recycle books into art

Got some books waiting to be given away or sold? Why not use them as an art medium? The "altered book" is a form of mixing medias that change the book from its original appearance or meaning into something completely different. What is so fun about this is you can use anything... paint,  pictures, magazine clippings, glitter, ribbon, rocks, shells, stickers. Glue pages together to make them thicker, make them thick enough and you can cut out pages to make little shelves or hidden compartments. Add your own writing or use the words in the book itself to enhance your own idea. The possibilities are endless and not expensive to express yourself. Here is one of the few I have made, this is made from a Jane Austen book (I have two of this one).