Laminated Tasseled Bookmark

How to Make an Original Bookmark

Personalized Bookmarks Make a Special Gift
Laminating and Adding Tassels Make them Extra Special

I managed props for a recent community theater production of "The Dresser". It’s a tradition at our little theater for the various managers to give personal notes or a little gift to each member of the cast for all their hard work.

The actors loved the tasseled and laminated bookmark mementos.

For the main characters, I chose one of their personal lines from the show. For those with bit parts, I used one quote for all.

My favorite quote is, "I want a tranquil senility!"

On the other side I put a crown and the show’s title. Then I made matching envelopes.

Laminated Bookmark Materials

• Cardstock - Each 8 ½ by 11 sheet makes six bookmarks
• Card making or photo editing software - My bookmarks (and envelopes) were done in Photoshop, but Photoshop Elements or Print Shop would work as well
• Clip art or digital designs - I used Mandy Steward’s Layer Postage (on the envelope) and Brandy Murry’s Chronicles Paper (as the bookmark’s aged look background), both from Scrap Girls
• Paper cutter or large scissors
• Laminating machine - Laminating is optional but makes the bookmarks more durable
• Round paper punch
• Tassels - Directions for making your own tassels follow

How to Make the Bookmark

Lay out and design the bookmark on an 8 ½ by 11-inch portrait orientation page in your photo editing software. You can do a design for both front and back as I did - or not.

My design is 6 1/4 by 2 1/8 inches. (Laminating adds about 3/8 inches to each dimension.) If your printer allows borderless printing, this size allows four bookmarks vertically across and another two horizontally for a total of six to each page.

Print and cut the bookmarks apart.

Punch a hole at the center top of each bookmark.

String a tassel through each hole.

How to Make Your Own Tassels

Tassle Materials

• Crochet cotton in desired thickness
• Matching thread - and needle
• White craft glue
• Pointed manicure scissors
• Mini-loom

My mini-loom is the metal band from the top of a wine bottle. Just find something which is the width of the tassel length you desire to make.

Have the needle threaded with a long double strand of matching thread.

For the hanger, lay a 6-inch (or longer) piece of crochet cotton across the loom.

You want this strand long enough for knotting. After knotting the hanger should be long enough to string and loop through the hole of the bookmark.

Loop crochet cotton around the loom until you have the thickness you desire. I used 20 loops.

Run the threaded needle under the loops at the top of the tassel. Tie the loops tightly together and cut the thread close to the loops.

Take the ends of the hanger cord and tie together in an overhand knot.

Dab a bit of white glue on the knot to hold it in place.

Use the manicure scissors to cut the tassels apart at the bottom. The tassel will fall away from the loom.

Slide the hanger loop around to hide its knot within the tassel loops.

Hold the assembly tightly together and wind thread around the tassel strands to bind them and create the typical decorative stripe found atop any tassel.