DIY Corner Bookmark

Hi everyone! I know it's been awhile and I promise to try my best to blog more! I've bee doing a lot more reading on my commute to work and decided to make myself a simple, yet functional bookmark! This corner bookmark is super easy to make and you can really personalize it and make it your own. Keep on reading to see how to make one! :)


Materials:
- Ruler
- Scissors
- Paper
-Tape/glue
- Markers, pens, pencils etc.


I used a plain sheet of paper but you can use cardstock or construction paper of any color to personalize your bookmark! Make it really fun!


Steps:

1. Using my ruler, I cut the sheet of paper down into a 5x5 square. Then I trimmed the edges so that they were even on both sides, like in the picture below.





2. Now (this gets a little weird to descibe), cut what would be a small square out of one side of your paper. You should have an "arrow" shape now!







3. Fold the two ends of your "arrow" down so that you have a small square! After the second flap, take some tape or glue to secure it in place. Double sided tape works well or roll up your tape so that you won't be able to see it.





4. Decorate and personalize your bookmark! I wanted to keep mine fairly simple but decided to write a quote about reading on the back. Cheesy, I know... :)

Here's my Corner Bookmark!

What I've learned:

- Mark your measurements down in pencil lightly. They help a lot and you can go back to erase them.
- Whie plain paper works pretty well, I think using cardstock would be better especially if you want your bookmark to last you a long time.



I've recently started reading a lot more books which is actually part of my New Year's Resolution so this DIY Corner Bookmark project was great! I hope you liked this simple craft and that you try it out for yourself. What books are you guys reading and do you have any recommendations?



Alison :)

Dinner Paper Napkin Folding

Hi everybody! My friend showed me this cool paper napkin folding technique that restaurants use. I thought it was pretty cool so I figured I would share it with you. This is a cute was to dress up paper napkins when you have friends over for dinner. Hope you like it!

Materials:
- Paper Napkin (one of the fancier kinds, I guess?)

Steps:

1. Let's get started! Take your napkin and open in up like a book. Fold one layer from the bottom corner up to make a diagonal line.

2. Based on my picture above, turn the napkin clockwise once and flip it over. The bottom right corner on should be the start of the diagonal line when you turn the corner over. If so, fold the entire "back" of the napkin into three equal parts.

3. With the diagonal part now folded on the right bottom corner again, tuck the flap on the opposite side into the diagonal.

Flip it over and tuck your utensils in! My friend happened to work a Sushi place and they use chopsticks!

What I've learned:

- Napkin folding is so easy!
- Sharp creases will make it easier to fold.


How cute and easy is this napkin folding trick? I hope you guys liked this and try it out at your next dinner party. I don't have cloth napkins so this is simple alternative!


Alison :)

Tiny Button Present

Hey everyone! I'm sorry that I haven't posted anything in so long! So... I'm going to try and make it up to you with this Tiny Button Present post! I made this for my boyfriend awhile ago as a cheesy/cute/silly gift but I couldn't post it until after he found it, since it was a surprise! This is going to be dedicated to everyone trying to make a long distance relationship work! I hope you like it. ^.^

Materials:

- Lined paper

- Scrapbook paper

- Scissors

- Button

- Writing Utensil

- Glue 

This is just a list of what I used, but use whatever you have at home already, I know I did! (Notice my scrapbook paper is a piece from my It's A Boy Card!)

Steps:

1. Cut a rectangular piece of scrapbook paper. The dimensions will vary based on the size you want your box to be, but I recommend having the length to be significantly longer than the width. You need to make 3 small "cuts" on each side, not including cutting out a flap shape for the top of your box. The middle cuts are closer together on mine, and that will be the "back-side" of my box. (Insert funny joke about butt. hehe)

2.  Now fold your sides together, using your "cuts" as guidelines. When you fold each little flap in add a dab of glue, except for the "top" of your box. Just fold the flaps into the box to close it.

3. Great! Now that you've put together your box (with the top open and closing well), write a cute message! Since this is a Tiny Button Present, I wrote "You're as cute as a button!". You can always change up your message but I thought adding a tiny button with the message would make it extra cheesy. ;)






4. Here's the hardest part (also optional). I tied a small bow with string (kind of like miniature ribbon?) to pull the whole button idea together.





Here's what my Tiny Button Present looks like!

What I've learned:

- Make sure your initial cuts match up with one another, so your box comes out even on all sides.
- Tying string around a tiny box is a lot harder than you would think!


I made this Tiny Button Present for my boyfriend and hid it in his apartment when I visited him, so that he could find it after I left! (Oh the things I do to make a long distance relationship work :P) If you're considering making this for someone special, you should do it! :)

Hope you enjoyed this blog post and I promise there will be more to come soon!


Alison :)


PS - If you have a funny "back-side" joke for me, comment below!