Today I’m back with a very special book-themed DIY, because I made it for my Project for Awesome video all about the Library Foundation of Los Angeles! Keep reading to learn more about this great charity as well as how to make this adorable Monster Book of Monsters removable book cover! And if you’re watching this on December 11th or 12th, please vote for this video on the Project for Awesome website!
The Project for Awesome is a charity event held every December by John and Hank Green in which YouTubers around the world all make videos about their favorite charities. These videos are submitted to the Project for Awesome website, where we all vote for our favorite videos, and the top voted videos get a cut of the Project for Awesome earnings for their charity. There’s also an IndieGoGo to raise all of that money, which features amazing perks from tons of YouTubers.
This is the first time in years that I didn’t do the Project for Awesome graphic design work, besides sending a very simple style guide over the summer that this year’s designs were based on. I was so sad to give it up, but unfortunately I’m so busy with all of the work that I do for HGTV Handmade that I just didn’t have time this year. I still think it came out great though, so kudos to the new designers!
Last year I featured a literary charity here in Los Angeles called The Book Truck, and I wanted to do something similar this year, so I decided to support the Library Foundation of Los Angeles, which provides support to the Los Angeles Public Libraries. Watch the video above if you want to hear me go on and on about how great libraries are!
But now, onto the DIY. This is a really easy project that would make a great gift for any Harry Potter lover, especially for a kid who might be reading the books for the first time!
The supplies in the video went by pretty fast, so here they are again for reference. You’ll need:
Faux fur fabric (I used a vest from H&M)
A large piece of brown felt (I got mine from the fabric store)
A hardcover book
A measuring tape or ruler
Embroidery thread in brown, white, and red
An large needle for the embroidery thread
Straight Pins
Scissors
Chalk
Tacky glue
Elastic string
Scraps of red, white, and yellow felt
In the photo, you’ll also see some yellow teddy bear eyes, but I ended up not using them and instead just making the eyes out of felt.
The great thing about this project is that it doesn’t damage the book underneath at all! It makes the book so fuzzy and cuddly too!
I love how the “face” of the Monster Book is made out of felt on an elastic band. It’s so easy to position and can be used as a bookmark as well as decoration!
Here you can see the inside of the book cover and how it doesn’t damage the book at all. It’s basically like covering your books with paper bags for class, except with felt and faux fur!
I hope you guys liked that DIY, and be sure to send me photos if you make one for yourself! Remember to watch the video to see the full DIY, and vote for it on the Project for Awesome website if you think the Library Foundation of Los Angeles deserves a cut of the P4A earnings. Happy Project for Awesome!
