It was with excitement and trepidation that I began the construction of my Book Nook Kit which was a Christmas present from my husband. As a novice to crafting I started cautiously but quickly fell in love with the creating the book store, the quiet concentration just perfect for losing myself … and finding utter peace!
Peruse instructions
Snap out parts, click into place
Glue edges, fold card
Repeat for 27 steps, until at last.
The enticing light
beckons eager new readers
An awed hush descends.
Finally, Lessons Learned:
- Read instructions carefully and with diligence. Early on I missed a step and that resulted in the top of the violin breaking away. Not an issue as I could glue it back on but I did reel in my enthusiasm a bit and stopped it racing away with me!
- Be gentle but firm with snapping out the individual parts and equally so when clicking them all into place.
- When gluing use the edge of eg. a cut up old credit card to apply a very thin layer of glue. None of this lavishing it on from childhood days! Delicate and restrained is key!
- Use a sharp edge such as a ruler to help achieve sharp edges on the concertinaed books.
- Patience … and relish the sensation of losing myself in such a project!
- Believe in myself — I can and did do this!
- I love these type of craft kits and can’t wait to start the next one!
(PS. My next one just arrived and one I couldn’t resist since I’m a huge fan of ‘Friends’ – a coffee house kit that immediately reminded me of their Central Perk haunt!)
Annika Perry 
This is so cute!
So true and one wishes almost that it was real! 😀
Oh this is SO delightful!! Annika. the little light makes it look like an actual cozy bookshop you’d want to duck into on a rainy afternoon. Also you lessons learned made me laugh, the credit card glue tip is genuinely useful.
Ritish, I’m glad to have passed on a tip and it’s one I found extremely useful. I totally agree that the bookshop looks so inviting and love the image of popping in during a rainstorm. This is actually something I’ve done in real life on many occasions albeit the bookshops were not quite so cosy. The light here makes all the difference! Many thanks for your lovely comment.
Yea Annika, that is honestly one of life’s best accidental pleasures. Hope you’re having a great day!
What a joy to read this. Your whole journey from cautious beginner to completely absorbed creator feels so warm and relatable. I love how you captured that quiet meditative rhythm of snapping pieces together and watching the little world come alive. Your lessons learned are so thoughtful too and honestly make me want to try a kit myself. And that Friends inspired coffee house sounds like the perfect next adventure.
Thank you so much for your wonderful and philosophical comment – I love how you follow my journey of this build, seeing beyond the actual physical creation! Enjoy trying your own own kit … and only later did I realise this was a level one difficulty rating so I definitely wouldn’t have wanted to start with a trickier one! 😀
Building a cute little bookshop like this would soothe just about anyone’s soul, and the final product looks adorable. When the lights are turned on and all the small details are illuminated, it creates an almost realistic-looking cosy book shop. Thanks for sharing, and have a good day 🙂 Aiva xx
Aiva,bless you for your beautiful comment. 🙏 I love how the little bookshop has won its way into your heart as well and yes, incredible soothing and soulful. I was chuffed when the little light worked so well and it is incredibly welcoming – one just longs to enter, I agree! Have you seen such cosy bookshops on your travels? I went to a big one in a city at the weekend – wonderful to be surrounded by so many books across its four floors but I couldn’t help thinking of this little snug one! 😀
Thanks so much for your wonderful reply 🙂 I have seen many, many cosy bookshops on my travels. Whenever I travel, I try to visit as many bookshops as I can. Last autumn, I went to Edinburgh and devoted all my time in the city to just exploring bookshops. It wasn’t an easy task given that the city has well over 20 bookshops, many of them with multiple storeys and additional cafes, special events and readings galore. I managed to visit 12.
Oh, I love Edinburgh and wow, what a wonderful trawl through bookshops! Their cafes are a very welcome break. 😀📚
As well as beautiful views. Waterstones bookshop cafe on Princes Street in Edinburgh has one of the most magical views of Edinburgh Castle.
Ooh, it’s tiny. Amazing how you put it together. It’s beautiful.
Smitha, I too was surprised how small it was and at first it would be very delicate – thankfully not and sturdy once everything clicked into place. It’s been great fun putting together and I like putting the light on and imagining myself in there! 😀
Oh wow!😃
I love your bookstore, Annika! It’s magical! Thank you for inviting us in! Hugs! 💖
Bless, thank you, Lauren and lovely you took a look inside! It’s so inviting! I was in a big four floor bookstore over the weekend and loved being there but did think of the magical cosy atmosphere of this little one! 😀❤️
I love this!
Thank you, Jennie- it does look special! 😀
It really does! You’re welcome, Annika.
Always welcome dear Annika 🙏🙏
Love, love this! ❤
Thank you so much! 🙏❤️
So enchanting! I absolutely love it! 🙂
That’s wonderful, Linda! 😀 Would you be tempted to make one yourself?
Maybe!
An enchanting little sanctuary you’ve created, Annika. I like the way you moved from apprehension to suddenly finding yourself within this new world: patience, a light touch, careful attention, and belief… a good set of advice anytime. I’m looking forward to seeing your Central Perk-inspired coffee house come to life, another place I could lose myself in for hours.
Randall, thank you so much for your thoughtful and philosophical comment. 🙏Yes, it was an emotional and internal journey for me and one that can definitely be extrapolated to life itself. I love that you see this as a sanctuary – it has such a tranquil and peaceful atmosphere. Bookshops exude(d) such harmony and it’s been special to create this miniature version. Oh, the coffee shop will be exciting to create – especially as it has a floor which pulls to extend out! I’m expecting lots tension with this one! 😀 Once ready, I’ll be ready to take a seat and relax there – even if just in my imagination.
I’m a bit on the clumsy side so I’d probably break more than the violin, but I love your enthusiasm and you’ve done a great job of putting it together. It’s very believable as a bookstore. Enjoy making the next one! xx
Jo, thank you so much! 🙏 My expectations of my abilities to make this were extremely low but I couldn’t let it sit untouched and the bookstore tempted me so. After the first break I learnt to be very careful – although it was a fine balance of gentle and firm to click everything in place. I’m glad you like the little bookstore, a lovely old-worldly charm to it. Sadly bookshops are becoming a rarity these day. Yes, I’m looking forward to the next one although with trepidation once again as a difficulty four rating instead of just one of the bookstore! 😀
Absoulely wonderful and fabulous. It looks like an authentic book store where people would love to come and read books, Annika. So glad to be a part of your bookstore.
Thank you so much, Kamal and glad you are taken with it! Now, wouldn’t it be wonderful if it really existed and the blogging friends could all meet up here and browse away! 😀
Your Book Nook Kit reminded me of the raised beds I put together to put our tomato and pepper plants in. They had a lot more parts and a lot more steps to put together than you would expect. Anyway, it looks great. Congratulations! 🏆🏆🏆
Thomas, your planter sounds an intricate work and even more special to make something that will actually be used at home. Haha! It is amazing how many parts are involved – as a result you appreciate it even more! It really is a matter of not rushing and to take one’s time, I learnt. Many thanks for your lovely comment.
Thank you so much Annika
How splendid, Annika! Patience indeed…Thanks for letting us be part of it. Hugs !
Teagan, it’s a joy to share here and thank you so much! Hugs xx
It really is the most extraordinary thing. 🤗
Oh, this is absolutely wonderful Annika. So gorgeous and very special, to relish the satisfaction of putting it all together yourself. Well done. And it does look like a fairy tale house. Enjoy. Now for the coffee house!! 😊 xx
Miriam, thank you so much and I love the enchanted design of bookstore and now I long to visit somewhere like that in real life! 😀 It felt great to try something new and I couldn’t believe how wonderfully relaxing (between the trickiest of issues) it was to concentrate wholly on the build, soothing to lose myself in those hours, letting everything else slip away. I’m looking forward to the coffee house but again a sense of trepidation as I just realised the difficulty rating has quadrupled from one to four! Yikes! 😀 hugs xx 😊
You’ll be absolutely fine Annika, I’m sure. More of a chance to lose yourself in the moment again. Enjoy! Hugs back Xx
Your bookstore looks like a fairy tale house! It is quite captivating, Annika. I love your gift.
Awww … yes, the fairy tale quality is magical and enticing – how could one resist to enter and browse away!, Thank you so much, Balroop!
Very cool! I would be very proud of that. Were you into models as a kid?
Pete, not at all! My brother built a lot of kits and I would look on in awe at his creations which included boats with engines and a glider that flew all the way down the moors into the town – never to be seen again! This was a first for me – but definitely not the last! 😀
Looks like you’ve got someone who knows how to gift. What a lovely idea!
So true! 😀 Admittedly we’d seen these in a shop during the summer where I’d admired them but decided there was no way I would ever complete it! Glad my husband remembered and had more faith in me!
These Book Nook Craft Kits are brand-new to me. I love the end result of your book store. After reading your cautionary notes, I can see that I wouldn’t have the patience needed to attempt one myself.
They are becoming popular over here and I’ve seen quite a few in the shops.I was cautious myself and doubted I would compete it but it proved addictive in the best of ways. The combination of its delicate nature yet quite tough, especially to click into place, was tricky at times, though.
I love your enthusiasm and your finished product. Way to go!
Thank you so much, Anne! I surprised myself by how wrapped up I became in the kit and I was so excited and chuffed with each new completed step! 😀
You beautiful pictures made the Bookstore look like a big one, Annika! I loved looking at every detail and I felt like going into a real antique bookstore. How wonderful you could lose yourself in it to put it together. Your tips are great. I can’t wait to see your next craft project.
Thank you so much, Miriam and I too love its wonderful enchanting nature. Does make one wish it was real so we could just lose ourselves in there for a few hours! 😀😀 The detail of the fittings really surprised me, some minute and I had to be very careful but they help build up the whole feel of the bookstore. I’m glad the tips were of interest and I was looking online for some advice before I started to make it but only really found some YouTube videos – which made me even more daunted! Hence I made note of some ideas along the way! 😀
Good to hear you like to read instructions, Annika! 🙂 🙂
What a lovely gift and hurrah for lessons learned. You did a great job!
Thank you so much, Jan and I love this gift! I love learning and think one should never stop! This one provided a lot of lessons – in so many ways and not just for this creation!
You and Peggy are 100% in agreement when it comes to putting together such projects, Annika. May I say masterpieces? Grin. Your bookstore is beautiful! Our grandson Ethan gave Peggy a lego Hobbit House/village made in China for Christmas. I swear I lost her for a week. It featured Bilbo’s birthday party and who knows how many pieces it has. A lot.
Curt, I love how Peggy & I are in sync with our latest projects. The Hobbit House / Village sounds adorable and based on one of my most loved books! No wonder she became hooked with it and what an inspired gift! I hope it has pride of place in your home. Oh yes, I like the sound of our masterpieces! 😀😀 As for pieces, these kits have 100s of them and some so tiny I was forever in fear of losing a critical one. The coffee house one I’m going to start soon has double the amount of pieces and is difficulty rating 4 while the first one was only 1, so I’m daunted all over again! 😀 Will Peggy be trying a new kit soon? Are there any more Hobbit related ones?
Yes, the hobbit house has a prominent display, Annika. And like yours, it had a multitude of small parts. Many were flowers. Peggy loved it. I don’t think she could pass it without sitting down to put in a few more parts.
Noting that you are now into a second one, did yours come in a series? I could see Peggy doing more.
Awww … I love the idea of making lots of flowers! And I can relate to just doing one small part … and then an hour has flown by! 😀 Your question had me scurrying to their website and I see this book nook is part of of series of four but of course I’ve bought the first of another series! An excuse to complete both sets over the years? 😀😀
Now Peggy wants to see the picture. So I just jumped back to your post. She said to tell you she loves it. 8 should keep you out of mischief! 😀
That’s a lovely project, Annika. Well done. 😊
Thank you so much, Lynette! It’s been a joy to complete this!
It looks adorable Annika, and the perfect antidote to our busy lives.
Brad, exactly! I hadn’t expected to lose myself so much in the project and it felt incredibly relaxing and soothing to leave the busyness and problems behind in my utter concentration. So glad you like it! 😀
My pleasure. 😊
A captivating project! Sounds like it required a great deal of patience to assemble it!
Cheryl, you’re right about the patience and I’m not renowned for this hence my concern! 😀 However, it was so engaging I soon learnt to slow down and be patient! 😀
Your bookstore is gorgeous!
Thank you so much – it has a wonderful welcoming aura, I feel!
You did an excellent job. I’m sure you had hours of enjoyment. Have fun with the next project!
I did indeed and it definitely gave me lots of joy on those wet grey January days! Can’t wait to start the Coffee Shop build! 😀
This is such a cute bookstore, Annika. What’s the height of the store? It looks delicate.
The lessons learnt are for life😊
Smitha, it’s quite small standing at seven inches / 17 centimetres high and at first when completed I handled it very gingerly but thankfully is more robust than I expected so was moving it around the house to find the best display space. I love you how you feel the lessons learned apply to life and I heartily agree!
What an undertaking! Is that in your writing room/nook? or somewhere in the main house?
Jacqui, fortunately this is a miniature book nook created from a kit! It’s currently on display on the piano at home and measures 7 cm / 7” high. Now, if it was real bookshop you’d have trouble getting me out of it!😀
It looks very cozy and inviting, Annika. Good for you! And thanks for the tips.
Audrey, it is a dream of a bookshop – one can just imagine losing oneself for hours here! I’m glad you liked the tips – I found myself looking around for ideas online and on youtube before starting out but still came across new ideas myself.
It’s so inviting I want to sit in there myself. Can we make it bigger for me? 😉
Haha! Lori, wouldn’t that be lovely! Or, we could use one of those magic machines and temporarily miniaturise ourselves for a quick visit? 😀
Ha. Believe me, I thought about that, too. 😁
WOW.. This is lovely. Well done !! XXXX
Shey, thank you so much! It was so much fun! xx
I’ve seen similar for sale but thought I bet that when that is built it looks nothing like the pic but hey….. Now you’ve shown me now beautiful this is I have reconsidered! It is the kind of fun hing I love.
I hope you do give it a go, Shey. Like you, I’d seen them about but always wondered what the finished item would look like. To be honest, I’m surprised how great it is, especially since the photo on the cover of the box definitely doesn’t do it justice!
Oh I am going to do that Annika. I’ve put off long enough. xxx
Also I’ve a granddaughter who is owl bats!!
How lovely! Does that involve lots of visits to aviaries/ zoos etc? Hope she’s had a chance for a close encounter with one! 😊
She is only 7 but yes she has been able to have one perch on her wrist. She is just crazy re them. She has a ton of soft toys and they all have huge backstories. Of course we call them wowls cos my oldest grandson when he was wee called them that.
I love everything about that bookstore you have built!
Awww … thank you so much, Alethea! 😀 I know it’s supposed to nestle between the books but I’ve placed it for display on the piano!
It deserves to be on display!
Alethea, thank you and I must admit I tried it in various places between the books as intended but then placed it pride of place on the white piano! 😀 The family were most impressed when visiting for my mother’s birthday party.
🙂
This is lovely! And thank you for providing your lessons learned, as this is something I have been eyeing for some time!
Thank you so much, Rus and I can definitely recommend them. This was a single star rating of difficulty, the next one is four so that’s quite a leap! I’ll see how I get on!