Bookmarks--Edited

Edited to add...PTI = Papertrey Ink. The set used on these bookmarks is PTI's All Booked Up. Sorry that wasn't clear.

When I first sat down to make bookmarks, I pulled out a bunch of patterned paper, including PTI's polka dot pad and some girly Basic Grey. And I started punching and cutting and matching and trimming and hemming and hawwing.

Basically, I ruined a bunch of perfectly good paper.

I walked away from my desk in disgust...twice. I think it was Einstein who said the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.

When I returned to sanity, this is what I made:

Hello! That's more like it. These look like they belong on Simplicity. Why? These have white white space, super simple colors that pop, off-the-edge stamping, rule of thirds, simple ribbon treatment, understated finishing touch with scalloped scissors to round the corners, and NO PATTERNED PAPER!

Generally speaking, patterned paper is just not me. I wish it were. But it's just not. And when I abandoned it, good things happened. Well, I think they're good. This doesn't mean I should never work with patterned paper again, of course. It just means that as soon as I realize things aren't coming together with it, I should flex to what I do best, which is basically taking nothing and making it look good.

Well, that is the goal, anyway.

A variation on the above bookmarks came to me as I was looking at the gingham ribbon scraps in my scrap ribbon jar. All these little pieces looked great, and the ribbon, though wide, is quite thin and unbulky. Is unbulky a word? Whatever. The point is, these will be easy to tuck into Christmas cards.

I used the sentiment "Life is short...read fast." I love this sentiment and have a number of friends and family who completely agree with it.

The final set of bookmarks varied the treatment of the gingham ribbon and wackily covered some of the white space. The sentiment on these says, "This is where I fell asleep." That's perfect for my mother and one of my uncles!

How-To Tips: The ribbon treatments are very simple and use some SU punches I've neglected. The first set uses the two-hole punch, which gives pretty small holes, so I used thinner ribbon. Thread both ends from front to back through each hole, then thread the ends back to the front through opposite holes. Trim the ends as shown. The second set of bookmarks uses the slit punch and a very simple knot. All the corners were rounded with scalloped scissors. The third set is pretty self-explanatory. The punched circle is adhered with a glue dot and pretty flat. Bookmarks are a perfect project for getting rid of off-cuts of cardstock and ribbon scraps. The first two sets are 5.5" tall and 1.75" wide. The third set is 4" tall and 1.75" wide.

Design Discussion: As a bibliophile, I am very picky about bookmarks. Bulky, bumpy, lumpy bookmarks can damage books. I've seen some pictured in magazines and online that have gemstones or brads or bows on the part of the bookmark that goes inside the book.

"The horror! The horror!"

Okay, so I'm a bit melodramatic about it, quoting Kurtz and all, but seriously, real book lovers don't want lumps and bumps on their bookmarks.

Happy Monday, y'all.