Turn old envelopes into animal-shaped corner bookmarks that clip onto the page you’re reading. Make a frog, tiger, cardinal, rabbit, or any creature you can imagine. These bookmark buddies take about 30 minutes and make great gifts for friends who love to read.
Materials
Supplies:
- envelopes (any size from junk mail, old greeting cards, or office supply stores)
- construction paper or colored paper
- craft glue
- markers or crayons
Tools:
- scissors
- ruler
- pencil
No envelopes? Cut a square of paper, fold it into a triangle, then fold the two bottom corners up to the top point and tuck them in to create a pocket. Same result.
TIP: If you don’t have the envelope color you need, cut a triangle from construction paper to fit on top of the bookmark, then glue it down.
Steps
- Prep the envelope. Glue down all loose flaps so the envelope lies flat.
- Cut the corner. Draw a 3-inch square on the bottom right corner of the envelope. Cut it out. This corner piece becomes your bookmark. (See diagram above.)
- Make the pocket. Fold point A of the top sheet down to point B (the corner of the envelope). Cut ONLY the top layer along the dotted line. This will create a corner pocket.
- Create an animal face. Create an animal face by cutting out features (such as eyes, ears, bill, nose, or tongue) from colored paper. Arrange them on the bookmark and glue in place. You can also draw features on the bookmark with crayons or markers.
- Slide it on. Open the pocket and clip it over the corner of the page where you stopped reading.
Grownup help needed: Younger kids may need help with the cutting and folding in steps 2-3.
