The Tree that Started it All
February 4, 2012
“All the world’s a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances,
And one man in his time plays many parts.”
Shakespeare’s As You Like It holds one of his most memorable quotes, and certainly one of my favorites. I even used this quote for a typography project for class (the before and afters of kerning, see below). Today, however, I’ve decided that As You Like It, though a fantastic play, would look better as a tree. Let me explain.
When I returned home for break this past Christmas, sitting on the mantle was an adorable book page tree, like the ones you see here. My mother had seen the post at this fabulous website here (and it has excellent instructions).Thrilled, I asked the how’s/why’s/what’s. This project, this folded book, spurred the idea of this senior thesis project. So, thanks Mom, for doing one little craft that would lead me to do 40 more.
The book on the left is actually a National Geographic, so that you can see what a book with colors looks like. The one in the middle is my Shakespearean masterpiece, and the one on the right is Isla de Luz, a Spanish book that I had to read during Intermediate Spanish II that I’ll probably never read again.
Why make one when you can make three?
Folded Book Page Tree
- Materials needed: A Book. And, thankfully, in this case that’s all unless you want to accessorize.
- Time it took: I’d say 20min per 100 pages. So, all these books took me about 1hr30mins.
- Things I learned the hard way: Don’t get lazy and start half-folding your pages. If they’re not creased crisply, then the thicker books will start to get their pages bundled up in the middle.
How did I do it?
I’ve decided to show, not tell. Illustration time!
Folding Pages 101
Accessorizing!
If you’re not a fan of how the books look alone, then why not try adding a few accessories to spice things up? I added a star to the national geographic, glitter to the Spanish book, and a snowflake ornament to Shakespeare. I’m sure there are several ways to truly style these to make them stand out from all your decor.
A Blog of Books 
February 4, 2012 at 3:23 am
Very cool, I’ll have to have book trees next year.