Easy Tutorial: DIY Inspirational Message Bookmarks

We have a house full of avid readers, but we never seem to have any bookmarks.  I got tired of using old receipts/scraps of paper and decided to make some that would be durable, easy to see, and most of all pretty!  It was time to make these Inspirational Message Bookmarks.

I feel like these are a huge step up from a bent Post-it or gas station receipts we've been using around here:

I was inspired to create them by these beautiful ethereal angel glass cabochons I started carrying in my shop.  They're just so lovely and dreamy.

The colors were a perfect match to this Heavenly Sky fabric, so some heavenly themed bookmarks seemed ideal!

They also add a little inspiration to every read by having a glittery message too:

The beautiful glass angel cabochon adds some special detail,

 and makes sure they don't slip out of place.

This is an easy project and makes a beautiful handmade gift!

Materials:

- Fat quarter cotton fabric (mine is Heaven Sent Heavenly Sky)

- Glass cabochons (mine are these) & glue 

- Card stock or firm stabilizer 

- Heat transfer vinyl 

- Cricut or other cutting machine*

- Iron and/or Cricut Easy Press

* If you don't have a cutting machine you could print my files on paper and lay them over the heat transfer to cut them out by hand with an x-acto knife.

For each bookmark, cut two pieces of cotton fabric 3 inches wide by 9 inches high.  Also cut a piece of the card stock/stabilizer that's 1 3/4inches wide by 7 1/2 inches high.  

With right sides facing, stitch the fabric together on three sides with a 1/2 inch seam allowance.  Leave one short end open for turning.  Trim down the raw edges and turn right side out, poking out the corners with a knitting needle or chopstick.

Insert the card stock or stabilizer inside and fold raw edges of the open end inward and press.  I used a fusible stabilizer so it would all adhere together smoothly.  Top stitch all the way around.

To do the lettering, right click to save my file for these inspiring words & shapes:

Upload them to your cutting machine software and size so they are 1 inch high.  Mirror the image (since it's cut with the right side facing down) and cut out the heat transfer vinyl.

Weed all the material around and inside the letters:

Place a star shape on one end and then center the wording.  Adhere the HTV to the bookmark with an iron or Easy Press, following the HTV directions for time & temperature (since it can vary) pulling off the carrier sheet while still hot.  

Once cool, glue a cabochon onto the top with some glue.  I use E6000 since it's the strongest.  Let dry.

Now you have some beautiful, inspiring bookmarks to brighten the day!