Making a Personalised Book Marker

A book mark is a quick and easy item to make with children. It is an ideal wet afternoon project during the school holidays and since book marks encourage reading and could relate to a school book project it's all the more beneficial.

Since you are creating the book mark, each one can be personalised using the initial or name of each child. Alternatively you could print or write phrases from a favourite book, a poem, encouraging words or quotes and make them very personal. They could be for the children making them or for birthday or Christmas presents to accompany the book gift. In just an afternoon you can make several with just a few essential items.

Points to Remember:

Book marks don’t have to be a rectangle shape but they do need a ribbon or string of beads to protrude from the book.

Most book marks are flat so don’t get carried away with too many bulky embellishments when creating them.

When using a laminating machine always supervise children as some parts get very hot and can be dangerous.

What you need:

• Card
• Coloured paper scraps
• Punches
• Laminator
• Beads
• Ribbon
• Hole punch regular office type
• Computer generated text
• PVA glue

Step 1

Print or write your message, recipients name or initial on to a piece of white card. Here “Alice the book worm” was printed onto white card and trimmed to measure 6cm by 12cm. A small corner was cut out to look as if a worm had nibbled it. The white card was then mounted onto orange card. This can be any size, however approx 7cm by 16cm is recommended – too small and it becomes lost in the book, too large and it becomes unwieldy.

Step 2

Decorate the card using punched shapes, stickers, sequins, glitter, rubber stamps or use scissors cut out shapes. Glue all the items in place and leave to dry for just a few minutes. Here a book worm stamp was used and cut out and small star sequins sprinkled over. The sequins were too small to glue in place but the lamination captures these.

Step 3

Place the book mark in to a laminating machine – this can be a regular home laminator but follow the instructions. Some laminators require you to place the book mark between sheets of card when laminating to protect it from the heated elements. With scissors, trim off the excess plastic from around the book mark, leaving a 2mm margin.

Step 4

With a small hole punch, a regular office hole punch is fine, punch a hole at one end, in the centre. Now thread ribbon through the hole and tie in a knot. You can leave as it is or thread beads on to the ribbon and tie the ends of the ribbon so they don’t slide off.

Tips and Ideas

• Make a sports themed bookmark and give with a sporty book for a unique birthday gift
• Bookmarks don’t have to be a regular rectangle shape –make them quirky and fun by changing the shape to triangle, oval, or even fish shaped!
• Children often come home with pictures they made at school – why not take strips of these to make in to a bookmark?
• Get into a cooking theme with a cookery styled bookmark

Useful Quotes:

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."
Chinese saying.

"Nothing is particularly hard if you break it down in to small jobs."
Henry Ford

"No one knows what they can do until they try."