How to Make an Easy and Classic Bookmark
Tasseled medieval bookmarks
The design or theme of a bookmark can be anything you want it to be. but since I’m a collector of papers, seals, emblems etc, I decided I wanted to make bookmarks with a medieval/renaissance bent to them.
There’s three different motifs above animal, plant and bee.
I’ve also always loved tassels and I do think they add a little color and elegance, especially if you’re giving them as a gift.
Bookmark Making in 4 Steps
Design your collage
Print and cut out
Lacquer (optional)
Hole-punch and add tassel
At the bottom of the post I’ll list some tips that might come in handy too
I digitally collaged the bookmarks both front and back - the back is the same on all designs which makes it easier - and then I laminated the front with a glossy spray on lacquer.
I use a smallish hole-punch before threading tassel through.
Shown, back and front
When it comes to your collage, it can be anything you want it to be. It doesn’t have to be collaged either, it could just be a pattern like the ones I made and are shown on the ‘About’ page.
But if you do collage, figure out what size you want your bookmarks to be, and then use an editor like Photoshop to collage the images together.
The exact way I do it, is to set up a file at 1.75”w x 7” h.
Then I add various element until I’m happy. At that point you can get 4-5 bookmarks per 8.5x11 page, depending up what size you select for your bookmark. I always put a stroke around the file (an outline) so that I can use it as a guide to cut out.
If you’re printing the back as well, it’s very much easier if you print an ‘all-over’ pattern or just collage the complete 8.5x11 inch file size so that when you go to cut it out you don’t need to worry about lining anything up. Does that make sense?
In other words, if you look at the image above and the backside (the bookmark on the left) that image is continuous across the whole sheet of 8.5x11 paper. It’s not repeated it just runs on so you don’t need to worry about lining the front image up with the back.
Once you have your front (and back, if going that route) printed, you can cut the bookmarks out.
I cut them out before spraying with the lacquer because I don’t want it to crack. But again, this is an optional step. It just makes the image ‘pop’ a little bit more. Kind of like the difference between an oil painting and a gouache painting. The colors will be richer if lacquered.
Let the lacquer dry completely, you may want to do 2 coats.
I don’t lacquer the backs, you can if you want, in which case you really want to be sure the first side is dry before flipping over and spraying the backside.
Once all is dry, just hole-punch and if using a tassel, thread it through.
Tips and Resources
I use a spray lacquer because it creates a nice even, thin coat. Something like Modge-Podge hard shell glossy. If you don’t want a shine but want that extra sealant, there’s a matte version as well.
You should use a mask when using any kind of spray lacquer, adhesive, etc .
You probably have one of those around the house now, right?
Tassels can be bought online (like everything else) and the way I thread the tassel through is to put the untasseled loop end through the hole and then bring the loop over the top and put the tassel through it. It creates a sort of knot and keeps it in place.
I leave the back uncoated just in case I want to write a short note on them, if giving with a book, for example. If you do want to write on them, you may wish to leave them relatively plain on the back.
I’m not sure when people started using bookmarks, I imagine the first ones were made up of nearby found objects, such as a leaf, piece of scrap paper or ribbon.
Now, of course, there’s all sorts of bookmarks, and I have to admit, I’m prone to dog-earring books. But now that I’m a ‘bookmark’ (I had to look up whether it was one or two words) maker, I’m sure I’ll have plenty around the house and bending pages won’t be the preferred method of saving betwixt chapters.
The only change I might make to these is leaving a special place to write on the back. I think it makes them more meaningful if giving as a gift, within a book.
When looking through attic findings, it’s intriguing and special to find something with a handwritten note on it. It’s a connection to the past that feels so different than something without it.
Even photos, when they have a simple notation on the back with a handwritten date, and summary of the people in the photo - it’s holding that object in your hand and knowing that somewhere, years ago, someone else held that same piece, concentrated on it, if only for a few minutes, and bothered to inscribe it with their thoughts.