I’m always looking for ways to recycle pretty papers into meaningful things to use around my home or to give as gifts. For example, did you know that you can use leftover wrapping paper, gift bags, pretty pages in magazines, printed gift boxes, used greeting cards and other items to make beautiful laminated bookmarks? Well, you can and today I’m going to tell you how to do it!

If you don’t own your own laminating machine…you can get your items laminated inexpensively at local office supply stores, business centers, craft stores and sometimes at the public library. I bought my laminating machine a few years ago and hesitated on the expense of buying one, but now that I have one…I use it all of the time to make all kinds of different things.

The laminated bookmarks that I’m featuring today in my craft feature were made from sheets of used gift wrapping paper. After the gift was opened, instead of crumbling it up and tossing it away…I flattened it and cut it into manageable rectangular sizes. This gift wrap is a lot fancier than what it looks in my photos, it has foil accents which gives it some shine.

How to Make Laminated Bookmarks

Choice of Pretty Papers (see above)
Laminating Machine with Laminating Plastic Sheet
1/4″ Hole Puncher
Fiber, Ribbon or Yarn
Scissors

From the desired paper cut out a strip that measures 7″ long by 2 1/4″ wide. You can make your strips as long and as wide that you like, but I typically stick to that specific size when I make them. I use my hole puncher and punch through the paper to mark my spot for the ribbon. You’ll need to punch that same hole a second time once you have them sealed in the plastic.

If you own a laminating machine, you’ll want to follow the directions that came with your specific unit. With mine, I turn it on and heat it up. I place my paper strip in between the two plastic sheets and then place them in the cardboard protective folder that came with my machine. I typically get 4 and sometimes 5 of them onto one plastic sheet, depending on the size.

When it’s hot & ready, I feed the cardboard folder through the machine. Once it comes out the other side, I take it and let it sit on my table for about 5 minutes (untouched) to cool. Once it has cooled, I open up the folder and remove my laminated piece.

Note: If you don’t want to mess with a conventional laminating machine, you can try out the self-adhesive plastic sheets from Avery. My daughter uses them with no problems at all and tells me that they’re easy to use.

Using sharp scissors, cut around the edge of your bookmark, leaving about 1/8″ space around the paper design. You need to leave that space, so that your piece stays sealed underneath the plastic. Once you have it trimmed out use a hole puncher to punch your hole at the top. Cut a 6″ long piece of fiber or ribbon and loop it through the punched hole.

They’re super easy to make and a great way to recycle pretty paper that you normally toss away. I like to insert a bookmark into Birthday cards and other type’s of greeting cards that I send out to friends & family. So far, I’ve never had to add an extra postage stamp. If I’m giving a book as a gift, I insert one into the book as an added extra-little-something. You can tie them onto gift bags or tape them onto gift boxes when presenting presents too.

If you need a new laminator and looking for a really affordable one, you can purchase one from Amazon for a really great price!

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