Stained Glass Bookmarks
Make these easy bookmarks from cardstock decorated with tissue paper or crepe paper for a stained glass or tie-dyed effect.
Featured Crafts
Supplies Needed
- White cardstock or construction paper
- Tissue paper or crepe paper
- White glue
- Decoupage medium (e.g. Mod Podge) - for tie-dyed bookmarks only
- Plastic placemat or plastic wrap
- Yarn, leather string, or ribbon
- Scissors
- Hole punch
STEPS
1Cut a long rectangle.
Cut out a long rectangle for your bookmark's base from white cardstock or construction paper. Mine is 7 inches long and 1¾ inches wide.
2Cut colored tissue into small pieces.
Cut two or more colors of tissue paper into small irregular-shaped pieces.
3Cover your work area.
Put your bookmark on top of a plastic placemat or a sheet of plastic wrap.
4Mix white glue with water.
Mix 3 parts white glue with 1 part water.
5Dip a piece of tissue in glue.
Dip one piece of colored tissue into the glue mixture.
6Place the tissue on the bookmark.
Shake off the excess glue before placing the piece of tissue on the bookmark. Smoothen the edges with your finger or with a paint brush.
7Place the next piece of tissue.
Choose a different color of tissue and dip it in the glue mixture. Place it on the bookmark, partially overlapping with the first piece.
8Fill the bookmark with tissue.
Continue gluing overlapping pieces of colored tissue until you have covered the entire bookmark. The overlapping parts create a nice stained glass effect.
9Trim the excess tissue.
Once dry, peel off the bookmark from the plastic wrap or placemat. Trim the excess tissue at the edges of the bookmark.
10Tie a ribbon or string on top.
Your bookmark will naturally be a little curled at the edges because the cardstock had previously been soaked in glue. This can easily be remedied by pressing your bookmark in between the pages of a heavy book or you can glue another piece of cardstock (same size as the first) at the back of your bookmark.
Finally, punch a hole near the top edge and make a tie from yarn, ribbon, leather string or thin paper twine.
11Enjoy your bookmark.
These bookmarks are pretty easy to make. Make several for yourself and some more for your book-loving friends.
More Ideas
Make a tie-dyed bookmark.
Create a tie-dyed effect by using bleeding tissue paper or crepe paper. When wet, the overlapping tissue paper pieces will naturally bleed color, creating a nice tie-dyed effect. The photo on the left shows how the colors mix and bleed on the bookmark. Compare this with the non-bleeding tissue in Step 8.
Once the glue dries, you will need to apply a coating of decoupage medium such as Mod Podge to make sure that the colors are permanently sealed in (and don't accidentally bleed into your book's pages). Let the bookmark dry before punching a hole and tying a ribbon or string on top.
