Arts & Crafts 101 - How to Make a Secret Compartment Book

Creating a secret compartment book takes some time, but creates a wonderfully inconspicuous place to hide keys, jewelry, or other items you want to keep safe and secret.

I've made a few secret compartment books in my time. They're a good way to secretly stash money or jewelry, and they were a good way to hide other things I didn't want being discovered by prying eyes. It takes some time to make one, but they're well worth the effort.

What you'll need:
Hardcover book, utility knife, glue stick, white glue , ruler

Instructions:

First off, be sure the book is something that won't look out of place in your home. If all you have are new horror novels and there's one musty book of classic poetry, it's going to stand out. Pick something that will blend with other books you own. You don't have to spend a lot of the book though, feel free to pick one up used at a yard sale or online auction. If it won't look out of place in your room, you can try looking for a hardcover diary that has a hasp on it. These are great because you can actually latch and even lock your items inside.

The next step is to begin cutting the opening where your items will hide. Measure in at least ½ inch from each edge and mark out a square. Use your utility knife to begin cutting the center out of the pages. You can usually go through several pages at a time, but be careful not to try too many at once. Flip cut pages out of the way and continue through the book. Leave about 10-20 pages in the back uncut. Be careful to keep the holes lined up all the way through the book.

Once you've got your holes cut, it's time to start gluing pages. Start from the back, gluing the last page to the back cover with your glue stick. Continue gluing the pages down until they're all attached to each other. Don't glue the front cover down. Be sure to run the glue stick around the outer portion of each page, as well as around the hole. Try not to get any glue on the edges of the pages.

Once all of the pages are glued, use your finger or a popsicle stick to smooth white glue on the edges of the inner hole. This will keep the pages from ruffling up and catching on your convents. If you want, you can cut and glue some thin fabric inside the hole to pad whatever you put inside.

Once you've got the interior taken care of, let the book dry with the cover open, at least overnight. Make sure there is no wet or tacky glue anywhere on the book before you close it. After the glue is totally dry, you can start using the book as a storage spot!