I am a real stickler for the proper care of books. There are many ways for books to be mishandled: bending the spine, dog earring the pages, and laying an open book down face first. I have always been a believer in bookmarks, having collected them at one time. Unfortunately, I don’t currently own a single one!
I started reading a chapter book to my children one night and realized I needed a book mark. Slips of paper easily get lost and I wasn’t going to use any method that could damage the book. I happened to look at a box of paperclips and thought that I would make a bookmark using sculpting clay and a paperclip.
For this project, you will need:
- sculpting clay (the kind that dries in the oven)
- paperclips
- sculpting tools
First, preheat your oven to 275°F. Then roll the sculpting clay into a ball. It doesn’t have to be perfect, but it should be about 1/4 inch in diameter.
Next, you can use a sculpting tool to make a design in the ball of clay. I made mine into a heart shape. After you are satisfied with your shape, push a paperclip about halfway into the bottom. Smooth a bit of clay over the wire to hold it into place.
Make as many paperclips as you would like and put them on a cookie sheet. Bake 10-20 minutes until hard. Once dry, you may paint your bookmark with a finishing gloss, if desired.
