Mother’s And Father’s Day Gifts They’ll Cherish

Bookmarks, personalized with pictures of the kids or family make wonderful gifts in themselves, tucked in a card. But they also add a personal touch to any books you give as gifts.

I posted this in December as a Christmas Idea.  But if time allows, I’ll also be making a few for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day to tuck in cards and books.  They’re inexpensive to make and can be as simple or elaborate as you choose to make them.

We use scrapbooking paper so they won't fade, and then I pick out some fun pictures from the year to print out. I try to pick out pictures that will have significance for the person receiving the bookmark.

For the grandparents, photos of the boys and us are perfect.

For friends, I pick pictures of our families playing together, or photos of places we like to go together.

Scrapbooking tools come in handy, but you don't need them. Plain scissors and glue will do just fine. Stickers, if you have them, are a fun touch.

When I have the bookmarks together, I take them to the library (or UPS Store) to get them laminated. Then, I punch a hole in the top, and make some tassels to loop through, and they're done!

For the tassels, embroidery thread makes them look classy (and I like classy), but you can use yarn, ribbon, or even choose to leave them as is.

Each year, the boys make some for themselves, too. They love having a personalized bookmark to take to school, and if it encourages them to put their nose in a book, I'm all for it.

Last year, my oldest made one with pictures of the family and his favorite place to visit, the Dayton Air Museum. It turned out really cool. He drew pictures of his favorite planes on the back side.

One year, I made one for my husband that had pictures of the boys on the front, and a favorite verse on the back. He still keeps it in his Bible.

I've made a few (O.K…. A LOT of them) for myself, too, of course! But when you are talking about something that combines the joy of reading with pictures of my kids, I simply can't stop!

This year, my four year old got in on the fun and made a Thomas and Friends one using family pictures and Thomas stickers. Once I get them laminated, I'll slip his into the Thomas the Tank activity book I got him for Christmas. He'll love it! He is always looking at the ones I keep in my Bible during church.

If you need a good book idea to tuck them into, Grace For The Moment Morning and Evening Edition, by Max Lucado, or The Purpose of Christmas, by Rick Warren, would make beautiful choices! Seriously, Grace for The Moment is a twice daily devotional that I absolutely love. If my certain engineer hasn't yet gotten the hint, I would really, REALLY, love to have a copy of this for my very own...

Check out other frugal ideas this week at Works For Me Wednesday, hosted by We Are That Family!