Make Felt Valentine's Bookmarks

Instead of paper cards that end up in the trash, make felt Valentines that double as bookmarks to encourage reading and re-using. These bookmarks are just as easy to make as Valentine cards, but are a more useful gift for your kids to give to classmates.

What You Need:

• One yard of red or white felt (or several squares)
• Fabric scissors or pinking shears
• Hole punch or other sharp tool
• Embroidery thread or narrow ribbon

What You Do:

1. Cut bookmark shapes out of felt, approximately 1.5 x 6 inches. Make as many bookmarks as you like. If you want a decorative edge, use pinking shears instead of fabric scissors.
2. Cut ribbon or embroidery thread strips of 6 inches long, one string per bookmark.
3. Use a hole punch to snip a hole in the top center of the bookmark. Make sure to leave some space so the fabric doesn't tear. You may also need to use scissors to snip the punched fabric hole, since it may still cling to the rest of the felt.
4. Finally, fold each ribbon strip in half. Pull the looped side of the ribbon or string through the hole in the felt. Once you have a loop of string through the hole, thread the other two ends of the string through that loop so the loop is tight around the felt. Make one extra knot using the loose ends, to secure the string. If using embroidery thread, you may wish to loosen the ends of the thread so the many strands hang loosely and create a tassel.
5. Now your kids have a simple, long-lasting bookmark they can use for reading or give to friends or classmates.