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Craft corner: Custom bookmarks

Don't just mark the page, use bookmarks to track your reading journey

Chatelaine

When it comes to bookmarks, the convenience of old receipts and sticky notes often outweighs traditional page markers. Instead of using scraps to mark your place, why not let your novels inspire you? We’ll show you how to make creative bookmarks designed to reflect your favourite reads.

Materials:

- Heavy cardstock (neutral colours work best for the base) - Construction paper - Scissors - An all-purpose glue stick - Sparkles (optional) - Fine-tipped markers

Instructions:

1. Start out by measuring cardstock to the trim size of your book (marking the edges with a pen or pencil is the easiest way to do this). Decide where the marker will protrude from the book and leave a seam allowance on that side.

2. If you’ve read the book, decide what design will suit the story. For instance, for Fanny Flagg’s Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café, an old-fashioned Coca-Cola bottle seemed appropriate. If you haven’t read the book (or if you’re just going for aesthetics), create something that lends itself to the cover design (like the bees on Sue Monk Kidd’s The Secret Life of Bees). Construct the design (ie. Coca-Cola bottle or bees) separately from the bookmark using your construction paper and markers—even add a little sparkle, if you want.

3. When the design has dried (both glue and sparkles), affix it to the seam allowance you’ve left on your bookmark. Remember that the marker can protrude from any side of the book – it’s more interesting than always sticking to the top edge.

4. Give the bookmark permanent residence in that novel and use the bookmark to record your favourite quotes and their page numbers, or to keep track of who has borrowed the book at different times. You can even ask library lenders to record their favourite part of the book. If you’ve given the book as a gift, write a thoughtful inscription and gift the marker with the novel.

Helpful hint: This is a great March break craft for kids as well. Read the story together and decide what the bookmark should look like; then get creative with scrap booking supplies, crayons, stickers and whatever else you find in your craft supply.

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