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Things have been so, so busy around here. I’m honestly kind of amazed. There have been doctor’s appointments and emergencies and all sorts of things that have kept me from being able to work. And while I totally appreciate that sometimes you get a hink in your plans and you have to be flexible, it still kind of stinks because my job is FUN. Who doesn’t want to craft for a living, right?
But the last week, or so, I’ve finally gotten back into a groove and I’ve been really, really into 2 different crafts. One is latch-hook and it is the most amazing project coming up I am crazy pleased with. It’s one that I technically started 3 years ago but have just gotten the urge to finish after finding it again in the move and seeing it come together, well, it’s about darn time! SO CUTE. Seriously. I just can’t.
And just last week while I was pondering life in general, I started to look at the calendar because it seems like time has absolutely been flying these last 4 months and 5 days (the amount of time I’ve been happily single, now :) Well, only happily for the last month, in all honesty :) But it seems that without paying attention to the date quite so much I’ve had holidays jumping up and biting me on the rear without even seeing them coming. Not wanting to miss out on Mother’s Day, which is Sunday, May 12 for 2019, for anybody who needs that info, and ONLY 2 WEEKS AWAY I’ve decided to hop on some stuff you and yours can DIY just for momma.
Today is the first in a series of 4 posts with fabulously floral coloring page projects that make nice little DIY gifts for the favorite mothers in your life. Since my grandmother is an avid reader and thinks e-readers are absolutely ridiculous, thank you very much, I colored and tasseled up 4 lovely little bookmarks she can use to save her place in her stack of paperbacks on the nightstand.
Without further ado, I give you these fun floral bookmarks to color.
Oh, and did I mention that they’re free? Score, right?!?
For this project you will need:
- Free printable bookmarks
- white cardstock
- white cardstock
- printer (I am in LOVE with my HP Envy 4520)
- Tombow Brights Dual Brush Pens (or your choice of marker/map pencils)
- scissors
- craft knife & ruler (optional)
- hole punch
First thing’s first, you’ll need to print out your floral bookmark freebie on white cardstock. If you only have printer paper, that can work, too, but I’d strongly suggest picking up a little package of the thicker cardstock for a stronger and longer lasting bookmark.
Your bookmark printable is a PDF and to get it to print properly in Adobe Acrobat, you’ll need to select “Fit” under Page Sizing & Handling and “Portrait” under Orientation.
And next comes the fun part! Color your bookmarks up with some pretty colors!
For this series of coloring pages I’m using Tombow Brights Dual Brush Pens and this is actually my first time using these guys. I’ve noticed that, like, a LOT of bloggers use Tombow brush pens but I just haven’t been in much of a coloring mood for a while to give them a try. But when my Mom and I were strolling around Michael’s one day I noticed that they had these packages with perfectly complementary colors for only $17. I snagged the “Bright” series of colors and went about my crafty little shopping spree.
My first time actually trying these was sitting in my dad’s truck as he, my mom and I drove around little communities around Houston looking at some new construction and sort of timing how long it would take to get from these areas back to my parents house if I needed to get there quickly in the event of an emergency or whatever. And when I wasn’t talking about a house on a lake that I fell in love with (but worry that it is way too far out in the country) I was gabbing their ears off about HOW AMAZING these markers were. Like, seriously, guys. Since this is a series I have colored up a whole freaking mess of pages and they’re still heavy with pigment and working really well. If you’ve never used them and you love coloring, these guys are really great. Like, I love them. Like, I purchased FOUR MORE SETS of their gorgeous color themed sets. So if you’re in need of something to color with, grab you one of these sets (the brights collection is definitely my fave).
Ahem, okay, fangirling over markers is done, let’s proceed, shall we?
To make these bookmarks EXTRA sturdy we’re going to back them with yet another piece of cardstock and, just for kicks and color, I’m suggesting using a sheet in a shade that works well with the colors you used. I chose PINK. I love PINK. My grandma LOVES PINK. :)
Apply a decent amount of glue stick to the backside of your colored bookmarks, making sure you really cover the edges well. Glue onto the colored stock and place something heavy on top for them to dry nice and flat.
Using a craft knife & ruler, or a pair of scissors, trim your colored bookmarks out as neatly as possible. Now at this point, you can be done but I say when it’s possible to tassel a project, you TASSEL A PROJECT!
To tassel these babies up, you’ll need to punch a hole near the top of your bookmark very much like in the photo above.
You can buy ready-made tassels at the craft store, but if you make them yourself you’ll save a little bundle because they can be pricey. I made these out of baker’s twine because I just love the little 2 color results, don’t you? If you need some help, a while ago I dedicated an entire post to show you how to make tassels out of baker’s twine, or any kind of cord or yarn or whatever, really.
Attaching our tassels to our bookmarks is going to be super simple…Create a loop of twine through the head of the tassel that is 2-5 inches long, depending on how far away from the bookmark you want your decorative beauty to hang (I went with around 2.5″ after some trial and error). Knot the loop at the distance from the tassel you want and snip away the excess.
Pull the loop through your bookmark like so and then pull the tassel through the loop. Magic, right? Not really. I just learned this little way of tying something on in retail. I also learned how absolutely ridiculous people can be when using fitting rooms. Like, seriously, people?
Aren’t those just lovely? And seeing as how I needed REAL books to use for my photos and because the handful I have are all in a storage facility in Magnolia, I borrowed some books from my mom. And would you know what I found?
This little gem. My Poppa, Carl Spencer, passed some years ago and I miss him pretty much all of the time. He’s the man that meant so much to me that after moving to Oklahoma I wore Old Spice to school as a little elementary school girl. And it looks like after he passed my mom got this book back that she had originally given to him that he commemorated it like this. Sweet, right?
And these bookmarks, one of which will sit in my Poppa’s old Louis L’Amour book that now belongs to my Momma are almost as sweet, right?
So make a bunch for all of the important books in your collection, as gifts, or as a sweet little DIY Mother’s Day gift for your fave ladies in life. And if you have littles, print them, back them with cardstock, and cut them out and let them color the pages for you :)
