A quick craft (and gift) for all the readers you know “” yourself included!
By Terri Blazell
November 2007
When I grew up, we never threw anything away. Everything had a second use, and if you didn’t know what to do with it, you saved it anyway, just in case. If the Smithsonian Institution had any idea what sort of treasure trove my mother has put away in her house for that “you never know when you might need it” moment, they would be beating down her door.
Of course, as her daughter, I’m just the opposite. I don’t save anything “” well, hardly anything. But some of my mother’s influence did rub off on me, because when I do throw things away, I feel guilty. That’s why I was ecstatic when I came across this craft that reuses old greeting cards. Whether you want a practical way to hold onto cards with sentimental value or are looking for a great craft idea for the next rally boutique, these bookmarks are easy to make and require very little space or supplies. This is a good craft to try while traveling in your RV.
You will need:
- Old (or new) greeting cards
- Craft magnets
- A marker in a pretty color
- Scissors
- Craft glue
First, find an image on a greeting card that you want to use for the front of your bookmark. Leaving the card closed, cut out the image, cutting through both halves of the card all the way to the fold. Do not cut the fold. Leave it intact about an inch wide, so your bookmark will open and close just like the card originally did.
The bookmark’s size will be determined by the size of the image on the card and how far away the image is from the card’s fold.
Glue the magnets opposite each other on the inside pages of the card, so they connect when the bookmark is closed. You can use craft glue, white glue, jewelry glue, or even super-hold glue for this.
Some craft magnets come with a peel-and-stick adhesive back; with these, you won’t need the glue.
Basic craft magnets come in thin, flexible, almost rubbery magnetic strips or sheets that can be cut easily with scissors. You can buy them in craft stores for less than $2. However, you may have some magnets lying around already, as they are popular advertising giveaways from local businesses. I usually get them attached to pizza flyers, but I’ve also received them from real estate agents, insurance companies, and even my local library. Use these, and not only are you recycling the greeting card for this craft, but now you’re also reusing a magnet. It’s definitely a win-win situation.
The last step is to outline the bookmark with your marker. I like to use gold for a touch of glamour, but any coordinating color will do. This just gives the bookmark a finished look and camouflages the cut edges.
If you plan to use these at a craft boutique or give them to friends and family, be sure you haven’t included any writing from the original card on the inside.
Now your bookmark is ready to use. Slip it over a few book pages, placing the half containing the decorative image on the page where you stopped reading. The magnets hold the bookmark together, and if you accidentally drop the book, it won’t fall out and cause you to lose your place.
Now you know what to do with those greeting cards that are gathering dust. If you are a packrat, you can be officially smug, because you knew there would be a good use for those cards one day.
And if you are appalled that I would dare to throw anything out, I should mention that the saver gene simply skipped a generation. My daughter won’t throw anything away. Not even candy wrappers. I found five years’ worth under her mattress recently.
Anybody have a craft idea for that?