Making a BoS from Scratch: At What Cost?

Yeah, there are a lot of tutorials out there on how to make your own book of shadows, particularly from scratch, however, the problem with that is that they don't tell you how much this is going to cost.

Most people who want a book of shadows want one that's aged, antique looking and go online to find one, only to see prices averaging $500. Who has the money for that, especially for a book they can only write once in...and if you make a mistake, you're royally screwed (you can't white-out on parchment...far to noticeable)

Here are a couple of examples of really nice books...look at the price they want for them:

-Lapulia Book of Shadows
-Brahms Bookworks (Witch's Book of Shadows)

Now, please, DO NOT get me wrong, I'm not putting down these businesses and their products. They use quality materials and take LOTS of time to make them...hence the expensive price tag. However...for a mere fraction of the price, YOU can make your own book (plus, you'll probably appreciate it more). I'll give you an example of my own books (now I'll give rough estimates here, actual prices have * beside them and are before taxes).

For my extremely large "Ouroboros" Book of Shadows:
-Glue - School glue: $1.00*, Superglue: $1.00
-"Leather": (I used brown vinyl) $19.99*
-Cardboard Project board: $4.00
-Paper Towel tube: $2.00*
-String: Free*
-Paper: $0.25* for 200 sheet pack (hunting for bargains never hurts)

Essentially this was all I needed. I have scissors, rulers and pens which you also need to make a book, but all in all, to make this book, cost me a rough total of $28.50!

That's an EXTREME price difference for my book. Now, I'll make some recommendations after this "trial and error".
1) The Cover Board:
Not Recommended: I used a corrugated cardboard. I won't recommend anyone use cardboard for their book. It warps when wet from the glue. If you DO use a cardboard, make sure it's not corrugated (the kind with the ribs...you know, the standard for shipping?)

Do Recommend: Flat artists canvas board. It's a MUCH stronger cardboard...almost like bookmakers board. It won't warp because it's designed to handle moisture (from paint). Most people can get them from dollar stores (I can get this from "Dollarama" here in Canada in sizes ranging from 6x9, 8x10, and 9x12). I used this type of board for my "Practical Magic" book and it cost me a grand total of about $1.00 for a pack of 2!

2) "Leather"
I used vinyl I bought from Walmart (they don't sell it anymore and I'm VERY upset about it). However, try looking at fabric stores. Not only can you find vinyl, you can probably also find suede, actual leather (though much more in price), or desirable cloth. Again, this should save you some money.

You can also try visiting furniture stores and asking if they have leather swatches for discontinued furniture OR visit furniture repair stores and asking if they have leftover material they no longer want or need. You can probably get this for free or a small fee.

3) String
I used string to make ribs on the spine of my book. This is not a necessary step, and is merely for esthetics. However, if you want to make ribs on your spine, you can use any type of thick cord you can find...even twine. Dollar stores generally carry twine and/or thick cord in hardware sections. Again...you'll most likely pay $1.00 for it.

4) Paper Towel Tube
We all have paper towels in our home. When the roll is empty we usually throw the tube away. IF...you go to use a paper towel roll, some recommendations. 1) make sure the roll is fairly thick. Thin roll tubes may make for a flimsy spine. Or 2) double up on the rolls by gluing them together to create a much stronger spine (be sure to let them dry first before use and use lots of school glue).

Now, I can hear some saying "No...not all of us have paper towels in our homes". Ok...well to be fair, you don't HAVE to use paper towel rolls. That's just if you want a rounded spine. Not all books have rounded spines, and you can use a thin piece of the un-recommended corrugated cardboard I mentioned above. Because this is going on your spine, it's ok to use, as there's a higher chance you're going to use superglue on it...and it won't warp as much as it would if you were to use it on the cover because it's surrounded by material and other cardboard...there's no way for it to warp.

5) Paper:
Don't get caught up in using parchment! Yeah...parchment looks nicer, looks more antique, and is ALSO much more expensive. You can create the same kind of effect using copy paper and coffee. Save the money and use regular "Hilroy" lined paper or copy paper.

$29.00 for a $500-looking book. Now what's the better bargain?
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**Update**
Note, all products shown here BELONG to their prospective proprietors and creators. No item shown from here down belongs to me. Please see their prospective shops for more information or to purchase.


During a bored search I found something that made me confused...along the same topic here. I was perusing around Etsy, looking at their books of shadows...perhaps for ideas, perhaps thinking of a purchase...I don't know. But, along what I had said above...why charge so much for something that really doesn't take that much to make...it confuses me. Here are a couple of examples.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/92521342/small-handmade-blank-leather-bound?ref=sr_gallery_4&ga_search_query=Practical+magic+book+of+shadows&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_type=handmade

If you click on the link above, you will see that this Book of Shadows (which is beautiful, by the way, very good job to the creator), it is being sold on Etsy for 324.92 pounds (I can't make the pound symbol) which equals to about $522.10. I can only assume that this book is made with standard book boards and stationary from either their local store, or online.

Now...here's the clincher...and the part that confuses me.
If you click on the link below...this book, which is MUCH bigger than the book above and is made with cotton pages (which is probably more to make or purchase than buying paper from a supplier), is a mere fraction of the price!

http://www.etsy.com/listing/99091423/large-customize-fat-book-of-shadow

This book (also very well made, by the way) is only $54.75! That's a difference of $467.35.

So what went in book #1 that didn't go into book #2? There are far more pages in book #2, and it appears to have handmade cotton pages. I don't understand the price difference.