DIY Miniature Discworld Library!
Because quite a few of you have expressed the mighty need to have your own miniature Altoids tin Discworld Library, I am posting my templates and a link to the tutorial I used. Be aware, this will be a looooong post! There are more steps/instruction posted below the templates, along with the link to the video tutorial I used, so make sure you read through the entire post. Have fun making your tiny libraries!
Step 1: Gather your supplies!
You will need:
A large Altoids mint tin, cardstock, copy paper, a glue stick, an X-acto/craft knife, jumbo popsicle/craft sticks, a brown or dark tan alcohol art marker (or any brown marker), brown cardstock (or construction paper), a metal ruler (or a regular one if that is all you have), a pair of scissors.
Step 2: Measure and Cut
Measure the width of the inside you your tin, and use the craft/x-acto knife to cut your jumbo popsicle sticks to the length you need (you will need to make several cuts to get through the wood). Use the ruler as a guide to help you make a straight cut in the wood. Next, measure the depth of the tin and cut your 'shelf' to match so it will fit.
If you want to line the inside of the tin with popsicle sticks, measure the longest sides from the points just before where it starts to curve, and repeat for the top and bottom sides. To line the curved corners, cut a short length of craft stick(I did not get any measurements. I just eyeballed it and cut, desperately hoping they would fit) and score it in three to four equal sections. Do not cut all the way through. You are creating a simple (and fragile) joint. Gently bend the stick to curve it and press it into the corner. If it doesn't fit, carefully pull it back out and trim the ends.
Use the marker to stain the 'shelves' (and side, corner, and top pieces, if you choose the all wood option). Trace your tin onto the brown cardstock/craft paper/construction paper and cut out the 'back' of the book shelf. Use your marker to draw woodgrain patterns on the paper.
If you are lining the sides with paper, measure the depth of the tin, and cut a strip of paper from your brown cardstock/craft paper/construction paper. Don't worry if it is too long. You can trim it to fit later.
Step 3: Print and cut out the following images and templates (they should print out as a full page size)
Book Cover Images:
Book Cover Guides: (These will be glued to the back of the covers and serve as a guide on where to score for folding)
Book pages: (There are 9 pages. Make sure you print all of them!)
Finally, the scene for the lid! You should only need three total for the 3D scene, but if you are like me, you will probably mess one or two up, so I put in some extras! Decide which parts of the scene you would like to use for the background, middle ground, and foreground, then use your craft knife to remove the parts you don't need from the fore and middle ground.
Step 4: Go to We Love Miniatures on YouTube, and watch the tutorial. It will walk you through how to assemble the books.
Step 5: Assembly of 3D Scene:
Use small strips of paper folded in half, then in half again, as spacers to glue between your scene pieces. You will have to experiment with the size and length of the strips as I didn't get any measurements as I put my scene together.
Step 6: Assembling bookcase/shelves:
If you are using paper to line the sides, take the paper strip liner you cut earlier and glue the strip all the way around the inside edges, trimming the end if necessary. Next glue your shelf back to the back of the tin.
If you are using craft sticks to line the sides, glue your self back in first, then place your wood liners. If you cut the shelves to the right width, you should not need glue as they should just snap in place with the slight lip on the tin holding them in.
Next place your shelves in. They should fit snug, but not make the sides of the tin bulge out. If they do, just trim the edges a little. If they are too loose, you will have to make new ones. Do not feel bad if this happens. I had to cut three sets of shelves before I got them to fit properly!
You can glue the library scene to inside of the lid, though be aware that you will not be able to close the lid without damaging the scene.
If anyone has any questions, please feel free to reblog with you question, or shoot me a message. Now we can all meet in L-Space!
