Happiness is Curling Up with a Good Book!

The weather is feeling a bit chilly and more like Autumn, and when this happens, I get into my reading mode. My husband teases me because of my untraditional bookmark…a Kleenex! I always have a box of them nearby, so it’s just the easiest thing to grab and stuff into the pages.

For those who watch the crafting trends, you may have noticed that books and reading are a huge theme right now. I, for one, could not be happier! My love of reading began when I was a little girl and I’d get so excited for the school book fairs. I’d make wish lists and dream about having the money to buy each and every book on my list. In reality, I was only allowed to pick a few of my favorites and I would agonize over my choices. What didn’t make the cut would have to be borrowed from our county library’s book mobile that parked in our neighborhood every two weeks. I could always be seen walking home with a stack of books that I could barely see over! Oh, my love of books lives on!

With all of these cute new reading related craft products on the market, I decided that it’s time to upgrade my tissue marker with something a bit more fashionable! Little did I realize that bookmark making can be addictive, and one really doesn’t need anything special to make them. If you’ve got card stock and some stamps, you’re all set! However, having a die set or a punch does make it nice and I’ve got a few of them. One of my faves is the Ornate Tag Topper punch from Stampin’ Up, but I believe it is now retired. Similarly, there are many bookmark dies such as these to pick from and they’re very reasonably priced. Once you’ve got a bookmark or tag base, it’s just a matter of decorating it!

Without any more delay, let me share some of my most recent creations! Like a certain potato chip commercial, “no one can eat (or make) just one”!

This is where I fell asleep…

After making the bookmark base with a punch, I used a jungle stencil and some Distress Oxide inks to create the background. Then I stamped the sloths with Silly Sloths by Sunny Studio Designs and the books and sentiment from Mama Elephant sets. Everything was colored in with Ohuhu Alcohol Markers. I really like Ohuhu’s Honolulu B Series markers because they have the fine and brush tips. I just don’t care for chisel tips, but I know some who love them and I’m grateful that Ohuhu gives us a choice!

Reading is to the mind…

Next up, I made these exercising, aerobic dancing birds into bookmarks. The stamps are made by My Favorite Things, Toucan Do It, which is no longer available. I was able to find a used set on a “buy, sell, trade Face Book group”, so if you love them like I did, you can try this route. I felt like the Mama Elephant, Good Reads sentiment was perfect for this bookmark! Once more, I used Ohuhu Alcohol Markers to color things in. I just heard that these markers will be available at Michael’s Craft Stores later this month and while I don’t know what kind of deals they’ll offer, I do know that buying directly from Ohuhu can get you some amazing deals and free products.

You’re tops in my book…

After finishing the card from my previous blog post, I colored some extra mice and kites and put these cuties together. Again, the Mama Elephant, Good Reads sentiment was a perfect fit! I laminated these but ended up with milky edges on them and I’m not sure why. While all of today’s bookmarks will be in my Etsy store, these will not be, as I am not happy with the lamination. My grandkids, however, were super excited to get a “grandma made” bookmark!

Finally, I’m sharing my taco themed bookmarks which turned out just the way I envisioned them.

Reading is Spec-taco-lar fun!

The supplies I used for these began with a tag punched in the yellow Classic Gingham paper by Sunny Studios, as well as some black “grunge” paper that I had in my stash. I used a Wonky Windows die (Sunny Studio) to cut out the frames and then glued the two layers of yellow and black together.

The stamps are from a retired Stampin’ Up sets, Taco Fiesta and Conversation Bubbles. I colored everything in with Ohuhu Alcohol Markers. The words “Reading is fun” came from Mama Elephant, Good Reads set. The word banners are from The Greetery, Divider & Details I & II.

On all of today’s projects, the ribbon and twine are from odds and ends that I had in my stash.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this display of different bookmarks and I hope it has inspired you to make some of your own! As mentioned above, you’ll find today’s creations in my Etsy store. Tuck one into a book and give it as a gift, or use them as stocking stuffers for Christmas! They’re definitely better than a Kleenex!!