Bookmarking

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Bookmarking

Story ID:	1273
Written by:	Virginia Allain
Organization:	none
Story type:	Things to do
Location:	Weslaco Texas USA
Year:	1999
Person:	Easy Craft to Make

I guess I'm easily amused. The other evening I spent several hours cutting colorful strips into bookmarks. Using items I had around the house, I transformed them easily into bookmarks. The back covers of annual reports works well with the stiff paper, interesting colors and textures.

Then I rummaged out old greeting cards to carefully cut into strips. It was relaxing, appealed to my creative instincts and cost nothing. I happen to own a paper cutter, but scissors and a ruler work fine too.

An average size for bookmarks ranges from lengths of five to eight inches and widths of one to one and a half inches. Anything smaller than that would slip down into the book and get lost.

The finished bookmarks looked almost as good as the ones bookstores sell for a dollar or two. They will make attractive mementos to slip into each Christmas card this year. The excess bookmarks can be donated to the library. They are popular at the check out desk where people sort through for one they like while waiting for their books to be checked out.

These handmade, one-of-a-kind bookmarks replace all those impromptu markers. No longer will you grab the nearest envelope for a marker, ending up later wondering what happened to that bill. Don’t dog-ear page corners any more, use your attractive bookmarks.

When converting cards into bookmarks, the guidelines are few. Discard the parts with handwriting on them. It takes a somewhat artistic eye to produce the best ones. Sometimes the design lends itself to cutting several bookmarks from it. Misplaced efforts to get more bookmarks from a card can result in goofy looking ones with Santa's foot on one bookmark and the rest of him on another.

If you want an alternative to an evening of television, try your hand at bookmark making. Involve the children too since it is pretty simple and you get quick results. Keep a few on hand for your own reading, but have some stashed with your stationary to tuck into a letter or card.

If you get carried away and make too many bookmarks, show them to your local library staff. They may be glad to distribute them.

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