As I continue to experiment with nature crafts, I wanted to share my latest little project: These DIY BIRCH BARK BOOKMARKS. They were very NEARLY A CRAFT FAIL – almost! But it was a great learning experience and I am happy to PASS ALONG ALL I’VE LEARNED ABOUT USING BIRCH BARK in this week’s tutorial.
Ready to dive in?
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SUPPLIES YOU WILL NEED
● Birch Bark (if you have no access to nature, Etsy sellers carry birch bark sheets for crafting)
● Craft Paper
● Pencil/Pen
● Scissors
● Ruler
● Paint brush
● (Optional): Matte Varnish OR Mod Podge
● NOT PICTURED: Laminator Machine & Sheets (this is the specific one I own)
STEPS: DIY BIRCH BARK BOOKMARKS
Step 1: Press Birch Pieces
When collecting found birch bark, you will typically see it curled up (or at least curling along the edges).
To make them usable, you will need to PRESS THEM FIRST.
TIPS for Pressing Bark:
1/ Brush off dirt with a soft bristle brush.
2/ BIRCH BARK HAS SEVERAL LAYERS, so PEEL your piece until it is PAPER THIN.
To do this, find the edge and gently pull the layers apart (see below):
*NOTE: For my project, I started with the 2 pieces (above).
One was paper thin; the other was more like a thick piece of craft paper.
The paper thin piece was a breeze to work with, BUT…the other piece required a bit more finesse…More on that, later.
3/ RUN BARK UNDER TAP WATER, both sides.
4/ PRESS EACH PIECE: If you don’t have a flower press, press the bark BETWEEN 2 PIECES OF WOOD and be sure to LAYER IN PAPER TOWELS AND CARDBOARD to absorb the moisture. Place a heavy book (or two) on top and, if you have them, some weights.
Leave for at least 24 hours.
When ready, REMOVE THE WEIGHTS, BOOKS, AND TOP BOARD:
Step 2: Attach Bark To Craft Paper
Cut craft paper to size (mine was 2 inch X 6 inch).
For this project, the birch bark will be glued to one side of the bookmark.
Using a ruler, mark the edge to cut along one side, leaving the raw edge detail along the other.
Add glue to the back of the bark and attach to craft paper.
Repeat as many times as you like with as many pieces of bark as you like. I made a second bookmark.
Let the glue dry.
Step 3: Laminate (or Seal) Your Bookmarks
For those who DON’T HAVE A LAMINATING MACHINE, you can explore the following options:
– Varnish the Bark (and entire bookmark), using a lightweight craft medium like Liquidex.
– Mod Podge the Bark (and entire bookmark)
These are alternatives I explored, but ultimately decided that I would LAMINATE FOR A SMOOTHER, MORE DURABLE FINISH.
Place your bookmarks IN A PLASTIC SLEEVE made specifically for use in a laminating machine, AND FEED INTO THE LAMINATOR.
As you can see, the BOOKMARK WITH PAPER THIN BARK (RIGHT) TURNED OUT WELL.
But the OTHER PIECE WITH THICKER BARK (LEFT) had created several AIR POCKETS.
What to do?
First, I SEPARATED THE BOOKMARKS, using the BUILT-IN CUTTER.
Next, I CUT AS CLOSE TO THE EDGE of the unusable bookmark with a pair of scissors and began peeling – YES, PEELING – the sheet off the bookmark. (Since there were air pockets along the edge, it was easy to peel it off).
As a result, I discovered yet ANOTHER LAYER OF BARK.
Since the layer attached to the plastic was essentially fused to it, it was far EASIER TO REMOVE THE LAYER GLUED TO THE CRAFT PAPER.
I now had a fresh, MUCH THINNER LAYER OF BARK that I could work with (AGAIN!).
NEXT STEPS (Revisiting Previous Steps):
1/ Cut a new piece of craft paper.
2/ Glue new, thinner piece of birch bark onto craft paper.
3/ Laminate bookmark.
HERE WE GO AGAIN!
SECOND TIME’S A CHARM! Far fewer air bubbles and a much smoother finish around the edges.
Step 4: Cut Off Excess Plastic
Use the built-in cutter or scissors to cut off plastic. To keep the bookmarks sealed, I suggest LEAVING A BIT OF PLASTIC EDGING all the way around, so it REMAINS SEALED.
Step 5: Optional – Attach Tail or Tassel
PUNCH A HOLE ALONG THE TOP of each book mark. My machine comes with a hole punch built into it. If you don’t have one, use any quality hole punch you have.
I used 3mm macrame string for this part.
Attach the string/cord to your bookmark using a LARK’S HEAD KNOT (often used in macrame knotting).
Here are THE STEPS:
1/ FOLD A LENGTH OF MACRAME STRING/CORD IN HALF.
2/ FEED MIDDLE PORTION through the HOLE.
3/ Leave a PORTION OF LOOP OPEN.
4/ Feed the TAIL ENDS through the LOOP.
5/ Pull until a KNOT FORMS.
To TIE OFF THE TAILS, I used an OVERHAND KNOT – AS FOLLOWS:
Here are the completed DIY BIRCH BARK BOOKMARKS, all ready to be used:
I hope you enjoyed today’s tutorial showing you how (and how NOT!) to make these unique, raw-edge DIY Birch Bark Bookmarks. This was a fun way to use up some of the bark I collected in the woods.
Happy crafting 🙂
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