I took my oldest daughter with me to Target to run some errands. I usually avoid even glancing in the direction of the Home Decor department, because they have cute things and I know I will see something I like. I find it easier to be grateful for what I have when I don’t go looking at what I can’t have.
However, this time we ended up looking down two aisles, and we saw a large Eiffel tower clock. At first my daughter thought it was a wall decal (it was just black with hands on it and no numbers, so it’s not an easy-to-read clock). Apparently a friend of hers has an Eiffel tower vinyl decal on her bedroom wall, and my daughter told me that she really liked it.
As soon as she told me, I knew what I was going to do for the bookmarks that I was planning to make for her. I knew The Graphics Fairy had several free images of the Eiffel tower.
In the end, I also ended up using a few postmarks from Just Something I Made as well.
For the twelfth day of A Gift a Day, I made Paris Bookmarks. You can make them, too! I added the free printable to my bookmarks page. If you have a color printer, the stamps will print in color.
Paris Bookmarks
Supplies:
cardstock
embroidery thread for tassels (4 skeins)
clear shelf paper
Free Printable and tutorial from my website
Tools:
scissors
paper cutter (you can use scissors instead)
ruler
printer
Time:
The total time for four bookmarks is around 30 minutes.
Today I made four bookmarks.
Cost:
$0.43 per bookmark, or $1.72, if you are buying supplies. I had the embroidery thread from my grandmother’s collection, so that brought the cost down to $0.10 per bookmark, or $0.40 total.
Joann’s has embroidery thread on sale for $0.33 a skein on Black Friday. Regular price is only $0.39 if you aren’t there on Friday.
Images courtesy The Graphics Fairy and Just Something I Made. Finished design is copyright The Prudent Homemaker.
I made the London bookmarks for my sister. Your instructions for the tassels is so easy to follow. I used friendship bracelet thread my daughter had and found the clear contact paper at Dollar Tree, so the cost was next to nothing. Thank you so much for sharing your ideas!
Oh, I’m making these! Funny but I’ve been wanting more fun bookmarks lately. Now if only I had a color printer…I love stamps.Today I worked on a Christmas present–a messenger bag for my 12yo. She always has a bag with her (for her meds) and the one I made her last Christmas is getting worn. This one is grey wool (left over from the girl’s coat I made years ago) and pretty green and aqua cotton for a color pop.Also today I discovered this sewing blog: http://bustleandsew.com/softies/free-podge-hedgehog-softie-pattern/ It’s a free pattern for a baby hedgehog!! SO cute!
Too funny! I was just looking at someone else’s free hedgehog pattern yesterday: http://maker-land.blogspot.com/2012/07/hedgehog-pincushion-tutorial.html
Good to know that Dollar Tree has contact paper! I think that will help a lot of people.
I make felt bookmarks. I use printed flannel scraps for designs, and hand sew them onto the felt. I use pinking shears to make the felt backing. I then use scrap yarn for the tassel. These cost $.10 tops to make because if you get flannel with small prints (kitties, hearts, whatever), you can get hundreds of motifs from a yard of flannel. Flannel prints will be 1.79 at Joann’s on Black Friday and if you homeschool you can use your discount card to bring that down to about $1.55/yard! Felt will be 2.49, your discount will bring that down to about $2.12 per yard! The felt is very wide so you can cut about 100 bookmarks from a yard of felt. I separate the thread into two strands for sewing on the motifs. One skein will make about 10-15 bookmarks. You can also embroider the child’s name or initials on the bookmark. The yarn, you can use scraps or if you need to buy it, there is a 50% off coupon in their fliers, use it on one of the skeins of super saver type yarn and get it very cheaply as well.
Last night I finished up a sweet little scarf to donate to the mitten tree at church. I used odds and ends I have on hand (I’m not even sure where they came from!). The main scarf is two yarns crocheted together at the same time – a worsted weight mint green and some ivory ‘sparkly’ baby yarn. It’s a really pretty effect. I gathered up both ends of the scarf (individually) and put a ivory sparkle tassel – a big one! – on each end. It came out really cute!I really like the bookmarks. I am a rubber stamp enthusiast, and I plan to make hand-stamped bookmarks to give at church. The other thing I’ve decided to make is a warm shawl for my mother. She was talking last night aboug how much she loves the color ‘moss green’, so I will look for some yarn in her favorite color.
I have used the graphics fairy for a print of a pug, my daughter and son-in-law have two. I printed it onto manilla cardstock then using a crackling glaze after I decoupage it onto a canvas. It will have a vintage look when done!
If you are going to JoAnn’s anyway or have one really close by, they have been emailing out “20 percent off entire craft purchase” coupons. Using that coupon today actually make the embroidery floss cheaper than Friday’s sale price. Or, if you get their mailers, you could use the 40/50 percent off one-item coupons to buy floss.
The only way it makes sense to me to use a 40% off coupon on floss is if I buy a package of multiskein floss. My daughters both are really into making friendship bracelets so getting a huge thing of floss makes them sooo happy! Today I finished cutting out my middle daughter’s winter jacket. I used some fine corduroy that I have had for many many years, and some satin for lining that I bought for a school pageant with no other purpose, so glad I found a purpose. I am even using the small scraps to make flowers!
If you’re not very crafty and only need floss for tassels, then using the coupons can work out to a great deal. 🙂
I made a couple of bookmakers.I got books that were on sale at Ollies to match the bookmakers.Pat
Hi! In Erie at the local Walmart there was a big fabric sale .The fabric was really marked down that was in a special bin.The material was very good quality. I saw one woman buy out almost the entire bin.If one looks Walmarts can have some great sales.Pat
Thanks for this idea. My 8 yo decided he wants to make gifts for Christmas and this is on his list. He wants to make some for his sister. He’s making cookies for his brother, a card with a picture in it for his dad and he wants to make a stepping stone for me. I love that my son asked if I could help him make gifts this year. We are making 4 stepping stones, the other 3 will go to his grandma’s. We are working on making Christmas easier and more enjoyable for the whole family.