Page 6 - CB-Bookmarks

6) Cut the laminated bookmarks apart carefully. Leave at least a quarter of an inch of lamination
around the edges. Leave more at the top if you want to put in a hole punch for a tassle or charm without
punching a hole in the bookmark itself. Again, a ruler and razor blade or safety cutter will give the
straightest edges. The copy shop may have a paper cutter you can use on the spot.

7) An optional extra: Use a corner-rounding clipper to cut off the sharp, pointed edges of your
bookmark. The copy shop may have one of these you can use, or you can get one at a craft shop.

8) Dress them up with tassels and charms! To add a tassel or charm to a bookmark, use a single hole-
punch tool to carefully punch a hole in the center of the top of the bookmark. (Again, leave extra
lamination at the top if you don’t want to punch a hole in the bookmark itself.)
To add a tassel, simply poke the loop of the tassel through the hole, from the front to the back. Push
the main part of the tassel through the loop and pull to tighten.
To really brighten up your bookmarks (and to turn them into fabulous gifts), try adding charms. For
this, I recommend using “charm lanyards.” You can find these in large, inexpensive, multi-colored lots
on Amazon by searching on terms like “cell phone charm lariat lanyard.” Look for lanyards that are
about 2-3 inches in length, with a lobster-claw clasp.
Now hunt up some charms! Your local hobby shop will have many to choose from. Take a look at
the short strings of decorative jewelry findings, such as “chains” of jeweled unicorns, peacocks, owls,
crosses, etc. These work perfectly as charms and are generally less expensive than actual charms. Old
costume jewelry (especially dangly earrings and small pendants) will also make great charms. Simply
attach a lanyard to your bookmark by poking the loop through the hole, use the lobster clasp to attach the
charm, and you have a gorgeous bookmark and a beautiful gift!

—Moira Allen

Figure 1 – Laying out bookmarks on a legal-size lamination sheet