Wooden Bookmarks

I'll be teaming up with my friends at Blurb again, this time at the Brit+Co conference/festival Re:Make where I'll be leading a book craft at their booth. This part of the event features some incredibly creative makers showcasing textiles, housewares, jewelry and print work.  I had that in mind when I mocked up a few bookmarks made from ultra-thin sheets of birch plywood to test as a craft that festival goers can make while checking out what Blurb has to offer. They need to be easy, but they have to be good.  So here they are. Some are embroidered, some painted. I like the idea of gift giving a good book and a handmade bookmark; it's simple and thoughtful. I still read real books, because I like the weight and the way the paper feels in my hands, plus they make great coasters...

To make a wooden bookmark, head to a craft store and pick up some 1/64" thick birch plywood sheets, found in the woodworking/wooden dowel section.  Using a sharp blade, cut with the grain, into 6"x2" pieces.  I made these samples using a small hole punch dotted 1cm apart up each side of the bookmark and threaded a cross-weave down the length with embroidery thread, securing the ends with a knot and dot of glue.  To make the painted version, I used washi tape to mark triangles and painted with a coat of acrylic paint, allowing to dry for 5 minutes before removing the tape.  Both versions take about 5 minutes of work time to create.

Growing Up

I've been keeping track of my kids height with pencil on the kitchen wall.  They keep growing  (lots of oatmeal) and my wall keeps getting more pencil on it. I've been wanting to create some sort of frame for the space that we hang all of their art.  

Jasper's on a nature kick, lots of forest animals and trees so I thought I'd take that idea and integrate it with my need for a proper growth chart using pieces of balsa wood. It does a dual job of measuring the kids and dividing the space. I'll add a new height every 6 months. I put mom and dad on there so that they 
can set some goals. 

Because balsa wood is so thin and light weight, I was able to tack the trunk to the wall, made up of three 3" wide pieces.  I used smaller 1" wide pre-cut pieces for the branches (left over from the sunburst mirror project).  

The leaves were created by tracing an oval onto the backside of the leftover larger balsa pieces.  I scored the outline and used a pair of sharp scissors to cut out the shape.  I marked the name, height and date on the leaf.  Both the branch and the leaf are attached with foam tape.