Christmas Carol

I reorganized my handmade related folders today and found the folder of this project I made two years ago as a gift. It is no more than a 3D box in a fake book cover. I gave it to a colleague of mine on the company's Xmas party, so the money I had to spend on it was limited. Therefore buying an old or antique book was out of question, so I bought a simple file folder we use in the office and created the fake cover.

The fabric was a simple marble patterned linen, for the spine I used cardboard stripes and leather. I had a terrible looking leftover bright yellow leather what I painted with wood stain (walnut and chestnut) and then varnished it unevenly to get this worn look.

I covered the inner side with an antique looking paper what I aged with some coffee:

As weight was a critical point, I covered the room with stained balsa wood. The armchair was made with the same method as the spine: I cut it from plywood, upholstered with leather and then aged it with varnish. It is a very easy method to create a worn and old looking leather item. Here are some close-ups:



Before varnishing:



After varnishing:

We talk about Scrooge, so the room is sparsely furnished, dark and cold:



Scrooge's dinner is porridge and sour rye bread with water. He doesn't finished the bookkeeping, the unfinished ledgers are still on the desk with a black quill and we see two candlesticks on the table too with some bottles of ink. The leaded glass window is covered with a pretty old lace curtain and an ugly brown curtain, to keep the cold outside.

I used real cobwebs in the corners and around the window:

As an extra gift I printed out a 100 year old Hungarian translation of the Christmas Carol, aged every single page with coffee (I used 90 gram/m2 paper and not completely blended nescafé, which gave better effect) I used a silk ribbon instead of traditional bookbinding and an old handmade lace to bind together the box and the printed book)

She was very happy with it and as she has two little sons, she has to open it every evening and show to her boys.

See you soon,

Orsi