Over the weekend, I decided to try something new and create a bookmark tag with a wedding theme from a tiny manila tag and vintage Jane Eyre book pages. I must say that the project was more tedious than the final product shows. First, I cut out letters and/or syllables (whichever I could find) from the vintage novel to spell out "Will you be my Maid of Honor?" Once that task was completed, I carefully glued the letter-syllable combinations onto the horizontally oriented bookmark using archival-grade adhesive, paying special attention to lining up the letters just right because it's easy for a word to begin forming a crooked line if the letters are just a little slanted to the left or right. After the words were glued, I attached a thin strip of Japanese washi tape to towards the bottom of the bookmark to give the bookmark tag a classic-more-than-rustic feel.
The last step, besides attaching the baker's twine tassel, was to add a protective coating to the bookmark in order to preserve the delicately adhered lettering. I used acid-free water-based sealant to do this, which I applied in one thin layer using a small brush--exactly like I do with my other sealed book page work. However, in this particular case, the sealant took on a streaky gray-blue color in areas (the tint was from the protective foil seal that I have since removed), leaving this coloration on the bookmark tag even when fully dried. Coupled with visible brushstrokes, that in my opinion are more prominent than the lettering itself, the final product did not look the way that I had envisioned it to. This comes from a person who typically likes the aesthetic of visible brushstrokes on sealed surfaces, but this time, I think that the brushstroke textures are visually overemphasized due to the smoothness and expanse of the manila tag in relation to the tiny phrase. Still, the piece is so unique and sweet!
I showed this completed bookmark tag to my husband, and he didn't notice the blue-gray streaks at all until I pointed them out to him.
I'm adding this item to my shop later on this week with a price tag of only $5.75 if you're interested in taking a closer look--it'd make a perfect little tag to attach to your Maid of Honor gift, or even presented as a bookmark slipped between the pages of a favorite book (idea!), with tassel hanging out, of course. Completely one of a kind, it's cute in a classy, bookish sort of way!
Disclaimer: All my glues and resins are non-toxic and water-based.
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