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Check out our special Halloween issue for more projects to scare and delight! Available online and at fine retailers.

BOOOOK! You can’t deny that Hocus Pocus is one of the season’s favorite films.

Now you can make your own enchanted spell book like the one from the movie.

Take a few minutes to make this craft with just a handful of easy-to-source materials and a little bit of imagination.

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Project Steps

Step 1:

Cut up your brown paper bag so that it can wrap around the book’s exterior. Make sure you have at least 2 inches on either side to fold over the book cover. Tape down to cover.

Step 2:

Take tissue paper and crumple it up. This will make the cover look like old leather or rotting skin.

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Step 3:

Use a light coat of Mod Podge to place the tissue paper on top of the brown paper. Brush Mod Podge on top of the tissue paper as well.

Step 4:

Using the glue gun, create “scars” and “stitching” on the paper cover. Drag the tip of the glue to add the appearance of sutured skin and stitches. Glue other items such as snakes or spiders to add more depth. In the below photo, you’ll see I formed some tissue paper into snakey shapes in the two corners.

Step 5:

Using acrylic paints, create a mix of colors to texturize the book. Use colors such as black, brown, and beige to create a weathered, aged leather look.

Step 6:

Take the ping pong ball and cut it in half to make the eye. Using your hot glue gun, place the eye on the cover of the book.

Step 7:

Take some more tissue paper and make eyelids for the eye and paint it so that it blends in with the rest of the book.

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Step 8:

Using permanent markers, color in an iris, pupil, and some red blood vessels to make it creepy. Cover this with a thin coat of Mod Podge Glossy to protect the colors.

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Step 9:

Using black paint and a thin paintbrush, paint the details on the book, such as the scars, and paint the other accessories you’ve added to cover, such as the snakes, in gold or copper. After the paint is dry, lightly coat with Mod Podge Glossy finish to seal in the colors and protect the work you did!

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