Last year I had a great planner that read on its cover “Keep Calm and Carry On.” Many-a-day I would look at that cover, take a deep breath, and feel more focused on the tasks before me. That little quote that was a motivational poster during WWII in Britain helped me through my everyday life. I realize that being a college student is nothing compared to being in a war, but sometimes the stress level was too much for me. 
This little planner saved me from nights of staying up late from fear of not passing college. It kept me thinking positive, and made me realize that if I did or not get this degree, I would find a way to live.
To say the least, this little planner holds a lot of my hope from that year. So when the New Year came and I had to transition into a new agenda, I could not get rid of it. I kept it on my bookshelf, and gave myself every excuse I could as to why I needed to keep it. Then, this past week, I realized that since it was a hardcover planner it could be transformed into a secret compartment book. Throughout the week I have been working off and on this craft project between class work. (Unfortunately I forgot to take pictures through my process. Sorry!)
Materials:
- Hardcover book
- Scalpel
- Box Cutter
- Mod Podge and paintbrush
How I Did It (and how you shouldn’t…I’ll explain in “What I Learned” section….)
- Cut out the hole needed to make a secret compartment. First use the scalpel, then transition to the box cutter.
- Paint Mod Podge on the book pages on the outside and let it dry. Make sure to separate the front cover from the rest of the book with a piece of paper so that the book doesn’t dry together.
- Put a heavy object on top of it for a bit.
- Paint Mod Podge on the inner sides of the hole in the book. Again, let it dry for a bit.
What I Learned:
- I did not realize at the time that it would be easier to do Step 2 before Step 1. This makes it to where you are not as likely to cut yourself while making this secret compartment book. I did not cut myself, thankfully, while making this.
- Also, if you do Step 2 before Step 1 the inside cuts will look better and more clean.
- This project is better for larger books, since you can hide more stuff into them than a little planner.
Where would it be cool to have a secret compartment? I think having one in your desk could be neat.
ArtsyRobotz 