Encourage reading AND crafting by making Butterfly Wood Burned Bookmarks!
I love making bookmarks and think they are a fun way to encourage kids (and adults) to keep reading. Wood burning is a really cool way to customize blank wooden bookmarks, but can be a little dangerous if you aren't careful. However, wood burning with a Scorch Marker is safe for kids of all ages to create their own custom projects, like these Butterfly Wood Burned Bookmarks! These bookmarks are so easy to make, and are great gifts for both adults and kids.
To make your own Butterfly Wood Burned Bookmarks, you will need these supplies:
I gave the Scorch Marker Starter Bundle a try to make these bookmarks. The bundle comes with everything you need to easily wood burn your projects: Scorch Markers, butterfly and sunflower vinyl stencils, heat gun, and wood slices to get you started!
The Scorch Marker is basically wood-burning magic at your fingertips! The marker "ink" is a heat-activated, non-toxic chemical compound that allows you to draw (freehand or with stencils) onto wooden surfaces. Once heat is applied, your design instantly burns into the wood. It really is as simple as that!
Prep the wood bookmark by sanding the surface smooth with sandpaper. Separate one of the butterfly vinyl stencils from the pack, and apply it to the bookmark. Press it down well to remove any air bubbles, especially around the stencil edges.
Carefully peel the clear carrier sheet away from the top of the vinyl stencil. If the stencil starts peeling up, lay it back down and rub it with more pressure so that it sticks to the bookmark.
Once the stencil area has been covered, carefully remove the stencil from the wood bookmark. As you can see, the butterflies at the top had a little more bleeding than the ones on the bottom. That's because I used a heavier hand on those top ones at first, and then got the hang of it by the bottom butterflies.
Now, to apply heat! The ink dries quickly, so you can move immediately from one step to the next. You can use any kind of heat source, but the Scorch Marker heat gun comes with the bundle and does the job perfectly!
I wanted to create a set of butterfly bookmarks, so I repeated the process for two more. The "flurry" of butterflies stencil was similar to the first, so I just applied the stencil and colored over the open areas.
For the last bookmark, I used a larger butterfly design. The whole design wouldn't fit onto the bookmark, so I only stuck half of the stencil onto the bookmark to start with. I colored over the stencil, and then carefully removed it. Next, I placed the other half of the stencil onto the upper part of the bookmark, and colored over it. Use a fingernail or weeding tool to remove the smaller wing stencil pieces.
To add some color to the bookmarks, I painted a thin coat of Unicorn SPiT Gel Stain with a paint brush on each bookmark. To get an ombre look, apply a thin coat of another color at the top of the bookmark and blend the colors at the center.
Once dry, the wood burned designs pop right through the stain!
Once the stain has completely dried, loop a colorful bookmark tassel through the opening at the top of the bookmark.
These bookmarks are so easy to make, and there are so many options to make each one unique! They would make great gifts for both adults and kids, and are a fantastic incentive to keep reading.
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