How to make your own Otesha book cover!

Step 1: Cut old cardboard (cereal boxes work great!) into two matching rectangles that are 9" x 6".

Step 2: Cut up an old sheet or t-shirt into two rectangles to 11" x 8".

Step 3: Glue the material to the cardboard (putting glue only around the edges of the material), wrapping around the corners (Elmer's glue is vegan and quite good).

Step 4: Hole punch the covers to match the sheets inside.

Step 5: Bind the whole thing with two 1" binder rings (or 3/4" rings if you have 'em), elastic bands, yarn or ribbon through the holes.

Step 6: Cut a piece of paper in half and glue the used side down on the inside of the covers to cover the edges of the material and the cereal box.

Step 7: Draw a funky design on the inside cover, register your book with book crossing (www.BookCrossing.com), read it, add to it, and then release it!

** If you want to make a plain journal, the process is the same - except take re-used paper, make sure that the blank side is facing outwards, and fold it in half, then punch two holes in the margins to match the cover holes. Voila!

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