I found these video tutorials awhile back and made up some of these bookmarks.
I had a great time because they’re easy!!! And addicting! You can’t make just one!!!
There’s something kids can do . . . and with Back-to-School pushing into the forefront of our priorities, I wanted to give you something to do and for your children to do that would be useful.
I remember how popular those bracelets were and maybe still are that kids were making for their friends and family. Well, these may be the next thing . . . maybe not, but I know of several kids that have made money from their bracelets . . . so why not these bookmarks. I’m all for encouraging the young . . . we’ve come a long way from the lemonade stand of my day.
Paper crafts are my thing . . . so I’m enthusiastic about these bookmarks. I hope you will be, too.
This video tutorial will give you the basics and a great Pikachu bookmark.
And, here’s the Pokeball bookmark.
I could go on and on about these bookmarks, but you may prefer to go through Red Ted Art’s playlist and find the right ones you want to make. There are plenty of them . . . Angry Birds, Minions, even Sponge Bob and Finding Dory . . . Nemo, too. There are Emojis and all sorts of characters you may find appropriate for your particular style and interest.
Just as a thumbnail. I think she began with a 6 inch by 6 inch piece of paper, but she encourages you to experiment with different sizes and to use the scraps you have around. She sometimes uses origami paper, but colored printer paper works well, too. You may want to use a thicker paper for your embellishments such as beaks and ears so they don’t get smooshed and torn with continuous use.
Once you learn the basics, you can create to your hearts content. They’re great as Back-to-School gifts your kids can give their friends, but think about all the great Halloween characters you could make . . . those will really be fun! And you can skip ahead to Christmas . . . and even think about Valentine’s Day . . .
But before we get too carried away, it’s important to make up a few of them. There’s no better way of learning than by doing. And teaching someone else . . . like your kids . . . I think they’ll be a natural at it!
As you can see, these are easy to make and great fun to do!
This does seem quite refreshing . . . after last week . . .
Yes, for one . . . my air conditioner decided to go on the fritz.
It was repairable . . . it was repaired . . . and much more comfortable with the three digit temperatures . . . which are to get a bit cooler this week . . . hopefully.
Oh, my thoughts are turning to the wonderful blissful fall . . . but, alas, it is much too soon to be yearning for fall . . . but I can pretend and get into the fall crafts . . . which goes into the Halloween thing.
Yes, it may be too soon . . . but better early than too late.
Halloween party preparations should be planned carefully and not rushed.
The same goes for the party favors.
I have all these great coffins to make. Have you tried them?
They do come together rather quickly, but they do need something more . . . and here I have a stack of these that need to be embellished and stand out . . . And to do that takes time.
I’ve been thinking of cobwebs and maybe pumpkins . . . perhaps a vampire, witch, ghost . . . a haunted house . . . or school . . . Something that would be more exciting than the candy inside the coffin . . .
I’ve always thought these would be good to hold a mini-album . . . or an original story . . . something creepy and spooky . . . but then, again, guests are into the candy . . . just like when we were children . . .
There are just some things we don’t outgrow . . . no matter how old we get.
But, decorating has to do with getting into the moment . . . the essence of Halloween . . . which is basically imagination . . . drawing others into our imagination . . . and sharing it . . .
Could be a bit lame . . . but worth a try.
These could go with the theme of your party . . . pirates, perhaps . . . witches . . . or the Legend of Sleepy Hollow . . . Whatever happened to Ichabod Crane?
That might be a lovely way to spend All Hollow’s Eve . . . figuring out what happened that fateful night returning home from the Van Tassel’s Harvest Feast . . . after Ichabod left crushed by Katrina’s refusal of his marriage proposal . . .
So caught up in his own imagination and the story told of the famed Headless Horseman . . . Yes, the ghost of the decapitated Hessian soldier in hot pursuit on his tail . . . Ichabod crosses the bridge near the Dutch burial ground — supposedly the ghost was incapable of crossing that bridge . . .
Ichabod foolishly assumed he’s safe . . . when the Headless Horseman throws his own severed head at Ichabod . . . knocking the heartbroken and terrified school teacher off his horse and “tumbling headlong into the dust.”
The next morning, Ichabod’s hat is found abandoned near the church bell bridge . . . and not far behind, a shattered pumpkin.
And . . . what are we to make of this?
Many do believe that young Ichabod Crane left Sleepy Hollow . . . and sought comfort in another village . . . with another farmer’s daughter . . .
Or was it more sinister? Did Ichabod get spirited away by the Hessian soldier . . . was he, Ichabod, now destined to ride through the night, reliving over and over again that fateful night?
Or was there an encounter with the town rowdy, Abraham “Bron Bones” Van Brunt?
Many do believe he dressed up like the Headless Horseman to run his rival for the fair Katrina affections out of town . . . Did he succeed? And did they work together to carry out this charade?
With a little imagination . . . you and your guests can come up with dozens of possibilities.
And the gift you make for each of your guests will be a paper craft coffin with an Ichabod Crane hat and a shattered pumpkin on top . . . maybe that bridge would be a good touch or the graveyard . . .
And, of course, there will be a lovely assortment of sweet Halloween candy inside.
Let me know how many of these you made . . . and what you did with them. If you gave them away, what was the initial reaction . . . and what did they think after they had it for awhile?
This is something that can cause nightmare or that uneasy feeling . . . like you’re being watched!
These gift boxes seemed to have been popular a couple of years ago.
It may be time to bring them back!
I do seem to get excited about things after their time has passed. I can’t believe that they’re not still popular. They are definitely cute.They are appropriate to decorate for all seasons and all holidays and special events.
Perhaps you can say that about all gift boxes.
I just know that these are a shape that seems to capture one’s imagination with all kinds of critters and holiday icons. They’ve been made into pumpkins and apples, turkeys and mummies, Santa’s and elves . . . even those ninja turtles and minions . . . and just about everything else.
What’s truly great about these gift boxes is that they go together without any glue. You just need to use a bone folder to curl the sides to help them along a bit and the end pieces fit together. They do hold together quite well and there’s plenty of surface space to decorate and add embellishments. And there’s plenty of room inside for some tasty treats.
Click the picture of the pumpkins and you’ll be taken to the PDF template to download and print out on your personal computer.
I do like the giraffe . . . You can get as creative as you like with these. They are the perfect shape for a special gift by just using designer paper and adding a tag or a ribbon.
You can deck them out in the colors of your favorite football team or basketball team or baseball team or . . . and then there are all the great cartoon characters and super heroes . . . and the list can go on and on and on.
I’m sure there are some animals or food or characters you’d like to put on your curvy gift box. I’m wondering how it would work with a haunted house for Halloween . . . or a graveyard . . .
Maybe you could do something Steam Punk or Pokemon Go . . . That should definitely be a hit with the kids . . . young adults . . . and even older adults. It’s amazing how some things have taken off . . .
Well . . . I think you have plenty of ideas now . . . probably without my help . . .
Be sure to click on one of the pictures and you’ll be taken to the PDF template to download and print it out. I think once you get started you’ll want to do more. And when the kids see them . . . they’ll want to make them, too.
These are great for you to add your own images for various seasons and holidays.
I like the background. It works well for most generic purposes.
This vintage look seems to be quite popular. I like it and use the style for most of my tags for all seasons and for all reasons.
I like to use my Silhouette Cameo Design Studio software to change the size of the tags and to add images. Then I can duplicate them to fill the page. Then get them cut out quickly and easily to use on gifts and for inserts in mini-albums and scrapbooks.
These tags are also great to add your own messages to them — could be seasonal greetings and add the “To and From”. On the back I like to add a personal message of some kind.
While everyone is having fun this weekend celebrating America’s Independence . . .
I’m thinking of Halloween . . .
Can you relate?
I’ve been building paper models of haunted houses and making candy boxes shaped like coffins . . . and playing with my Silhouette Cameo to make appropriate boxes I can give away to the kids who come on All Hollow’s Eve with the message of “trick-or-treat!”
I do love Halloween . . . but starting too early could mean burning out down the road . . . So I am refraining from launching full force into Halloween, but I can still be thinking about it and doing various Halloween projects just for my own amusement.
It is always good to get started early on your holiday projects. Whatever holiday is your favorite. Or when the mood strikes.
The warm to hot days of summer seems appropriate for me to settle into doing some paper crafts. I find them enjoyable and relaxing.
Since I got my Silhouette Cameo I’m having fun learning the software and playing around with templates for making boxes. I do love boxes. I love to decorate them for whatever holiday is appropriate.
I have been making cards and mini-albums, too. It’s fun to have a span of time to devote to the crafts of your choice. I’ve been toying around with the idea of having a website for crafts and also a YouTube Channel . . . the more I think about it . . . the more I warm up to the idea . . . but I also wonder why I would do it.
I love the craft tutorials YouTube has to offer . . . I don’t know if I could actually add to it . . . There is considerable work involved. It could also be fun . . . but I may continue doing what I’m doing here. I don’t think I need the added work.
I love what I’m doing and sharing things with you. I do appreciate it when you click one of my links and purchase something. I know it is your way of saying Thank You and I thank you in return.
I do have much to learn about making my own PDF files that I can offer to you this coming holiday season starting in the fall. Yes, I’m referring to Halloween. I have a few things in the works . . . but, I don’t want to start too soon . . . I’ll also have things for Thanksgiving and Christmas . . . then Valentine’s Day . . . and all the following holidays.
We do come full circle year after year . . . with so very much to celebrate. And, I think the best is celebrating family and friends. We are all so very fortunate in so very many ways . . . and doing things for others does add to the fun every holiday and season and every day of the year.
Here are some things you may enjoy this summer while you’re waiting for Halloween:
