How to Make Miniature Books with Mini Book Pages DIY

Learn how to make miniature books with real pages in this simple tutorial.

Just a few supplies are needed to make 1:12 scale dollhouse books; great for a mini book shelf, a book tracker, jewelry and more!

Turn your favorite reads into the cutest tiny mini books, great for the most adorable hand-made gifts!

I love these little miniature Golden Books!

I loved The Little Red Caboose when I was little, so it was fun to recreate this in 1:12 dollhouse scale miniature.

Tiny books are just the cutest!

BOOK COVERS

You'll need covers of each book you will make, if you don't have photoshop or software to scale them down, search for mini book covers and the title you are looking for.

I found all of my book covers online, the easiest way is to find miniature book covers, the Harry Potter book series is easy to find as tiny book covers.

They are super easy to find, with the front cover and the back covers plus the spine included.

This makes tiny book making super easy--I've got brief descriptions of each step as well as a quick video!

SUPPLIES NEEDED FOR MINIATURE BOOKS WITH REAL PAGES:

affiliate links

• Book Cover Photos
• Photo Paper
• Printer (any color inkjet)
• Mod Podge (or a Glue Stick)
• Paintbrush
• Old Book (with thick margins)
• Cutting Mat
• Hobby Craft Knife
• Metal Ruler (optional)
• Paper Cutter
• Razor Knife or Serrated Kitchen Knife
• Detail Scissors

I found this book at the thrift store. (don't worry, I saved the text pages for another craft)

Find a glue bound book with wide margins, and you'll be able to make real page books, with blank paper as the inner pages. (If it has some text, that still works too!)

Step 1: Book Covers

Begin by finding the book covers you desire.

Then print the off on photo paper, I found that my printer made a much more detailed print with the semi-gloss photo paper rather than plain paper or even card stock.

Then use a paper cutter or scissors to carefully cut all the tiny cover pictures.

I used detail scissors to cut them out as perfectly as I could.

MINIATURE HARRY POTTER SERIES BOOKS

Let's get started making books from these little Harry Potter book covers.

I've got all 7 covers cut out, and look at them carefully, they have the front cover on the back cover--flipped upside down.

This way no matter which way the book is turned, it will be right side up.

First fold along the edges of the book so it has a front cover, spine and back cover, it just needs 2 folds, sometimes a metal ruler helps, but I just did it with my fingers.

My thrifted book has big, wide margins, so the inside pages of our mini books are completely blank pages.

This isn't critical, but it's a fun feature of these little books, or you could make little useable journals that someone could write or draw a little bit in the tiny page of your mini book.

Step 2: Book Pages

Measure the spine of the book you are making first, typically I found a few books the same thickness, so it worked really well.

Remove the cover of your thrifted book and pull out a section big enough for your miniature book spine.

Use a razor knife, serrated kitchen knife or even a hacksaw blade to cut the glue edge of the book spine to the desired thickness.

Step 3: Mod Podge

Now get the Mod Podge ready and a paintbrush, just get a little Mod Podge on your brush so you don't have a lot of excess glue.

Paint Mod Podge on the inside of the front cover, down the inside of the spine, and the inside of the back cover of the book.

Then wrap the book around the spine of the thrifted book spine.

Let the book dry completely before moving on to the next step.

Continue filling the spine of the book with all the miniature book covers that fit the width of the spine.

(You can also cut a larger section of your book and start gluing wider books to the spine of that section.)

Make sure you don't get Mod Podge on your fingers, having grubby hands can ruin the photo paper...but it's the right paper for the effect.

Continue filling the spine of the book with a couple of mini-books or more.

When you make a mini diy book, you always want to make more...that's the favourite part!

See how I have a bunch of mini books lined up on the spine!?

You can set a heavy book on top of them while they dry to keep the glue down firmly.

Step 4: Cutting Book Pages

After the glue dries, the next step is to cut around the book covers carefully with a hobby knife on top of the cutting mat.

You can use a metal ruler to make sure your cuts are straight, or just gently cut along side the photo paper cover and just cut a piece of paper or 2 at a time.

Once you've cut around all 3 edges of your book cover, it's done!

Your little book is ready to adorn a dollhouse, turn into earrings, add to a jar or ornament for a book reading tracker.

Now make a bunch more--get ready for an overload of books!

My page edges are a little rough on this mini book...I don't need nice things! Lol

Take your time cutting the papers, use a ruler or a guide for much cleaner edges than me.

It's easy to trim up the edges after they are cut by standing the book up and cutting down the book block.

The best kind of craft is one that doesn't take up so much space on the always-too-cluttered table and these mini books are just the perfect thing!

MINIATURE CHILDREN BOOKS

I used the same process for these little golden books.

They only needed a couple of papers inside them, since they just have one center fold.

After cutting the children's book cover papers, fold them in half.

I use the Matte Mod Podge.

Just paint the Mod Podge on the inside of the children's book covers.

Place them over a thin section of paper...I think they only have 4 papers inside each one.

Use the hobby knife to cut them out after the glue dries.

These books are much easier to cut out because of the few pages.

Super simple, one smooth cut around the three edges is all it takes.

I ended up using all the spine area of my thrifted book to make all these little miniature books.

Now you can just admire these teensy little finished books!

Here's an idea- give a collection of children's books to a child with a little dollhouse!

If you have the full children's books, read one at the end of every day and let your child read the little one to their doll.

Here's the Harry Potter series collection of mini books!

They are so much fun!

Here's the full set between my fingers.

I love their tiny size. 

I built a small bookshelf to house all my miniature books.

Maybe you know a different way to make miniature books, but this was the easiest way I've ever found to make darling little books that look real with real pages.

You can make a miniature version of all the books you read last year to keep as a book reading tracker.

You can put these inside a clear fillable ornament, in a little jar or some other fun way to display them.

Which of these fun little books is your favorite!?

I can imagine a little miniature display of these spooky books, potions and jars of frogs!

I made these little Dr. Seuss books too, they have a cover that wraps around the front pages.

They didn't work out quite as well as I was hoping, I think the photo paper is too thick.

They are still cute though!

That's it!

Turn all your favorite books into miniature books with real book pages!

This fun and simple DIY is great for a reading book tracker, 1:12 scale dollhouse bookshelf or just for fun.

Like, Pin and Save!

Check out these other fun posts too!

How to Make Mini Charcuterie Dollhouse Dessert Board

Learn how to make the most adorable miniature charcuterie dessert boards.

These cute mini's are perfect for a dollhouse at 1:12 scale.

They also make the most darling earrings, magnets, ornaments or just shelf decor.

How to Make a Tear-off Notepad with Mod Podge DIY

Make your own tear off notepads to keep lists, memos and to-do's organized using paper, Mod Podge, clamps or binder clips and scrap cardboard!

I always have several notepads on my desk for checklists and notes. I have the worst memory these days, so notepads are crucial. 

Yes, sometimes I use my phone, but I have a very visual memory and can remember things better if I physically write it down. 

What about you? Do you use tear-off notepads?

Let's get crafting and make notepads!

How to Laser Engrave Journals DIY with xTool S1!

Learn how easy it is to make a laser engraved journal or notebook with xTool laser cutting machine,  use different patterns or make a bunch the same.

Every time I do a laser cutting project it becomes my absolute favorite--and this is no exception, I totally love these faux leather engraved journals!

Engraving on journals is so fast, just minutes, and makes a gorgeous handmade gift, sweet gratitude journal, branded business merchandise or custom swag.

Cereal Box Refillable Journals Upcycled Craft DIY!

Make a cereal box refillable journal for the perfect Earth Day crafting! 

These cute notebooks are perfect and can be refilled with any kind of paper you like and fit full-size book pages folded in half. 

Turn a cereal box or other old packaging into a refillable notebook for sketching, drawing and note taking. 

Refillable Leather Journal DIY

Make a chic refillable leather journal out of Cricut Leather and a few other supplies. 

This shimmery metallic leather journal has paper folded in half inside, held tightly by elastic, making it refillable as needed.

You can also fill your journal with any type of paper, not just plain pages!