A Hide Away Treasure Box - Inexpensive Gift #10

I found these old children’s books and thought I’d make a hollow hide away treasure box out of them.
I use two books to give my box more depth. You can use just one book if you choose.I mixed some Elmer’s glue with water and brushed the outside pages of the books. This will hold the pages together to create a box. Note: Don’t make the glue and water solution too runny or you’ll get puddles. Make sure you hold the book down while the pages soak up the mixture. I left a couple of pages loose at the front of the book to help with the illusion.



I put pencils between the glued pages of my top book and the opening pages so my opening pages wouldn’t get stuck. The weight will help the book dry tightly together so there aren’t any gaps.
I glued the cover of the second book down with full strength glue. Let the books dry with the weights on them so everything is tight and secure.



Drying time needs to be a couple of hours or overnight. When the book is dry - Open the book to the first glued page. Take a ruler and draw a box leaving a half inch boarder all around. This is the line you will follow while cutting.



Use a utility knife to cut along the lines. This will take a while and you’ll have to carefully cut through all the pages a little at a time. Don’t rush this. Cutting through the back of the top book and the front of the next book will be difficult but it will be worth it.
Once you get to the desired depth, you’ll need to brush away all those little fuzzy pieces a loose strips of paper.



Now brush the glue and water solution all over the inside. Let it dry and do it again. You’ll need to do this several times to make a smooth box. You can spray the inside with a clear enamel instead but you’ll have to do that outside because of the fumes.


You can leave the box as is or you can line it with material. I had some old faux leather so I used that to line the box. I used a hot glue gun for this part. Make sure the material lines up with the top of the box and then smooth the rest down.

There you have it. Looks like a stack of books on a desk but only you know where the treasure lies!



“Friends, God wants to use you, your experiences, your passions and your gifts, and, get this, He even wants to use your failures. He wants to use all of that for you to help others see what it really means to follow after Jesus.”

Dr. Marnie Crumpler