Hand Painted Wall Hanging

My latest project came when searching for fun bookshelf ideas.  I stumbled across a Hand Painted Wall Hanging at Karen's Whimsy that is so fun and unique!  Though I don't know if I re-created her piece in the same manner in which she created hers, I think I did a fairly good job for a first timer with limited supplies.

Tutorial:

1. Find an old book that is just collecting dust (if you cherish all your beloved readings - surely a hardcover book can be found at your local thrift store for CHEAP).
2. Tear 1-2 pages out from the book.  I suggest tearing from two separate areas to eliminate a gap in pages.
3. Find the center of the book and pull one page up from left and right (DO NOT tear out - just separate them from the rest of the book).  Weigh down either sides of the book with a heavy object, ensuring that the hardcover is flat against your working surface.
4. I used Mod Podge - Matte to paint around the sides of the pages in order to seal them together.  I used two layers - another will be used later.
5. While waiting for the Mod Podge to dry, I cut strips of paper from the pages I tore out (1/2 inch width). 
6. Acrylic ink would work best for this project, but since I didn't have any on hand - I simply mixed acrylic paint half and half with water.  Brush the color mixtures of the front and the back of your strips.  The amount of times you wish to paint them is dependent on how prominent you want the color to be.  I only used one coat on most of my strips.
7. By now, the Mod Podge should be dry.
8. Creating an acrylic mixture, once again, but with white.  Brush this mix over the top of the reserved paper and along the sides.  I placed a piece of computer paper between my reserve paper and the sealed pages to prevent them from possibly sticking during the painting process.  (since the pages are wet - they are more susceptible to tearing.)  I also taped off the visible portion of the hardcover - but found this to be unnecessary because any paint that bled underneath the tape was easily removable with a baby wipe.  For this portion I did two layers along the edges and two across the top of the pages.  However, the pages of my book were cream in color - if you're using a book with white pages...only one coat may be needed. Once the paint is dry, center where your first weave will start and where the last one will end.  My 'design area' was 5 inches with my strips being 1/2" wide with the same distance between.  Depending on the size of the book, this will vary.  
9. Mark off with a ruler where you will need to cut with an exacto blade.  Upon marking cut areas, place a piece of cardboard behind the reserve paper and use and exacto knife to cut your slits.
10. Weave each strip of paper through your slits being careful not to tear the slits.  It can be tricky, I recommend starting with the weaves closest to the binding.
11. Once all your weaves are in place, use a brush and paint color of your choice (I used chocolate brown) to put a small dot in the center of each square. 
12. When the paint is dry, go over the entire project once again with one coat of Mod Podge.
13. I wanted to use picture hangers to display this piece on my wall, but found that I didn't have any.  However, I did have a piece of thick cardboard the right size to fit across the back (thanks to a case of Bud Light) and some picture wire.  I simply nailed a hole into the left and right upper sides of the cardboard and wrapped some wire through the holes.  I then used Gorilla Glue to bind the cardboard to the back of the book (making sure there was cardboard on both sides to help ensure the piece would lie flat).  After a few hours of having heavy objects placed on top - it was ready to go!