$15 - $20 (based on 2023 prices)
Makes one book
In 2023, I was commissioned by a local theater to serve as a consultant and prop builder for their production of The Haunting of Hill House, which was based on Shirley Jackson’s novel. Being a fan of the books since I was a teenager, I jumped at the opportunity and spent several months creating a collection of items to decorate both the house depicted on the stage and the cemetery created in the lobby to greet patrons before they entered the theater. For this prop, I returned to Dr. Frankenstein’s journal which I created for 2020’s haunt and, learning from the mistakes I made, refined the process to fashion Hugh Crane’s book read by Theodora during the production.
- One sheet of cardboard (at least 18” x 24”)
- One hot glue gun and glue sticks
- Two sheets of white tissue paper (20” x 20” per sheet)
- One 4 oz. bottle of decoupage medium
- One 2 oz. bottle of acrylic paint in flat black*
- One 2 oz. bottle of acrylic paint in flat brown*
- One 2 oz. bottle of acrylic paint in flat white*
- One 8 oz. can of oil-based interior wood stain in red chestnut*
- Four sheets of brown cardstock
- Two Halloween-themed paper napkins
- At least four tablespoons of dark roasted coffee grounds
- One pan large enough to soak the cardstock and copy paper
- Fourteen sheets of copy paper with the book’s content printed on them
- One 4 oz. bottle of all-purpose tacky glue*
- One 0.3 fluid ounce bottle of red food coloring*
- One 4 oz. bottle of clear, all-purpose tacky glue gel*
- One fourteen-inch section of ribbon
- One to two yards of gray thread
2. Sketch a skull onto the section that will be the front cover of the book. This design was selected by the play’s director, but you can utilize something different to cater the prop to your haunt’s needs (for instance, a spiderweb or bats).
3. Use a hot glue gun to build up layers on top of the design. This will work best if you move in stages, applying a layer of glue and allowing it to cool before applying another. Because the skull needed to be visible to the audience, I made it fairly thick; however, you can make it thinner for a subtle effect.
4. Tear the tissue paper into small sections and roll them into tight balls. You want to create as many wrinkles as possible. Then, working in sections, apply a layer of decoupage medium to the cardboard and then a piece of tissue paper. Leave their edges loose during this step, since it will help to fashion creases during step five.
5. Once the entire cover is coated with tissue paper, apply a second layer of decoupage medium to fully adhere the paper to the cardboard. During this step, you will want to ensure there are plenty of wrinkles to give the leather texture. Also, fold the excess paper over the covers’ edges and glue it down for a cleaner appearance.
6. After the decoupage medium has dried, apply an even coat of white paint to the covers. This will give them a uniform base coat to cover any writing on the cardboard and prevent it from showing through on the leather.
7. Once the white paint dries, give the covers three washes of brown paint followed by a wash of black. You may want to test the consistency prior to doing this: the more water you add, the fainter/lighter the wash; the less water you add, the deeper/darker the wash.
8. To give the leather fuller depth, paint the covers with the wood stain, applying a small amount to a paper towel or sponge and patting it onto the surfaces. I used red chestnut for a deep mahogany hue, but you can use brown or gray based on your chosen aesthetic.
9. Coat two sheets of cardstock with the decoupage medium and cover their surfaces with the Halloween-themed napkins, pressing them as smooth as possible to prevent any wrinkles. As with the skull on the front cover, the napkin’s pattern was selected by the director, so feel free to use an alternate design for your version.
10. Boil roughly twelve cups of water and add the coffee. The longer you allow the coffee to brew, the darker the stain will become. Likewise, greater amounts of coffee will produce a richer stain. Since I wanted uneven spots rather than a unified discoloration, I placed the cardstock on a baking sheet, splashed coffee and grounds onto the surface, allowed the liquid to sit for a few minutes, and then moved them to a large space to dry.
11. Position the cardstock on the inside of the covers, leaving a half-inch border along three of the four sides, and glue them in place. You want the cardstock to rest flush against the side which will become the spine.
12. Repeat the process in step ten for the copy paper and remaining cardstock, working with a few sheets at a time. Although this process took a while, it provided an interesting aging effect that greatly enhanced the prop.
13. In a plastic container (because the food coloring will stain, use something disposable or that you won’t mind dying), pour in your desired amount of clear glue gel and slowly add red food coloring to the solution until it achieves the sanguine hue you desire. To give the blood further density, add blue food coloring and mix well.
14. Use the blood glue and a paint brush to write a message on the last page of the book. This was a scripted detail the direct requested, so you can skip this and the previous step if you do not want this in your prop.
16. Utilizing the process in step ten, coffee stain the ribbon and attach it to the upper left-hand corner of the book to serve as a bookmark. As with the skull and napkins, the cross pattern was selected by the director, so feel free to pick whatever design you want.
17. Glue both halves of the book together and then use the gray thread to haphazardly bind the folios. As you do so, refrain from tying them too tight, since this will prevent the book from opening. This entire step is meant to be purely aesthetic and add to the book’s aged look.
18. Attach the covers to the folios. To make the book easier to open, align the edges of the covers with the spin.
19. Because many of the features in the prop aligned with the details in the script and the director’s vision, feel free to cherry pick what aspects you want, from the contents of the tomb to the pattern on the cover.
*You will not use the entire bottle’s content for this project.
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