How To Make a Book Safe
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- Опубліковано 10 лют 2025
- How To Make a Book Safe
Turn an old book into a sneaky place to hide money or treasures. You could also use it for letter-boxing or geocashing in an indoor space. It is easy and you only need a few supplies!
You will need:
a hardcover book
white glue
utility or craft knife
waxed paper
Save all of the papers you cut out for future craft projects! Stay tuned to my channel for more!
This would make an excellent library or school fundraiser too!
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You mentioned making one of these for Geocaching and that reminded me of one of my favorite Geocaches that I have here in Bakersfield, CA. These awesome people have a 'free library' on the corner of their yard. Its a red, old school phone booth and its got shelves inside to hold a bunch of books and whatnot, they even put a bench with a little flowers and a tree right there so you could sit and read if you want and its located in this really nice neighborhood so over all the spot is really nice. Anyway, there was a contest going on for and this person did one of these books and put a marshmallow jar in the space as the cache container. It was really awesome. Its called 'Think inside the box' and the clues and stuff were about Sherlock, even the book was a Sherlock Holmes book. It was really neat and my boyfriend and I were the FTF(first to find) when it got published. :3
We have a TON of old encyclopedias my husband wants to donate. This is a fabulous idea!!! You did a great job and I think I'd go a step further and paint the outside of the book and ink it a little making it look like a shabby chic table side book. I have an etsy shop and I think I'd sell a smaller book for $20. That's alot of work! Bottom line..LOVED IT!
Lindsey, you inspire me. I feel like you are an “old” friend! When I see you have a project that am looking
to craft, what a relief to find your tutorial! Thank you for your love of sharing your crafting!
I read one Article that had instructions on how to make these, and they included pictures. One cool thing that I liked is that a certain type of material was placed inside the storage area, sort of like the fabric you'd find inside of a Jewelry Box (don't know what that's called) but it's usually a deep, Green color, and looks pretty close to, maybe, a suede? but I can tell it's a slightly different texture.
I thought it was cool because it gives it a completed look. Here, you have this ordinary book, but then you open it, and it magically turns into this hi-quality safe-box with smooth interiors.
Thanks for sharing! I needed an actual "visual" to be able to understand how this was done. *wink*
+Ink Pen it was probably flock, good idea!
I was thinking felt
Ink Pen I think it’s velvet (the fabric)
Ink Pen -Baize, green, like pool table cloth.
I would pay 10-15.00. I really enjoy listening to you even if your doing the same thing multiple times. I would rather listen than be paused. Those who don't want to listen can skip ahead. Thank you so much for all your videos!
In 2022 these would go for an ounce of gold…give or take a gram
i would suggest you sell for $7-$10 for empty but have a few clear wrapped in a basket with goodies.I like the idea about coffee or tea and a maybe truffles or cookies. You could add bookmarks and notecards too.That way people could see the potential of a bigger gift that included the book safe. I think it would draw a lot of attention. Good luck!
This is like the best way to conceal your phone while playing on it in class with out suspecting teachers
Zednought Gamma hahaha:)
Good idea
+Zednought Gamma B)
Cool!That's a good idea!!!
yea
4real!
I really like this! You explain everything so well, and I like that you are doing it for the library! :)
All these people complaining about "waste of a book" need to stfu lmao I love to read and love books but seriously ...it's a book
yes, and it was on the way to the dumpster because it was a readers digest abridged book and no one wanted it, thanks for understanding:)
+thefrugalcrafter Lindsay Weirich no prob seems these days you can't do anything without someone getting offended or upset lol and thx for the video imma be doing this later to an old book I never liked
jacob hanson
Thanks for the demo...I have 2 done just in time for Xmas. They are going to my grand daughters for Xmas!
Half-Price Books always has a dumpster full of books. They may send them to a recycling facility but it burns me to see books tossed. Not every book still has value. Books can be given new life by creative actions.
Thanks for the video! My 11 year old bought some books from our library for this exact reason. This video is the best explained one I have seen.
love these, here in Southern Maine our community is middle income mostly, we asked 5.00 donation and people who wanted to give more did and those who only could afford the 5.00 got the opportunity to purchase. We had some creators who wanted to alter and fancy up the spine, inside there were words of inspiration in the pockets, kind of an open book treasure box, and we have some that lined the inside with plastic and planted small succulent gardens in them and of course the book lays open lol TFS.
May I as where in Southern Maine you are? I'm in Brunswick!
shapleigh
Our library now has a display of "altered books".. It is my favorite display of the year.. It is amazing to see how different each book is and the direction the artist takes their book. I tried to make a book safe and I think I ran into the problem of the exacto knife. I am going to try it again.. We have the little Free libraries in our community.. You can put one in your yard.. I donate my time to go around town straightening books and as much as I hate to sometimes I have to take out the dudes that really need to hit the trash can.
Nice demo. I might try clamping the pages to be cut as well. Same thought as your hubby ... we gotta use those clamps for something ... we did say they would come in handy remember?
$10 for a plain book, $18for two, and $25 for three. Encourage multiple sales as gift items.
Ann L. great idea!
@@thefrugalcrafter I know this is a few years later, but I would pay $20 for one book. Thanks for the great tutorial. I'm going to make one.
I was looking on Amazon for some of these but found this video and did it for free!❤❤
Loved doing this with my kids❤(and yes we made a mess)
How to make a book safe. My first thought as I scrolled by? I didn't know books were dangerous.
I saw a quiz asking,"Which of this is a weapon?" They showed stuff like a gun, a knife, a rope, and some old hardcover books. The books LOOKED the most innocent, but even before the answer was revealed, I thought,"The books could be a weapon because you can knock someone out with it." The answer was something like,"The books are actually the most dangerous weapon in here! They then showed that the books were actually being used as both a gun and a knife safe!😱😳
very late, but had to tell you that it made a big grin appear, thanks
Great Tutorial. I like your enthusiasm. Great job!!!
Super cute idea! I also thought it would be cute to insert and glue a bookmark inside, maybe one with a tassel on the end of it. I hope your fundraiser went well. 😊 Love your videos!
I enjoy all your videos...you explain everything so well! I'm definitely going to make a few. Great gift idea. Thanks much
Going to try some of these tonight while I'm watching TV I believe my Granddaughters will love it to hide their stash cash....love this video, as I love all of your video's...BTW I joined I'm curious the other night and used your name and did get backa $5.00 credit, and also made a beautiful lariat necklace for my daughter, and a pair of earrings...the two sister's are great teachers...thanks for the referral! !!!
Crafty Grandma you are welcome. They are so pleasant to listen too and easy to follow! Thanks for mentioning my name too!
I made exactly the same thing 25 years ago to hide my weed, (I got lots of books) A few of my friends wanted me to make one for them. I tried selling them but they took a while to make and it just wasn't worthwhile. I used to run a market stall selling all sorts of stuff. I marketed them as "hide your passport, wallet, jewellery etc from burglars" So as not to attract police attention. (The Fuzz were pretty heavy back then.) I even lined some of mine with felt so they looked better. I sold a few but it was never going to be a money spinner as they took too long to make. Still a really good idea for books that would have been thrown away though. It's good to see someone else with the same idea, y'know what they say "Great minds think alike." All the best Lindsay.....Jared
I would pay $10 if I knew it was going to the library.
But most likely $5 would sell more.
You might be able to find a rectangular container at the dollar store that would fit into the book to give
added value to the book safe. I made a video showing how to make can safes on my channel, it is easy if you have a side cut can opener.
You could also fill the inside with plastic worms and sell them as bookworms as a gag gift or take a thin book and cut out a recess for a Kindle, you would need a Dremel to make a recess slot to operate the buttons, I might even do that one myself.
Thanks for making and sharing.
making book safes is a royal pain dremels dont really work well for it . Guess how I know and I was using a tungsten carbide cutting wheel . it made a hell of a mess knife is best
I am so glad you have finally brought up this little talked about scourge in our society.... the "unsafe" book. I saw your video title and I was thrilled to see someone FINALLY bring this up in a public wife forum.
Gotta run... I have to watch the video after all ;D
Nice books and idea for the library !
For the price I would say 5 to 10$ just to be on the safe side. Maybe using Elmer's glue would be cheaper too ?
You can actually make Modge Podge using Elmers Glue and water.
This is great for us in nonenglish speaking countries, because store bought book safes have English covers on them, making it really stand out
So fun!! Making these for grand nieces and nephews... spikes the imagination 😊
I love this idea I think it's a great use for old books but I'd probably pay $5-10 for one depending on the book size maybe even $15 I hope you raise a lot for your library though!
I've seen videos of this before but yours was very clear and entertaining
Yes
I would easily pay $10 for one of these at my local library. This is a great idea! We, too, have a wonderful "free" public county library. My mom tells me that when I was in first grade, I told her I was a good reader, so I didn't need to go to school anymore. In my life, it's a toss up - crafting or reading a book! (Although I must admit, cutting up any book gives me the chills, LOL)
Hey Lindsay... on Etsy, they go for $14.00 to $60.00, depending on how fancy they are!!
Hectanooga1 - Crochet, Knitting, Jewelry, Crafts, Cooking I will have to see how they made them:) Thanks Emi!
Heck no
I love your channel! Any time I'm looking up something crafty or arty, you've got me covered!!! 🖤🖤🖤
Love this - I'd say $10-15. It IS a fundraiser. I just did a quick google on book safes and they sell from $10-35, with the lower price being SteinMart. So the value is there. Can't wait to hear how this goes. I might have missed our library's booksale this year - I'm suffering the indignity of having fall off a chair (while crafting - leaned too far to pick up something off the floor) and, believe it or not, I broke my back! Crafting isn't for sissies!! ;-)
Cindy Matthews on no! I hope you are on the mend Cindy!
thefrugalcrafter Lindsay Weirich I'm actually doing really well - it'll be three weeks Thursday and the really nasty pain is gone. It only really aches when I've been up too long or if I twist without thinking.
Thanks for the tutorial. I am going to make one of these for a couples' wedding shower prize, and you gave me the great idea of getting the book to do it at our local library's ongoing book sale! Great fundraiser idea, BTW
Great idea for a fundraiser. Minimum $10 and max $20. If decorated on the outside, easily $20 and up. Even though they are supposed to look like old books and hide valuables, people would pay for a decorative book to have on top of a pile of old books, either on their book shelf or on a coffee table, dresser shelf, vanity table even, etc.
You should save the top page cut out and mod pudge it to the bottom of the hole. I think it would be awesome to be able to continue reading the page
Thats a pretty cool idea.
AdelMyBell fun idea!
AdelMyBell nice idea
Now that's great thinking right there! Thanks!
Love this craft..thanks so much for sharing 💕👍
and sorry I have to say it...to the snarky negative troll, now trolls, that are intentionally giving 'thumbs down' on all the vids, STOP it!! I would think it is probably the one that Lindsay called out (even tho she didnt name her name) and maybe she got a friend to help...grow up and get a real life; and stop hurting others that are giving the time and knowledge freely and willingly to ALL with no intentions of hurting anyone, that is Lindsay in a nutshell! go away petty little trolls! :P (sorry guys, been holding my tongue for awhile on this now. Lindsay, you can remove this comment if you so choose to do so. it just irks to tar out of me!
How do you know how many thumbs down have been clicked? It only shows the number of likes.
I think its a great fundraising idea to incorporate the books to the library. Since its basedon a donation, it defeats the purpose of putting a price on it. For donation, $5-$7 is an inexpensive donation most people (asmyself) would be willing to donate. If you were having some sort of craft bizarre and wanted to make that a focal craft specifying the funds go towards your local Library, I would say $10-$20. Awesome idea!!
omg I was dying to make one of these I am soo glad you dont need to do hard work. Thank you sooo much you are the best!
if you have any rare earth magnets and some washers you ca notch out a space in the outer edge for the magnet and for a washer place them in the notches and seal them in place so that when its standing up it wont come open from what ever you put in there pressing on it and youll know it wont just let the stuff slip out
I am an AVID reader and book lover. However, books that are going to just get thrown out should be re-purposed and reused and this is a fine way to do just that. At least it is still being used and is useful. If deep enough it can also be used for a small potted plant just be sure to waterproof it with polyurethane....just in case. How about a picture popped inside?Paint the cut edges a co-coordinating color and coat with a bit of poly. Lay a small ribbon underneath pic to pull on if you want to change the pic and you can even cut a piece of clear plastic just a bit bigger to place over the pic. Price? Depending on where you are 10 to 15 dollars.
nice ideas!
I would definitely pay for one of those! keep going! Great idea and great job! :D
The first time I saw this idea was on the Aleene's craft show. I did one and glued the back pages then the sides and let it dry. That made it easier to cut the pages. I love this idea! Thanks for the reminder!
OMG I watched that show of years. I can honestly say you are the first person I have "met" that did as well.
I loved her show and now her Daughters have a youtube channel. Cool2Craft I'm sure you will remember them.
Jeanie Gregory I will try that!
Jeanie Gregory I remember the Aleens show on Cable, I did not know cool2craft are her daughters!
Love this idea. Making a couple for Christmas. Thanks for sharing.
I love this as an idea to raise money for the library!
Didnt see this but did one and looked after for some ideas. Good to know i did pretty good. Taking the hint about the non glued pages. Thanks
I hate the guys who hit the unlike button. At least on this one... Love this idea 💡
Great idea, I would pay $10.00 for one and consider it a donation to help the library. Good luck.
Great video! God bless you and yours!
Great idea and so easy. Thank you.
I'd say $5 but use Elmer's glue then you could make and sell more because Mod Podge is pricey and I think a lot of people are on a budget these days and don't have a lot of extra money.
Fabulous ..another idea for me to try ..you really do inspire Thankyou ✨
Love this video, as I love all your videos! Without embellishing the books I think 5 dollar would be enough. This way you can sell more. Good idea to sell the books and give a altering books class afterwards. :)
$15- $20 is good price if you do it again
there was a art store by a by my old house and a library right across the street from it. they sold privent art in the store and i found some book safes in the shop, some were really expensive!!! 30 bucks for a really big book, but normal ones were 10-20 bucks this is a good idea.
really cool, might make one for my mom for Christmas :)
10$ is a good price, I wish I had a Xtra thick book t preform the transformation😃
Thanks for the share MS Lindsay ❣️
i think this is wonderful idea to reuse old books , i think that $ 10. 00 would be a fair price for one of theses . great video
I like the idea of minimum $5 donation - that way if they wanted to give more they could but those that couldn't would still be able to donate and get a book safe!! Excellent work!!!
Melody Brewer that is a good idea!
Wow! This is awesome! Depending on the style and size of the book, I would pay anywhere from $15 (small-ish book) to $60 (bigger book). I would also pay more for a smaller book if it looked fancier (like a pretty design on the outside).
Thank you so much. Very helpful tutorial!
$10 ! For sure. BEAUTIFUL IDEA!!! thank you for sharing
I'm a librarian at a public library and oh gosh, I would worry about doing too many of these. I feel like people would complain that we ruined books, even if they're innocuous thanks that don't/didn't sell at the friends of the library sales. I may be way off though. Did you do this? How did it go?
I'd say around $8-$15 if you make larger and smaller ones- but for that size I'd pay around $10
That's exactly what I thought.
defenderofreality I agree because it takes a lot of work to make them
Awesome I never seen that before....🤗
Great idea for a fund raiser!!:)
I work at a Library and I this this is a fantastic idea! TFS!
Loly Borda I hope you try it!
What about a silent auction and they could go to the top bidders depending on how many people bid and how many books there are! Have a minimum bid of $15 or so....patti
***** We have loads of them Patti! I love the ideas of Christmas gifts, what afun way to give some cash too! These days it is hard to buy a useful gift, esp around here when people need to buy heating oil. And since the Readers Digest condensed book do not sell as book I think we can make some $$ for the library:)
Yes I too was horrified that books were being ruined. HOWEVER I loved the idea. So when I went to St. Vincent Depaul store I found some great hard cover books that the information was so outdated that the books were worthless. I snagged them up and used them. With the internet now days almost anything can be searched and found. But I think the best to use is very old medical books and encyclopedias or dictionaries. 5.00 to 8.00 is about right, that gives the buyer some room to be generous and donate more.
Great idea!
Thanks so much, I really have a fun project to build now!
AWESOME!!!!!!! I am going to make one!!! Mod Podge Rocks!!!!!
Other great idea Lindsay! Thank you for sharing!!! Hugs Liz x
book saves usually sale for about $15- $25 dollars I got mine from amazon and it was free shipping and it was $15.35c. but some do skyrocket to $25 dollars or more..
This is so funny, because I bought a Readers Digest book just like this today from the thrift store to make one of these :D They look pretty decent on a shelf, but no one actually reads them! Perfect to hide treasures in.
Perfect!
Love your channel 😍
It would not be hidden now that folks see this video. LOL. But very interesting. Thanks for sharing. Enjoy your videos. Marie
Thank you for the tips! 😀
No problem!!
Sell them for a few dollars beyond the price of a pound of coffee beans, and include the bag of beans within the safe. I'd buy one and so would the other coffee hounds in my family. :)
angelhelp cool idea but I don't think a pound of coffee would fit in there...
A small bag of jelly beans or candy might fit
thefrugalcrafter Lindsay Weirich
How about some of your jewelry that you make? Maybe a few pairs of earrings or an earring/necklace set could go in there, or a small package of tea. I'm not sure I'd try selling it as a book safe per se, more like selling jewelry (or whatever, if anything, you put in there) in a unique gift box. Label it as a "stash" for a favorite goodie.
I'd pay $20. Great things to have. I would need a book that I would actually own so it would not stand out though so keep that in mind too. : ) Though with all the books we have I don't know if any would stick out. : ) Thank for showing this easy way to make a book safe.
+felinekj $20 US dollars that is.
I agree $5-$10, great idea and love your uses for the pages removed!
I really loved your idea I am going to try to make it
I like the alternation you made to the book but, to be completely honest I wouldn't pay more than $5. I would pay more ($15 or more) if the interior had a finished box(or sides; perhaps made of chipboard) within the cutout and magnets as a closure to keep the book closed.
purplemav magnets are a good idea!
Nice idea 💡!
Awesome idea!
This is awesome~ I just made one with chipboard and a box~
thanks
~Stacy Nicolle
Lindsay, I've seen safe-books in catalogs for $20.00 and up. I think people should be willing to pay at least $25.00 for charity. I see that you posted this video last year, but this could be an annual fund raising event. I enjoyed your video.--Lila
great tutorial
Hey Lindsay, is it compulsory that it needs to be a hardbook? coz i dont have the permission to use a hardbook
Is there a critical limit to how thin one can make the remaining page margins/walls can be? Perhaps gluing first would stabilize the pages before cutting the hole out, at least most of the pages. Possibly place wax paper between pages at intervals slightly shallower than the length of the blade would stabilize the spine and pages in relation to each other to eliminate parallax but allow one to cut in section only as deep as the length of the blade so that it stays perpendicular to the pages to give a straight wall. Perhaps a sheet of wax paper or construction paper set in between the pages as a signal that the correct depth has been reached for the back/bottom of the hole might be helpful.
Cool idea! ♥♥
Great projects
The good thing about this video "IS" that you are trying to race money for the library
You CAN Put Small MAGNETS Inside The Book To Hold The Book CLOSED
Also The Compartment Inside Should Be BIGGER And It Can Be Stiffened Inside By Using • Wood Glue With Saw Dust Mixed In • or • Cardboard From Cereal Box • or • A Hot Glue Gun • or • A Mixture Of All These Things
love the magnet idea!
AnyOne0101 great idea with the magnets
For fund raiser at a library, I'd pay anywhere from $10-$20. Great tutorial! :)
BEST VIDEO EVER
I have always loved these...even as a child. I would think that as far as pricing, it would depend on the area. Where we live, people tend to give more when they are free to 'donate' according to their heart and conscious., but think $10 would be be okay here, too.
i would say 15 considering the book too
thank u so much u are so cool and so creative
Finally a good use for book's
Ben Shenton--Maybe if you used a book for its intended purpose, you'd know that you shouldn't use the possessive apostrophe (i.e. it's books, not book's).
line the middle of the area you cut open with velvet material but glue down a peace of old cereal box for the bottom, them you could sell them for the amount you want. get the color of velvet that kinda matches the book cover