I combined my love of bookmarks and my affection for foreign postage stamps and the kids and I made these awesome (if I do say so myself) handmade postage stamp bookmarks! These would also make a lovely Mother's Day present or a gift for teachers.
Sadly, the triumph of email over snail mail means fewer postage ephemera to collect for crafts. Some U.S. Post Offices will give kids a small bag of stamps to encourage them to become philatelists, so it's worth asking! Flea markets and junk stores are good places to find old stamps. Often non-valuable stamps are sold by the bag-full.
I have a soft spot for foreign stamps. There is something so appealing about exoticness of the words and symbols on them. The bookmarks have a nostalgic element, too. If you have old letters from when you were a kid, it would be fun to make a bookmark out of them.
How to Make Postage Stamp Bookmarks:
Materials:
Construction paper (preferably card stock) in any color
Old postage stamps
Scissors
Glue Stick
Instructions:
1. Cut card stock to the desired size of the finished bookmark. You may want to arrange your stamps on a full piece of paper and then trace an outline so you get the sizing exact. (Admittedly, I did not think that far ahead!)
2. Glue postage stamps to card stock. I love the glue sticks that go on purple and dry clear. The purple color makes it easy for kids to see where they've put the glue.
3. Resist the temptation to straighten the stamps your child has affixed haphazardly!
4. If the stamps are hanging over the edge of the paper (like ours did) you can glue the bookmark to a slightly larger piece of colored card stock and trim.
5. Read a book! Mark your stopping place with your new postage stamp bookmark!
MORE DIY BOOKMARK IDEAS:
Watch a video of how to make cute heart origami bookmarks:
E.S. Ivy says
What a neat idea for some of those pretty commemorative stamps. My grandfather collected stamps so I always have trouble throwing them away, but a few years ago I had to face the fact that if I hadn't started a stamp collection in 30 years it was never going to happen! 🙂
Hmmm... maybe you could coat with a layer of modge podge (I think that's what it's called) to keep the stamps from being pulled off.
Erica MomandKiddo says
I've never used Mod Podge, that is an interesting idea I will have to investigate!
E.S. Ivy says
P.S. - Also I loved the line "resist the urge to straighten the stamps your child put on crooked." I can definitely relate!
Erica MomandKiddo says
Yes. I was literally holding my hands to keep from doing this!