Make this Bookmark!

Watching your children learn to write is a proud journey for any parent. But along with all that pride comes something else… souvenirs. From the moment your children take pen to paper, they create all sorts of truly unique things.

Rare is the parent who doesn't want to clip and snip and save tidbits of every precious stage of their child's development. But there are ways to do that other than collecting dusty shoeboxes full of papers, or scrapbooking your Saturdays away. One way to make use of those special memories is to wrangle up the kids and spend time together turning all those bits and pieces of their handiwork into a special gift...a bookmark.

So how do you figure out what to use, and what not to? First of all, don't dismiss anything. Chances are that if there is a scrap of paper haunting your house that you just can't bring yourself to throw away, it'll look good in a bookmark. Think in terms of tickets (your child's first concert with dad), a valentine with a drawing of a wobbly heart, or a strip of cockeyed attempts at writing a few first words. Postcards from a favorite trip, photos of child and dad together, or leaves collected on a picnic also work. So do bits of gift wrap or a feather found on a cub scout hike. When it comes to bookmarks, anything goes. Even snippets of wallpaper will do. But the best materials are the ones that bring up fond memories of the gift giver and the gift receiver spending time together!

Once you’ve collected your materials, you’ll need a few supplies. Essentials include a hole punch, plain glitter (not glitter glue), colorful markers, crayons or paint, strong embroidery thread, yarn or ribbon, a good clear quick-drying glue, and either a laminator or contact paper.

TIPS

1. Be careful what you put through your laminator. Concert tickets will turn black with the heat so use contact paper. Glossy photos can develop spots, so scan them and print them on plain paper. Stay away from laminating thick card stock as it will cause air bubbles. Avoid glue in your laminator at all costs.
2. Invest in a set of decorative edged scissors and paper punches to dress up your bookmarks.
3. Glue a small square of cardboard to the back of your bookmark to hang it over pages or put braided yarn or embroidery thread through a hole punched at the top.
4. You can ditch laminating entirely and create your bookmarks using wire strung with tiny beads. Try dangling a favorite charm from a discarded bracelet.

So start foraging through those old art projects and crumpled train tickets. No matter how you cut it, making your own bookmarks means helping memories last a whole lot longer. And they make great gifts!