Halloween Spellbook

Every witch is in need of a spellbook - and this witch is no different!  Ever since I first laid eyes on Winifred Sanderson's spellbook, I've been begging for one of my own {without having to sell my soul to the devil}.  I've seen a lot of tutorials on how to make a creepy spellbook across the internet, but how about giving a little function to these tomes?

Get this - it doubles as a scrapbook!  Truth be told, I'm not a very dedicated, consistent or talented scrapbooker, but I do like preserving my memories with the least amount of effort possible.  {Laaaazy crafter!}

I introduce to you the Evans Spellbook.  It's creepy - it's spooky - it's awesome!  Here's how I did it:

I purchased an old dictionary off of Etsy.  I actually scoured eBay and similar sites to find the best price and a book that fit what I was looking for.  I wanted an older dictionary because of the embossed cover and they typically don't have the alphabetical tabs along the outside.  This dictionary is from the 1940s and about 8" x 10", 3" thick.  Perfect for my lasting spellbook!

I purchased these wood pieces at Michaels with the intent of decorating the cover.

Of course, I wanted everything to black, but I didn't want it to be perfect or shiny.

I used basic acrylic craft paint to turn everything black.  You can use different types of paint to change the look of your book.

Hot glue does the trick to adhere the wood to the cover.

A two inch wide orange ribbon makes the perfect bookmark.  Stand the book up, opening slightly to bend the spin, and use hot glue to adhere ribbon.

A little snipping with scissors and sealing with a ligher completes the creepy look.

My intent was to keep this as a scrapbook of our Halloween's from year to year that could eventually be passed to our future kids.  I also wanted to have a place to hold all the really cute and cool Halloween images I find online that I can't find a place for in my other decorations.  It turned out beautifully.  Take a look inside.  {Please don't judge my awful scrapbooking.}

I created a cover in Microsoft Powerpoint and printed with a parchment background.

I created a few prompts so we can capture fun tidbits of Halloween memories from year to year.  You can find the printable below.

You will find prompts for what Halloween costumes were worn that year, what were your favorite costumes you saw, and what you carved.

Etsy is full of awesome printables that I've been dying to buy and use.  The Chocolate Rabbit is one of my favorite shops - they produce amazing stuff.  Check out their shop here.

A dictionary is the perfect book to use because you get all these great words that work with Halloween.  I googled "Halloween Words" and found lists upon lists.  I spent about an hour going through the book decorating pages and highlighting words.  It was surprisingly fun!  Plus, it's always good to brush up on your dictionary skills.

And of course, there's always the super cute signs I find on Pinterest that... if I framed them all, would FILL my house every Halloween.  This is a good way to wrangle them.

Additionally, the spellbook is home to some retired paper Halloween decorations.  Things I wanted to keep from my childhood but no longer belong in the decorations boxes.  I'm so happy they have a home now.

We absolutely love this spellbook and will look forward to pulling it out every year.  I hope you will make one and love it too.

Halloween Spellbook Scrapbooking Prompts