How to make an inspirational accordion book

Things You’ll Need:

• 2 - 3.5" square pieces of colored and/or textured Mat Board
• 1 - 3"x18" piece of drawing/heavyweight paper
• ruler or ruled cutting mat
• bone folder or spoon
• YES! Paste or other glue (PVA is a good alternative)
• scrap papers from magazine or catalog
• glue & paint brush
• 32" length of ribbon
• watercolor paints
• saran wrap
• stamps, pens, markers, etc... whatever you like working with

Step 1:

All your supplies

Collect your supplies and keep them all nearby.

Step 2:
Cut or tear a 3"x18" piece of heavyweight paper. The paper should be sturdy enough to handle watercolor paints.

Step 3:

Every 3 inches, fold & crease

Use your bone folder or the back of a spoon to crease every 3". You should have five (5) folds and six (6) "panels".

Step 4:
Lay paper on your work surface so the end panels are up and the end folds are "valley folds", or folds that look like: \/.

Step 5:
Choose your favorite color and paint the entire piece of paper - end to end.

Step 6:
While the paint is still wet, lay a piece of plastic wrap on top and scrunch it up. Let this dry. This will give you a neat pattern to work on.

Step 7:
Stamp, paint or draw the word "CREATE" with one letter on each "panel". Embellish the panels however you'd like - using your favorite supplies. Then let everything dry if you've used glues or other water-based media. I used a combination of drawing, painting and cutouts using Caran D'Ache Neocolor II water-soluble crayons, Copic multiliner pens, a white gel pen, scrapbooking & other papers, and a dragonfly stamp.

Step 8:
Flip your paper over so the decorated side is face-down. Put a piece of scrap paper under one end and spread a thin layer of glue on the end panel only.

Step 9:
Flip your paper over and center the end panel you just glued on one piece of mat board - make sure the white side of the mat board is face up.

Step 10:
Press the paper to the mat board and use a spoon or a bone folder to make sure it's securely adhered to the mat board. *wipe up excess glue with a damp paper towel*

Step 11:

This is what it'll look like with both covers on

Repeat step 10 with the other end & second piece of mat board

Step 12:
Cut a 18" piece of ribbon that matches your mat board. Put a dab of glue on the very middle of the back cover and stick a ribbon on it to use as a tie closure.

Step 13:
You can tie it up to give to a friend as a gift, or open it up and display on a shelf or mantle.

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