In Box for Msgr. P

My beloved spiritual director requested that I keep an eye-out for inbox trays.

I found some at work that were so ugly the secretary said I could just have them.

But I couldn't give them to dear Msgr. P looking so ugly!  So I tackled one of those projects that only looks easy....

It’s pretty basic: book pages affixed with white glue and water, then sealed with ModPodge.   However, there were lots of uneven surfaces and corners and angles….  The photo essay continues after the jump if you are curious…

 I had books in German, French, and Japanese, as well as books on geometry and music, and a Latin dictionary, all to add some variety.  They were all saved from being discarded so I didn't feel so bad about ripping out pages.

 Here I'm cutting away the paper that isn't sticking to anything with my exacto knife. Eventually I started trying to avoid this situation by wrapping papers around corners and edges. 

 My favorite sealer:

 All done!  I think they look better and I'm glad I tried this.  I learned a lot about decoupage. 

* Do difficult spots first.

* Cutting/ripping to size saves time in the long run.

* Ripped edges disappear better--straight edges can be felt with 

your finger even after many layers of sealant.

* Pay attention to paper color as well as content.

Hope this inspires you!