Cute Origami Bookmarks

Hello internet people, today I will show you how to create corner bookmarks out of coloured paper. They always turn out really cute and they're perfect for giving as gifts :)

Although these are very easy and simple crafts, it can be hard to get some creative inspiration to figure out how you want to design them. I will also give some tips that I think will be helpful.

I made the bookmarks shown above earlier, but for this instructable I am going to make some new and fresh ones.

To make these bookmarks you will need:

• A ruler (at least 10cm or 4in)
• A pencil
• Scissors
• Paper or card (a few different colours)
• Glue stick or squeezy glue
• Some inspiration for bookmark designs
• A will to cut and stick paper

Optional:

• Black pen
• Coloured pencils/markers
• Paper knife/cutter (for scoring card)

First, decide what design you would like to make: I mainly make different types of animals, but you could also make humans or your favourite (book) characters. However, if you are feeling spontaneous, it is perfectly fine to not plan any design at all!

Make sure that you have paper in the necessary colours and sizes to make your design, or you might become very disappointed when you realise you are missing something :/

We are now going to make the base of the bookmark.

To do this, you need to measure out a square piece of paper that is (at least) 10cm each side -- a bookmark smaller than this will probably be difficult to fold and decorate. 10cm is roughly 4 inches.

1. Use your ruler to measure out 10cm from each side, then mark it with a pencil.
2. Draw two faint lines connecting the marks you made.
3. Cut through the lines as accurately as you can.

The end size of the bookmark will be a quarter of the square's area... this can help you decide how big to cut your square. Also, if you already have a square piece of paper that is a suitable size for you, you can skip this step.

We now have to fold the paper to make it into a corner bookmark. It might be easier to take a look at the pictures above rather than trying to interpret the instructions.

1. Fold the square into quarters (fold once horizontally and once vertically.)
2. Fold your paper diagonally once to make a triangle. Rotate it so the base is facing upwards.
3. Fold the bottom corner upwards to make a little pocket (there are two layers -- only fold the top one.)
4. Fold the left and right corners downwards, to make a smaller square.
5. Tuck the left and right corners underneath the little pocket you made, and then fold them. You now have the base of your bookmark!

If you are using card, you probably need to score the card first in order to fold it neatly. Use a ruler and a paper knife or cutter to do this. Make sure you do it safely!

We have now reached the very fun part, which is decorating your bookmark. If you are a minimalist and/or very lazy, this step may not be necessary and your bookmark is now finished! :)

As you can see, I turned the pink bookmark into a slightly creepy axolotl, by sticking some gills to the back and making blue eyes.

Tips for decorating your bookmarks:

• Cut out small details (eyes, noses, ears, hair, etc.) out of pieces of scrap paper and stick them on.
• Use a black pen/fineliner to make some details. It might also be easier to draw eyes with a pen than sticking paper.
• You could use coloured pencils/markers to draw on some designs (but this will only work if you draw on light-coloured paper.)
• Maybe add texture to spice it up a bit -- feathers and stickers and shiny stuff!

If you are adding extra parts to your bookmark, keep in mind that some may stick out of the book a bit and maybe get damaged (like the gills on my axolotl.)

Congratulations! You have created a child!

I also made a fox and whale along with my axolotl :)

Now you could gift your creation to anyone who likes to read books. It's also a good idea to make these for kids as they can encourage them to read more. Of course, there is also the option of keeping it for yourself :D

Thanks for reading my instructable -- it is my first one and it has been very fun to make. I hope it was entertaining and somewhat helpful! And also please share some pictures of your children below!