Do-Lit-Yourself: March Break Bookmarks, They’re a Wash!

Do-Lit-Yourself is a column for book lovers with a crafty streak. This pinteresting monthly is written by LPG Education and Engagement manager Lauren Perruzza.Another March break, another week of days to fill with activities and crafts for those wee booklovers in your care. We’re here to help you out with a cost-effective, fun craft that’ll get some creative juices flowing: watercolour bookmarks inspired by your kids’ favourite books.We were totally inspired by these grown-up versions with their simple watercolour washes and bold type, and thought: couldn’t we just blob some watered-down paint on stock card and add a tassel and call it a day? It turns out we couldn’t – we don’t get March Break off, after all – but we mocked up three, based on some of our favourite kids’ book covers (and one adult one, why not?).

Wow Wow and Haw Haw’s fox and crow are just visible here.

 Those jellybeans on the cover of Jellybean Mouse are for the kid who insists on using every colour in the pallette. 

We love the blues and shock of green on Eating Habits of the Chronically Lonesome. You could do this for under $5: just pick up some cardstock, a set of watercolours, and a soft-bristle paintbrush from your local dollar store. Be sure that everyone has their own cup of water, and that they refill that cup regularly as it gets cloudy (no one wants a brownish-grey smudge of a bookmark). Experiment with different amounts of water both on the paper and the brush to get different effects. Though we didn’t here, you could absolutely add some black pen or Sharpie to accentuate a few of your favourite shapes, or write a quotation from the book!Do share your own bookmark crafting sojourns with us.