MAKE AN EASY DIGITAL/HYBRYD BOOKMARK

Where dolls, fire trucks, new clothes, basket ball gloves and ballet shoes used to be on Christmas wishlists there's now Ipads, MP3 players and game computers. Time change and I get that but in between all the hardware and software, bits and bytes I love to hold on to a bit of a personal touch. That's why I love to embellish my gifts with beautiful wrapping and add a handmade crochet heart or flower. So when Christa showed me her bookmarks I was instantly excited.

Even though I have been a Kindle reader for 3 years now, I still LOVE to buy and read magazines which I never ever finish in one session plus I also love to knit and crochet, a bookmark comes in pretty handy to mark the pattern I am working on or the article I was about to read when I ran out of time!

How great a gift would a set of home improvement magazines with a personalized bookmark be huh?!! EXACTLY! Here's mine marking an article I am about to read in Flow magazine.

So without further ado here's Christa's tutorial on how to make one! If you decide to make one too, and I really hope you do because it's super easy and loads of fun, then by all means show us!

We love to see what you made!

JUST CLICK ON THE PREVIEW TO DOWNLOAD

As Mirjam wrote in her intro I too know many of us have all this new technology of reading books on Kindle’s, Nooks or iPhones but there's also still some people that are “old school”, who don’t own those gadgets, are “techno-phobes”, or just love the feel of a REAL book in their hands.

With the holidays approaching, are you going to the local book store to get someone a gift card, or a REAL book? Or do you love the idea of a magazine bundle as Mirjam suggested? If so, why not add to your gift and make them that personal bookmark! Include photos of the kids, scan something they wrote like a special note to Grandma & Grandpa and add that to it… the sky is the limit and can become a special keepsake!

Okay, so enough with my ramblings.  This is going to be a quick tutorial not with “step by step” instructions, but an overall concept so that everyone can do this regardless of graphic software they have.

SUPPLIES NEEDED

Knowledge of your software

Template

Card Stock (white preferred)

Digital elements, favorite font & favorite papers

Software Printer

Scissors for Trimming

Glue or Glue Stick

THE MAKING OF

Start with the template. Click HERE to download. You will not only find the template in .PSD and .png format in your ZIP but also my sample bookmark and the one Mirjam made.

Add your papers and elements. (You also want to overlap items on the folded line so that when you are done and it is folded it will give a wrapped appearance.)

(Since I am using Photo Shop I used “File: Place” to place my background paper on a new layer above the left template side layer, resized the paper, and then clipped the paper to the template. I had to duplicate my paper and moved my duplicated paper above the right template layer and again clipped it to the template.)

{With the .png version you would just place your background over the template.}

Now decorate with elements, effects, etc. For my example, I have used Pink Reptile Design’s Sweet Promise, Something Old and the font The Hedgie Hog.

I recolored my background with a hue of green, and also overlapped elements on the fold line so that once done you will have a wrapped & continuous effect when you flip your bookmark from front to back.  (Second picture below shows the crocheted flower and the butterfly in regards to the wrap effect so they would be aligned when it is folded.)

Complete your bookmark and print out on white cardstock. Trim the outer edges of the rectangle, and then on the fold line fold the bookmark in half. With the glue stick, glue the inside and press together. Voila you are done!

*An additional idea is you can make a punch hole in the top center and add a ribbon or you can even stitch around it for more of a “hybrid” feel.

Make one for yourself. I have made bookmarks for myself based on themes of the books. One example is the Twilight Saga books (by Stephenie Meyer) I was reading, so I made several bookmarks based on the books. They are re-read books for me, so the bookmark is there waiting for me when I pick it up to revisit.

Have fun and get the kids involved making bookmarks for their family members, teachers, etc. It is inexpensive and a handmade gift that will bring smiles to their faces.