Throwback Thursday - Favorite Books and a Bookmark

As an adult and avid reader, I find myself drawn to the same authors over and over again. As a young child, you couldn't tear me away from books. I craved that knowledge. In third grade, my love of reading was cultivated by Mrs. Leihkauff. She opened my eyes through stories like The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrope and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. What I didn't know then is that these two books are classical novels usually taught at that grade level. But, that didn't stop me. We had the opportunity to have a classroom in the library with books surrounding us on all walls - literally. So once one book was done, we could turn around and grab one off the shelf. I found myself reading books way above my grade level just to read.

What it did was provide the backing to be a lifetime reader. That is something that most young people have lost among the many technological advances and cell phones.

How does this tie in with a book craft?

Well, I love reading and support reading through reading, advocacy, and making bookmarks. Just a few weeks ago, I showed multiple bookmarks made with scraps. What I am going to show on this Throwback Thursday is a crocheted bookmark. It is in the shape of a heart. I remember finding a heart pattern (free) and attaching a chain of 20-30 and a tassel. It's very simple to change any applique you have into a bookmark.

Do yourself a favor. Spend a little time with a book each day. You will be happier.

Another Scrappy Project - Bookmarks 3

I feel this may become a theme in 2015 - Another Scrappy Project. It seems like an amazing concept that takes scraps and turns them into new items. So......

Oh yes, bookmarks. Number 3. LOL!

What I found interesting about this bunch is that I used the same background color. I took one piece of cream colored 8.5 by 11 paper and cut it in half long ways. That meant the paper was 4 1/4 by 11. I then cut each length into 2 inch pieces of paper. That made 10 bookmark size pieces.

The scrap paper I cut into 4 x 1 3/4 to fit. That gave a small clearance of 1/4 on all sides in most cases. Some I cut down to stamp. Here's the photos:

The green chevron paper did NOT want to be photographed. 

As you can see, the Thinking of You stamp has scrap paper a little shorter to allow for stamping directly on the base paper.

What would you like to see done with scraps? I am planning on doing a section with crochet and other such crafts. This new theme and concept will not be just paper crafts!

Sarah

Another Scrappy Project - Bookmarks 2

Apparently this is a new and exciting thing for me. Using up scraps has become a way for me to expand my mind into creating new unions. And, it is an AWESOME way to reduce unused materials. Here's the next batch of bookmarks. These are all varying in size and shape to utilize the most of the scrap paper.

These are the pretty papers I found in my scrap box. I was almost tempted to search through my pattern books for more just so I could make cards to match. I resisted the temptation since I wanted to just use scraps!

Here's the first batch of true Christmas bookmarks. I am sure these will make their way into some gift bags for my nieces and nephew this Christmas. 

What I love about making bookmarks and using scraps is that you can allow your mind to wander. It is a completely easy craft to do. I spent so little time actually piecing these together. I believe the longest part was making sure there was no tiny paper fibers on the outside because my paper cutter is weird. That means someone with a great paper cutter can whip these out quickly. If you don't have a paper cutter, feel free to do this with a ruler and scissors. It is completely do-able. 

Sending positive crafting vibes,

Sarah