I found a set of old encyclopedias for this project in a flea market shop while I was visiting friends in Minnesota.
The finished set of shops on a shelf.
The shops with the lights turned on.
Another view of the shop exteriors.
Looking through the window of the seamstress shop.
The interior of her shop.
The exterior of the Give Thanks Café and Bakery.
Interior of the café.
The lawyer’s office.
Interior of the office.
Stack of the encyclopedias.
The covers of the books protected with plastic wrap from the glue used to seal the ends of the pages.
Books were hollowed out with a bandsaw, leaving intact the two opposite end covers of each room set. I used 7 or 8 books for each room. Leaving whole one cover at each end of the set gives you access to the interior of the rooms from either end. For these rooms, I then lined the interior walls with mat board and made a floor out of Gatorfoam Board (it is constructed with a center of foam core sandwiched between two veneers of wood). As I made more of these book boxes, I found it much easier to build a box separate from the books, finish it, then insert it to the hollowed-out books.
Windows and doors were cut into each set of books after they were glued together and hollowed out to form rooms. They were trimmed out, and the rooms were lined with mat board.
To light the rooms, I used a candelabra light in a socket attached to a cord that could be plugged directly into a wall outlet. I was worried about heat buildup in the boxes from the bulbs, when left on for long periods, but that worry dissolved when I found LED bulbs later, that didn’t get hot. I now use LED type lighting whenever possible.
The rooms were finished after lining them with mat board, and building a floor. This is the café interior. I “papered” the walls with cloth. I added a purchased door after painting it.
This is the lawyer’s office interior before furnishings were installed. I used cloth to cover the walls and made the door and the window, and the trim.
I purchased the window and the door for the seamstress shop. This is the furnished shop.
The inside of the café and bakery.
Furnished Interior of the lawyer's office.
View of the lawyer's office through the window.
