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Omaha Magazine

No Book Smarts Needed for These Bookmarks

Jan 09, 2015 02:58PM ● By Kristen Hoffman
Ah, January. The season of…nothing. Blistering winds and lingering darkness traps us inside, wanting nothing to do with the tundra-esque conditions outside.

So what do we do? We hibernate. Light a candle and crack open a good book. Currently, I have my nose buried in Blue Like Jazz for the third time. Unfortunately, the parking ticket that is being used as my bookmark is not exactly setting an inspirational mood.

I strongly believe that, whether you have a little or a lot, you should love each and every item in your home—including your bookmarks. The Free People blog has always been a favorite of mine. I remember seeing a post last winter about creating bookmarks out of random household items and elements. So this week I decided to give it a shot.

Supplies

  • Small twigs
  • Yarn
  • Feather
  • Spray paint
  • Craft string
  • Dried flowers
  • Heavy duty paper
  • Modge Podge
Directions
  1. For the first bookmark, I gathered some handmade paper I had at home. Since the paper was so thin, I attached a few pages together with the Modge Podge adhesive, and cut out a simple shape.
  2. After spreading another layer of Modge Podge on top of the paper, I placed some dried, pressed fuchsia flowers into the adhesive and covered them with another thick layer of Modge Podge.
  3. After letting the bookmarks dry for a couple of hours, I poked a hole in the top of the paper. String through anything you want: Yarn, craft, string, leather, or whatever fits best for you!
  4. I chose to spray paint the twigs I used for the second and third bookmarks. You can forego this step if you would like to keep your bookmarks more rustic.
  5. For the second bookmark, I cut some old yarn in various lengths and dyed them with different strengths of coffee and tea.
  6. While still wet, I tied each individual string to the gold twig without paying too much concern to the lengths or inconsistencies of the yarn. The point is for this to look organic and for the yarn to hang outside of the book when closed.
  7. The third bookmark is the simplest. I simply held some dried flowers up to the gold twig, and wrapped and tied some craft string around it. I tied a feather at the end of the string to give it a definite ending, and voila! You’ve got yourself a bookmark.
You can choose to make any one, or all three of these bookmarks. They are relatively simple, but each beautiful in their own way.
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