How to Make an Elastic Bookmark + Fiskars Tag Maker Giveaway

How to make a diy elastic tag bookmark on Dear Handmade Life

I love to read. Love. Love. LOVE to read. I usually have a book in my bag or car, and have been known to  be simultaneously reading two or three books at the same time.  My mom (a former librarian) hated it when I dog-eared a page to keep my place as a kid, so out of respect for her, I try to use bookmarks as much as possible. My favorite kinds of bookmarks? The kinds that don’t. fall. out.

Post-it notes work great, but frankly, they just aren’t that cute, and tend to lose their sticky after a few days. Paper clips work well also, but for some reason, when you need a paper clip at our house, you can’t find one.  While I was playing with the new Fiskars Tag Maker and Eyelet Setter, I decided to whip up a few elastic bookmarks, and I’m really loving them! It’s a quick, no sewing type project that you can easily finish in a few minutes! I made three of them, and have been using them since!

{Angie}

Are you ready to get crafty with the Fiskars tag maker?

Leave a comment below by Monday March 16th letting us know the best book you’ve read lately and we’ll get you started by sending one lucky winner a Fiskars tag maker of your very own. We’ll announce the winner here on Wednesday March 18th.

Be sure to leave your email address in your profile so we can get your address and send you your Fiskars tag maker!

WHAT TO GET:

-Cute card stock or scrap-booking paper

-Elastic (I used some colored fold-over elastic like this but I’m sure any kind will work!)

-Scissors

-Ruler or measuring tape

Fiskars Tag Maker + Eyelet Punch (It’s a pretty cool little gadget! Cuts tags, punches holes, and sets the eyelet all in one!)

How to make a diy elastic tag bookmark on Dear Handmade Life

WHAT TO DO:

1. Using the Fiskars Tag Maker, punch out two tags of your chosen paper. These will be the front and back of your bookmark.

How to make a diy elastic tag bookmark on Dear Handmade Life

2. Put the tag in the small opening above the paper punch that you just used to cut out tag shape, and punch hole.

How to make a diy elastic tag bookmark on Dear Handmade LifeHow to make a diy elastic tag bookmark on Dear Handmade Life

3. Cut your elastic to desired length. I cut mine at 12 inches, but you can cut it longer or shorter according to whatever size book you might normally read.

How to make a diy elastic tag bookmark on Dear Handmade LifeHow to make a diy elastic tag bookmark on Dear Handmade LifeHow to make a diy elastic tag bookmark on Dear Handmade Life

4. Place an eyelet in the hole of the paper tag you just punched. Fiskars supplies 20 eyelets, but if you need extra (which I did after I was done playing with the cutter) you can purchase separately.  Just make sure you get one of the sizes specified on the back of the packaging.

How to make a diy elastic tag bookmark on Dear Handmade LifeHow to make a diy elastic tag bookmark on Dear Handmade LifeHow to make a diy elastic tag bookmark on Dear Handmade Life

5. Fold over your elastic, and cut a small slit in the middle to create a hole near the edge of the elastic.

How to make a diy elastic tag bookmark on Dear Handmade LifeHow to make a diy elastic tag bookmark on Dear Handmade Life

6. Thread the hole of the elastic over the eyelet and place the other punched tag on top, sandwiching the elastic in between the two pieces of paper.How to make a diy elastic tag bookmark on Dear Handmade Life

How to make a diy elastic tag bookmark on Dear Handmade Life(Now here’s the only tricky part.  I went through quite a few eyelets until I looked up exactly how to use the setter.)

7. Place the eyelet with the largest side up towards the top of the punch lever.  It does feel a little backwards. You have to hold things a little more carefully because of the position of the eyelet.How to make a diy elastic tag bookmark on Dear Handmade Life

8.  Now press.  REALLY, REALLY, REALLY hard.  Like throw your body weight into it.  It takes a bit of muscle….(you can totally count this craft into your ‘exercise’ time….)How to make a diy elastic tag bookmark on Dear Handmade Life

9. Release the lever press, and check out your handiwork.

How to make a diy elastic tag bookmark on Dear Handmade Life10. Repeat the process on the other side (eyelet in paper, thread elastic over eyelet, place other piece of paper on top) creating a circle with the elastic.  Make sure your elastic isn’t twisted.

11. Press again (remember to put the top of the eyelet facing up), use your muscles to force that lever down, release, and admire your cute little bookmark. And then go ahead and make a couple more!

How to make a diy elastic tag bookmark on Dear Handmade LifeHow to make a diy elastic tag bookmark on Dear Handmade Life004

The chalkboard paper was fun. I wrote a little quote on it, and ended up setting it aside to give away with a book, to a friend.  The glitter paper was fun…in theory.  There was basically glitter everywhere.  Including the chicken that we ate for dinner. True story.  I also set that one aside….probably not to be used again.  The blue and yellow one has found a permanent place in my book.  (Yes. That’s Harry Potter I’m currently reading. I’m previewing it for my son…and I really like it.  A lot.)

How to make a diy elastic tag bookmark on Dear Handmade Life

 

40 Comments

  1. The best book I’ve read lately would have to be the Count of Monte Cristo. I’ve been reading some classics lately and that one was pretty great!

  2. I’m currently reading Crazy Love You by Lisa Unger… I haven’t been able to put it down, but I need to make this awesome book mark to make sure I don’t keep reading the same page over and over again =/

  3. OMG, I have been wanting these punches. They make the cutest tags. What a great idea to make an elastic book mark. I recently reread The Looking Glass Wars series by Frank Beddor. I love them so much that I had to read them again. It’s a completely different perspective on Alice in Wonderland or should I correct myself and say Alyss. I cried the second time I finished the last book. I really wish they would go on forever.

  4. This is so clever. It’s one of those easy projects that has a “wow” effect. I come from a book-loving family and there are several students in the family, so this will be a cute tuck-in for packages or cards.

  5. Great tute! Currently reading “Empty Mansions”, true story of a reclusive billionaire heiress, complete with creepy mansions filled with dollar!

  6. North River by Pete Hamill. I could not put it down! I found it at the library book sale, it was good find.

  7. What a great tutorial! I’m actually currently reading a book called Sharp Objects, by the same author who wrong Gone Girl 🙂 Thank you for this opportunity!!

  8. the Martian. but I read on a kindle lately which eliminates bookmarks. however, I might use your idea to make blanket ties instead.

  9. I love this, and especially love that Japanese print paper you used! Would love to win the Fiskars tag maker so I could make a bunch for friends and myself! Currently reading The Strange Library by Haruki Murakami, and the bookmark would look darn good around one of those beautiful pages 😉

  10. Re-reading, for the third time, Ian Stewart’s Why Beauty is Truth: A History of Symmetry. Warning: Only for serious math and number nerds! Same author as Flatterland: Like Flatland, Only More So, a sequel to Edwin Abbott’s Flatland: A Romance in Many Dimensions.

  11. I’m reading a new book called “too sweet” by Laura Kronen it’s about her life as a type1 diabetic. She’s a life coach and mother of 2. My daughter is 9 and a type 1 also and I’m always trying to read about how to help her by understanding her condition.

  12. I’m reading a book called Where’d You Go, Bernadette? With 2 small kids, it’s taking me forever to get through it! I love making tags, though!

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