My neighbor saw my stained edges and asked if I ruined the book on purpose

So I was sitting on my porch last Tuesday coating the edges of a cheap thriller with tea and a bit of acrylic ink, and my neighbor Dana walked by and asked if I messed up the book on purpose. I laughed and showed her the fore edge fanning trick, where you clamp the pages and dab the color along the edge with a sponge. She had no idea people did this stuff on purpose, she thought I was just clumsy with a mug. That got me thinking about how most folks see a book as this untouchable thing, when really it is just paper and glue and thread. Two years ago I felt the same way, I would not even crack a spine. Now I have a shelf of books I painted the covers on with cheap craft paint from the dollar store. Does anyone else get weird looks from family when you tell them you sanded down a hardcover on purpose?