This cute project is fun to make, uses minimal supplies and also makes a great gift. You can use it as a bookmark or a fridge magnet to hold your favorite art work and pictures. While this craft is probably more appropriate for older children, your little ones will love to help decorate.
What you'll need:
* Felt in any color
* Pattern
* Felt marker
* Scissors
* White or craft glue
* Curl Hair clips with spring
* Stickers, glitter, glitter paint, ribbon and any other decorations
* Wax paper
How to make it:
1. Print out the Mitten Bookmark pattern.
2. Cut out the pattern.
3. Use the marker to trace around the pattern four times on the felt.
4. Cut out all four pieces. It will take four pieces of felt to make one bookmark.
Important: Be sure to lay all mitten pieces with the thumb part facing the same direction.
5. In a row, lay the four mittens out in front of you. Take the second and third mittens and cut off the top band of the mitten, where the wrist cuff would be. This step is done so the second and third mitten pieces will fit inside the hair clip and let the mitten pieces on the top and bottom line up.
6. Lay the first mitten piece on the wax paper and spread the glue all over it. Do this by dotting glue all over the mitten piece and spreading it with your finger, a Q-tip or small paint brush. Felt adheres very well and just needs an even layer, do not over glue.
7. Spread glue on either the second or third mitten piece on the underside (so it will match up with the first mitten piece). Don’t glue it yet.
8. Lay the hair clip on top of the first mitten piece. (The top of the hair clip where the spring is goes at the top of the mitten where you would put in your hand in the glove.)
9. Open up the clip and hold it open.
10. Lay the second mitten piece, already glued, on top of the hair clip. Make sure the mitten edges are even with the first mitten piece.
11. Take a small square of wax paper , approximately 4”x4”, doubled over and lay it on top of the second mitten piece and close the hair clip. This completes the back layer of the bookmark. Remember, the bookmark is a clip so we now have to make the other side. The wax paper will make sure the two sides of the bookmark don’t stick together even if there’s a little glue spillage.
12. Take the third mitten piece, taking care to note which side of the mitten you need to put glue on, and spread glue on the mitten.
13. Open up the hair clip and hold open.
14. Insert the third mitten piece on top of the wax paper and make sure the sides of it align with the mitten below. Close the hair clip.
15. Spread glue onto the underside of the fourth mitten piece and lay it on the very top of the hair clip. Make sure the sides of it align with the mitten piece below.
16. Leave wax paper in place and allow to dry at least an hour.
17. Let the child decorate their mitten with stickers, glue, glitter and tiny ribbon bows. Get as creative as you like, however, remember this bookmark goes inside a book so don't add anything dimensional.
18. Help the child wrap it up and give it as a gift.
Tips:
* Try this short cut. Instead of tracing the pattern four times, trace it twice and fold the felt over so you can cut out two gloves from one tracing.
* Get creative with dollar store stickers. Buy lots of tiny and inexpensive dollar store stickers. Use some to decorate your mittens and let the kids have fun with the rest.
* Make a fridge magnet! Simply hot glue a small, round magnet to the back of your mitten clip and you have a great fridge magnet to hold your child’s artistic creations. If you plan to make a magnet of your clip, you can use more dimensional decorations, such as beads, buttons and other such items as they will not be crushed by the weight of a closed book.