It's the teen craft of the month! This month's take and make or in person craft is mini keychain bookmarks. This take and make was super popular this summer so we decided to bring it back just for you! We'll be using some soft faux leather for our book covers with fun designs and plain paper for the inside but you can get creative with it. One option would be to write the first few sentences or paragraph of your favorite book on the inside or maybe some of your favorite YA book quotes. I've posted some of my favorites below!
Want an old timey look to your paper? Grab a tea bag (you'll want to use an herbal or black tea), seep it in some hot water, and grab a paintbrush. Once your tea has cooled, dip your paintbrush in the tea, and paint the pages. You can paint the whole page, the edges, or just add some drips. When finished to your liking, let the paper dry on some paper towel and if you don't want it wrinkly, place a heavy object on top. Once you're done, you could take some string and a needle and thread your pages together and glue it inside or just glue the pages and spine down.
Some of my favorite book quotes:
"We accept the love we think we deserve.” -The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
“Hope can be a powerful force. Maybe there’s no actual magic in it, but when you know what you hope for most and hold it like a light within you, you can make things happen, almost like magic.” - Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor
“Brave doesn’t mean you’re not scared. It means you go on even though you’re scared.” - The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
Check out these books for more inspiration!
Or if you want to watch a create and learn online, check out these classes from Creative Bug! (Please note, you will need to create an account with your library card to access Creative Bug.)
Anatomy of a Book - an introduction for those interested in book making
Japanese Side Sewn Sketchbook - learn four different stitches for this historical Japanese bookbinding structure
Innovative Book Structures- flag books, floating panel books, and storage books
