Make a Little Bird Bookmark

Last year I made this little bird bookmark as a gift for my mom and it turned out so sweetly. I had a similarly designed bookmark that was plastic and wondered if watercolor paper would produce a similar result. I happened to have several scraps of watercolor paper left over from another project so decided to experiment.

Well, as you can see below, the watercolor paper was perfect. Oh my goodness, I wish you could see how cute this bookmark is–it’s so tiny! You, of course, could make your little bird bookmark at a larger scale but mine was about the size of a quarter.

Make a Little Bird Bookmark

You will need:

Watercolor Paper
Watercolor Pencils or paint
Pencil
X-Acto knife
Scissors
Waterproof pen (I used a micron pen)
Water (for the watercolor pencils or paint)

1. Draw out your design. For the bookmark portion that we’ll cut out later, I used dotted lines so I would remember. You don’t necessarily have to draw the dotted lines like I did. I drew these birds very small–they are only slightly larger than a quarter–but like I said, you can draw them as large as you would like.

2. Outline the design. Use your waterproof pen to carefully outline the entire design. Add thicker lines in places that you’d like to accent. After the pen ink dries, you can erase the pencil lines but I left mine because they were not that noticeable.

3. Cut out the wing. Using your X-Acto knife, carefully cut along the dotted lines for the bookmark. Most likely, you will need to cut a few times to get through the watercolor paper. If you drew dotted lines with your pen, at this point, you can also fill in the lines so the wing looks more even.

4. Color your bookmark. I used watercolor pencils because I like having a little more control for a project that is this small. You can use whatever paint you have on hand. Using a small paintbrush, carefully add water to the watercolor pencil design. (I love this part!)

5. Cut your bookmark out. Carefully cut out the bookmark, making sure that you leave an edge, especially on the top where the wing is cut. Otherwise, the wing will just pop off!

6. Marvel in the cuteness. There is just something about crafts on a tiny scale that I love. You could make a whole set of these as a gift for someone who loves to read.

Here’s another look at this little bird bookmark.

Well, there you have it. A sweet little craft that you can make in just an hour or so. These would also make great gifts for someone (you could make a set of little birds!) and would work well as a craft for a group.

I included this bookmark in my letter writing bundle because who wouldn’t love to get this cute little bird in the mail? You can get that bundle here!

Have a lovely {and creative} day!