Novel lovers and art-fanatics gathered together in Secret Nook, a local Coffee shop and bookstore, to bedazzle book covers to their hearts content on Sept. 13.

Only two months away from celebrating its one year anniversary, Secret Nook has put on a total of three book bedazzling events since its opening in Nov. 2024.

Renee Birchfield, one of the owners of Secret Nook, said “They’re popular, people keep enjoying them [book bedazzling]. They’re a lot of fun to have people come together and they get to hang out and make their books all sparkly.”

Birchfield said that the idea first came about from a social media post.

“I was looking for crafty book ideas and threw it out there on — I think I threw book binding out on social media to see if anybody knew how, and someone came back with a video of people bedazzling books,” she said. “And [I] just kind of thought that was a really good idea, and it was easy to get supplies. So we tried it out, and everyone liked it.”

Birchfield believes that book bedazzling sticks out from other crafts due to its individuality.

“It’s unique because you get to pick a book, and then you kind of get to freestyle what parts you bedazzle and what parts you leave like the original cover,” she said.

During the event, Birchfield bedazzled a copy of popular rom-com novel “The Pumpkin Spice Cafe” by Laurie Gilmore, featuring a cozy smalltown store, fall leaves and — shockingly — pumpkins.

Marli Smith, barista at Secret Nook and nail artist, has been to all three of Secret Nook’s book bedazzling events.

“It’s been really fun, I’m kind of addicted to bedazzling now,” she said.

Since book bedazzling for the first time, Smith has now bought her own bedazzling kit and has completed many projects on her own, including bedazzled covers of “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire,” “The Perfect Marriage” and “Remarkably Bright Creatures”

During the event, Smith bedazzled her copy of “The Lost World,” the follow-up to the classic film and novel “Jurassic Park.”

For Melody Etherton, Secret Nook’s book bedazzling event is more than just a fun way to relax and unwind, it’s a moment for her and her daughter to connect.

“We love it,” Etherton said. “It’s a time for my daughter and I to come and do [something] together.”

This was the Ethertons’ second time attending a Secret Nook book bedazzling event.

“We’re both book lovers and we both like to diamond art too, and it’s just really relaxing, and plus, we get to be a little artistic without going too crazy,” she said.

Melody and her daughter had a matching set of skeleton tarot card-themed journals that the pair bedazzled.

Unlike many others at the event, this was UCA senior Katana Jones’ first time attending a book bedazzling event.

“It’s going good, I feel like I’m getting the hang of it,” she said. “It’s a little nerve-racking trying to get the layout of the book.”

Jones, who is proficient in nail art, said that book bedazzling was a very different art form for her.

“It’s a little different, because I feel like with nails, I’m very particular with the line work … v.s. this where I have to let it [the glue] spread a little bit, to make it easier to stick on the jewels,” she said.

Jones bedazzled a copy of “The Twelve Dates of Christmas,” a holiday romance novel featuring two ice skating lovers with trees, snow-covered houses and mistletoes decorating the rest of the cover.

Secret Nook has several other events happening throughout Sept., such as a “National Hobbit Day” celebration on Sept. 22, their monthly Secret Nook Book Club on Sept. 25 as well as “Stars Hollow Stories: A Gilmore Girls Event” on Sept. 27.

More information about these events as well as Secret Nook can be found @secretnookcoffeebooks on Instagram and Secret Nook Coffee and Books on Facebook.