Karen's secret vices - altered book box and recipe book

Another swap. one I started and wish I hadn't as it seems like it's never going to finish.

I am playing catch up for a couple of people who made but have not received, one of whom is Karen (again). This swap was to make something, anything, to celebrate one or more of someone's secret little vices. It was inspired by a swap on craftster, although I can't find the link now.

Anyway, here is my take on Karen's - spending her time watching Tour de France and hot men in cycling shorts, rather than being a domestic goddess. So I made her a recipe book...

... with a twist!

Some of the pages have pockets with a recipe card on one side and a pic of her favourite cyclist on the other. So now, she can drool over hot men in lycra shorts whilst pretending to be a domestic goddess! The recipes are all taken from a vintage cookbook I ripped up, and I have never tried any of them so who knows what they are like. Some of the recipes in the book are for things like brains on toast so I am unsure about it to say the least. I have played it safe (ish) though, and just included cake and biccies in Karen's book.

But I wasn't done yet. I know that Karen likes old anatomy books, so I found a cheap book box (no before photos but trust me, it was not pretty) and altered it to try and make it look like an old, gnarly anatomy type book. Lots of scrunched up tissue paper, gel medium, distress inks and heat embossed grungepaper bits, along with a metal word pin and a vintage illustration.

I'm quite pleased with how the spine worked out, with a plastic flat backed skeleton glued onto the original box before it was covered, so that the shape of it stands out. Nicely tactile.

I also made a false bottom to the box, so she can hide more secret stuff in there if she wants. The recipe book fits in the box, all nice and kentucky.

Hope you like it Karen.