Quilled Initial Book Frame

Sorry I've been MIA--my only creation as of late has been a 29 page law review article discussing whether or not autistic students have a right to bring service animals into the classroom.  The thing is finally done, which is pretty exciting since it is one of my last graduation requirements.  May cannot come soon enough!

I made this a few weeks ago, but it was a gift for a friend, and I didn't want to risk ruining the surprise, so I waited until I gave it to her to post about it.  I was trying to come up with a cute but cost effective birthday gift for my friend Jenny.  I had been thinking about doing some quilled projects.  I saw them here and some other places that I apparently didn't bookmark.  I also have seen some really cute book projects around lately, and when I put the two together, I got this:

I went to the dollar store and got a frame and a book.  The frame was in pretty good shape and not ugly, but one corner was a bit funky.  I took a flower punch and punched out a whole bunch (I think like 12-15 per flower) of flowers from the book.  I stuck them in the middle with a brad and smushed them up into flowers.  I affixed them to the frame with hot glue. 

Then I took a whole page of the book and traced a J on it.  It was just some random book, so I tried to pick a page that seemed interesting and a little deep.  I kind of wish I had gotten a good book from the thrift store or Half Price Books instead, but oh well.  I actually made two of them because the first time, too much of my tracing was showing.  It is important that you cover your lines pretty exactly.

To to the J, I cut thin strips of scrapbook paper.  Mine are about a quarter of an inch, I think, and it wasn't quite cardstock but it was heavier than normal paper.  I put a thin layer of modge podge over the lines of the J and carefully and slowly glued it down.  I was surprised at how well the modge podge held the paper and that I didn't have to hold it in place very long.  After I got the outline done, I cut some shorter strips and curled them around a pencil and filled the J. 

Once I got the hang of it, it really wasn't that hard at all.  This one is pretty simple, but I'm thinking of doing some for Christmas that are more ornate.  I love how easy it is to personalize!