Dictionary Box

Remember the goodies I got from the thrift store a few weeks ago?

I finally finished my project with the old Webster’s Dictionary and am so excited to share it with you.

I’ve seen things online about turning book into boxes. Some remove the guts of the book completely and some leave the pages for added effect. I decided to try this project out for myself using the dictionary I bought at the thrift store for like $2.

The first thing you want to do is decide what size, how big and how deep you want your box to be. Trace the shape on the first page of the book to mark where you will cut. Tip: Leave a thick enough edge so your box has sturdy walls.

Using an exacto knife/box cutter, start slicing along the lines. 

Keep going until you reach a good depth for your box. This part of the project took me hours. My dictionary had more than 1,000 and super thin paper, so it ripped easily. I had to do break it up and do the page removal over several nights because it was frustrating at times to remove the paper. In the end, I cut out about 1,200 page, leaving a few hundred at the back of the book. You can cut all the way to the back cover if you’d like. I stopped at a page with proofreading marks because I thought it would look cool as the bottom of the box.

Once all of your pages are removed, use mod podge to harden the frame of the box.

I did this part of the project at our kitchen table, so I put a cardboard box underneath so nothing got onto the table.

I started at the back of the book because I left some pages in. I mod podged each page at the back until I reached the section of cutout pages. From there I lathered the mod podge on pretty think around the edged of the book and this inside of the box.

Once it’s dry, your book box is complete!

Too cool, right?

I plan on trying this again, but instead of using the knife, I want to drill a hole in the middle and then jigsaw out the pages. Not 100 percent sure that will work, but if it does it would save so much time!