Book Charging Station

This idea I got from one of my favorite blogs. It essentially takes a common prison movie trope and alters it for the first-world, free-person among us.



All you need is:
A book/journal
Box cutter
Sandpaper
Mod Podge



The original tutorial uses a hardcover book but, being the perennial lit nerd, I could never *twitch* destroy a book like that. Even for crafting purposes. (Something Lauren Conrad learned the hard way). Thankfully, I average about two journals purchased for every journal used. This one (with one of my favorite Mark Twain quotes on the cover) is not only a hardcover journal, but deserved to be out on display, if only for its quote.



Using a pencil and ruler, make an outline of where you will cut. You want your rectangle to be roughly .5" from the edge. Mark where you will cut your notch as well, but remember: you are not cutting the notch just yet. That is for near the very end of the tutorial.



And then: you cut. Hold the pages firmly in place with one hand, and cut with the other. This is a long and tedious process (I think it took me about half an hour straight), but it's worth it. Remove the pages as they are cut out, continue the process until you've cut out all the pages. In order to avoid cutting the back cover, place a thick piece of cardboard between the pages and the cover.



Place a light (and I do mean light) layer of mod podge around the top and sides of the pages. Place a piece of wax paper between the glued edges and the front cover so as not to glue the whole thing together. Place the book/journal under a whole stack of heavy books to keep the papers from warping. After about an hour, return to your journal, add a few more layers of mod podge, and repeat the process. You know you're done when the outlined area feels firmly in place, with no pages wiggling out.



And now: cut your notch. You'll want to go about 1/3 of the way down, if not more. As you can see, the wax paper had shifted in the drying process, leaving a few areas by the spine ripped, which I would find various ways to solve this little problem (as you will see in the pictures below).



And now you're done! Feed the cord through and charge away! A great way to charge up your phone without interrupted the room's decor.





I made this at the apartment, shortly before moving. It now has a lovely home in the den and I love the way it accents the side table.