Jungle collage bookmarks

This month my craft box from Bostik had a Jungle theme. I really loved the patterned jungle paper that we received, so I decided to try a collage activity, and as we always seem to be hunting for a bookmark I thought I'd add some jungle themed bookmarks to our collection.

You need:

Thin cardboard (for example a cereal box)
Animal print patterned paper
Clear contact paper (sticky backed plastic) if you want to make the bookmark more durable
Green craft foam
Bostik White Glu
Bostik Glu Dots
Ribbon
Animal stickers or other embellishments if you choose

Instructions:

I found it easier to prepare all the materials in advance, before letting the children loose!

First decide on the size and shape for your bookmark and cut it out of thin card. Ours measure about 6cm x 20cm so there is plenty of room for collage. Cut the animal print paper up into squares, or what every shape you choose. I went for small squares as I thought that the children might like to attempt mosaic designs but I included some larger ones too in case it became too fiddly.

Use the White Glu to stick the collage paper pieces to the strips of cardboard. The glue doesn't dry straight away so you can cover large areas with glue at once for quicker sticking. You need to be careful not to use too much and make the cardboard too wet, but because the Bostik glue is nice and thick it didn't warp the cardboard at all.

Leave the collage bookmarks out to dry thoroughly then trim the edges neatly. When they are dry, if you like you can cover them with clear contact paper to make them more durable and smooth down the paper edges. Alternatively, you could give them a top coating with a layer of glue to make sure that all the edges are stuck down firmly.

Then find a template for a jungle looking leaf, I used this jungle leaf template for inspiration (but it's basically just a leaf shape with large notches cut out), and cut some leaves from the green craft foam. Then arrange the leaves on the bookmarks and secure in place with Bostik Glu Dots. I only needed a couple of dots for each leaf, and they stick nice and securely.

Then use a hole punch to make a hole in the top of each bookmark and thread through some matching ribbon. It works better to tie the ribbon through firmly so that it doesn't slip out.

And there you have it, a lovely collection of jungle themed bookmarks!

You may also want to decorate the bookmarks with animal stickers or other embellishments, or perhaps letter stickers to form the child's name.

This box of craft materials was provided to me free of charge by Bostik as part of the Tots100/Bostik Craft Bloggers Club.