Monday, July 26, 2010

Make Bookmarks using Gift Wrap

My books are all dog-eared because I never have a bookmark when I need one. Not anymore...I just made 4 great bookmarks using scraps of gift wrap and left over ribbons and beads. This is a super easy craft (great for kids) that makes a great stocking stuffer or gift for your book club members.



Materials

Earth Love'n Gift Wrap - Hip Design, Flower Girl, Classic Stripes, Brilliant Floral
Hole Punch
Laminator (I used Kinkos)
Optional Materials: Ribbons, Hemp String, Beads, Tassles, Shells, etc.

Instructions

1. Cut out an 8 x 4.5 inch piece of gift wrap. Use the dotted lines on the back for the paper for reference. The lines are 1 inch apart.

2. Hold the paper vertically and fold the paper in thirds so that the bookmark is 1.5 x 8 inches.

3. I decided to laminate the bookmarks so that it will hold up longer, but if you don't want to use plastic, just glue the bookmark together, punch a hole at the top, and continue with the decorations.

4. I used one 8.5 x 11 inch lamination sheet for the 4 bookmarks. Use the slicer at Kinkos to cut the bookmarks apart. Make sure you leave some plastic around each bookmark so that the it remains sealed.

5. Punch a hole at the top of the bookmark.

6. You can use whatever materials you have on hand to create the decorations. I used pink ribbon for the Classic Stripes and Flower Girl bookmarks. For the Hip Design, I used some Hemp string, beads and a shell with a hole in it. For the Brilliant Floral bookmark, I strung some glass beads from an old beading kit and attached a black tassel to the end.

Have fun and create lots of bookmarks! Please send me pictures of your bookmarks and I will be happy to post some of your ideas.