Money Stash | Hollow Book Safe With Secret Compartment

Princess Diana - September 21, 2015 - $20 or Less, Birthday, Christmas, Congratulations, Gifts for Him, Going Away, Graduation, Housewarming, Kids, Money

It’s so much fun to give a gift inside a gift!

Hollow Books Safes look like ordinary hard cover books until you open them. Surprise! The book contains a secret compartment where you can place a small-sized item, such as CASH!

I call this gift the Money Stash. They’ll enjoy the money and they can use the book to hide any valuables or secret possessions in plain sight!

(Ahem. It’s also great for hiding a stash of candy you don’t want anyone else to eat.)

You can create your own or puchase a Hollow Book Safe from Amazon.com or Etsy.com. Some of them even come with keys!

If you’re into DIY, I’ve created step-by-step instructions for making your own Hollow Book Safe.

HOW TO MAKE A HOLLOW BOOK SAFE

You will need the following items:

hard-cover book
clear plastic wrap (Saran Wrap)
Mod Podge
brush
pencil
ruler (a metal ruler works best)
utility knife (with a very sharp blade)
drill

Instructions:

Decide what pages at the beginning of the book you don’t want to cut out and make hollow. I would leave 5-10 pages just so the book still look like a real book in case someone happens to open it. Hold those pages next to the front cover of the book and cover it all with clear plastic wrap. Doing this will make sure those pages don’t get glued together in the next step.
Brush Mod Podge on the three edges of the book. This will glue the pages together that are not protected by the clear plastic wrap. Don’t worry, although the Mod Podge is white, it will dry clear. When you’re done, rinse your brush with water.
Place a heavy item on top of the book and let it dry for 30 minutes. You want even pressure so make sure the heavy item covers the entire book.
Open the book to the first page not covered by clear plastic wrap (the first glued page). Take a pencil and draw a half inch border on all sides so that you end up with a rectangular box. This is the area that you will cut out.
TIP: You can cut out any shape you want as long as it’s smaller. Make sure it’s a shape with straight lines.
Drill a 1/8 inch hole (or slightly bigger) in each corner of the rectangular box to the depth you want your secret compartment to be. (I suggest drilling 3/4 of the way through your glued pages.) Drilling through the corners makes cutting the corners easier. Remember to drill slowly so you don’t accidentally drill though your entire book!
Use your ruler and utility knife to cut along the rectangular box you drew. Make your cuts as straight up and down as possible. Take your time on this part so that your edges are smooth and even and only cut three or four pages at a time. Remove the pages and any bits and pieces of paper as you go.
WARNING: Because you want to take your time to make sure your lines are straight, this step can take a while. It took me almost an hour.
When you are finished cutting out the pages, brush Mod Podge on the bottom and inside edges of the hole you just created. Then brush a second coat of Mod Podge on the three outside edges of the book.
Brush a thin coat of Mod Podge on the very top page of your hole. Take out one page from underneath your clear plastic wrap and close the book. Once again, place a heavy item on top of the book and let it dry for 30 more minutes. Doing this step will make the first glued page look pretty and smooth.
Open the book and neatly cut out the glued page a half inch from the border so that the hole is visible again.
Let the book dry open with the hole exposed for a few hours until it is completely dry. Place cash in the secret compartment, and it’s ready for you give this unique money gift!