week for $6.  It was on sale!

Have to admit…I bought it for the frame. :/

I use broken and distressed frames for many scrap projects like my scrap wood mantel.

While this frame is not broken, I thought it was distressed enough to maybe take apart...

I know, shameful!

Thankfully I came to my senses and had another project I wanted to try!!!

Photo from CBS Sunday Morning

Art book jackets!  I watched a CBS Sunday Morning show where they interviewed Thatcher Wine of Juniper Books who design’s book jackets.  Click on Juniper Books to design your own art book jackets.

The photo above is not a window…it’s a collection of books covered in a bookcase!

I wanted to try this on my own.  I also wanted to add some fall to the chalkboard firebox area of that scrap wood mantel.

Where’s something fall?

Hey!  What about that frame from the thrift store, “Wasn’t it fall like?”

Perfect!

I took a picture and cropped out the frame.  I noticed the name plaque on the frame, “Bernard Buffet.”  “Hum, better look that up.”

After a few minutes of research, I found original pieces of art from Bernard Buffet have sold up to $310,500.00!  Our thrift store find is only a lithograph but some of them have sold in the hundreds!

I only printed the artwork to make fall art book jackets.

The steps I took

I gathered 7 paperbacks of different thickness.  To make it extra difficult…I made sure one paperback was 1/4 inch taller. :/

The computer part

 

I love using keynote on my MacBook for designing and planning.  After adding the photo I resized it to 7 inches high.  {the height of the one taller paperback} Editing with masking tool I cut up the image.  Each cut overlapped about 1/4 inch.

I could have printed out 7 images and made the book jackets that way covering each book slightly moving left to right with each book.

But I took the hard way!

I printed one strip on 7 pages.  Forgetting the printing scale on keynote is not really an inch.  So I cut and paste into pages and then printed…again!

Cutting the book jackets

I had to cut 1/4 inch off the top of 6 because I thought it would be unique to have one taller book.

Wasn’t worth the extra effort!

But here’s a close up of my art book jackets sitting on a thrift store bench {bought for $2} tucked into the firebox area of the mantel.  I added my Autumn pumpkin and taped falling leaves.

Books covered

Fun idea, right?  I have more ideas for art book jackets and the Juniper Books website is full of inspirations.

Did you notice my little chalk autumn leaf?

Have I got you thinking about art book jackets you could make?  Send in a photo if you make some by clicking on “Share your Project” at the top.

Now to find a great place to hang our thrift store art!!!!

P. S.  the little bench is updated here.