2014-02-21

I recently went on vacation and overall we planned rather well. We didn't end up bringing many things we didn't need and we only forgot to pack a couple of minor things. Part of that planning was figuring out how many books to bring, something that BlogHer's Facebook community helped me with. It was a screen-free vacation so I only packed paper books. As I settled into a lounge chair on the first day of our vacation I realized I had made an error. I had not packed a bookmark.

Usually that's not a problem for me. I always have a receipt or business card nearby. I had absolutely nothing in my beach bag to mark my page unless I wanted to start using pesos as bookmarks (and I really didn't want to). I ended up doing something I never do -- I dog-eared my pages. I can hear your gasps. I'm kind of surprised with myself. Now that I'm home I'm looking at bookmarks I can take on my next screen-free vacation. Maybe I'll just keep a couple permanently stored in my carry-on.

DIY Monster Bookmarks


Image Credit: The Haphazard Homemaker

I need to make these monster bookmarks. They remind me of the Yip-Yips on Sesame Street. I love the Yip-Yips.

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Magnetic Washi Tape Bookmarks


Image Credit: A Lemon Squeezy Home

Of all the different types of bookmarks, magnetic bookmarks might be my favorite. I love how they give me the option of not only marking my page, but marking the paragraph where I stopped reading. I usually try to stop reading at the end of a chapter or section but there are times, especially when I'm reading in bed, when my eyes get droopy and I just can't make it to the end of a section. I have a pretty new love affair with washi tape crafts, which makes these DIY washi tape magnetic bookmarks perfect for me. I need at least a dozen of them.

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Paper Clip Bookmarks That Don't Ruin Pages!


Image Credit: What Do We Do All Day?

I'm sure you've been in a store and noticed bookmarks that resemble paper clips. I have a bunch of them. I even have a pretty one from Venice that is decorated with a Murano glass mosaic. These bookmarks are really convenient but they just have one little problem -- they tend to damage, or even rip, book pages. Erica started making her own paper clip bookmarks and they are really, really easy to make. I especially love the ones she made with the spiral clips.

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Paper Clip and Pompom Bookmarks

Image Credit: Raising Up Rubies

I like the simplicity of these paper clip and pompom bookmarks but I really love how Jaime matched the pompom colours to the paper clip colours. The rainbow of colors makes me think of children's books and these would make great treat bag items for a children's party. If pompoms aren't your thing, Spoon and Spool has a bunch of ideas for other items to you can use to make paper clip bookmarks.

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Easy Paper Bookmarks

Image Credit: Etcetorize

Tamara's easy paper bookmarks function much the same way paper clip bookmarks do but are made out of thick paper. She used pretty printed paper but we still have some card stock lingering around from the days when we actually printed our resumes to apply for jobs. (Remember those days?) My paper is pretty plain but it would be easy to decorate it stamps, stickers and online printables.

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DIY Leather Bookmarks

Image Credit: Made by Me & Shared With You

There's something about a leather bookmark that feels a bit decadent to me. I was surprised to discover how easy it is to make one. They require very little material, making them a great way to use up any scraps you might have lying around.

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Paper Heart Bookmark

Image Credit: Just Crafty Enough

Susi's paper heart bookmarks are in the same style as the leather bookmarks but even faster and easier to make. My sewing skills aren't great (and my sewing machine is broken) but I'm sure I could MacGyver a way to make them without sewing them, even if they wouldn't look quite so cute without that sewn edge.

What is your favorite kind of bookmark? Have you made your own?

Karen Ballum is a Community Moderator on BlogHer.com. She also blogs at Sassymonkey and Sassymonkey Reads.

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