These spellbooks were so fun to make and really complete my whole Halloween Witch scene. I’m so happy how they’ve turned out!
I usually go for the cutsie Halloween decorations but when I was searching on Pinterest for inspiration I kept seeing this Rug ad and it had me thinking how cool it would be to create a witch scene this year! I could easily get these hats and black fabric but wanted to create other pieces to tell a story and really bring everything together. You can’t have witch hats, gowns and a cauldron without some spell books! So here we are… the spellbook tutorial. Check out the step-by-step tutorial with pictures followed by a video tutorial below!
Supplies Needed
- Hard back book (Dollar Tree is a great place to get these… and only a buck!)
- Mod Podge (Either Matte or gloss works)
- Small Halloween figures (Dollar Tree, Walmart and Target)
- Rope/beads
- 1- Ply paper towel (you can also take apart 2-ply)
- Black, Brown and Gold Acrylic Paint & Brush
* Pictured to the left is my assistant, Jack! He’s picking out all the spiders for me!
Step-By-Step Tutorial
you can see here how the
pages are starting to wither
Creating this spellbook truly is easy! With the book closed, wipe the paper edges with water using a brush. Once dampened apply the watered down brown paint water. (I tried using tea bags for this but found the brown paint to be easier and not yellowy!)
Once the book is completely dried you will see the book pages have expanded and withered giving the book that old vintage feel! With the book closed, apply streaks of gold paint along the pages and then add brown for more texture. I added more brown towards the binding for a more dynamic look.
Using a hot glue gun, attach various Halloween figurines, rope, small beads and whatever else you’d like to add to the spellbook!
The Dollar Tree and Walmart had great selections. The spiders and bats were rings, in which I just cut off the spider.
I wrote spellbook titles (Potions, Poisons, Spells and Brews) on the book ends with hot glue gun as well.
The next step is decoupaging paper towel on the book. This will give the spellbooks the appearance they are leather. I really liked the texture I got using 1-ply paper towels (I just pulled apart my 2-ply papertowels at home.) Put mod podge on the book (matte or gloss will work just fine,) apply the papertowel and while adding more mod podge on top use the paint brush to crumple and wrinkle the papertowel for more texture.
Make sure there are no bubbles in the papertowel by dabbing the paintbrush over the layers to push out any excess air. This will make sure that the papertowels will harden and as flat as possible so you won’t have any cracking in the future.
Now the fun part… making the spellbook come to life!
Make sure the decoupage is completely dry before resuming. They will take several hours so I let mine dry overnight.
Dab black paint on the whole surface then once dried, apply an overlay of brown with same technique in random spots.
To make the Halloween characters, book title and wrinkle details pop out on the spellbook, use gold paint. Hold the brush parallel to the book surface and lightly brush along the tops of the details. I applied a light wispy brushing of the gold on the entire book as well. If you’re looking for them to be brighter, add more paint and brush more on!